The Golden Rule

March 8, 2014

Dear God,

Hello Father, it's your favorite little white haired lady showing up for morning coffee and a nice chat. You available? Ah yes ... you're ALWAYS AVAILABLE!

Everyone knows the Golden Rule: do unto others, as you would have them do to you.

Kinda difficult to love anyone else if I don't love myself. I'm not talking about vanity or arrogance but talking about really respecting and cherishing the miracle that I am. Most of us have been criticizing ourselves and beating ourselves up for years. How'd that work out? Those negative tapes got me NOWHERE fast.

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works; And my soul knows it well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;..." ~Psalm 139:13-15

I have found that I can have complete control over my thoughts but not of my emotions (hey, I'm woman through and through!). In order to move beyond captivity, I had to take my thoughts captive. I knew (in my mind) that you accepted me where I was at but it was a big step to accept that in my heart. Then, my next biggest step was to truly believe that I was worthy of a good life.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." ~2 Corinthians 10:5

Everyone has made negative choices in the past. The good news is that we can choose to let go of old patterns. I began to choose different and more supportive and nourishing thoughts. I needed to love myself enough to do that and I started with the little girl inside me. She had been beaten and punished enough. I became her biggest fan and advocate. Together, we moved forward.

I have found that people who have problems loving themselves always seem to have problems learning to forgive others. Not forgiving others does not harm them in the slightest bit but it plays havoc with us. Why? Because the issues are not theirs, they have become ours. There are some people in my life who have been quite cruel and hurtful. To relive those hurts has caused me to be stuck in the past to the point of not being able to live in the present. When that happens, I ask myself, "If you cannot live in the present, how are you going to create a healthy and exciting future?" I found that forgiving didn't mean forgetting because in remembering I was able to make better choices. I hope that makes sense.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." ~Matthew 6:14-15

I enjoy "who done it" shows on TV like Criminal Minds. It is difficult to understand the mind of a criminal and the degrees of evil lurking in the human soul. You know what I'm talking about. Are there people that are just plain born evil? I would like to think that we are all born with a sin nature yet somewhere in time made a decision to either be good or totally embrace the dark side.

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I revisited my childhood, there were signs that I could have become a member of the evil circuit. Snippits of those times have started to come forth bubbling up like a putrid cesspool. With every thought taken captive I am so thankful that I can say, "Yes, but ultimately I chose to hang tight to a righteous God knowing that He cleansed me from all unrighteousness."

"'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool...'" ~Isaiah 1:18

Father God in Heaven, your name is holy, unblemished, pure. As you look down upon your children, comfort them and place others in their paths to lead them to You. Lift up those who have addictions and have gone through a "slip." Lift up those who have been beaten down by the cruelty of life reminding them that there is a better tomorrow. Use my voice to share news of a better way. While we have breath, we still have a chance to move forward out of the stagnant waters to waterfalls of beauty and grace.

Amen.

Miss Dottie

NOTE TO READERS: Won't you join me in celebrating the beauty of a pure and contrite heart? It feels soooo darn good to be able to look in the mirror without those words of "you're no good" shouting at me. The little girl inside me loves to play and feel safe ~~ I do too! We make a great team. Stop those nasty negative thoughts about yourself ~ I promise you, when you do, you'll start to make progress and knock down all those road blocks!!