The Words We Speak ~

Words,
 they can lift up or knock down.

They can bring comfort, and encourage, 

and they can wound very deeply.

 I've  been the recipient of encouragement, and comfort.

I have also experienced the devastating pain of gossip.

Especially if the gossip is untrue, there is no way to measure the pain.

I don't have to tell you which one I prefer....

We are given the gift of communication and with it comes a huge responsibility.

Gossip, it's likely the biggest misuse of our language.

Aside from the pain it can cause another, it's not pleasing to God.

If you are a Christian, it certainly won't attract any one to Him!

Once the gossip leaves our mouths, there is no stopping it.

No telling how big it can get and most importantly it can, 

never be unsaid.......

James 3:5-6

 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. 

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 

  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.

 It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire,

 and is itself set on fire by hell.

Some try and hide the fact it's gossip ,

we put a mask on it and call it concern,

or you gotta love, "so-n-so needs prayer and here is why"....

As a Christian I know there is no place for gossip in my life.. It concerns me enough

that I have struggled with, "is this gossip or not"? It's a fine line to be sure. 

It's described as a heart issue, I have to agree.

Matthew 12:34

...... For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

 ~

I think there is much behind why one might involve themselves in gossip.

Jealousy, Malice, low self-esteem....to name a few.

Sadly there is most always a negative consequence..

For the person being talked about it's beyond hurtful, can cause feelings of shame,

divide friendships, families ...the list is long!

To the one spreading the gossip...to a large extent, you are tossing away your

own integrity.  Gossiping, reveals the state of your own heart, and doesn't 

say much about one's character.  

I believe it can prevent one from having any good strong relationships in life...

you pretty much prove yourself untrustworthy to others if you are a gossiper.

Maybe we need to think more before we speak....

Purpose to use words that lift up, fill hearts, comfort, and praise~

There's and idea!

We have all been guilty of gossip at some point in our lives..lets look at it 

as a really big deal, no rationalizing it, no more excuses....

~

When the heart changes, so should the words that leave our mouths...

Now, go say something great about someone!

Words....are what echo from my heart today.... 

Start Again ~

It's seems to me that people are often complaining about their relationships.

(self included) (guilty)

Some screaming to the roof tops how their cup of love has indeed over flowed and it now sits empty..

Screaming from within that they desire to  feel cherished,

understood, appreciated,and valued, loved.

Speaking in terms of marriage, dating relationships, and friendships..

Perhaps a spouse/friend/dating relationship  has let you down,
one who was perhaps is as much a part of your life as your blow dryer !
Disappointment, hurt, confusion, and oh, the why's we asked over and over???

Broken trust, hurting hearts.

Sometimes it may seem as though you are in constant search

of someone you can count on, on something that will provide some peace...

We often attempt to fill up with peace from people or things,
things that don't love you back.

We all would like to be full of hope,

rather than a heap of hurt and disappointment...

It's a frequent yearning for something more.

In my life I spent many years believing I would find that person,

 that loving connection that would fulfill me.

I was putting my hope in, another human.

Humans fail us my friends, and fail often. 

We all fall so short of the mark of loving to capacity without ever hurting others
even though it may not be our intention.

God created us to be in drawn to His Love.. a full to capacity kind of love.

A love that will never run low or reach empty....
A love that will not disappoint or hurt us.

Our hearts, each designed by our Creator,

a Creator that wants relationship with us.

He desires to be our greatest love.

~

He can and will fill that empty space in your heart, His love is constant.
When He becomes the most important relationship to you, 

you will then understand how to go about  healthy human relationships.

Perhaps your currently doing well in all of your relationships....
You may feel you don't need Him, I mean for the most part your pretty happy, right?
Fact is...relationships do disappoint in little ways and big ways...
Learning God's love enables you to 

see all that your marriage, friendship, courtship is capable of being,

 when He is it's foundation.

It will also show you how to respond to those who disappoint you.

It is with God that I was able to experience wholeness, 

a wholeness that  enables relationships to go beyond what I ever imagined.

It doesn't mean your husband will suddenly release that remote control from his hand,

or that he'd be glad to miss the big game  to sit and chat with you his beloved....

It doesn't mean your friends will never disappoint...they will.

It doesn't mean your kids will become the loving, well behaved teens you've only dreamed of..

Whatever the relationship, it will improve it, as will how you respond to them.

The next time you realize, your way hasn't worked out so well.... 

Let God be your constant, remove that loneliness and lift that disappointment!
...He will begin a work on you and those around you.
With a love like no other.

I'm suggesting you just decided to begin again, only with God as number one.

Not you, not someone else, God.

Learn to love as God loves.

You will be amazed at the affect it will have on those around you. 

You will learn many things, some not so comforting such as....

He may tell you, as He's told me many times when I have prayed for him

to fix my husband.

"debi, you worry about fixing debi, you leave him to me....."

ouch!

The struggles we have in relationships and in life for that matter,

 I believe they are intended to point us to God.

To learn to trust Him in each situation, even when it's hard to trust,

trust Him anyway!

God never promised trouble free relationships, in fact He tells us we
will have trouble....
It's just one reason I need Him in my life.
The One who will not disappoint.

There have been many mountain highs and many valley lows in my journey.

It's in the valley's that I've come the furthest, learned the most.

If your going to learn it's often the case that you reach the valley floor

prior to doing so....

Test His promises for you....

start again. ~

The Constant One...is what echos from my heart today .

Encourage ~

My word for the year

ENCOURAGE ~

en·cour·age

enˈkərij,-ˈkə-rij/

verb

verb: encourage; 3rd person present: encourages; past tense: encouraged; past participle: encouraged; gerund or present participle: encouraging

1.

give support, confidence, or hope to (someone).

"we were encouraged by the success of this venture"

synonyms:

hearten, cheer, buoy up, uplift, inspire, motivate, spur on, stir, stir up, fire up, stimulate, invigorate, vitalize, revitalize, embolden, fortify, rally;

 

My verse ~

In my trouble I cried to the LORD, And He answered me. 

Psalm 120:1  

The plan is to be so focused on my word, and to purpose to learn the best way to apply it!

To then put that knowledge to use toward those I love, 

and those I've yet to meet :-) 

Nothing brings me more joy than encouraging others,

I pray you'll be one of them!

Encourage....it's what echos from my heart today. :-)

Out of the Mouth of Beans~

While Namaw is dressing after a shower;

"pretty butt Namaw"

I needn't say how long since I've heard those words :-)

While talking into her play phone this morning....

" Cheesy bogger, fwies,setchup, ok thanks"

Always thinking of her favorite meal.

The other day when going down for a nap,

" Namaw, where's Nanny"

me-

"Nanny is with Poppa in heaven, a big party in heaven".

I then tell her "when you wake up from your nice nap we are

going to have a Birthday party for her Uncle Brian...and told her the guest list.

Her reply to the guest list, 

" and Jesus?"

"Namaw bye, I'm going now"

Where you going Beans,

"to the mall".

Today, 

Khloe deemed a hat day....

Hoping your having a great day....
those precious words of  the sweet Beans, it's what echos from my heart today :-)

Life as of Today ~

Live for today, tomorrow is not promised....

People I love are being stretched.

Loved ones gone, too soon, only for it to happen again...too soon.

Learning what it's like to deal with the realities of a parent with Alzheimers.

Two friends with loved ones that have come out of remission.....

A friends husband has had a stroke....

God I'm so blessed right now.

Blessed to know each of these people,

blessed to be one that is committed to praying for them.

Lord, this is what you want from me....to be available for them?

I'm here and I will.....

We often don't know the whys....

It's the empty void you feel, 

it's

an opportunity to fill it with your faith.

Many have been claiming their "word" for the year.

I've been so unclear about what that word is for me.

I am fairly certain after the last month that all this news

concerning very special people....God is going to make it clear to me.

Is it to love others through this season of their lives....

as He first loved us?

Is it to pray,

pray without ceasing?

Is it a time to take what I've experienced,

  and use it to comfort someone else?

Another season to remind me, 

it's not about me.

I want to lift each of them up...

up in prayer.

It's important we live for today, 

tomorrow is yet to be released .

The present, today, one day at a time.

Looking further ahead,

it's overwhelming to do so, wait until it's released to us.....

God releases it a little at a time, He knows what we can handle.

Wait for it, and when it comes know He has equipped you to deal with it.

Working on finding my word....still.

Focused on those in a struggle within their moment to moment,

 surreal lives.

Heavy heart for them, 

hopeful heart that God will equip me to be present and have the right words for each.
Praying each can find the joy in today..

Hope, faith and love....the greatest of these is love....

Praying I'm equipped  to help...it's what echos from my heart today....

How to Grow Up and Live on the Street ~

Whose Children Become those that Live on the Street?

Surely nobody set it as a goal in life.

Out and about these last few days prior to Khoe and Ellery coming back

to me full time.
I'm getting as much done as I can.... I have planned it out

in order to not be in a hurry or stressed out over doing so.

Dental appointment, Eye Doctor, lab work, menu planned, home de-clutter (never ends).

Done.

It seems these last several times I've been out, I have looked into the face of a homeless person.

It always makes me sad, their living conditions.

I know some actually chose to live as they do...but I believe those that make that choice, do so 

because of some form of mental illness.

What about the others... some are war veterans damaged by what they've seen, lived, or tried to forget.

I believe our Government should be doing more upon the return of our men and women.

What about the rest?

and

Whose children are they?

Why was I so blessed with a loving family so large, it would be hard to escape someone

that wanted to love me, watch out for me, guide me?

When I leave church on Sunday mornings I often walk through a small crowd of teens.

I make a point to notice them.

I've mentioned them before....it still happens that they are somewhat invisible...

So many walk by them as if they don't see them standing there occupying space.

I look, because they matter to me.

I look, because possibly this is the only place someone does notice them.

Sadly so many parents haven't a clue of what thier children are up to...many so 

wrapped up in themselves they don't care to know.

I believe we should watch out for other peoples children.... I mean the more of us looking out

for them the better for them, no?

I mean, even good parents can't be with their children all hours of the day, why not 

be that family friend, church family member that notices. 

 Kids often get the rap of being down right rude to adults...

they don't "respect their elders".

I think that works both ways...we can be examples of, respect.

Respect of another human being without age restrictions to the rule.  

Why would they begin to think about respect, or us expect it from them,

 if we can't even acknowledge their presence?

We can all be a part of forming children that feel valued and loved.

or 

We can ignore them, not our responsibility to care for them,

after all were too busy as it is!

~

A young boy that grew up in my neighborhood grew up to be an alcholic on skid row, 

living and sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles...why?

He was a sweet, shy, well mannered boy.

How did he get missed by so many of us?  

We were a fairly close little neighborhood, 

how do we not see this stuff?

So many of us kids around the same age...somebody had to notice, 

somebody should have announced "hey, we may have a problem here!"

Those of us to busy to notice may have come running...running to be a friend to one of our own.

I think of our "friend" most every time I look into the face of a homeless person...

How do we miss this slow progression of pulling away, becoming invisible,

 alone with nothing but their loneliness?

A person feeling so unloved, so alone that nothing matters in their lives other than 

finding a place on the street that provides a wind break from the cold.

How bad might it be at home that you choose the streets?

Mother Teresa said;

" The world's greatest tragedy is unwantedness, the world's worst disease is loneliness."

My friend grew up in a nice neighborhood full of children and two parent families.

I'm thinking we could have made a difference.  If the adults in our community and for

that matter us kids had made contact with him, made conversation with him,

 possibly someone would have gotten a clue that he needed, 

 someone, anyone.......

How is it we became so busy we missed it???

I'm hoping that none I pass go unnoticed,

I want them to know, I see them......

"He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  

And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

 'Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me'"

Mark 9:36-37

Children are our treasures, let's treasure them....

So that none go unnoticed, that's what echos from my heart today.