I let it happen. 

I said some things I should never have said. I knew as the words were coming out of my mouth that it was the wrong thing to say . . . we were not in the right company . . . it was not the right time . . . but I did not hold my tongue.

Words slipped because I let them go. A balloon bouquet escaping my grasp would have been more beneficial for my company. 

My gut twisted and turned with regret for days. It still does when think about it. I'm so sorry, but my sorrow does not fix anything.

These leaves have left the branches of the trees they have been hanging on all year. They can never be attached again. Some things cannot be undone.

Have you ever heard the analogy about toothpaste and words? We used it when I taught children's church about 100 years ago. You show kids that words are like toothpaste out of the tube. You can squeeze the tube and the toothpaste comes out, but no matter how hard you try, you can never get the toothpaste back in the tube. Words are like that. Once they are out you can never get them back. 

I  am going to try to do better. Regret rarely visits when I have held my tongue. I hope I do not soon forget this girdle of misery. I really need your help with this one, Lord.

I use the backspace button more than any other when I write these pages. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a feature with our spoken words. 

Do you struggle with your tongue, my friend? Will you pray for me? I will pray for you! 

"Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiates 5:2

                      Do versus Don't Do

It has been happening almost every morning. I have been waking up at four a.m. with thoughts. I hop out of bed and run to the computer to write them down. I don't go to bed with these  thoughts . . . they come to me, I am awakened, I hop out of bed and run.

"Where are you going?" Scotty asks.

"I have to write!" 

Before I fell asleep last night, I had decided I wouldn't  write here today. 

But here I am, four a.m., Compelled!

This morning I woke with the scene of Peter and Jesus in my head. Not the scene that I talked about the other day, the one where Jesus told Peter that he was going to mess up . . . BIG time!  Not that one, but the scene where they are seaside after Peters big spiritual crash. Jesus asked Peter 3 questions that all began with, "Peter, do you love me?" 

Do you remember that beautiful scene?

It struck me this morning that Jesus didn't respond  to Peter with a "if you Do love me, then Don't" answer.

"Yes, I Do love You!"  Peter answers three times.

All three times Jesus responds with . . .

"If you love Me, DO this."

I have been reading some red letters in my Bible every day. Red letters are the words that Jesus spoke. I just want to hear what He has to say about things. It is not my only stop every morning, but it is the first place I read. 

I will be searching  . . . 

does Jesus have more "dos" than "don'ts" in all those red words?


One thing He did say, "The most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all of your mind. The second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself."

The two most important commands are "Do" commands.

They sound so much like His response to Peter.

"Peter, do you love me?"

"Yes, Master . . . " 

"Then do this . . . LOVE my sheep . . . "

Is it possible that if we were doing what we should be, there wouldn't be time to do those things that we shouldn't be doing?

What if we were so busy being kind that there wasn't any time to be unkind?

 Is this getting to you? It is getting to me.

Yesterday, my very sweet, beautiful cousin Tiffany was heading through the drive through at Starbucks. A kind lady motioned for Tiffany to move in line ahead of her. Because the lady was so kind, Tiffany decided to buy the lady a coffee. (If you are a friend on fb you might have read this on my page yesterday.)When Tiff gets to the drive up window, the barista tells her that her coffee has been paid for. Tiffany tells him that is quite funny . . . that her plan had been to pay for the coffee of the sweet lady behind her. "That makes you number 14. Fourteen people have paid for the coffee of the one behind them." "Paying it backward," Tiffany called it. 

Early morning people being kind. People who are in a hurry to get to work, people who haven't even had their coffee yet, being thoughtful. hmmmm

People doing love.

There are "don't" things . . . things we should never do. Not ruling them out, but perhaps our focus shouldn't be on them so much. What do you think the world be like if our focus was on what we could do instead of what we should not do?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, 'Simon, son of  Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him again, 'Simon, son of  Jonah, do you love Me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him a third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.' John 21:15-17NKJV

I have never been able to find it, the straight path to forgiveness. It has always been a process for me, more like walking through a maze. I make the decision to go for it, let go of the hurt and walk it out, but it seems I don't get very far in when I hit a wall. I always hear a voice, "keep going, you will get through this," so I continue until I find the opening . . . grace to keep going forward. 

Forgiveness begins with a step of faith . . . you step into it whether you feel like it or not. It is not about feelings, but then faith stuff never is. It is about making a decision to enter.

I don't like mazes. I am claustrophobic . . . get me in the middle of a maze and I panic. I want to get to the end of it quickly because I need to breathe again. 

Forgiving someone can be like that for me. 

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I have to remind myself of how much I have been forgiven. I desperately need the Lord's mercy . . . every day without exception. Remembering my own ugliness will often soften my heart, helping me to move on.

I have to keep reminding myself that there is an exit to this place, this maze I have gotten myself into. Keep going forward . . . hit another wall . . . turn the corner, then go forward . . . hit another wall . . .

Like a walk through a maze, walking through forgiveness you eventually reach the end, the exit is there waiting for you to go through . . . finally . . . FINALLY and not a minute too soon you  find your way through!  FREEDOM at last!

Some have told me, "I could never forgive - - - - - -!" 

The truth is, you can, dear friend. I know because I have been in this maze before and I can tell you for sure that, though there are many walls that come up against, you will eventually find the exit. When you get there, it is you who will be free. 

"But if I forgive them, does that make what they did to me okay?" This is a familiar wall I come to. Forgiveness doesn't justify the one who sinned against me. Once I realize this truth, I make progress.
  
When I make the decision to walk out forgiveness, I am in a maze and walls are in my face, the only thing I have found to do is get on my face and ask for grace to keep walking this thing out. That is the only thing that has given me the power to keep going. 

Take it from one who has been there . . . when you finally get to the place where there are no more walls that come up against you in your heart . . . well,it is simply aMAZING!!!

Have you ever been there? It would be an honor to pray for you.

Blessings, my friend.

"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You."
Psalm 86:5NKJV 


 

                            Play Day

The babies are coming over to play this morning. Ace, Grandpa Scotty and I played with the play dough last time they were here. Everything that goes into Petra's hand ends up in her mouth. She doesn't get to play with play dough yet. 

I can't wait for them to arrive! We always have a very good time. 

                                                 Petra

                                                Ace
 I know today is going to be wonderful! I already know because these two little people make me so happy!

I hope that you will have a very happy day, too! 

I wish you could come over and play with us . . . I hope that you will have some playtime today mixed in with whatever you are doing. 

I thought you might enjoy this from my friend Lea!

 http://myletterstoemily.blogspot.com/

It made me smile! 

Enjoy! 


 

"Remember the only thing whiter than snow is a freshly cleansed child of God." Beth Moore 

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18NKJV

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7 NKJV

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 NKJV 

Have a beautiful and happy Sunday!  

                 

                   

"Here comes Bob!" 

Bob number 3 was entering the store where I am  now working. 

I met four new people yesterday and three of them were named Bob. Unrelated Bobs.

I checked by inbox when I got home from work and there was an e-mail asking, "How is Bob _ _ _ _ _ _ doing?" I'm sure glad they put the last name! Bob number four had entered my day.


I write about diversity and the Lord gives me a day full of Bobs. All four Bobs in this story are about the same age, same size . . . they have lots of similarities! 


Your sense of humor is in full swing, Lord!


FUNNYYY!!!


As a result, I must add a few thoughts to yesterday's post.

We are all born with the same name . . . SINNER. We all need to be delivered from sin!  

 Jesus doesn't like sin. He hates it. Sin was the reason He had to go to the cross. It wasn't His sin, but ours. He died in our place so that we could be delivered from sin and have eternal life. We have no hope apart from Him.

He set the prostitute free from her sin. He forgave her. He delivered her. He loved her. 

He didn't condone her sin. He didn't become a sinner like her. If He had, he couldn't have been her deliverer. 

I think it would be wonderful if everyone in the world had the same NEW name . . .SINNER SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE!!!

Perhaps that is your name now. AWESOME! 

When we meet someone who does not have that new name yet,those who are trapped in the death-grip of sin, we should love them. Hate their sin, don't jump into it with them, but love them like Jesus does!  

It could change the world!!!

Your thoughts?


"The thief does  not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 NKJV

ps. Do you know Jesus as your savior? I would love to tell you more about Him. Please e-mail me at cheribunch@gmail.com if you have anymore questions. I'm praying for you!

                      The Color of Love

Fall, the  most beautiful of seasons!  Vibrant colors warm the heart and refresh the soul.

I wonder why it has to be so temporary? Why couldn't we have an ever-orange tree? Ever-red? I always look forward to this magical season. Perhaps that is the reason that the Lord made it temporary. It is good to have something to wait for, no?

My husband and I just made a long drive to Kansas and back to Kentucky again. This is the season to do that! It was glorious! 

It struck me that one tree by itself is so completely glorious, but many trees altogether is breathtaking.

The blending of brilliant color is amazing!  

Its true of us as well. We all have our own colorful personalities. Diversity makes life so interesting. 

We can be very judgmental, looking on with our views, and missing the beauty of someones perspective. We like people who are like us. We easily love people who think like thoughts . . . those with similar passions.

A teenaged girl told me one time that she didn't see things the way her parents did. She had her own ideas about life.  My response was, "You don't have to agree with them. The Bible says that you need to honor them."

And that is what I think we need to do with people. Honor them. Treat them with love. Be like Jesus. I don't think that He believed in prostitution but He caressed the heart of the one trapped in it, drawing her to a better place. He despised the sin she was in, but He demonstrated love and respect to her. Witnesses of this affection were appalled! "How could He?" 

He could because He knew somewhere inside of her was a hurting soul that needed to be delivered. His kindness led her to repentance.

Jesus and a prostitute! Now there is some diversity for you! 

Jesus wooed her to the way of right instead of hating her for being wrong. 

One thing that always amazes me about the stories in the gospels where Jesus is actively liberating sinners, is the fact that those in the picture who were judging were just as wretched as those they were judging. They had a sin of a different sort.They had desperate need of forgiveness, too, but they were unaware of their own wretchedness. Perhaps their sin was less visible. Or maybe they were just blind to it.

So what am I saying exactly? When it comes to loving, I think we should be like Jesus. Before we hate someone else for their sin, or their differences, we should examine our own hearts because we might be harboring some sin of our own and not even realize it. 

Our love for one another needs to be vibrant! We need to be patient, kind, loving. When we live like that, it makes the world a much more glorious place to live. Lord, help us! 

Your thoughts?

"This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." 1John 3:11 NKJV