Loving the Unlovable

Today was a somewhat challenging day at work filled with helping intoxicated and drug addicted people get back on their feet and matching them with available resources including bus passes, shelters, clothing and of course food. The problem lies that as they begin to sober up they are angry....mainly at themselves for relapsing, spending all their money or being ticketed for various things...but they take it out on the one helping them. I was called about every name imaginable and was threatened in many different ways just by HELPING them. I would say that at one point I wanted to give a few of them " a piece of my mind"! After all, I deserve respect, right? I mean...I earned my RN license and I have authority here to do what I want. In a moment I can call the police over to escort these people off the property...they better not mess with me!

As one patient began to act out because she wasn't getting the attention or the medications she wanted she started tearing out her very-tightly knotted and very dirty weave out of her head and throwing the pieces on the floor....I began to laugh and I could not stop. Now...I know that it does not sound very professional BUT I felt like I was losing it. The lady (who was not in her right mind) said, "You think your better than me? I see you laughing at me. I am not crazy....I just don't have anybody or anything. Just because I am homeless doesn't mean I don't deserve respect."

Well those words rang true to my heart. I wasn't loving these people, I was looking down on them. I was judging them by their smells, their dirty clothes and bad behavior. Perhaps Jesus' teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12: 31, NIV) is one of the absolutely hardest ones to grasp. Sure, that seems easy enough—until you really think about what it means. He didn't say "like" them. He said "love" them. And you don't get to pick who your "neighbor" is...It's everyone around you whom you might come in contact with.....even at work.

I'm thinking Jesus' expectations were a tad bit too high. I mean, can you truly love someone like you love yourself? The neat thing is that he wasn't in the heavens just commanding us to do this...he was here on earth experiencing it. At the Last Supper, Jesus was in the same room with a bunch of betrayers and he knew it and what he did was wash their feet. Wow...kinda a hard thing to do, huh? These guys didn't deserve his love and respect but he loved them anyway. Jesus didn't pretend....he actually served them.

Serving gives us an easy way to see how we should love. It's not just some mushy emotion but an action. When you serve someone it has a way of changing the way you see them. If you are trying to really help someone with your whole heart then it's very hard to think they're worthless. You are giving them everything you have. Serving is getting your wants, desires, titles or agendas you have for yourself and putting it on the back-burner for someone else with a spirit of humility and respect. But of course none of this is possible in our own abilities....it takes the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and give us that supernatural ability and that is accomplished by drawing near to God. Love will flow out of us naturally because we are His vessel.


Loving someone doesn’t mean we have to agree with them or their choices. Loving someone means we hope our actions on their behalf work for their benefit, to build them up, maybe even change their bad attitudes or help them to become easier to love and most importantly, that they learn to be a little more like Christ themselves. Of course they may not respond or do anything to show appreciation for what we have done. In fact they may reject everything we try to do for them making us want to just throw in the towel in frustration. But we know that God never gave up on us so we are never going to give up on people.....because they are all in fact our brothers and sisters and no one EVER should EVER give up on family!

Adjust that crown,

Jonna

Keep Swimming Around!

      Two  frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,

One was an optimistic soul.

But the other took a gloomy view,

"I shall drown," he said "and so will you."

So with a last despairing cry,

He closed his eyes and said his "Good-byes."

But the other frog with a merry grin,

Said "I can't get out, but I WON'T give in!"

So he swam around until his strength was spent.

For bravely trying,  the frog thought, 

"I will at least die being content."

So on he swam until it would seem.

His struggles began to churn the cream.

On top of the butter at last he stopped,

And out of the bowl he happily hopped.

What's the message here? It's easily found.

If you can't get out - keep swimming around!

                                          ~Author Unknown

This is just one of my all time favorite poems. My husband used this in a sermon illustration once and it is just endearing! It is funny how at times we actually think that we aren't going to make it out of a situation or hard time. God loves us and wants to help us but we have to be WILLING to work towards our blessing or toward our unanswered prayers. We cannot just sit by when things get a little tough and throw up our hands in despair. Timing is everything and sometimes the hardest of the times is right when the "storm" of our lives are about to break.  Having perserverance and enduring the struggle WILL get you somewhere and despite what other's around you say or do...you bravely keep on swimming because you will in time come out....ON TOP!

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

Road Rage

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk. The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a police officer. He took her to the police station where she was placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, the policeman opened the cell door and said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!"

 

I know that story seems far-fetched but how many of us has experienced some kind of road rage on our commute to work? We may be the victim of it or....the perpetrator! I find myself calling people dumb or an idiot out loud while I am driving. I have also been guilty of throwing up my hands in disbelief or staring at a driver while I pass them as if to say, "Where did you learn to drive?" While this may seem innocent enough; in comparison to the above the story, it isn't a healthy thing at all. I know I have shared before where a member of one of our churches stuck their middle finger out at Don & I as we pulled out in front of them. (Don was driving) Now of course when she realized it was us she about had a heart attack I am sure! Later at church she avoided us and we didnt bring it up. Ha. Compassion and love and especially patience are all wonderful fruits that we need to see grow in our lives and we need to be aware of just what we are producing and giving out to others.

"Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:10

What the problem is that we want our own way and when we don't get it and exactly "how we want it when we want it" we get angry. What we have to realize is that the situation is beyond our control and no beating on the steering wheel, honking of our horn or fist pumping in the air is going to change that. But as a Christian, are we supossed to act this way? Galatians 5:22-23 tell us about how we are to be developing character and qualities that are Christ-like in our lives and from what I see we have to PRACTICE them daily. I am not saying do them perfectly...I am saying practice them daily. Eventually they may become second nature in our lives. 

I am not saying that we aren't supposed to get angry....it is normal to do that...there are a whole lot of things that I get angry at! We are not to sin in the midst of our anger. We have a choice on how we handle ourselves in those situations. Make sure you are listening to some good music that lifts your mood and puts your thoughts on our creator. Praying on my way to work definitely helps...I find myself asking God to "help that crazy driver in the red car".  If I keep my focus on HIM then things are always better and my choices always seem clearer and easier. I have even gotten a revelation from God once that a person that I was upset at (who almost side-swiped me) was going through something and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks that I was lacking a heart of compassion. And according to Webster: compassion is the sympathetic awareness of others' distress. Now while that sounds over-saved (as my boys would say) it is so true! Who knows...we might be the maniac driver that someone out there is watching and praying for...ha...that would be ironic!

Take a mental note of your posture and presentation of yourself. How is your tone and body language? If your heart isn't right....it will come out one way or another. Usually our frustration is stemming from the fact that we are running late or because of an accident and is it fair to take it out on others? It only takes a moment to get your perspective and priorities in order via a prayer. God wants us to rely on Him especially when things aren't going right in our eyes.  So slow down and take a deep breath because everything is going to be alright. Remember to adjust your crown and....ahem...your attitude today because we are here to make a difference. :)

Jonna

Name Change!

I decided to change my blog name as you can tell. Although Sparkle is a fun name; it didn't truly relfect the true reason why I write. I believe that we are all chosen by God to be his daughter; His princess. So it is incredible that most women i know; including me, struggle with identity issues. We have insecurities that take over our minds and affects our decisions, actions and gets all tangled up in our relationships and of course blurs the view that we have of our Heavenly Father. The enemy knows exactly how to keep us down and we somehow succumb and live life way below what we are intended.

You may be thinking, "Really Jonna, a crown?" Well...yes! Why not! Kings and Queens rule their kingdoms and what that means is that they want their people to be safe, fed and to prosper. So if we went about our day wanting the best for people then what would be wrong with that? What if every word that came out of our mouth would encourage, lift up someone, or end a struggle? We have within us the ability to speak life and to make someone's day. What i am saying is that we as royalty need to start ACTING like royalty.

Our Father has brought his here for a purpose and what do we think we are going to do in Heaven? Rule and reign with Jesus for a thousand years? What does that mean? If we can't even figure out who we are HERE how are we going to do that THERE? Yes...I have a LOT of question marks in this blog! ha

¹⁶ For the Holy Spirit speaks to us and tells our spirit that we are children of God. ¹⁷ If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.            Romans 8:16-17 NLT

So my blog's new name is just a reminder of who we are in Christ. It isn't who you ARE that holds you back, it is who you think you are NOT. As an ambassador of Jeus we have the RIGHT, the ABILITY and the wonderful OPPORTUNITY.

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Horizontal Jesus

“It's what I like to call the horizontal Jesus. Vertical Jesus are the songs that say 'Lord I love you, Lord I praise you, Lord I thank you' and horizontal is 'I'm in a situation. This is the problem. How can I apply you now horizontally?'

"There are more problems in the world because he's not being applied horizontally. We are all waiting for someone to save the day, make things better. As a child of God, I just believe that Jesus is our hero, he is the one that came to save man's life, to save man's soul, to restore people back to themselves with a love that's real – an unconditional sacrificial love.”      --Kirk Franklin                                                                                             

 I didn't realize that God was into Algebra or Geometry. Ha. But I love this quote and this concept. May we not forget that God wants to be the center of every decision and every relationship that we have. He wants to be the axis on which our lives rotate.

Remember to adjust your crown!

Jonna

Have you lost your marbles?

I heard a story the other day about an older guy giving a younger guy advice.

He told the young guy about how 20 years or so earlier he had decided that he would stop taking his weekends for granted. He felt he had spent years wasting his days on sleeping until the afternoon, watching television the rest of the day and eventually falling asleep in his recliner. He felt there was something wrong with that picture, and decided to do something about it.

So he bought a bunch of marbles.

He grabbed an old glass jar from his garage and poured a ton of marbles in – one marble for each Saturday he had left in his life. He was 55 at the time, and assumed he had about 20 years worth of Saturdays left – about 1040 marbles in total.

Every Saturday from that day on, he’d start his day by going to his garage. He’d grab one of the marbles and carry it with him throughout the day, and at the end of the day he’d throw it away or give it away to someone. He said it reminded him that this particular day in his life would never come again. Having that marble in his pocket would make him think...how am I going to use this marble today to influence someones life?

He was telling this guy this story because on that day, he had picked the last marble out of jar. His eyes welled up a bit as he thought about the 20 years of Saturdays that had come and gone, and how dramatically different they were than the ones that proceeded them. How each one had a sense of urgency, of intention. How each was an opportunity to make his life a little bit better, the lives of his loved ones a little bit better.

He told the young man that he felt so fortunate, not only that he had been able to experience all those Saturdays, but that he’d been given more than he had planned. He said every single Saturday after this one was a gift, and his heart was filled with gratitude.

As he walked away from the young man, he told him to remember to number your days.

That story Pastor Don shared at Mercy Gate Church a few weeks ago and it really stuck with me because for almost 44 years I’ve taken my days for granted. They’ve lacked this kind of gratitude. They’ve never had the urgency that comes with the realization that you’re never going to get that day back.

I have always felt that life was going so fast; especially since adulthood. Months just fly by and now years seem to as well. Time is a precious thing and we need something to assist us sometimes to slow things down a bit and help us be more purposeful. So when my husband handed me his first marble the following Saturday;  I came close to tearing up. He was tellng me that I was very important to him and that he wanted to give me his TIME. Now how are you going to use yours?

Don't just lose your marbles but be intentional and GIVE them away....

I have 1,352 marbles left to reach 70 years old...I am definitely going to use them more wisely than the first 2,283!

Choosing to see the Good

It is funny in life how we can quickly jump to the negative! I think about "people-watching" and I know all of us have done this sometime or another. It is quite fun and very entertaining.......especially if you are bored and at the airport and have hours to burn. We see a person or a couple and come up with a scenario of their lives...we pick out their occupations, what they are talking about etc. just based on their looks and our perception of their behaviors and of course how they are dressed. Never in those scenarios do we rarely make up stories that are good and wholesome about people...it is always some outlandish thing and is usually totally inappropriate! Okay...that is how I do it anyway. ha

Philippians 4:8 (MSG)^8-9

^"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into a life of peace."

But what if when we looked at people that we instantly gravitated to the positive? What if negative NEVER even crossed your mind? What if you people-watched and thought about scenarios that were wonderful and good and appropriate? Now that just doesn't sound as fun, does it?

We can see the good stuff in people but it takes time and of course it takes making a good choice. We have to choose to push the negativity to the back of our minds and do not "dare" let it come out. Okay...I know this by experience! Years back I had to work on what came out of my mouth that was negative and when I felt that I mastered that I then had to work on keeping the thoughts out of my head! It is a day by day process that takes time but it is well worth it!

When we see the good in others it makes us happy and cheerful. You see, it is so easy and EVERY person has the ability to point out the negative and bad. It is those who choose to see either what is good or the "potential good" in others that is so rare and hard to find.

Make a choice today to be unique and "see" only the things that are the best, the beautiful and the things that we can praise each other about. The scriptures say that if we practice this lifestyle then God who makes everything work together will work us into a life of peace with Him. Now who doesn't want that?

Keep Sparkling for Him

Jonna

Semi Colon Life

Now I will not even pretend to know a whole lot about grammar...because I don't! I am unsure how I slid by unnoticed in English I and 2 in college but somehow I charmed my teacher and managed to make the required grades. And as you can tell I love to fill my blogs with lots of periods and exclamations marks...which I use because I feel like they represent gaps in between thoughts. It just makes sense to me!

But there has always been something so cool about the semi-colon. I use it in the middle of long sentences and thoughts when I feel like I need to take a breath. The semi-colon is a combination of a stop and a continuing on... a period and a comma joined together. Kinda conflicting but yet very interesting.

Living a semi-colon life is all about pausing and re-evaluating where you are at; readjusting and then moving on. I think we all need that in our life! 

Just when you think that things are coming to an end or that you think that you can't go any further....God is there to say, "hey I got this!" and there you go again! Jeremiah 29:11

You Are Graciously Adorned

Jonna

Retrospect Faith

I was driving to work on Good Friday and was thinking, 'God, how can we call this a "good" day when it was so horrifying?'. And as I was visualizing in my mind the gruesome scenes from the movie I had watched, "The Passion of the Christ" a word 'Retrospect' popped into my head.  Retrospect is the act of looking back and reviewing events or situations with new information and with a new perspective.

Of course we as Christians can experience Good Friday and appreciate what Christ did for us on the cross that day BECAUSE we are in the future looking back. We know that 3 days later something AMAZING happened! This is why we can rejoice and be happy and not go around and be mournful and sad. Of course let us not lose the significance of just how traumatic and painful that day was for all involved....because it is THAT experience that truly signifies how great of a savior that we have that He would go through all that for us!"

It makes me think too of the children of Israel and all their complaints and lack of faith through their journey. I want to slap them and say, "didn't you remember the sea being parted, the manna arriving daily, the birds being provided, the fire by night and clouds by day that led you and kept you safe!?" Couldn't they just believe God based on the fact that over and over he had provided for them! But we too tend to be blind to our retrospect blessings and provision.

“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever”  First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their own personal experience. Notice that in verse 6 that this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?” These stones are first of all to be a reminder those who were present of their personal experience, what they saw, heard and felt. To paraphrase, “Tell your story, Keep a clear memory of what God did for you. Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.”     Joshua 4:6-9

What memorials have you built? Do you tell others what God has done for you? Do you celebrate and testify of the goodness of God in your life? If you do then you will not easily forget the next time you are in a situation that you think is going to overwhelm you. Just like the Israelites who were obedient in building the memorial we forget to go back and remember and give thanks at the amazing provision that was laid out before us! But the memorial wasn't so much for just them...it was for their descendants. You see Retrospect Faith isn't just about US but about the people who observe and look up to us in how to walk out this Christian life.


In life we experience all kinds of events that aren't pleasant and sometimes we look up at the sky and wonder, "What in the world are you thinking God? What am I  going to do now?" And then hours, days, weeks, months or even years later like a light bulb we understand what was going on and why we had to go through the trial like we did.....we were in a process and God wanted us to have faith in just who He is. We need to remember in those times that He has been more than faithful and look back at the memorials we have built at the times he healed us, saved us, delivered us from our mess and then we will not have a faith crisis and meltdown. Each time you go through a thing with great faith it gets easier and easier...it will become a way of life for you. You will actually start believing that with God all things are possible! With this mentality is when God will show up like we have never seen before! God is in control and just like He has delivered us before....He will do it again and again and again....it's all about Retrospect Faith.



Keep Sparkling for Him
Jonna