Memories, how they linger!

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 

Philippians 2:14-16

Spending time with my Mom and my Sister is always an adventure. We tend to talk about old times and old friends. So today was no different. We were heading to the hospital to visit my Grandfather, who is dealing with chronic lung disease. On the way there we got to talking about my Grandmother, who passed on about 10 years ago. My Grandmother was a strong personality. Everyone who met her came away changed, not always for the better! :) She was very opinionated and always told you what she thought, no matter if you asked her or not. If you asked anyone who knew her, they would have some tale to tell about Betty, as she was affectionately known. The thing that always came up was, no matter how sick she was and she was very sick for a long time, she always laughed. She always had a joke to tell, that would have everyone in the room rolling with laughter. As we talked about Grandmother, I got to thinking, how will people remember me? Will I be known by my laughter and happiness? Will I be known as a grumpy woman, too serious for her own good? Or will I be known at all? I hope I am known as someone who shows Christ no matter the circumstances. I hope that my legacy is a family that serves the Lord with all their hearts. I hope that the people who come in contact with me will come away knowing that Christ resides in me. That is my hope.

Stumbles, Fumbles, and Recoveries

 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

As this is my first blog post(newbie alert!) I will give you a little insight into me. I will readily admit that I am not perfect. I come with a whole slew of shortcomings. I tend to be outspoken, but ,really, I am working on that!. I can be very headstrong. I am a terrible romantic. These are just the nice problems! Everyday that I wake up is a day that I learn how far short of perfect I am. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not suffering from low self-esteem. On the contrary, I have been blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the greatest Gift I received from my Savior, Jesus Christ, when He found me lost and undone. In all of this, though, God is working and using me. He is taking these imperfections and creating a person who is a useful vessel. He has a lot more work to do. It has not always been fun or easy. He will work on getting me where He wants me, only to have me slip right back into the same old routines. I am a major work in progress, but I am so thankful that He is still working on me! I think that is what is wrong with the way popular thinking has corrupted the way we think. There are so many people out there that want to tell me that I am perfect just the way I am. There is no need to change. I can just be who I am. These things tend to slip into my life. It is so easy to just say, I am normal, I am just doing what every one else is. That is not what Christ wants for me. He want as willing spirit. Someone ready to be poured out and filled with the Holy Spirit. He wants to change me into something much better. He want to use me to change someone's life by introducing them to Him! So that is my walk right now. I stumble, I fumble, and then God helps me recover! And I am so thankful that he does!