Just Like Mom?

Alright, I'm going to be honest. Back in the day I found it annoying when my mom would get ready in the morning. You must be thinking, "What? Why? Is she one of those girls who take forever to do their hair and makeup?" Nope! On a normal day, I would hear faint humming or singing coming from the bathroom under the noise of the hair dryer.

Here's a fact about my mother - it is really easy to get a song stuck inside her head. How do I know this? Sometimes, I'll sing a line from a certain song around her...just because it causes her to sing it the rest of the day! It's fun - you should try it!

Why am I making post about my mom drying her hair? *ahem* Are you ready for this? The other day...I caught myself...doing the SAME exact thing. I paused for a few seconds and thought to myself, "Did I just do the very thing that I once hated?"

Yes my friends, I am more like my mom than I care to admit, but maybe being like her isn't such a bad thing after all. I have a feeling I'll be finding this out more and more as life goes on. Love ya mom!

No, Not One!

Tonight, I was working on a few things while listening to Pandora. The song Brethren, We Have Met to Worship by Fernando Ortega started to play. If you haven't heard this song I encourage you to look it up! I remembered the lyrics, and quickly "liked" the song.

Jesus knows all about our struggles;

He will guide 'til the day is done:

There's not a Friend like the lowly Jesus:

No, not one! No, not one!

Isn't it great that we are able call Jesus our friend? 

This friend knows everything about us! Including our struggles. AND He promises that He will never leave us. Hour by hour, day after day, we have a friend who is always there. Throughout everything this friend loves us unconditionally. To have a personal relationship with Him is such a blessing and a huge comfort! There definitely is no other friend like Jesus!

"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John 15:15

Fishing for Compliments

    

Whether I am doing something in order to receive praise, or I am just proud of what I have

accomplished - Sometimes I find myself making statements that encourage others to give me compliments. If we are honest with ourselves, I think we've all done this in some way or another.

What does God think about it? 

"Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." Ephesians 6:6

"Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord not unto men." Colossians 3:22-23

Let's take a minute to define a few words mentioned in these verses...

Eye-service: denotes service only preformed under the master's eye, diligently preformed when he is looking, but neglected in his absence.

Menpleasers: an adjective signifying studying to please men, "not simply one who is pleasing to men, but one who endeavors to please men and not God."

I don't know about you, but these definitions help me get a better understanding of these verses. Paul writes about some very important things in these verses

1) Be diligent even when nobody is watching

2) Don't work only to please man

He concludes that if we are servants unto the Lord, we should serve Him sincerely from the heart.

When I am doing the will of God sincerely, He is the only one that I need to please. His expectations are the only ones that I need to meet.

    

Another thing was brought to my attention while reading the definition of eye-service. When we make God our master, we are held accountable by Him. God is always watching. Proverbs 15:3 says, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."

Does this mean that it is a bad thing to be complimented by people? I would say that the answer to that question is no. Compliments show that people recognize who we are and what we do. We just need to be careful to not make them our only motive for doing something.

My friend and I were just having a conversation about this topic the other night...

Kevin: It helps to be encouraged, Ang. That's why it's good to surround yourself with Christians, because they see the good God sees. Think about what they said, and who it's coming from. Different people recognize different qualities.

Even If I do enjoy hearing compliments about me and my work, I have always had trouble accepting them. I need to work on the mind-set that I don't deserve positive feedback.

Note to Self: Not everyone who gives you a compliment is lying, misguided, or feeling sorry for you.

First Post!

Welcome to my first post! As you can see, I am jumping on this blog bandwagon. Lately I have been reading my friend's blogs and thinking, "Hey, I could do that!"

I have always enjoyed writing. In fact, when I first started school all I wanted to do was write stories inside my spiral bound notebook.

For a while I have struggled with thoughts about making my own blog. What would people think? Is what I have to say important enough to post online for all to see? Do I actually have enough time to sit down and write?

A few days ago I decided to put those thoughts aside and give blogging a try! It can't be that hard, right?

   

You might be asking yourself where did the title "Say It With Love" come from? I'm not going to lie. I had such a hard time thinking of a name. It just about drove me crazy...I knew what I wanted my blog to look like, but I was missing an important thing before I could begin - A title!

    

I searched the many books on our bookshelves for a quote to strike me, and saw a title out of the corner of my eye. The book's spine said, "Say It With Love". I read the name over and over. It had a nice ring to it, and it made me think of Ephesians 4:15 which reminds us to be speaking the truth in love.

   

To speak the truth in love means that you are saying something with respect, gentleness, and kindness - maintaining a person's dignity. I am going to closely examine my posts to make sure that I am writing with the character traits listed above.

This blog will be a place for me to post thoughts, memories, and life lessons that I have learned. I have already had a blast working on it, and I am very excited to see what it becomes in the future!