It's a day

Why this ☝️ picture?  Because I love potatoes and it always makes me crack a smile. If something consistently makes you smile you should absolutely share it. 

I've been praying for God's help dealing with my faults.  

When you pray that, be warned, you'll start seeing them. 

It's different though, from when I'm depressed or having a pity party and I'm all "look at how bad I am". 

This is just lightbulbs, little nightlights illuminating certain things I say or do that make me go " well I don't like that, let's not do that again". 

The difference between God and the devil....God does everything with love. 

Doesn't mean you won't feel regret or guilt.....but you won't have an urge to kill yourself or die of shame. Only to make it right. 

If you're dealing with things and you just want to die, look for the lie in what you're dealing with.  I guarantee there's a non truth floating around in the garbage.  

That being said, I'm currently working on love. 

I love my husband,  my kids, family,  friends.  

That's easy love. 

Fellow man love....

Yeah, I struggle with that one. 

It's hard to love people you don't know.  It's hard to love people you don't like. 

It's hard to love people who don't love you back. 

I once asked my dad if Hitler would go to heaven if he'd repented before he died. 

My dad said yes, because God loves all of us equally.  

That made me mad, drove a wedge between me and God for a long time. I couldn't grasp how a righteous God would forgive someone as vile as Hitler.  

I get it now. 

God knew what Hitler would do, what he would choose.  But God didn't make Hitler evil. 

God made a Hitler with a bright future, innovative, creative, loving, kind. Baby Hitler wasn't bad, Hitler the man made the choices,  he decided to turn away from the man God created him to be. 

Can you imagine being a parent with all these hopes and dreams for your child only to watch them fill themselves with hate and throw away everything good you knew they could be? 

Can you imagine the tears God shed for Hitler, for Hitler's victims?  

Yet he still gave him a choice, the same choice he gives every single one of us. 

How many people over the years, how many events, how many times did God try pulling at Hitler's heart? 

God never gave up on him,  even though it was an exercise in futility he never gave up on him.  He never gives up on any of us. 

If God can love Hitler,  I can love my fellow man,  if only because God loves them the same as me.

Of course my real problem lies in those I consider acquaintances.  

You make an effort,  you make another effort.....then you stop trying because they aren't responding in kind. 

We're told it's futile and foolish to put effort into those who don't return it. 

But the change I want to see is kindness,  compassion,  and love. 

How can I see those changes if I don't express them myself? 

It's ever so hard to keep putting yourself out there and getting nothing in return.  It's easy to give up. 

Which is usually how you know what's worth doing and what isn't. 

Most things worth doing are a challenge.  

So that's where I'm at right now.  

Learning how to let go of conventional wisdom and embracing something more personal.  

I'm going to stumble, grumble and fall a lot.....but I'll get there. 

For now I wish you a wonderful week and God bless.