We are preparing for Christmas.  On Saturday I watched as the boys put up the tree, the garland, the ornaments.  I did not fluff one fake tree limb, it was wonderful!!!  I did not direct, Josh did. Perfect!

So, a few months ago I started taking this supplement called Biotin.  It's a hair/skin/nail supplement.  It has made my skin baby butt smooth and I guess my hair is growing faster, but that's hard to tell.  One of the initial side effects is acne.  I suppose that's because it's improving skin from the inside out.  Pushing all of those imperfections up and out (in the form of oozy zits) so that the new and improved skin can be genuinely clear and beautiful.

I think sometimes that's how it is with God too.  When we go to Him and say, Here I am!  Fix me!!! Make me beautiful Lord!!  We are looking for the new and improved version of us to be forthcoming.  But what we don't anticipate is the process it takes to get there.  The nasty stuff needs to be pushed up and out of us in order to be cleansed away.  It seems overwhelming for me...when I see myself and the project God has in store.  Can he handle making me new?

Of course he can.  The trick is letting him...It's convincing myself to allow the imperfections to be revealed so they can be removed.  But the good news?  He will do it and I don't have to.  I just have to sit back and let him.

Hitler and God's intentions

Before I got out of bed this morning I was thinking.  About Hitler.  I don't know why, I'm just a little odd like that...random morning thoughts, you know.

I was thinking about Hitler and about what God's plans for him were...originally.  Do you believe that God has an ultimate plan for your life?  I do.  And I think we are the ones who interfere with it...with our doubts, our inclinations, our short-sightedness, our desires.  We ruin it for Him, but ultimately we ruin it for ourselves.

So there I was thinking about what a talent Hitler was.  How he could mesmerize crowds, encourage them to believe that they were special, unique, entitled.

How those crowds slowly began to ostracize "others" based on Hitlers encouragement.

How they felt justified in doing so.

How they stood silent when those "others" were ripped from their families, their hard earned businesses, from the homes they had established.

And maybe those crowds felt like the "others" deserved that treatment...they were wealthy...had more than some...

And then they stood silent when those "others" were tortured and murdered, becoming ashes hanging over their heads.

But how did God see Hitler?  He loved him.  Desired to have a friendship with him.  Desired to lead him, to teach him how to utilize those talents for a greater purpose.

God wanted Hitler to be satisfied at the end of his life, not holed up committing suicide.  He wanted good things for Adolf.  

But Adolf went his own way, followed his own desires.

I got the feeling that when God sees us He sees how He made us...with all the plans He has for us. He doesn't see our past, He sees our future as He planned it! And it's up to us to abandon our limited sight and begin to walk His way!
 
I am encouraged!!  Jeremiah 29:11!

Life really is all about perspective, isn't it?

I was thinking this morning about my mom.  She left her home and her parents to live in abject poverty with her newly minted husband and their infant baby girl.  She went from using disposable wipes to a washcloth, from having a well insulated home to wind blowing through the walls.  And this is no reflection on my father.  He worked hard and built a prosperous and beautiful life for his family out of ashes.

But what is it about her that allows her to float through life, unscathed by her circumstances.  I think it must be the peaceful awareness that:  This too shall pass.

This life is so temporary.  And all in it inconsequential.  Beyond is the true measure of our existence.

My mother should be a dark cloud.  She has been through enough grief in her life to make anyone fold into depression.  She could be walking around, feeling sorry for herself, saying, "Woe is me, I have had such a hard life."  But she doesn't.  And she WOULDN'T.

She is happy.  Always happy.  Sometimes mockingly so.  It's almost like she wakes up and subconsciously says, "What's the worst that could happen today?  I die!  Hooray!!!  Then I would get to be in paradise with my daughter, mother, grandson, sister, etc..."  If the worst that could happen is death, BRING it ON!!

And therein lies the perspective.   How would we look at our day if we can look it, and all the trials in it, and say, "HA!  You don't matter in the long run!"

This must be what Paul means when he says, "Death has lost it's sting."  We should have constant joy, if only in knowing that an eternity with our most loved ones awaits.  Can you believe that Jesus made that kind of peace available for us.  Thank you Lord.

Aftermath

So, 4 more years.

Of what, exactly?

During the results an exit poll flashed up on FoxNews from Iowa:  Do you consider yourself to be an Evangelical/Born Again Christian?  Yes: 32 No: 68.

I thought to myself, That is why Romney will lose this election.  Voting, like most everything, is an outward sign of an inward condition.

If we are smart enough to recognize that this type of vote [for abortion, debt, joblessness, total reliance on government for basic needs] is a sign of a spiritual deficit then we can formulate a battle plan.

God always said, SEEK ME FIRST!

I was expecting a President Romney to correct the mess in America.  How wrong I was.  I should never have looked to a mere man to fix this country.  Only God can heal our land, ONLY Him.

I have been thinking that a political battle is a spiritual battle.  How can a Christian, learning and developing in the Bible mentality, support a Liberal?  How can they be pro-choice, pro-tax, pro-welfare, pro-Obamacare?  All of those issues fly in the face of Jesus and all He died for us to live in.

Maybe instead of sending money to a political campaign we should donate to local churces in battleground cities.  They will grow, preach the gospel, show men His love, and their hearts will change along with their votes.  It would be beneficial for all involved!

Obama can do God's will in office, and I believe that God does have a large remnant left in America, but it is up to us to rise and live up to His expectations with the abilities He has so tenderly placed inside each of us.

Elections are in 2 days and I. cannot. wait.

 Finally it will be "decided".


Is there any reason I should vote for Obama?
Has he done spectacular on jobs...or even moderately well on unemployment?
Has he stopped terrorism against us? Closed Guantanamo? Decreased welfare? Decreased abortions?       Has he made energy more affordable? Fueled my personal economy?
Has he made America gleam with promise?
Is SHE more of an example to the rest of the world of how to do it right?
Is SHE more united? Less partisan?
Has he gone to Congress and convinced the left to compromise with the right and vice versa?
Has he caused the oceans to recede? Are we really better off than we were 4 years ago?
Have his economics created a path to prosperity for me?

Quite honestly, when I find myself thinking, "If I lose my job Obama will take care of us" I am afraid.

The government has grown too big, too God-like.

It's a precarious position when America becomes our Master..and we Her slaves...looking to her for basic provision.

That's why I'm voting for Romney.