relationship

Valuing Relationships

~ Patrice A London ~ Leave a comment

Last week, on my Facebook page, I posted about valuing people over differing opinions, theirs and mine. I said, I value relationship, and I do.

In the not too distant past, I have loved people and valued relationships in very unhealthy ways and to my own detriment. I am not doing this any longer.

If I am dealing with a person who is unwilling to take responsibility for their actions, I am able to eventually forgive, but a necessary shift occurs.

I am at a point now where in such a case, I can and will go on loving the person. I am wise enough to understand that I cannot make anyone change and/or see what I perceive as reason. We have all been gifted with free will from God. Who am I to think I can override another’s will? Why would I want that responsibility? It’s too much, not to mention, unreasonable.

In this instance, the relationship I am choosing to value changes though. I will still honor and value the relationship. The one I am now choosing to honor and value, is the one I have with myself.

Random Cohesive (Maybe not) Thoughts

~ Patrice A London ~ Leave a comment

So much is happening. I am processing several things at once and I find it’s not always easy to write or even speak in a cohesive manner.   Typically, when I think of my thoughts as random, lacking any semblance of cohesion, they actually make sense, so, it is with this possibility in mind, that I push onward and write.

When people find out that I have 5 homeschooled children, they are often astonished and make remarks about me being super busy or some other, (weird) comment is stated.  I don’t feel any busier than anyone else honestly, and up until now, I have not had many real issues that had to do with my children.  The issue I have now, I know is temporary and it has to do with helping my son not flip out to the point of crying and not breathing until he passes out.  He’s only a year old, so reasoning with him isn’t an option.  It’s pretty much, try to distract him and if that doesn’t work, just hold him so that he doesn’t hurt himself when he passes out.  Not the most fun.  Thankfully, this, as most other things, will pass.  In the meantime, it is sometimes rough.

I am seeing an unnerving trend in the Body of Christ that sets my teeth on edge and has all my discernment receptors blaring warning signals.  In a nutshell, it is a trend of facing and focusing on problems, instead of simply asking Abba, what’s going on in those moments of confusion.  There’s a place for asking questions, wanting and getting answers, but there’s also a place for mystery.  Holy Spirit can help us know the difference.  Sometimes our prayers can even be so fear and lack based, it’s disheartening.  It implies that we are better moral agents than God, because we’d never allow certain things with our own children.  It’s so subtle, this deception…

Sometimes, I think we are so afraid of the free will God insisted on giving us, that we make up doctrine to support our religious do this, and do that. Proverbs 23:7 (As a man thinks in his heart, so is he) keeps replaying in my heart and mind.  We really do become our own self fulfilling prophecy because we are believing stupid things.

There are a few other things on my mind these days, like the deaths of people who were clearly not wanting to be here any longer.  Death is never easy. By the time I was 37 years old, I had experienced the deaths of two grandparents, my step father, my father and 3 siblings, with the closest of them passing on my birthday.  I have seen enough death up close, to last me a lifetime.  I have held the hands of loved ones as they passed. I’ve held babies who left their bodies prior to or right after being born.  I could go on but I won’t.  I have seen those who seemed to be taken before they finished what they were here to do, and while I do believe people can and do go before their time, I also believe free will can be a factor, and so can mystery.  Sometimes, things just don’t make sense (to me).  I am learning to be ok with that.

I was thinking yesterday how many die with this or that unfulfilled prophecy over their lives, but then, I started to consider why we are here to begin with.  God didn’t want workers, he has angels for that.  He wanted a family to love.  At its core, this is all about relationship.  It’s a family affair.  If the main goal is to be loved by Him and love others, I can’t think of any of my loved ones who did not fulfill that purpose, no matter when they died.  Every single person I can think of, especially those who have passed within the last year, loved so very many people.  They truly left beautiful legacies and they still live!!!  I am re-thinking so many things.  We get so caught up with the do-do’s.  We must do this for the Kingdom, we must do that for the Kingdom, when God simply wanted a family. It all reminds me of Jesus telling Martha, “One thing is needed…” (see Luke 10:38-42).

I heard a story once that I don’t fully remember and will add to.  A man invited his son to come work with him in his wood shop.  His son worked very hard, trying to replicate the quality of  his dad’s work.  He loved his father and wanted to make him proud.  Try as he might, he just couldn’t get his work to the quality that his dad so easily seemed to produce.  The son quickly became frustrated and angry.  What the son didn’t realize was that his father had him there because he simply wanted to spend time with him.  He didn’t need his son’s help, he really just wanted his company.  He was already proud of him and just wanted to be together making memories.  This is what I believe the Gospel really is, the good news that we have all, already been included.  We start out loved, wanted, accepted, celebrated, etc.  Anything we do from there, comes from a place of resting in that love, acceptance, celebration with our Heavenly Father.  That’s it.

The type of things I have been witnessing, if I were a new  prospective convert, I’d want to run the other way.  What I am seeing is not good news. I can strive without awareness of God and all He has done, I don’t need to do it with Him.  It’s unnecessary.

Rob Coscia summed up my feelings about so much of this beautifully. Why focus on the problem when you have The Answer?

I’ll end with Rob’s quote, “When you pay more attention to what could go wrong rather than to what could go right, failure becomes your unconscious goal.

When you study more of what the enemy has done instead of looking for what God is doing, fear becomes your internal theology.”

 

 

 

Do You Know Him?

~ Patrice A London ~ 1 Comment

Lately, the thing foremost in my mind has been the area of being in relationship with the Lord.

Many believers, if asked, will proclaim emphatically that they love the Lord and have a relationship with Him.  They may even add some catch phrase about being too blessed to be stressed or how able God is to do this or that but not only do they not necessarily believe it, all too often, these same believers are just as stressed and uncertain about life than one who admits they don’t know God.  These are Christians who say on one hand that they love and know the Father but  will also admit to not knowing if He still speaks at all, let alone whether or not He speaks to them.

With anyone else, we would never say we are close and have an intimate relationship with someone we spend virtually no time with.  That would be very strange.  People do this with God all the time though and think nothing of it. We get that to be in relationship with other human beings, certain factors must be in place but somewhere along the lines, when it comes to God, most think church attendance and reading the Bible in a year equate to a relationship.

I feel strongly that there are people who are truly hungry for something real with the Lord.  People who are tired of dealing with things they don’t have to.  They see verses that say things like, “Be anxious for nothing”, but have no idea how to actually be anxious for nothing.  They see that Jesus said to take his yoke and burden because his is easy and light but they just don’t know how to let go of their own and take his.  Or perhaps, they have come in contact with someone who has attained something with the Lord that they want.  Perhaps it is seeing the relationship others have with Him that makes them say, “I want that!”  I have been asking the Lord how I can help.

I see so many Christians, wandering about life as if they are orphans, being swayed and tossed by whatever comes their way in life and it breaks my heart.  I can only imagine how God feels.  He never wanted this for His children.  If He said He has not given us a spirit of fear, you’d best believe, He hasn’t.

There’s nothing like a real bonafide relationship with the Creator of the universe.  In the beginning, it takes some discipline to remember to acknowledge that He is ever present, always waiting to speak with us as if we are the only person alive, but the outcome of it all is nothing short of astounding. I love how I can be going on about my day and God interjects what I’m doing and speaks to me.  I love how, when I start to drift away, focusing on the newest pain this pregnancy presents me with, He whispers to me, “What are you looking at?”, and brings me back to Him.  I love how, I can go places and see people and He gives me messages for them when I was doing something completely different.  I love how, in the midst of seeing everyone around me in fear and even terror, He gives me a spot right on His lap and has me look at situations and see them as He sees them.  I love hearing His laughter and jokes about various situations that happen throughout my day.  I love how He has and is answering my prayer to become more real to me than anyone or anything I see or experience in front of me.

Because of all this and so much more, I trust Him. I truly trust Him and take Him at His word.  When I see promises in the Bible, I get super excited because I know it’s for me.

So, in asking the Lord how I can help, one idea came to mind that I am putting into practice right away.  I plan to do a one on one mentorship sort of thing over the next few weeks with one or two people.  Once I see how that goes, I will come back with what I have learned and have a more concrete idea on what I can do to help people in my sphere of influence to come to know the Lord in a more intimate way.

In the meantime, it is my prayer that if you have identified at all with not really having a relationship with Him, you won’t stay there and settle for that.  There’s so much more available for those of us who are in Christ.  Let’s get all that has been put here for us to attain.  He’s right there with you, eager to share so much with you, engage and enjoy Him.

Who Do You Trust?

~ Patrice A London ~ Leave a comment

I have so much swirling in my head.  There are so many things I am grateful for, that when I dwell on them, I’m about ready to burst with joy. I feel like I’m enjoying something kind of forbidden, by the world’s standards anyway.  I remember this old saying that goes something like, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.”  I admit that I’ve heard that a few times in my life.  I’ve even been accused of not taking things in life seriously enough, as if worrying actually helps and is productive.  Here’s what Colossians 3:2 says, Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of earth. See, God has something different to say about our earthly “wisdom”, 1 Cor. 3:19 says the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  In Philippians 4:8, it says that we should fix our minds on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable. It says to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

The question becomes, who are you going to trust, believe and go with?  I choose God, hands down.  Considering my problems and things gone wrong in my life or in the world at large, just doesn’t do it for me.  I love that I can go to the Problem Solver, the One who is never without strategies, answers and options for me to consider and walk out.  I’m excited beyond measure to even have some of the “problems” I now have as I can’t wait to see what my Abba will do with them as I literally rest and trust in Him.

When my daughter and I revamped our herbal business, we prayed. One verse that is at the heart of how we have decided to move forward with our business is Romans 13:8- Owe nothing to anyone-except for your obligation to love one another.  So, no debt.  Not a penny. The “wisdom” of this world says, “it takes money to make money” and most businesses start with a loan of some sort in order to get going.  Since we see otherwise in the Word, and know real life examples of people who have chosen God’s way, we decided to do the same and it has been amazing.

We have a few small monthly expenses with our company. One night as I was going to bed, I remembered that our account balance was dangerously low and bills would be coming out soon.  As I lay in bed, I said, “Ok, Abba, the account is low and we have no orders.  You know what we need so I thank you for taking care of it. I’m going to sleep.” The next day we got an order from a stranger and two family members.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Ha!! As I read what I just typed, I realize I straight up Philippians 4:6-7thd that “problem”.  (I know there is no 7thd, lol.)  I chose to not worry, I didn’t even start screaming to the masses, “Discount! Sale!”. I simply talked to my Abba about it, thanked Him in advance for working it out, and you can’t tell me I didn’t have peace, I went straight to sleep, haha!!

I love that we truly do have options when it comes to where we put our faith/trust.  I have practiced worrying and it was never fun.  In fact, every time an issue was worked out, it felt a bit silly to have worried so much to begin with.  After all, every single issue I have been faced with, has been taken care of, one way or another.  My odds are amazing, as 100% of what I’ve faced that made me think I’d just die, I lived right on through in the end.

So while I watch some of my friends on Facebook, posting in desperation about how they are so freaked out about our upcoming election, I’m smiling and thanking God for giving me insight on who He has ordained to be in office.  I’ve decided to go with that and rest.  Some of my friends have seemed to become straight toddlers, posting their, “Just unfriend me if you’re voting for X!” or “Anyone voting for X, explain why!”as if it is their business.  These dear ones, I am praying for.  I see past the childish behavior and see that they are worried and in fear of what may or may not happen a few whole weeks from now.  What a way to live.  My prayer is that every believer learns to truly trust in the Lord with all their heart.  He is faithful and so very trustworthy.  He has proven it time and time again.  We must believe Him.

Loving My Abba

~ Patrice A London ~ 2 Comments

 

The Bible says we go from glory to glory but sometimes, things get so exciting and so good that better seems impossible, redundant, overkill even, but God is so much bigger than we could ever imagine.  He has so much in store for us and is so excited when we take steps toward greater intimacy with Him so that we can get all He has for us.  He is more excited to see us move forward and prosper than we are!

To have Someone like Him, the One who created the universe, even remotely interested in me, is nothing short of astounding.  I am in constant awe of Him.  His ways are magnificent.  His love is just, indescribable and makes me drunk in a way that no alcohol can touch.  To have Him available, have His undivided attention at all times is more than I could have ever hoped for and yet, this is the reality of being in relationship with Him.

So many paint a picture of Him being so angry and ready to punish.  They paint a picture of Him as if He is just waiting for us to make one wrong move so that He can obliterate us.

My experiences with Him have been the complete opposite and so much more.  I always tell Him how sweet He is, so romantic!!!  He woos us like no other and truly means it!!  He is so funny and humble and kind and generous.  I say humble because my mind is still blown when considering Him telling me that He was sorry as I lamented to Him about my having lost another baby.  He didn’t explain how He’d make it right or better in the end, He just met me right where I was, got all the way down on the floor with me, held me and said that He was sorry.

This is the God I know and adore.  This is the relationship I will never give up.  He is too much for me! My heart is filled. I am smitten by Him.

The Religious Spirit

~ Patrice A London ~ 3 Comments

Seven days before it came, the Lord gave me a dream, warning me that the religious spirit would be coming my way.  It came through someone I love dearly in the form of a bunch of theories, conspiracy theories.  I mostly listened and felt like my loved one was wrapped in an enormous web or one of those elaborate mazes that have the potential to drive one completely insane with all the twists and turns that lead to numerous dead ends.  Two things struck me during and after the conversation.  I kept having this thought, “Where is the relationship and encounter with God in all this?”, also, I felt sick to my stomach by the end of the conversation and well into the afternoon.

Once I’d had enough of the sick feeling, I went straight to God and said, “Abba, I know where I stand with you. I talk to you all day, everyday and you talk to me.  You tell me things about people that I have no way of knowing, so my relationship with you is not the issue here, but what is this feeling about?”  His reply was, two sentences, “Who do you believe, them or Me?” and, “I have put my Spirit in you so you have the ability to discern truth from lies.”  I told Him that without question, He is the one I believe and asked Him to take that nasty feeling away and give me something else in exchange for it as I had work to do, I was preparing to teach on identity at youth group.  I didn’t have time for that.  He took the feeling away and I had an amazing week.

As always, when something happens in my life, it is addressed at one of the prophetic meetings/events that I attend.  This time was no different.  The religious spirit was talked about over and over.  That was the spirit I was discerning when I felt sick to my stomach.

As I think about all the theories my loved one mentioned, wondering where God is in it all, wondering when the focal point shifts from theories and deceitful, hate filled humans to God and His love and peace, etc, I can’t help but think about my experiences.  The tangible love, the visions, dreams, miracles like seeing sound and operating outside of time as the world knows it, prophecies, visitations from Jesus, angels, Holy Spirit manifestations that cause everyone to be silent, even the babies in the room.  There’s so much!  As some guy who I don’t know the name of stated, “My experiences trump your theories.”  It’s too late.  I have an intimate relationship with my Abba and we are growing more and more intimate each day.  I pray that more get to the place of total intimacy with Him.  Then, the religious spirit won’t stand a chance.