STRENGTH #1

We need to stand together as pillars of strength in unity!

 

Luke 11:17

 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.”

Starla

Linking with:

Washing feet

John 13: 10-17 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”  For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus came and BATHED us when He died on the cross for us….

YOU ARE MADE CLEAN!

yet here is says –Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet.

Feet …where you go , what you do, the way u choose

It says we are to wash one another’s feet.

Have you ever “tripped” over other peoples feet …have you ever misunderstood or been misunderstood…I have. Tripping over and getting angry over their choices…where they go, what they do, and the way they chose to do it.

To wash feet is a humble service – wash …cleanse…

take the dirt away

It takes humility to forgive and wash hurts that people do to you away. It takes humility to consider that u could be wrong. To choose to ask before assuming. To not be angry and gossip. To not have a pity party and re-stir the hurt you feel creating more pain. To choose to be thankful and grateful instead of envious and jealous. To not reject when you don’t understand, when you just don’t get someone’s behavior. To not reject when you have been rejected. It take humility to not be selfish.

All these things are things we trip over….the feet of another.

We need washing ….and we need to wash others

talk about it

deal with it

communicate wants and needs

learn to live in unity

Drama, hate, anger, chaos, division ….are on the road that we walk. We may step in a pile of crap sometimes but what are we going to do ….

wash our feet ?

or

Kill the one who crapped there?

( Jesus said Hate was just like Murder)

Lets be a servant like Christ and wash feet!

Friendships of Love

Don’t jump……

Jumping to conclusions… this habit increases people’s difficulties.  they assume that they know what is going to happen, so they stop paying attention and act on their assumption. 

~By Adrian Savage.

Have you ever done this…?

This is something I know I have done and I am learning to ask questions instead.  I would watch and make a conclusion based on the evidence and what I see happening and from peoples reactions. I learning a long time ago that you needed to be ahead of the game in order to come out of it unscathed.

As I have grown in age and the Lord I have come to understand that doing this keeps me away from really knowing people.

I am learning that asking questions helps and I have been practicing…mostly on my family.

Family is where most of life is lived out…

in the 4 walls of home.

Unity must be actively strengthened

or Division Breeds

Family can breed all kinds of conclusions because we have lived together so long we can start to think we know what another is doing, thinking, going to say….There is a problem…we are not mind readers!! Not even with those outside our homes. And when we think we are ….well we could very well just be prideful…and we will fall.

If we think we know and are not open to new info, we might hedge people into a box. We may be guilty of now allowing others to grow and change. Believing  “we know!” – will cause conflict. We only see dimly. We can be blinded by our own shadowy selves.

(source)

Listening to each other is key.

My conclusion ..lol

is …well …

perhaps we just simply don’t trust

…I didn’t.

When I was a kid I learned that I couldn’t  trust my parents. They were inconsistent.  I never knew what I was coming home too. It was often hostile and negligent. So I learned to prepare and protect and trust only myself. I grew up believing I needed to defend myself. I grew to believe that people were out to get me in some way, that they would trap me with my own words. So I learned to predict what would happen and how to come out on top of the situation.

Learning to think different has been a task and sometimes I find that I have made up my mind about something or someone, even when another person has communicated to me differently than I believe…. I  have to choice to trust what they are saying to me or not.

Communication is another key.

We don’t all communicate the same way in my home….and if we choose not to listen well to each other then miscommunication happens and distrust multiplies. Blame, excuses, angry venting, and character assassination are not communication. None of that will get you to understanding someone better.

When you are worried and feeling compromised ….(as I have often felt)

Judge the content of character….what is the persons track record. Remember to leave room that they are being honest and that you could be wrong.

if their character is good …trust

if their character is not good….trust with caution (give them the benefit of the doubt.)

REMEMBER this is not TRUST in them…

it is

TRUST in GOD!

(source)

He is the ONE we TRUST.

He works all things together for GOOD.

…the good for us may be to learn a lesson, persevere, gain patience, love someone un-loveable ..ect.

but what ever you do ….don’t jump to conclusions.

Instead Choose LOVE and WATCH FOR THE FRUIT!

~Friendships of Love