Robotics

For most, if not all of us we become a bit peeved when someone belts out a command at us without those magic words ("Please/Thank you"). It doesn't matter how meek or humble you are. If someone walks up to you and demands that you execute a specific behavior, it tends to wake up that sleeping beast inside of you. Your hair stands on end, the veins in your forehead pulse, and the body goes into pounce mode. The boss, the spouse, the best friend- they all feel the wrath if anyone is to command you to do anything, especially if they cherry top their sentence with the word "NOW". 

Ironically though, as defensive as I get when I think someone is trying to control me, I give people the remote to my life more often than I think. When I allow someone's statement to activate my hot button, and disrupt my peace or contentment I forfeit the authority God has given me.
For example, I know that I am wonderfully made. I know I am special, and because of this I love and accept me for who I am. This view did not come naturally. I had to program myself to believe this, and consequently I have a peace within me.
Now here comes Sally who unfortunately has not learned the practice of closing the mouth if there is nothing good to say, " Hey girl, where are you going with all that weight?" 

Operation Shut down
In a matter of minutes she now holds the remote, and has pressed a hot button that disrupts the peace I had about loving me. My mode of thinking changes, and the clothes in which I once felt like a Diva, now make me feel like a dumpling. Overnight, everything is suddenly too tight, and I start seeing every other female as more beautiful or  sexier than I am.
For me it was a physical appearance, for others it may be a comment about an inability to land a promotion, or achieve a goal. We are at peace, then we hand over the remote allowing someone to activate that hot button.

Often we say that something or someone gets on our last nerve, but that is an occurrence that we allow. 
Although we cannot control the actions of others, we choose the extent to which these circumstance rob us of our peace.


Anonymous Writer

No Condemnation

For a very long time I held in my mind a very warped image of God. Someone with a big stick waiting to whack me when I did wrong. After the whack, it meant that He would  not want to have anything to do with me for the next few days. I felt that if I was guilty of a sin, I had no business trying to help anyone with their struggles; as if God's voice was saying, " Who are you to talk to someone else when you are guilty of the same thing. I was afraid to embrace marriage, because I felt that because I was in an adulterous relationship before, God was going to wait till I was married to make my husband cheat on me. I did not understand that God was not a God of Karma. 

Of all the majestic names of God  my favorite is Abba Father, even simpler- Daddy.

I have been reprimanded for wrong doing several times by my earthly father, but he never turned his back on me because of what I did. It always amazes me that when a young girl becomes pregnant under controversial circumstances, all the hoopla is over when the baby is born, it is as though the drama never happened. 

Isn't our God an even greater parent. Most of the time the only one pointing the finger is the person we see in the mirror.

I read the story of Jonah several times, but it recently dawned on me that even after Jonah blatantly ran the other way in disobedience to God, God still chose him to witness to the people of Nineveh. Jonah had just finished demonstrating his own waywardness. Who was he to tell others about their behavior? Jonah embraced his second chance.

Though God's mercy is not our ticket to "sin splurge" and then ask for forgiveness. We disqualify ourselves by not receiving the second, third, and fourth chances God presents to us daily. Live again...there's no condemnation.