Values

Awhile back, I was at a workshop where we were to identify our values.  After several large group, small group, and individual exercises, I came up with these four values.  

God . . . Family . . . Grace . . . Inspire

God ~ I know that if I put God first, always put Him first, that everything else will fall into place.  Whether the journey I am on at the current point is difficult and challenging or simple and rewarding, when God is at its center, I can be thankful and feel a sense of peace.  God is Present to me when I am present to Him.

Family ~ The old cliché, “Nobody ever laid on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time at the office” is so very true.  Time spent with family is never wasted.  I want my husband, my kids and my grandkids to say that I always had time for them.  That I listened to them.  That I got down on the floor and played with them (well, maybe not my husband…).  . That I read them books, helped them with homework, and allowed myself to be wrong with them.  That I wasn’t afraid to get dirty with them.  That I laughed with them, respected them, and loved them unconditionally.  Second only to God, my value of family has helped to form the person that I am and has helped my husband and my children to know that every moment is a learning experience and that God is guiding our journeys.

Grace ~ My favorite word!

grace  (gr s)n.

1.       Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion.

2.       A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.

3.       A sense of fitness or propriety.

4.       a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill; b. Mercy; clemency.

5.       A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.

6.       A temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve.

7.       a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people; b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God; c. An excellence or power granted by God.

8.       A short prayer of blessing or thanksgiving said before or after a meal.

9.       To honor or favor: You grace our table with your presence.

10.    To give beauty, elegance, or charm to.

11.    Music To embellish with grace notes.

The grace of God is such a gift!  Sometimes, it’s difficult to understand grace.  Think about the definitions I’ve highlighted above.  Isn’t it wonderful when someone renders to us a favor, even when it isn’t necessary?  Doesn’t it define true friendship when someone offers a hand with no agenda and no paybacks needed?  And, God’s grace is so much more than that.  We don’t deserve God’s divine love and protection.  We don’t deserve to be sanctified.  And, excellence and power?  Think about that.  Excellence and Power.  The word grace reminds me to always strive to be grace-filled.  To give of myself freely.  To love people unconditionally.  And to see the excellence and the power, the face of Jesus, in everyone I meet.  

And, finally . . .

Inspire ~ I chose this value carefully.  Inspire isn’t a noun.  I should have chosen “inspiration.”  But, the word inspire inspires me in a couple of ways.  It tells me that when I have God, Family, and Grace, I should spread the good news around.  I should use what I know to inspire others to do the same.  I feel that I’ve been given the gift and the talent of inspiration.  It’s my duty to use my gifts and talents to glorify God.  I like to inspire others to search for, find, and thank God for their gifts and talents.  Then, I want to inspire others to use those talents, not to hide them or run from them.  These gifts from God are meant to be seen by others.  These gifts were meant to please God!

³⁷ Jesus said to him, "`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
³⁸ "This is the first and great commandment.                                                                                                               Matthew 22:37-38

 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.                                                                                                                                                                                          John 3:16

 ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.                                                                                                                                        John 1:14

⁸Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word . . . The news of your faith in God is out.  We don’t even have to say anything anymore – you’re the message.                                                                                                                                                                        1 Thessalonians 1:8

Be Thankful and Believe



My backyard vista!



I have a beautiful back yard.  There, I said it.  And, really, I’m not bragging.  I live below a beautiful bluff.  We have total privacy.  We have a great deck that gets the morning sun, a hot tub that we use almost every day, and a hillside garden with a rock fountain surrounded by beautiful perennials in every color.  Each time I look out to my back yard vista, I feel so blessed.  I thank God often for giving me such a beautiful space to enjoy.

But the part of my backyard that I most enjoy is my bird sanctuary.  Surrounded by a coppice (I’ll let you look that one up!) of shrubbery, bushes, and perennials, my bird sanctuary is a haven for birds of all kinds.  I’m kind of a freak when it comes to my birds.  I’m constantly standing at my kitchen window and calling to my husband, my boys, or any random guest, “Hurry, come here!  I have a Downy Woodpecker!” or, “Come quick, there’s a Cardinal!”  

This morning, I was treated to a bevy of beauties!  Here, on another gloomy gray day, (will spring ever come?) were birds of all kinds.  The ground was covered in striped brown and gray Sparrows.  Two Downy Woodpeckers, with their cheerful red head patch against brilliant black and white, pecked at the suet feeder.  There were two Ruby Throated Grosbeaks (again that beautiful bright fire-engine red), a few Cardinals, several Purple Finch, a couple of brilliantly yellow Goldfinch, a great big Blue Jay, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and, oh my gosh, could it be?  A Baltimore Oriole!  A couple of bunnies foraged for food and a couple of squirrels jumped from tree to tree.

It’s mornings like this that make me pause and reflect on God’s wonderful gifts to man.  He created all things great and small.  He created this earth and all things in it for our enjoyment.  Can you even imagine it?  And what can we give in return?  Well, the only thing that God asks from us is our faith, our belief in Him, our belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.  He asks us to love – to love Him, to love one another as He loves us.  He asks that we live in His Presence, by being present.  

So instead of complaining about the weather (a common event these days), let us look to what is good and beautiful.  Let us be thankful for everything.  And let us Believe.

³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. ³¹ The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”                                                                                        Mark 12:30-31

For you have been rooted in him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, while you continue to be thankful.                                                

                       Colossians 2:7

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                                                         1 Thessalonians 5:18