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Browse published articles attributed to Frances Lucas, with full-archive search.
We can’t depend on others to make us happy. Others will say and do things which will disappoint us. They will say things out of fear, jealous and pride. People are unkind and wicked at times. They will not do things we believe they should do. How we react to what others do is really all we can control. We need to remember their actions are not of God and we should set the example.
It is always toughest to do the things that should be done when we don’t want to do them. We may have other things on our mind to do. We may not feel like doing what we should. We may wonder why we have to do things when others don’t have to do them. We may try to put them off to do later.
Most mornings many people all over the world wake up to worry. They wake up and begin to think about all the things they have to do. They wake up and begin to worry about how the bills are going to get paid. They wake up worrying about their health or their family. We really need to make a decision to wake up without worry, without wishing we could go back to bed and without weariness.
We all have, at one time or another, been so tired we felt like we just couldn’t go on. We have had days where we knew we would fall right asleep once our head hit the pillow. We have worked on some things so hard that we were so tired we couldn’t think straight until we found some time to rest. When we are weary, when we are weak, that is when we have to be strong. Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”
We may believe we are good people and we tend to get along with everyone; however, we need to examine our thoughts and judgments we have about others more closely. We need to recognize that our first impression of someone may be based on something we heard they did or something they said we believed was inappropriate. John 7:24 “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Sometimes God slows us down. He creates quiet time for us when we think we should be doing something else. Just as he stopped other people in the Bible in their daily lives, He stops us in the middle of our routines. When He does this, He is turning us away from worthless things in the world, and wanting us to read His word. Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.”
If someone asked us to sell everything we had and give them to the poor, would we be willing? Are the things we think we can’t live without really worth living for? We easily get upset when something in the house breaks like the dishwasher or the Internet is down. When we run out of our favorite snack or beverage, we quickly run to the store to replace it so we aren’t doing without. However, are the things we feel we need all the time really the things God wants us to have?
If we were honest with ourselves, we could say there are times when we feel inadequate and worthless. There are times when we feel we aren’t good enough to do something or be who we feel we need to be. We feel worthless at times because we fail or have struggles and we think no one else has to go through what we have to and no one else will understand.
There are times when we feel like others are getting the best things in life. They get the promotions. They get the bigger house. They drive the nicer cars. Their children make good grades and appear to do the right things. We may wonder why we don’t have the nicer things in life especially since we are living like God wants us to.
Our minds are always busy thinking about things. We sometimes think about what all we have to do. We may think about what someone else has done. We may form opinions about others in our heads or talk back to someone in our minds. We tend to think things we really wouldn’t say out loud.
We have all waited in line for something. It is neither always easy nor fun to wait in line but, we believe, it is usually worth the wait. While we are in line waiting we probably grow weary. While we are in line waiting we possibly get bored. While we are in line waiting we may get anxious or even give up. However, if we desire what is at the head of the line, we wait in line until we get what we want or need.
There are times in our lives we get tired of things. We get physically wore out or mentally drained. Sometimes we just get bored and want to move on to something else. It’s just natural for things to get boring or monotonous and we feel the need to do something different. We may want to take a detour in life going somewhere else we feel may be more interesting and exciting.
When God gives us something to do, why do we need to wait for man's permission to do it? God can give us all the supplies we need. But we tend to go to man and say, look at this for me and let me know what you think. While we are waiting, we are doing nothing. If it takes a while to hear back we just assume the other person thinks it's a bad idea or not worth the effort.
We often see others who get so wrapped up in what they are doing they forget about everything else and everyone else around them. We can get wrapped up in our thoughts. We can get wrapped up in our work. We can get wrapped up in our health issues. We can get wrapped up in our money situation. There are many daily distractions which can cause us to temporarily forget others and God because of what we are dealing with in the moment.
We often times struggle with what we do. We wonder if we should do or say certain things in order to help others, or to better ourselves or to even get ahead in life. We need to know the difference between what we want to do, what we feel like doing and what we ought to do. We need to be sure we do and say everything for the right reasons. We need to demonstrate God’s law is written in our hearts.
A gentleman who is a new neighbor came over yesterday and introduced himself to me. He saw me working out on the garage and wanted to let me know he and his wife would be moving next door soon. He told me a little about himself and his family. He told me he had some experience in home repair and offered his assistance if I needed it. If just five minutes, I got to know someone who cared.
We have all wondered why we can’t just have a normal average life with no issues or conce s. We wonder why things have to happen to us and why we have to struggle so much. We sometimes wish we could have a normal life and not have problems in our relationships or with money or with our health. However, if we went through life, day after day, with no problems and conce s, we wouldn’t grow and learn.
There are times when we have our minds made up about something. We have decided we are going to do or not do something and we will not change our minds for anything. There are other times when our minds are filled with negativity and doubt. It seems as if we want to have a pity party and want to feel bad. It is so easy to have our minds fixed on the things of the world because those things are all around us; however, God is all around us as well and we need to fix our thoughts on Him. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Exodus 3:11-12 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.” How many times do we protest to God or ignore Him because we don’t believe we are good enough. We think we don’t have what it takes or it is not the right time or we can do it later when we feel better about ourselves. We shouldn’t think that everything has to be just right before we take action.
Sometimes we have situations where things are not going our way. We may have someone who isn’t doing the thing they should do. We may have others who are having difficult times and are continuously complaining to us about it. We may have issues at work or things at home which seem like huge problems and we have a hard time thinking about anything else.
There are times when situations happen to others and we don’t really know what to say or do. We feel like we need to something to help them with the hurt they have but our words are just not enough. We want to do something, take some type of action, but nothing we do would really help them. Those are the times we need to just be there for them. Those are the times we need to pray for God’s comfort to ease their pain. Those are the times we need to listen when they are ready to talk. Galatians 6:2 “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
We all want things to be different in many areas of our lives. We may want others to have a different attitude when they are dealing with difficult situations. We may want to our children or other people to act differently and listen more. We may want our boss to recognize our hard work and give us a promotion or just some token of appreciation. However, in order to make any kind of change in others we need to be willing to make a change first in ourselves.
When we are facing situations we feel seem out of our control and we have tried and tried to figure out how to handle them, we tend to go to an alte ative means to search for a solution. We may feel as if we have lost hope and there is nothing left but drastic measures. We may feel there is no one else to turn to so we have to handle things ourselves. We may feel embarrassed about our situation and afraid to talk with someone else so we look for ways to fix things and cover up the issue at hand.
Why is it we keep going back to places and situations we know are wrong in God’s eyes? We have heard the saying “been there, done that” but sometimes we keep going back and repeating bad mistakes. These mistakes come from our own desire to do wrong. These desires come from our past of what we have done or seen that seem fulfilling to us at the time; however, these desires will cause worse things to happen if we continue to give in to them.
It is so easy to get aggravated with another person who does not do something the way we believe they should. It is so easy to get upset with what someone says or does and want to react in a hurtful way. It is so easy to get annoyed when something happens to us we feel is unfair. However, when we feel others hurt us we really need to look at the bigger picture and think about how it would be if we were in their shoes.
So many times we find ourselves repeating what we have said to someone because they weren’t really listening. Perhaps their minds were wandering while we were talking. Maybe they had something troubling on their minds. It could be there were distractions which kept them from hearing. However, it happens more often than not. Not everyone listens.
Many times, as we get older, we begin to feel our bones and muscles ache sometimes for no reason except for the fact that our body is getting older. Or it may not be that we are old at all, but we may have done something to strain our bodies and we are feeling that pain the next day. However, no matter what we begin to feel, no matter what pains we have or what issues we are dealing with in our health, we still have something to be grateful for. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
We all can look back on yesterday or the day before and find things we wished we would have done or not done. We can think about things we should have said or not said. We can decide if we had a productive day or not. We can review the day and see if we accomplished things in our life and if we were on track for what God wanted us to do.
We have all had people who have told us they were just trying to help. They may have had good intentions to help us out but it really didn’t work. Sometimes people want to help and don’t know what to do but they just try something in an attempt to show they care. We need to be mindful of those who are just trying to help and encourage them rather than dismiss them.
We all have situations come up where one thing is more important to one person than it is to the other. There are times when there are misunderstandings and we don’t always know the whole story. Other times we make things that are somewhat unimportant blow up into something really big that divides a family or a church. Psalm 119:143-144 “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.”
We all know we can’t get everything done in a day, but we can take action on some things in our lives that will help us move forward. What we decide to do and what we decide to put of one more day is an important decision. We need to be sure that whatever decision we make is not to satisfy our own desires but to help others and to do what God wants us to do so that we can make a difference.
We all have people who we can count on. Some we can count on for showing up late everywhere they go. Others can be counted on for making excuses or blaming others. Then there are those we can count on for being too loud and saying the wrong things. Although we tend to see the negative in some people because it may stand out more, we really need to look at what positive traits they have and focus on them.
When we get upset with what someone else does or someone is upset with us, we need to choose our words carefully. We need to step back and look at the whole situation and determine the importance of it. We need to be sure what we say is what we want them to hear and understand before we speak those words. When we speak out in anger, we can hurt others and hurt ourselves.
There are times when we have a disagreement with someone, we feel so strongly about being right and we are so sure we are not going to ever hang around with them again. We feel whatever the situation, we are done with them. We are going to disassociate ourselves from them and move on. However, as time passes, our feelings aren’t quite as strong and we may forgive them. We may begin talking to them again. We may restore that relationship again and find out that we really missed their companionship.
We all have a deep sense of awe or urgency to help someone at some point in our lives. We see or hear of something tragic happen and want to give of our time or money. We learn about someone in our work or school who is going through a hard time and we want to help. We have a friend or family member who has become sick or lost a loved one and we feel like reaching out to them.r
Psalm 18:30 “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.” There are times when a situation happens to someone else and we really don’t know what to say. They may have lost a loved one. They may have a challenge at work. They may have financial difficulties. They may have a broken relationship. They want to talk to us and we listen, but we don’t really know the right words to say that will make them feel better.
There are situations in life where we sometimes feel as if we aren’t being treated fairly. Sometimes it seems like the other person always gets the break. We may wish we had more talent or more opportunities to shine but it seems like we are always the ones who are getting left behind. We wonder why some people get ahead when it appears they are doing the same things we are doing.
We all want our lives to be easy. We all want to go through life without any issues or worries so we can enjoy everything in our lives without having to struggle. We would like not to have to rely on other people but to be able to have the life we believe we want and we want it struggle free.
Although we all may not have a systemized planning program where we log things into a binder that we have to do and scratch them off as we do them, we all plan. We all have ideas about what we want to do and take some actions on things we have to do. We have to plan for obvious reasons in order to eat, to go somewhere and to do just about anything we do.
We all have problems. We can’t really get away from them. We have troubles at home, issues that come up at work, financial problems, etc. Once we get over one problem, another problem seems like it is just around the corner. We pay off one bill only to find we have another to pay. We get over one miscommunication and someone else gets upset with us. We can’t escape problems. They are just a part of life. Psalm 25:16-17 “Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all!”
Think about places we have gone and what we have done to arrive early to get a good seat or a good place in line. We head out early to get a good buy at a local store, a good seat at the movies or in a restaurant. We share these things with others and encourage them to go as well.
There are things we hold on to too tightly sometimes without even realizing it. It is those things we hold on to with all our might that we tend to lose. It is not because we don’t deserve these things, but it possibly because are trying to keep them under our control or because we put them higher than other things in our lives. We have to be careful about what we think about and hold too near to our hearts.
There are many brief encounters in life with others who we may only see for a moment. We have time to talk with them only for a few minutes about whatever comes to our minds. There are other times when we have meetings or encounters where we spend a few hours, or even a day with someone we may never see again. Then there are times when we run into someone we haven’t seen in years and have an opportunity to talk with them for a while. Romans 13:13a “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.”
There have been times in our lives where we wanted someone to be proud of us. We wanted to have someone tell us we did a good job. We wanted to be acknowledged for the hard work we did in school or at home. We wanted to know we had done something that others had noticed and wanted to be commended for it.
1 Samuel 14:22 “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” Saul wanted to do God's will and please the people. We can't always do both. God should be our first and only choice. Saul lost his authority due to making wrong choices. As hard as it may seem at times, it is really the easy choice to decide to do things God's way rather than our own.
When we tone up our bodies we are getting them into shape to make us stronger physically. We do this by exercising, eating right and staying away from things that will hurt our bodies. By toning up our bodies, we are getting rid of the fat and strengthening our muscles to prepare ourselves for better health. When we overdo, our bodies tell us it’s time to slow down just as when we don’t do enough our bodies tend to run down. We should get into a routine of exercise and create healthy habits to ensure we are taking care of our bodies.
Proverbs 11:27 “If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!” We are all familiar with the game we played as children where we would hide somewhere while we waited and hoped we could escape to home base before the seeker found us. Some of us had really good hiding places where no one could find us and we would get home safely every time. Others of us would hide in places where we could be seen and found quickly.
Although we live in an instant world where information is available at our fingertips and we have the option to carry around devices that keep us in immediate contact with others, the real things, the really good things take time. The steps to get the good things in life haven’t really changed at all. We need to understand there is a process and a waiting period to get the good results God wants to have in our lives. Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
We all know physical therapists help us work through the pains we have in our bodies so we can get better. Many of us who have had physical injuries have had to do some type of strengthening to help us get back to normal. When we let an area of our body go that has been injured and don’t do what we should to work through the pain of healing, we can do more damage than good. Yes, it hurts to work the affected area; however, the pain is worth it.
Most of us go to the store on a regular basis to buy groceries, clothes and other items. We have to go back and replace what we own because they either wear out or we run out of them. When we arrive home we have to make room to put these new things. This may mean moving around some things. It may mean throwing out a few items. We may even have to give away or sell some things to make room for the new things.