Everyday MattersThere's a reason for everyday.
Despite the bad and the good, everyday matters. |
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3/21/2019 March 21, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Hair Stylist My hair…it’s a big part of my life so how great it is that the relationship I have with my hair also spills over to the relationship I have with my hair stylist. Each time I have an appointment I’ve been able to tell my hairdresser what God is doing in my life. And I’m surprised, no matter who my hair stylist is, how interested they are in listening to me talk about God. In the past there were times I felt fearful, embarrassed or even defensive when sharing my faith but now I get excited because I’m sharing my relationship and not a religion. Sharing my relationship and the power of God’s love is fun because everything just seems to flow and come out naturally. Without love we really can’t communicate the freedom and peace God has for us. But by knowing 1 Corinthians 13:8; “Love never fails” we can actually have success when reaching out to others…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com
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3/14/2019 March 14, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Be Tenderhearted “Yea, I know…we need to forgive and be tenderhearted to one another as God does for us. I know.” Okay well, knowing and living it out are two different things. Jesus calls us to be kind and tenderhearted toward everyone, even to those we don’t like very much which can be hard if they’ve hurt us. Romans 12:9; “Let your love be genuine and outdo one another in showing honor.” Personal, political, religious, and any other type of enemies or “opponents” should be treated with kindness which means assuming the best and not the worst of those we find difficult to deal with. Forgiveness doesn’t release the one who hurt you. It releases you. Having a tender heart is my willingness to see the pain from the point of view of the person who hurt me. I know. So we need to have God’s eyes and His heart to see that person as He does. God will and can change your heart and then healing will begin…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 3/7/2019 March 7, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Offense Taken We can say we trust in God to avenge or defend us but when we take matters into our own hands we aren’t putting a lot of trust in God taking care of our hurt. A big challenge is not to pick up the offense of a friend or family member who’s been hurt. I’m guilty there. But when we take on someone else’s offense we’re sucking the poison of their sin and we become bitter along with them. I’ve seen this happen when a parent’s anger towards someone passes on to their children. Remember if only one side of the story is presented you don’t have the whole truth and may have a cocktail of lies. It’s the enemy’s plan to ruin relationships. God’s plan is to restore. Follow Deuteronomy 30:19 which tells us to make the choices which bring life so that we and generations to come may live meaningful lives. More is caught than taught and the way your children trust God will have a lot to do with the way you trusted God in relationship conflicts…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 2/28/2019 February 28, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Lonely I was lonely. God knew. But I also know 1 Peter 5:7 too where Jesus says; “Give Me all your cares. I care for you.” It was my third son, of the four, who helped take me away from my party with “Pity.” Our teenage son Joey let me have a movie date with him and I picked “Pride and Prejudice.” I know. Halfway through the movie I asked; “Joe, will it always be this way?” What mom? I was referring to a bruise on my face that just wasn’t disappearing like I wanted but deeper down I was asking; “Would this season of wait and lonely weirdness ever leave?” Joey replied; “Mom it will always be that way. It will never change.” And then he grinned in his sweet Joe way and said; “Mom, you’re being silly. Of course it’s gonna be fine. It’s just a bruise. Why ask?” Because I need to hear out loud there’s hope, the belief that things will get better. So I’m talking to you too. It will get better. There’s hope…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 2/21/2019 February 21, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Orphan You may be an orphan and by that I mean an individual who actually has parents but for whatever reason such as abuse, whether physically or emotionally, disinterest, or they’re just plain absent; you may be an orphaned child. I recently heard someone’s story whose case was just that. But guess what Psalm 10:14 says? When we commit to God He is the helper to the orphan. God makes sure orphans have lots of parents. God will place others to care and support you. Give up this ideal that it has to be the parents you are assigned to by birth or adoption. What’s really amazing is that when you let go and let God begin to show you the people He has for you to talk to, share your heart and laugh with, He may be using that time to prepare you to be a parent or sibling for someone who is an orphan too. God is good. Always. He’s got us covered and He knows who and what we need…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 2/14/2019 February 14, 2019Everyday Keep On Going
Thursday Matters Often our prayers are ones where we cry about all that is wrong and we list what needs fixing. Just so you know, it’s more than OK to do this. God cares about our pain and all that happens to us. But sometimes we stop praying and give up on God because He didn’t answer the prayer like we thought – our sick friend got sicker and the marriage we prayed would stay together ended in divorce. That’s hard. I’m sorry if that’s been the outcome for you in a prayer, but please remember this; GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU. Nothing you do or don’t will cause Him to withdraw His love and nothing is too small or too big for Him to take care of. He loves us personally. There is something redeemable in your mess and pain right now and if you can manage to get up and serve someone else who’s having a hard time, you’ll find hope. We all need a cup of it…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 2/7/2019 February 7th, 2019Thursday Matters
Everyday Hurt When we’ve been hurt AND the person who’s hurt us isn’t even sorry, our flesh wants nothing to do with this person but to reject them. But what does Jesus do?” Jesus never rejects us but He does reject our sinful behavior. The two greatest commandments tell us to love God passionately and then to LOVE OTHERS as He does. So when someone has sinned against us, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we must actively choose to forgive them and then choose NOT to remember their sins against us. Actively choosing not to remember is different than forgetting. In Jeremiah 31:34 God says He will “remember no more” the sins of His people. This is not memory failure. This is God’s choice to no longer hold our sins against us. God will vindicate us as He promises. I know it’s hard but do what you know because it hurts something fierce but do what is right rather than what you FEEL is fair…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 1/31/2019 Everyday His ThoughtsThursday Matters
Everyday His Thoughts Well what in the world are you up to God. I. Can’t. Even. We can’t know the mind of God. Isaiah 55:8 says; “His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts.” But we can know the heart of God. We can TRUST and hope in His promises. I know it should be obvious to us that His ways are past finding out. He wouldn't be a very big God if we could fully comprehend Him with our finite minds. Walter Wangerin wrote, "We chirp theories because we can't stand the silence." I guess that’s how it is when we try to fully understand the purposes of suffering. It’s better to admit, "We don't understand, but we believe that God loves us and, that 'our Redeemer Lives'." Someone has suggested that in the margins beside many of our life's experiences is simply written: "to be explained later." Success for each day is not waiting for an answer to our whys but walking in the hope that He is making a way and there’s a purpose for it all…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com 1/24/2019 Everyday Jesus did itThursday Matters
Everyday Jesus did it How do you know when you’ve given enough to get to God? You don’t. Yet many people believe that there are many roads to God and that true spirituality is just to love your neighbor and help the poor. What about the people that have been taught to hate? Are the poor just virtuous? That sounds right, but it is not what Jesus said. Jesus said you cannot earn salvation by taking the executioner's cross yourself. We instinctively know this. If a soldier drapes his body over a grenade to save his friends, we recognize it as a sacrifice. Something we honor, but not something we can pay him back for. In fact to suggest we could pay Him back is an insult to His sacrifice. The same is true with Jesus. He loves us for who we are and not for what we do. The good things we do, like soup kitchens for the poor, are out of our love for Him but no matter what He loves right where we’re at by His grace…everyday 1/17/2019 Everyday Money HoneyThursday Matters
Everyday Money Honey Money can be a big fighting issue between a husband and wife. It’s proved true for my husband Dan and me. But after almost 27 years of marriage we’re strong which basically means I’m allowing God to take my strong will so I’m the sort of wife who helps my husband and not hinder him especially in the way I spend money. Giving me an allowance helped me stay within necessary boundaries. If I wanna blow my whole month’s allowance on shoes I can…I did. “But Debbie, you’re supposed to say; ‘Get thee behind me Satan when you’re tempted.’” “Dan, I did. But he said, ‘Ya know it looks even better from back here than it did in the mirror.’” Proverbs 31 tells us about being a godly woman and one virtue is a wife who can be trusted. Girls, honor God by honoring your husbands’ because it’s a journey we take together…everyday. For more encouragement in Everyday Matters visit DebbieGriffith.com |
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