Sunday, February 21, 2010

LOVE AND COMPASSION

Today is Spiritual Sunday and I had decided to skip posting anything this time and just visit all the other blogs.  I will admit this was stressing me a bit as this would be the first time I had missed a single week since I began participating in this several months ago.  I even hung in through the holidays, haha.  It is one of my very favorite days in the blogging world as I am soo blessed by what the Lord is doing and laying on the hearts of others.  I will admit as well that I wonder sometimes if maybe I spend a little bit too much time on the computer.  So I have been praying and seeking the Lord's will on this for a few days now.  I do believe that possibly the enemy has been trying to convince me that I don't really have anything of any significance to say anyway, and that my time might be better spent in other pursuits.  And while I can EASILY believe this, I just can't settle into to letting it go either.  I have felt myself growing and being strengthened by visiting the spiritual and  inspirational blogs of others, there are just soo many of you with hearts for the Lord and an wonderful understanding of the scriptures, that I had considered like I said, just reading the posts and not writing my own, at least for a while.  And yet, here I am...haha.    I prayed about this last night after I went to bed asking the Lord that IF I was to post something I would sense it in my spirit upon awakening.  And here I am...So now I am staring at this keyboard and screen and wondering just what it is that I should share.  And the thing that keeps coming to my mind is NOT really something I want to talk (type?) about, but I decided I would try.

In my previous post (which you might have to read to understand this, and sorry it is long) I was feeling some frustration over a situation that is going on with my daughter.  I found myself almost angry over the way things had happened, and feeling somewhat justified over it as well because afterall I WAS right.   But AFTER I had written and posted that post, I decided to pray about the situation and give it to the Lord (where I might add, it BELONGED in the first place).  And I have to tell you what happened to my anger and frustration.  It's gone.  It has been replaced with a feeling of compassion for this other woman and an understanding that I don't have a single clue as to what is really going on in her life or in her heart.  I have no idea as to rather or not she might have been a WONDERFUL teacher whom the kids not only learned from but also loved.  Now I still feel that she should have the education that she needed in the first place, I honestly do, but my daughter did point out to me when I was ranting my annoyance to her, and say, "Mom, what did you want them to do?  They had NO ONE else, and she was WILLING to try and put herself through all the effort it would take to work FULL TIME and still accomplish what she had to do to get her license, AND in the meantime provided the kids with a teacher"   Now I heard her say that of course at the time, but it didn't really penetrate my heart.  All I could think of is, "It's not fair, it's not right."  And it isn't!!  And yet, as the Lord has worked on my heart I have thought of many other angles that are possibilities as well.  Who knows what this woman's (or other's like her) situation growing up might have been.  Maybe she was in a position like so many others where working where she had been educated to work just wasn't a possibility and she NEEDED a job.  Maybe she gave it her very best effort and now is facing defeat and is truly saddened by having to give up this dream.  My point is I guess I have NO IDEA what her abilities or where her heart is at.  I still feel that the requirements should be met by every teacher BEFORE they begin working.  But now I also feel compassion now for a woman who I don't know and who is going to find herself without a job come June.  And so what I have learned?  That I need to pray more, listen more, and have His love and compassion for everyone around me.   These verses in first Peter sum it all up.

1Pe 3:8, 9  Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;  not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this...

To read the other blogs that have participated today, please click HERE...Trust me, you will be soo blessed if you do.

26 comments:

  1. That verse isn't my knee-jerk reaction to life either but it's one I need to meditate on more. I know if I am mindful of my thoughts and am letting the Lord guide me, I can respond in a Godly way instead of reacting in my human way.

    Don't let the enemy silence you.

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  2. Debbie ~ I hope you know You ALWAYS bless us in your sweet heartfelt posts and you ALWAYS have something to share! Don't listen to the enemies lies EVER my friend....He comes to steal, kill and destroy and he can even attempt that here in this wonderful world of bloggy friends telling us we don't have anything to contribute....Lies I tell ya! You are precious to each and every one of us and your family is too.
    You shared a lesson here today and we all need to lay our circumstances, anger, frustration before HIM and then only then can HE speak Wisdom, give Compassion and allow us to be like HIM !

    Much love to you my friend! Continue on in HIM!

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  3. You touched my heart with this open and honest look in your own heart. I find myself too often judging pretty much any given situation on what *I* think SHOULD be. And besides being un-Christlike, it's just so narrow-minded and wrong? Like you, how could I possibly know all of the nuances involved. Thanks for the very gentle kick in the pants. I needed it.

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  4. I totally understand that tension of spending too much time on the computer vs. spiritual growing. My DH is my accountability partner. You have a heart of gold and please keep sharing your thoughts and what Jesus is teaching you. A personal thank you for the comment you left on my blog. I asked the Lord to send someone my way who experienced the cyst so I could surrender more easily. Your comment meant the world to me.

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  5. We are all guilty of making judgment calls and there is absolutely no way we can know the facts behind every situation nor the path a person has walked. Glad you got release on this.

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  6. Thank you Debbie for your honesty and sharing what was on your heart. We all make judgement calls. I am learning slowly to try to put myself in someone else's shoes. It's not always easy! Have a wonderful week.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  7. Debbie:

    First of all, let me say that I agree with Loren - your posts are a blessing and she is right - DON'T listen to the enemy. He doesn't want Christians spreading the good news (in the blogging world or anywhere.)

    Second, I agree with you in that I believe teacher should have all their credentials before entering the classroom. However, the compassion you have shown in this situation is as we should all exhibit toward others. Very appropriate verse!

    Blessings,
    Joan

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  8. Debbie,
    I am so glad that you DID post this! Like all the others, I am always so blessed by your post and your comments.
    Like you, I know that blogging sometimes takes up too much of my time, but I also know that I am blessed so much by it, and that I still hope God is using me to bless someone else through it.
    Thank you so much for sharing this!

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  9. Keep posting!(I will comment that it takes a lot of hard work and effort to writer shorter posts but they are the ones read more often). We all needed what you wrote today and will be helped by it. Do it for us!

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  10. Great post and thanks for visiting my blog. Acceptance is the key. I often don't understand the "why" of things but I don't have to because HE does

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  11. I'm so glad you didn't skip sharing with us today. I guess it is just human nature to pass judgment but it takes maturity to pray about it. I'm glad you chose to do the mature thing. And now, don't even think about not posting and sharing it with us. You are a blessing. However, I do understand that sometimes we can become overwhelmed and need to take a break. I just want you to know that you are important to the Spiritual Sundays people.
    Charlotte

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  12. Hello Debbie, I just finished both of your posts about your beautiful daughter melody Joy. I love her name. I know you are so proud of her and she certainly worked hard to get her education. I guess things don't always go the way we expect or want. The stress and the worry is overwhelming. I can only say leave to God. This is going to make you sick with worry. She will do what is right for her. Her intelligence won't let her doing anything else. Not just that, the loving supporting family will also be a part of her life's decisions. Trust God and Melody Joy in this.

    Blessings, Jeanne

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  13. Great post, Debbie. Thanks for sharing your heart. And thanks for your kind comments on my post.

    Blessings to you.

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  14. Hi Deb, Have I told you lately that I just LOVE your heart??!! Oh how I wish you were close by! I know you just bless the socks off of your friends and family!
    You sure bless me. Love your honesty. I have been convicted in a similar way lately so I know what you mean. I love being led along the path of righteousness, though...even when it may sting a bit!

    Hope you have a wonderful week, sweet friend!
    Love and hugs,
    Becky

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  15. Wow, I am glad you wrote! It was neat hearing and seeing how the Lord worked. Isn't it amazing. Not that long ago I read someones blog and it said forgive others for failing. That hit me, because I kind of like it when people get it right if it impacts my life.:) I am sure we are all like that, especially when it is our precious little ones involved. How nice that they have someone like you that loves them so, and someone that is still so in love with Jesus you are still growing and changing. You are a blessing. Way to go!

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  16. I have been blessed that you posted this story today. I need to pray about this myself. Working in the public dealing with very unfriendly people. I tell myself, you don't know what is going on in their life. Thank-you for this scripture today. Debbie your such a big part of Spiritual Sunday I always enjoy stopping by.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

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  17. I've read and read this verse before, but the phrase "knowing that you were called to this" never sank in. I simply. didn't. know. I mean, in my mind I know we are called to be blessings, but in my heart and actual practice, it's a different story. Your post, and your honest sharing of your experience, crystallized it for me. Thank you.

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  18. Such an open and heartfelt post...I always enjoy reading what you have to share with us....God bless you and thank you for sharing.

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  19. Yes, sometimes the best thing we can do is give it to the Lord. How sad we don't think of that at the beginning of problems. So often I try to resolve things on my own before I realize the problems need to be laid at the feet of my Savior.

    Thank you for your kind words on my blog. Was very sweet of you!

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  20. Okay Debbie, I started my comment off by saying that I don't think that this woman tried her best to keep the job. She took a job and didn't do what it took to keep it. She didn't do what the administration told her she had to, to keep the job. She has her business degree, that's hard work, to complete the rest, is probably just as hard, but if she wants the job then she can do what is asked of her to keep it. So, my initial reaction to this post was, Debbie, you are being too nice. But I deleted all of that, just to write it again. Go figure.


    But....

    I tend to be heartless at times and say, this is this, and that is that. If you want to do something, than do it. But, I don't know her circumstances. I don't know why she didn't do what she had to do, while your daughter has been doing EVERYTHING she has been asked to get the job. It is like you said, not fair. Your daughter, has an amazing outlook on life. She sounds like a great person. I've met her for about 10.5 seconds (at least that's what it felt like), and she struck me as a very nice individual. She's even nicer now in my book.

    So, in conclusion. The verse that you wrote down, just puts all of my words back into my mouth. Forget everything that I said. Sometimes it's so hard being human, and feeling the way we do. But, I'm glad you posted this. I realize that I can't always be so dang, heartless. Everyone has their own story. And, we have to have compassion for those people. Ah, I have so much to learn...

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  21. Your contribution to SS is always a blessing to read .The devil is liar, don't listen to him . This is a wonderful post !Thanks for sharing.
    Blessings,
    ~Myrna

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  22. Prayer is always a pre-cursor to deeper, fuller peace. It's God promise to us. So glad you found some, and thank you for stopping by the blog. You are always welcome there.

    One last thing... a bit of encouragement to you regarding blogging. Only you can write your story, sister. You are the best qualified to put pen to paper regarding your heart. For what it's worth... maybe you needed to hear that today.

    peace~elaine

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  23. wow I hadn't even read that other blog. didn't realize you were so upset about it! glad you changed your mind though.. because truthfully if you met the girl I think you'd just feel sorry for her. She was almost crying in her classroom about how overwhelmed she was. And everyone is right, God only convicts YOU about what is right or wrong for you. Miss you, love you.

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  24. I love that you shared this! There are so many things each day I need to take to God, pray about, and give over to Him. He knows that is the only way for us to have freedom in this life. But, I know so often I stew in the anger and frustration for too long before allowing Him to free me from it!

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  25. Oh, and Deb... you've been such a blessing to me. I just had to share this with you. It's not worth much, but it comes with all sincerity and admiration from a young(er) Christian learning from you: I think you deserve an award for being beautiful.

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!