Author: twooccasions

Overjoyed, overwhelmed, probably over thinking.... but not quite over the hill. I am a mother of 3 amazing young men who are the reason I stay firmly planted in my faith. I love all things that grow, especially my friendships and I hope to be more than anyone ever expects me to be. I live wholly to indulge in the simple things. As for the daily delicacies that life let's me get a taste of; my perspective is... God makes all things good, so why not load up my plate. Life and love offer too much.... you have to try at least a little. Never want to say I didn't try. "You can never try to fail, you can only fail to try". ME

Loving the TSA

MADE MY CONNECTION

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Ready to get on board? Need to make that one last connection before take off? How about this one…

“The TSA rules”

“Take off your shoes, hat, jacket, and belt or anything with metal on it and place them in a bin. Put all of your personal items in a separate bin and place your bag on the belt.” He says, as another points me in the direction I must go. After successfully passing through the body scanner, I head over to the conveyer belt to retrieve my carry on and find it being pulled aside for further inspection. Putting on sterile gloves and unzipping my bag, the TSA agent asks “Do you have anything in here that is sharp or could be considered hazardous or harmful material?” With pierced lips “I hope not” I say.

Everyone loves the TSA, right?

Well, I don’t get to fly the friendly skies everyday but when I do, I know the process. To successfully get on board I must follow the TSA guidelines. Before I can hope to take flight, I will have to check in first. I have to abide the rules and listen to instruction. For my safety and the safety of others.

As I begin boarding I can’t help but recognize…. isn’t getting on board to go anywhere in life just the same? No matter where, when or how you travel in life, there will always be a some things you are required to have, bring or do and a longer list of things that you shouldn’t bring because they are potentially hazardous or harmful to more than just you. But what those requirements are depends upon the appointed governing authority.

Keep calm and “Carry-on”

What you choose to bring along can prevent you from carrying on. When the TSA agent asked me to declare anything I knew of, in my bag, that would be of potentential harm, there was nothing I thought would be, but the fact that he asked prior to his search made me realize that the governing authority thinks I should know. I mean I should know, right? The guidelines were provided so I would.

This made me think about an acronym I have heard mentioned a time or two for the B-I-B-L-E. It’s …..

basic instructions before leaving earth.

This “good book” is filled with guidelines to help me throughout all my travels alone or with others and so the question is… how well do I know those guidelines? Who makes the rules wherever I go? Me or the “TSA” and…. how well do I follow what that governing authority advises?

Proverbs: 4. 1. Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 13. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

The TSA of my life’s travels, better known to me as the “true sovereign authority” is Jesus and He is the author and finisher of more than that book chock full of instructions for life.

Just some pre-flight food for thought.

CARRY ON!

Good to Go

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Stepping out without breathing in… taking that first step, where it all begins

To go without, one searches within… needing more than him, feels like a sin

Bags packed, hat tipped at the brim… Painstaking thoughts come on a whim.

No looking back, no other option… Found the path to my destination.

Knowing this chapter has to end… Where everything else begins.

HIS-STORY IN THE MAKING!

Getting Your Wings

It’s Heart to Wait

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Look! In the sky…

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

No wait… it’s just a man?!

“No ordinary man has the strength to wait soooo long for love… but His love endures and goes to great lengths; my Lord, He is extraordinary”

ME IN THE MIRROR

Okay kids… I may only be one single woman but my aim is to get us to lift-off and let love take flight. So I’m going to save this day by sharing the power of a love that uh….waits.

Let’s face it… even with the shedding of excess baggage from our past experiences, our strength to carry on for the long haul of true love is easily weakened by the weight of the wait.

It’s easy to feel and share the love during times that you see the mountains moving and feel the ground shaking beneath your feet. I’m sure you can think back to one or two of those times. However, perhaps today you lack the strength because you feel like you have been waiting forever to see something move.

It’s times like this that we have to remind ourselves of the sweet benefits of waiting or as the bible perfectly describes it “long-suffering”. In our undercover search for love, we touched on the power of this super love secret before and now it’s time to tap in to the source of this”super” fruit of the spirit.

Finding the strength in the power of the word… “WAIT”

The bible is filled with great examples of believers, like Abraham, Job and Joseph, who waited and held on firmly in their faith, even when it seemed that God had forgotten them. You may say… that old testament stuff is history and I boldly agree. Respectively… if you take a good look at “His” story, you’ll find that it has a way of repeating itself. That’s because just like every child… the children of God (you and me) need to be told some things more than once to see the need to apply it. It’s called the book of life and truth for a reason, and through the stories of the lives revealed in it, we are also encouraged to hold on.

“Wait for the Lord; be of good courage and He shall stengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

If you’re a believer or wanna be and are struggling with the strength to believe… remember christianity is nothing without the weight of the wait. So…

when you catch yourself saying… “it is taking forever” or “God, I feel like I’ve been waiting a thousand years for the answer to my prayers…” He has not forgotten you..

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8

Keep looking up! When you lift your eyes in long suffering as you wait, with firm expectation, on the Lord. You can trust that He will give you the strength to rise!

Isaiah 30:18 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Today is the day of salvation!

Thought on Love #9:

The true power of love lies at the heart of what you do when you just don’t feel the love at all.

Just wait and see!

The Love Trip

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Bags packed and ready to go?! As we are on board for love to take flight, I have to know…

You need something good to chew on?

As I aim toward a higher destination in my relationships… there is one thing that can trip me up more often than I’d like to admit. That is what I choose to feed on along the way.

The truth of the matter is, where we are at and see ourselves going in our love life is often ruled by what we put in our own mouth. We can bring life or death to anything with the words we speak about it… to include our relationships.

Whether we are talking about what we have, want or plan in love and life… what we are, do and get is impacted by the very words we are consumed by in our mind about them and our ability to achieve them.

So how then, in a world full of people, situations and circumstances… that are negative 87% of the time and building walls to protect what we love… HOW do we reach new heights in our love for life rather than get dragged down? I believe listening to the words of love from the creator of life and taking them to heart is the best place to start. Afterall, who knows how to love every bit of life better than He who created it?

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Thought on Love #8

For a fruitful love life to take flight, be mindful of what is on the tip of your tip of your tongue because it can kill more than just your appetite.

Real good love is thoughtful and thought of on a completely different level.

Roman 12:2 King James Version (KJV)

²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Mmm…mmm…good love….

Worth taking a trip to the table!

Letting Love Fly

A New Love Takes Flight

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In all my travels…I have never been where I am…today!

No greater time to seize the day.

Carpe Diem!

ME in the Mirror

Wondering what’s new? A fresh perspective of what is behind for a greater vision of what lies ahead. God reminds that it’s not just a new day we are in… it’s a new place… and I want to put it on the map so that you can find the way too!

God says to be on the look out… no matter where you are right now.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold! I will do a new thing. Shall you not know it? I will make a way in the wilderness and a river in the desert.

You could call that my pilot verse… because it’s no surprise to me that God can do what seems impossible. I have been blessed to witness him faithfully move mountains for many. However, it’s not what has been moved in or out of my life that is giving me a new found love for the future. It is the fact that He remains unmovable in it that is taking my heart to unbelievable heights in this new year! In my loves past I have been through some pretty dark times (perhaps you have too). I look back at long desert days, spent wondering how I would survive and many mornings where I woke up still “in the woods”, only to wander aimlessly, stuck in my circumstances. For a good while, every time I looked at where I’d been I resented the time wasted and the investment lost from everything I gathered in effort to find my way. Today though, I have a new appreciation for where I have been because He has shown me that He was always there through all of it, I was just focused on where I’d been rather than Him, which meant I couldn’t see where love was leading the way. I am in a different place now, but today I know, no matter my location, He remains.

This past year, the best thing I learned to help me on this journey is how to travel light and let go of excess baggage. As I think about going the distance for love, my past decisions and experiences certainly carry some weight but I now know the final destination I hope to reach requires nothing outside of what is secured in my heart today.

Thought on Love # 7

Let love lead the way, check your baggage and let it take flight today!

ALL THINGS NEW

Meet the Maker

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Once upon a time… there was a girl.

Then one day that girl received a word and that word became her… “everything”.

John 1:1 In the beginning…. was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.

In this brand new year, as I sit and sip my morning tea to break fast, I think about what is placed before me on My Whole Plate. I am a bit hesitant, due to the fact that I know (because my mother told me so), that the first things you choose to consume in the morning or at the start of your day, if it’s not morning for you, are important because they will be what your body pulls from to get fueled to get going.

So I ask… what do you choose to start off with?

After taking an overdue break from all the spoils of 2018, I want and need what’s good for me to march forward. What does the one that made my day have to say about facing it?

I’m glad to say….

Joshua: 1. 9. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Let this be a reminder for me and you… God is the Maker of all things new and He is there no matter where you have been or what you’re going through! Those are words you can count on.

Apple of His Eye

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The Apple of His Eye

Today’s topic on the table is aimed at revealing more about what’s good for us in love. I’ve been spending the last few weeks deep under cover and learned, scientifically speaking, most great discoveries start with a question. One of my goals is to get healthy love choices down to a science, which means I must start with a question to get an answer. So, in regards to love; what are you really looking for? I have to admit that in my selfish nature my need for love can be a little demanding… I want it all, and then some. What I mean to say is, in relationship to finding true love for myself, I have an overwhelming need to know more about the God that pursues and loves ME alone. I know that “He so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son…” as it says in John 3:16, and I share what I know about His love because I want the world to know that He has enough love to last an eternity for every one of us. However, there are days when the world has taken it’s toll on me and I am only interested in a love I can call my own. In His sensitive way, He gracefully and immediately responds to my need to help me (and maybe you too) get the message about his true love.

Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nation’s which spoiled you: for he that touched you touched the apple of his eye.

He’s so sensitive

Have you ever accidentally poked your eye or had something suddenly get in your eye? In one blink of time, something in the eye can change everything. I have experienced both and the effect of each one incites an immediate response. It also affects more than just your sight. When something touches or gets in your eye, no matter how small… even a speck of dust, it’s pretty hard to ignore. It’s like everything in the world cannot move forward until what ever “it” is… is removed.

In Zechariah 2:8 the words “the apple of his eye” help to paint a picture that reveals how sensitive God is toward us. He says “He who touched you, touched the apple of His eye.” Defined, the apple of the eye, used as an anatomical term, refers to the central part of the eye also known as the pupil. This is the most sensitive part of the eye. So, if He regards us as “the apple of His eye” that means there is a heightened level of sensitivity to every little thing that touches us and gets in or on us. Anything He senses that does not belong has an affect and can and will trigger a response. After all, His aim is to protect and defend against anything that spoils us.

Sensitivity makes sense

In my search of the meaning behind the phrase “You are the apple of my eye”, on http://www.theidioms.com/apple-of-eye/ I read that the expression is often used to reference someone cherished above all others or someone or something that is very precious. Suddenly, it all began to make more sense. It should be common knowledge that every action spurs a reaction. A speck of dust floating in the air to the eye is like the impending ripple effect of the dropped pebble into a pond, one touch can create waves of reaction that reach farther and do more than we ever intended it would. This makes it easier to understand why God is so sensitive and has laws and instructions in His word to warn us about every thing that could harm us. Whether you know or not, we are individually cherished and very precious to him and He knows what gets in or on us can impact more than what’s seen with the naked eye; way more than just our vision.

The Vision of Love

Hindsight is 20/20 and God sees beyond that. That’s the naked truth that has been revealed to me about my vision of His love in the past. We have our sight set on love but more often than not, our sight is limited by what is right in front of us and we usually don’t see the whole picture until things are behind us. Frankly, some of us (me included) have a tendency to stay stuck staring at the past, frozen in our faith and hope for love, still trying to figure out how to get what’s blocking our vision behind us. We can control what we focus and feast our eyes upon but we are often overwhelmed and paralyzed by what we cannot see… all that is waiting on the other side. Thank God that He is all knowing and sees what we need at all times. As we search under his cover, He is revealing exactly what’s needed to have a loved life that’s worth living.

Proverbs 7:2

Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

There it is, plain and simple. He has put some basic things in place to help me live, and you too. His laws are laid out in love. Some things, like whatever has blindsided me or you in love past, can make us lose focus on the love He has already given us. In His love, He reminds us that He is sensitive to everything we need and says for a very precious, true love that will be cherished above all others, we need to be attentive to what he commands first.

Thought 6 of 101 on love:

If you sense that love is demanding, it is…. True love commands a response

A Fruitful Fall

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An Apple a Day

Reflecting on my plans on how to best fill the days that fall ahead, my first thought is to plan to start every day off in the best way because at the end of the day, I want to be able to say I made the best choices. Expecting to be at my best all day long is a pretty tall order to fill, but if I follow the good doctor’s orders maybe I can come close.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” You may have heard this said a time or two before. When talking about love, especially the kind we set aside for ourselves, the idea of doing what is healthy every day is novel. In truth, being consistent in making healthy choices for your heart is a real struggle. Naturally, I’m talking about more than just the choices that please the palate.

How do you like them apples?

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Choosing what’s good for ourselves in love is a challenge we all face. There are forces that constantly tug to tempt us to take the wrong turn. Exposing the core of the question at hand…our own heart can even be what deceives us to think we are doing what’s best.

Basically, if any past effort to do good turned out rotten in despite of all you sacrificed, you are probably hesitant to put all of your apples into one basket again. Afterall, if you can not keep the bad from happening, why plan to keep trying for good, right? After a heartbreaking experience or two “Not falling for that again” quickly became my reason for making minimal moves toward love. I was playing it smart, so I thought.

At the heart of it all, God knew my area of struggle. I didn’t want to completely trust anyone with my heart again. However, the love He has to offer is not like anything I’ve experienced in the past so…. He had to show me. With much trepidation, I slowly learned my investment is only a waste if my heart’s desire is not lined up with His. He is the one who holds the blueprints for all that is in the works. What about your plans for building upon what’s healthy for you in love?

Wondering where to begin? It starts exactly where you think.

Proverbs: 23. 7. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

A Heart to Heart Moment

The noted verse is intended to make one consider the source. When and where we choose to dine matters. Who we are enjoying our meal with can also make a world of difference. However, those should not be given more thought than who is doing the cooking. The one who has prepared these tasteful bites definitely deserves to be considered and I cannot move on to the next course without further clarification. So I’m curious to know, in the wait for what’s good to come….are you in for the long run?

You weren’t thinking of dining and ditching, right? If you intend to make sure you’re taking in more of what’s in store then let’s get straight to the core. When was the last time you checked your heart? What about the heart of others at the table with you? Sometimes we can get so caught up with trying to play it smart that the need to check everyone else’s heart takes precidence and we forget about our own. If you pulled up a second seat, God is checking all of the hearts at this table to get us to answer one question because He wants to see who will admit whether or not they are all in because where you stand determines where He sits.

“Who sits on the throne of your heart?”

If you’ve decided to join me in sup with the king, I have invited him to stay at the table. If you plan to continue to eat and drink here… you must put what you know of love from the past in its place. He aims to take His place and He is second to none.

That’s the thought of the hour folks!

Thought #5 of 101:

True love is “King”…second to none

Waiting for the Ripe Time

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Too Good to wait?

I’d be lying if I said that I love to wait… But sometimes it’s necessary if you want what’s good. Have you ever tasted something prematurely, like a fruit that wasn’t quite ripe enough yet? Some fruit, we are very familiar with. Sometimes we are so familiar, we have an expectation for it to be good before it really is. It is appealing to the eye because we already know it is pleasing to the palate, and it’s there to be eaten right? To us, what is good is usually the thing we already know we like. However, what we like is not always good for us and likewise, what is good for us, is not always what we like.

Timing can make a world of difference. God knows that often something that we assume could or should be good, we quickly discover is not so good because our timing is off. In the first verse of chapter three in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, in all his wisdom said….

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”

The Uncommonly Good Fruit

long-suf·fer·ing

ˈlôNG ˈˌsəf(ə)riNG/

adjective

having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other people.

In our society today… patience is almost considered a bad word and waiting is not our favorite option on life’s menu. As we become more and more acclimated to the ability to “click here” for instant gratification, our appetite for only what is available in the here and now is increasing by the minute. Basically, the opportunity to learn and teach how to be patient, along with the ability to recognize the benefit of suffering through waiting, is slim to none.

Patience, a.k.a. longsuffering, is not one of my all-time favorite attributes but it is one that I am grateful for. To reiterate what I have heard many say in regards to relationships; patience is key because nothing worth having comes quickly or easily. In other words, all things good should be good enough to wait for. The one who knows this best and also shows it best, is none other than God. He reminds us with our first hand account of how patient he is and always has been with us everyday.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

How long? God only knows….

The question has rolled off my tongue on more than one occasion… “How long must I wait?”

What I often get in response from those much older and wiser than me is “God only knows….” He knows what I must endure and go through. He knows how much time it will take for x, y and z to be accomplished and in the right order. He knows even how long it will be before I “get it”, meaning it has even taken quite some time for me to get to the point of coming to Him to ask the very question that only He has the answer to.

The point I am trying to make is He knows. So if you’re wondering what the next thought on love is… I will not make you suffer and longer….

Thought #4 of 101:

Love, true love and all the good fruit to come with it takes its time.

So while you wait, remember…. if you’re wondering how long you must continue to suffer… you should patiently seek the answer from the only one who knows when the ripe time will be.

A Super Love Secret

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Ok Batman…. are you ready? Do know what’s coming? Are your spidey senses tingling? Do you have the power to see beyond what you see? When it comes to my undercover search for love, I know I wish I did.

Some time ago, me and my teenage son were having, what I thought to be, a trivial DC vs. Marvel conversation when an interesting question came up. The question was: what makes a super hero “super”? In other words… what are the specific characteristics that stand out in one that goes above and beyond that makes them “SUPER”?

A hero, by definition is anyone that saved a life in the natural sense… but to be a superhero there has to be something about their ability to save a life that takes them to a higher level, to something supernatural.

Will the real “SUPER” stand up?

“Superman vs Batman” and the like, is a topic frequently discussed amongst brothers in my house and it can make anyone question the real existence of not so common sense. Realistically speaking though…we all long to catch a glimpse of a hero in action and some of us have a secret desire to be one, but we all have our own image of what one looks like and it doesn’t always line up with what we see out there on a day-to-day basis and especially not with what we see looking back at us in the mirror. Therefore any call to action leaves us searching for Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne at best… which is a waste of time, and with lives to be saved hanging in the balance…there is no time to waste!

My son clarified it for me. Per our discussion, the difference between Superman and Batman is that Superman is not of this world and Batman is. Therefore Superman is more “Super” because the characteristics that equip him to save lives are also not of this world. Batman’s life saving abilities stem from his gadgets, in other words he is a self-made “super”, which is not the same.

In my amazement, as I prepared to face my morning challenge of waking my son up for another super day of ninth grade… I got an epiphany about my daily quest to experience a love that is heavenly and relationships that go above and beyond… what I need to start my day off with, for my benefit and his, is no ordinary fruit. I need the fruit of the spirit!

Super fruit for super love!

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Wondering what super fruit or fruit of the spirit will be the best for a love that is out of this world? I can guarantee it’s definitely not what you’re expecting or looking for. It’s kind of like a secret weapon.

Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness and temperance…..

It’s no secret that a super hero will have qualities that are both disguised and uncommonly good. When I think of a superhero or a super love that will save my day, suffering is the last thing that I am hoping to find. However, a true love, just like a true “super” would have the ability to withstand the worst conditions and circumstances… even the conditions that put you in harm’s way or worse, in the face of eminent death.

We’ll take a closer look at this Superfruit but for now the food for this morning thought on love is.

Thought #3 of 101:

A super true love is uncommonly good