The God Habit by Nina Keegan-Owens

(Proverbs 4:20-27)

My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

Are you a creature of habit? Do you like having a particular daily routine so regimented that when you stray from it, you are like a fish out of water?

A Habit by definition is a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.

I have read where it only takes 21 days to make or break a habit. That seems like a pretty short period of time to alter part of our conscious minds. There are many negative habits that people suffer from today. They are strongholds that wreak havoc on our lives such as drinking, smoking, and overspending. These habits can be all consuming and to some become their most important priority. Bad habits can undoubtedly ruin lives and families. However, good habits can be vastly helpful and beneficial to our well being, like exercising and eating healthily. With that being said, why not get in the one habit that can change your life in amazing ways and forever? Get in the"God Habit"...

(Matthew 6:33)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This verse in Matthew tells us not just to seek God... But to seek Him first! Give Him the best part of us, the first part of our days. It then states that ALL these things, good and wonderful things, like favor, blessings, and protection will be added to our lives. What an awesome promise. It's like God is honoring us for seeking to spend time with Him.

I am very much a routine kind of person. When I first wake up, I like to lay in bed a while soaking in the quiet calm of the early morning. I like to thank God for the day ahead. I pray blessings over my family, and over any and all concerns that I may have. I am not one that likes to be hurried or rushed. My time spent with God is so important to me. It singlehandedly dictates the way in which my entire day will go.

I steadfastly make my way toward the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, prepare for myself the daily usual, then as if on autopilot, I gather together my Bible, my scripture filled journal, my cozy throw, and nestle into my favorite place on the sunroom sofa. It's there that I wholeheartedly bask in the presence of my precious Lord and Savior. It's with Him that I declare victories, blessings, wisdom, ability, favor, protection, safety, knowledge, divine health, discernment, and enormous gratitude for all He has done and will do in my life and the lives of my family members. It's during my time of seeking God that I learn more about Him and His plans for my life. I will absorb from God through His word, the great messages He longs for me to comprehend. I know with an undeniable certainty that my day will be far better for having spent some time praising the one for whom all things are possible.

My habit, "God habit", is one that without, my day would never be the same. My time spent in prayer and reflection with God is like essential food for my soul. It jump starts my day, and fills me with abundant expectation. The word of God replenishes my faith and restores my joy. I can leave all my cares with Him and go about enjoying my day knowing that God is at work and that my morning prayers are a glorious life line of communication, faith and trust. I pray that He gives me revelation about decisions and questions I need answers to and that He orders my steps in the direction He would have me choose. I pray that He may bring someone to me that very day that needs to hear about the good news of God. I pray.... about everything!

The Bible says our prayers will not return to us void, and that God cares about every last detail of our lives. God is in the restoration business and wants us to be anointed with ease . He wants our burdens to be light. When we learn to operate in the supernatural realm of faith through time spent in prayer, we abandon our control and desire to handle everything in the flesh. Only when we have finally relinquished it all to God, will we dwell in the cherished peace and unspeakable joy that comes from the glorious knowledge of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

(1 Corinthians 11:1 )
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

The Bible says we should strive to be more like Christ. We should imitate the ways of God. I personally cannot think of a better habit to envelope my life. Jesus himself even went off alone to pray to His Father. There in the peaceful quiet, Jesus sought guidance and strength. The more time we spend with God, the more knowledge we will obtain. His wisdom, His character, and His unconditional love will seep into our souls and we will be forever transformed from Glory to Glory in His image.

What happens however when our routines are interrupted? When my prayer routine gets altered and my day gets shifted in some way, I feel off balance. For instance, if I am traveling or have a last minute change in my work schedule and I miss time spent in prayer, my day tends to finish exactly how it starts, a day less than stellar in all areas. When I have not pursued my morning time with God, everything seems disheveled. I feel like those days tend to be a little bit more chaotic, a little more stressful, and things do not seem to flow as well. When I have not allowed myself my habit of spending time with God, I can tell there has been a noticeable paradigm shift. I see subtle changes in my character. It may be harder to hold my peace or I may become more easily frustrated. It appears, on these days, that I am having to do everything the hard way. I realize that I want to remain closely tethered to God... I want to be on His balanced, peaceful, and joyous track. I want to seek Him first.... Always!!

We have free will and the complete authority to choose to spend time daily with God. We can make it a welcomed habit of letting Him cover our lives in goodness and peace. We can change a bad habit into a good one by just spending more time with God and declaring that every promise in the Bible is true for us and it is still alive today.

Decide today that you will never veer to far away from the path God has drawn for you. When we do not stay focused on Him, our paths get blurry and much wider leaving more room for us to make bad choices. The more days that go by without spending time with God, the harder it becomes to squeeze Him in. It becomes more difficult to discern His voice. God time eventually becomes the last resort, maybe tomorrow, kind of time. With each day that goes by being wasted on our own prideful, time consuming, aspirations, our distance from God is greatly lengthened and it becomes harder to see with clarity the way that we should go.

(Matthew 6:6)
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

God is telling us that He desires us to spend time alone with Him. He wants our undivided attention. He longs for us to get in the habit of praying everyday and about everything. When we do these things, God will reward us!

I challenge you to get in the "God Habit!" I promise the more time you spend with Him, the greater, more faith filled, abundantly and richly blessed life you will have. Do not waste another day !

(1John 5:14-15)
And this is our confidence, that if we pray according to His will, He will hear us, and give us what we ask for, because our desires are in agreement with His thoughts for us.


Heavenly Father, we desire to be closer to you. Help us to focus our attentions on you and to come to you with everything that concerns us. Thank you for waiting patiently for us and for loving us. We praise you in Jesus name!
Amen

A Page From God's Playbook by Nina Keegan

Football is nearing its end for another season. The men in my household are gearing up for the Super Bowl! The main event!! The end of the road for football FANatics. It's time to separate the men from the boys in this mega contest of who's who in football. Which team will reign supreme?

I listen to my boys discussing the football players on the field, arguing and strategizing over each and every play they make, agonizing over their team's defeats or celebrating their glorious victories. Being heavily armed with a spread of football grub, while anxiously yelling at the TV is pretty much the norm around here during football season.

I think about each of these teams and their players and all of the hard work they put in during a season. Each team member must fully rely on the others for complete safety,dedication and for advancement. The Coach must accurately and efficiently write hundreds of plays that make up the team's official playbook. Each athlete must memorize, learn, and skillfully execute the plays in this manual. If one person is off, messes up, or forgets the format, the play will not work out as planned and they will fail to gain any yardage or momentum needed to score. The play book is a blue print, a pathway to a victory, a brilliant plan, one that when followed correctly, could lead the team to the championship game and a monumental victory.

That playbook on it's own is entirely not so fabulous, it is basically worthless. If it just sat on a shelf, had no team, and no coach to use the wisdom in its pages what good would it be? Used for its intended purpose, however, the information in that book is priceless.

What about our playbook, the Word of the Lord, the Holy Bible? It is after all a brilliant manual designed to give us all the insight we need to be our best selves. Like the team playbook, what good does that book do on a shelf or in a drawer somewhere? There is knowledge, powerful understanding, and wisdom for us to soak up and abide by on every glorious page. It is our very own personal playbook, a perfect outline for our individual and uniquely designed paths.

(Jeremiah 29:11)
For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord; a plan for good and not for evil. A plan to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future.

God very similarly to an NFL coach, has written a playbook for each and every one of us, it is a map of sorts depicting His plans for us. A highly efficient plan that is for our good and not for evil. Each playbook is hand written by God Himself! When God designed our plans, He sat down and wrote them in their entirety. The whole book start to finish. We each have a story so unique and inspiring. When we are faithful to follow God's will, we can flow through our pages with ease, absorbing a bounty of knowledge while breezing through the chapters with gusto and an unparalleled zest for life.

The simple fact of the matter is, we may only get small glimpses and mere fragments of these wonderful pages in our playbooks because we are so busy focusing on other outside influences, we are often bogged down with stresses and life's random issues. We let our problems and our fleshly nature take us on a time stealing detour. We are led down the bumpy, misguided road and off of our beautiful, divinely drawn paths. It's like we took all the pages from our playbook and tossed them all in the air and then as each page gently reaches its final resting place on the ground, we try failingly to piece them all back together. Each page left on it's own or in the wrong order can make no sense, it cannot tell a story, there is no plot to follow. It's us a jumbled mess, and our minds cannot grasp it. To the contrary, our playbook , when left in tact and diligently followed in its wholeness is an absolute masterpiece. It is like a road map for the soul.

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

Only God, the author himself, knows what our play book says, He gave the pages order and lovingly numbered every one. We may be stuck on page 54 and we do not like what it says. We may be facing terrible trials and are ready to give up. If we do just that and fail to press on through, we may never see how close we were to victory! We may never have read that page 55 was the page we were waiting for. The page filled with words of freedom, joy, and victory! The very next page may have contained the game winning play!

We must stay the course. We must wholeheartedly believe and trust God. We don't want to leave anything out. Every plot, twist, and turn on the pages of our playbooks are there for a reason. They are all a very intricate piece of our story. Without each page our book would be incomplete and we would miss our victory. We must hold strong and follow our author even in the valleys and trust Him for each day, good or bad... They are all leading us to victories beyond which we cannot conceive.

We do have free will. Our lives will follow the paths we choose, we can follow this book of life page by page in sequential bliss or we can live in the wilderness of uncertainty and unturned pages for a lifetime.
Choose the bliss !!!!

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path.”

Heavenly Father,
Help us to diligently seek to follow your plan for us even when we can't see the ending of our story. Help us to trust you in all things. We love you... In Jesus name we pray!!
Amen

Step Out In Faith by Nina Keegan Owens

Do you ever look back at some of those pretty rough time periods you have had to face in your life and think in amazement how everything miraculously worked out for the good in the end even though at the time things seemed pretty bleak?

Do you often feel like you are always having to take a detour in your life, the less than scenic route, the long way home so to speak to get the answers you need. Nothing is just simple and uncomplicated. You know now that God was always there with you before but you just could not see it at the time. He is with you now too! Adverse times in our lives are meant to stretch our faith, and strengthen our relationship with God.

In the natural realm things often seem impossible like there is no way out. In the spiritual realm, God is the great I AM. He is always what we need, when and where we need it. His grace is sufficient! He is continually at work safeguarding us, our families and blessing us with His anointed favor. Sometimes it just takes a while to see His hand at work. Just keep the Faith! God will never fail you. He loves you more than you can possibly imagine!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Some of you may be facing tough times right now and you can't believe what you are having to go through. You pray and trust God but there does not seem to be an answered prayer in sight. Things sometimes appear to go from bad to worse and you wonder what God is doing.

I refer to these times of uncertainty as loving faith stretchers. When we are at our very lowest and when we can finally get out of our own way to make room for God to work, is when we will begin to rise above our circumstances. God will always give you the help and the strength you need not just to win the battle, but to win the war. Scripture says, with one touch of God's favor the tide of the battle turns. God is a warrior when it comes to us. He will never stop loving you nor stop fighting for you!

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I believe there are so many messages and lessons learned during our times of struggle. I believe God wants to strip us down and bear our souls as we trust Him to take over and work on our behalf. He meets us right where we are in the midst of our giant mess. He allows us to go through such uncomfortable situations and circumstances so in the end, we are left alone with only Him and our faith in all He can do. He again is all we will ever need!

When we have finally given rise to the unmerited fact that there is no earthly way we can go it alone and crawl out of our own depths of despair, we are left on our knees submitting all to the one that can and will always take care of us. We need to stay fixed and focused on Jesus. Seek his face first! When we are weak, He is strong! 2 Corinthians 12:10.

When we realize that we cannot go through these trials on our own, when we commit them to God, we start to see results. We need to stop giving our problems an out of control, life of their own. We talk about them, analyze them all, call all our friends to talk about them some more,and we do everything in our own power to the point of exhaustion to control the situation. The answer is always as close as the name Jesus! The name above all names. We at long last need to relinquish it all and cast it completely off to God. Only then, will we begin to receive answers to our prayers and solutions to our problems.

John 14:13-14
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

When we step out of our comfort zone of trying to control everything in our lives and take that blind leap of faith, we will finally get that break through coupled with the realization of knowing it was nothing but the shear grace of God that had removed the burden from our lives, or saw us through it all.

Sometimes God needs us to first be obedient, responsible and step out in faith. He needs us to take action. Activate our faith. We must take the steps, trust God, and put forth the effort to let Him run the show. We open doors full of blessings and solutions in our eyes of faith. God works through our uncomfortable times because we are more easily shaped through our own vulnerability.

The Bible says we are all like clay in the potter's hands. If you have ever worked with clay you know that it starts out very hard and not easily pliable. You have to really knead it and work it to break it down. It takes time and muscle but eventually it becomes soft and smooth and we can then mold it into beautiful things.

We are that clay, we start out hard and rough but every time we fully rely on God and step out in faith, we soften just a bit more therefore allowing Him to shape us into who He made us to be.

There is so many stories in the Bible where we see people having to completely step out in faith and first be obedient before they saw their miracles come to pass. I recall the story of when Jesus met up with a blind man requesting that Jesus restore his sight. Jesus made a paste of mud and put it on the blind man's eyes. Then what we see next is a real faith stretcher. Jesus tells the blind man to go off to the river and wash the mud from his eyes, then his eyes would be healed and he would see again. Now we all know that Jesus could have healed this man's eyes instantly yet he chose not to. One touch is all it would have taken yet Jesus sent a blind man off to find a river to wash in first. This had to be a rather difficult task for someone that was blind. Why would Jesus send him off like that? Jesus wanted the blind man to step out in faith and trust Him. Imagine the thoughts and the excitement the man felt on his way to the river. His faith was growing in every step he took. His anticipation of being able to see for the first time in his life was strengthening his faith. He first had to obey and step out in faith to activate the healing power of God.

Once when Moses was in the wilderness with the children of Israel, they had been walking a very long way and were exhausted and extremely thirsty. When they finally came upon a river, the water was bitter and not fit to drink. Moses, discouraged, cried out to God. God then told Moses to chop a certain large tree down that was beside the river and cast it in to the water then it would become clean and pure for drinking. I imagine the last thing that they wanted to do at that time was chop down a large tree! They were already so hot, tired and thirsty. They had to step out in faith believing and trusting God for the clean water. With every chop into the thick tree bark they were growing in certainty and testimony. When they finally cast the tree into the river, the water was instantly made clean and clear.

Sometimes we need to go through the rough times and flounder out of our comfort zones for us to grow in our faith. Each time we trust God with a our problems, we are putting another stepping stone of faith on our path. God wants to test us and make sure we are trusting Him. We must bring all our cares and concerns straight to Him and cast them off like the tree was cast into the river. When we do just that, we set in place the motions we need for our break throughs. God will always give you a plan of action. He may give you tasks first, big or small, but any task He gives will serve a mighty purpose on our road to peace, faith, security, health and prosperity. Just pray you won't have to build an ark!😘

Remember always to step out in faith and trust in the Lord for all you need and for anything you are going through. You are so much closer than you think! God's timing is always perfect and someday soon you will look back at this time and say, "God you were right there with me the whole time, I see that clearly now!"😇

Thank you Father that you are always right here with us and no matter what is going on in our lives, we can step out in faith and trust you to handle it all according to your will for us.
We praise you in Jesus name!!
Amen!!!🙏

Riding The Storm Out.. By Nina Keegan-Owens

Right now, as I am writing this, I am on a family vacation on the beautiful Island of Roatan, a small Island near Belize and off the coast of main land Honduras. The tropical Island paradise is 4 miles wide by 35 miles long. It has an extraordinarily peaceful, serene, low key, kind of vibe to it that is so tranquil and captivating. It is surrounded by its turquoise waters and blanketed in lush, jungle covered, mountains so dencely populated with palm trees and brilliantly colored tropical flowers. There are beautiful, pristine, golf courses and endless sandy beaches. The minute we land here we know instantly why we keep returning to this wonderful place.

I do come back here often, my family and I are mesmerized by the allure of calmness and serenity this place offers up. I can most assuredly learn of few lessons from the people living here. It seems as though these lovely island locals do not have a care in the world, they are so laid back, happy, and friendly beyond comparison. They seem to take it all in stride, they are fearless.

As luck would have it, my vacation is being spent watching the locals and the hotel employees bearing down for the arrival of hurricane Ernesto. All the furnture surrounding the pool decks have been stowed safely indoors, stores are closing, flights have all been canceled and people are all heading home early in anticipation of Ernesto. There has been endless chatter about the hurricanes path and the cone of uncertainty. The latest news and weather updates predict that the storm is heading straight towards Roatan.

Like it or not, Ernesto is having the last word on the subject . The storm is on its way and is supposed to hit the Island sometime late this evening or in the wee hours of the morning.

Having lived in Houston for 15 years, I am certainly no stranger to hurricanes, Rita, Ike, just to name a few left quite a path of destruction behind. These storms can be undoubtedly devastating.

Something it seems is apparently different here in how they handle a possibly severe situation such as a hurricane. Maybe it's the lack of the constantly streaming news media hyping up the storm, creating chaotic pandemonium and grid lock with their 24 hour, non stop, coverage. We get inundated with sensationalism causing us to freak out and be riddled with anxiety during mother nature's wraths. We sit endlessly in the ever growing lines at the gas pump, stock up on bottled water as if we are are going on a 400 mile hike through a sun beaten desert. We buy batteries, candles, and canned goods by the gross. We arm ourselves with generators, and radios to keep up with the news frenzy and the wide spread mayhem. We strap down everything that can "fly" in our back yards. The news relays the message that patio furniture, and potted plants can turn into projectile missiles at a moments notice resulting in windows being shattered. The list goes on and on. Major storms for that matter, are a big and often lucrative business for sure.

Of course we need to heed the warnings and take these monstrosities very seriously. We absolutely do need to take the aforementioned precautions and do our best to always keep our families and homes safely protected.

The difference I see on the island is the way people handle this type of scenerio. There is an overwhelming sense of calm. It does not appear that anyone is at all worried about this fury about to be unleashed upon them. They just stay focused, unexplainably calm and steadily work together to accomplish their mission of battening down the hatches.

That remarkable sense of ease they walk in on a daily basis does not seem to change when they are faced with unexpected adversity. They literally ride the storm out. The old saying, the calm before the storm, could not be more true than right here and right now.

The Bible says in (Exodus14:13-14) Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

We as Christians should be able to stay calm and trust God through all the proverbial storms we face in our lives. When negative situations and circumstances plague our lives, we need to trust the Lord to handle it all as He sees fit. His will, His plan. We may not have a choice about the trials, tribulations and storms we find ourselves in, but we can choose how we "weather" the storm. If it is out of our control anyway, then we are going to go through it, like it or not. There is no doubt about it, we will ALL face trials in our lives. There is always uncertainty surrounding us. Nobody is exempt from tribulation. We do however have a choice to either worry ourselves into a panic, or to be still, remain calm, and just place our trust in God.

God already knows the outcome anyway. What will happen in our lives is going to happen plain and simple. It is already written. We will have storms! All the worrying we do will not remedy the situation, it in fact worsens it. We simply cannot trust God and be worrying at the same time. We need to remain calm and know that the Lord will protect us and see us through every storm we endure. We can choose to ride out those storms calmly and stoically. We can remain at peace, and let our fears stay at bay and we can live unaffectedly. We can listen to the Holy Word of our living God and let Him bear it all on His shoulders.

Proverbs1:33 says, If you will listen to me, you will live in safety, you will be at ease and live free from the fear of harm.

Promises do not get any better than that. We can live in complete safety. We can remain at ease if we will just listen to God. We can brace ourselves in His divine protection. Whatever your storms in life may be, know that they are temporary, God always shows up and delivers us in His perfect timing. We can lay all of our burdens and fears down at the foot of the cross and fully trust in the mighty, righteous, right hand of God. He can and will carry you through it all. There is no hurricane bigger than the love of God!

Be still, and know that I am God!
(Psalms 46:10)

Dear sweet Lord, let us come to you with all of our problems and storms and not panic about them. We give it all to you and we will trust in you to keep us calm and free from the fear of harm...
We praise you in Jesus name!
Amen

“As we sail thru life, don't avoid rough waters, sail on because calm waters won't make a skillful sailor”
Anonymous

Do One Thing... By Nina Keegan Owens

I will never forget one hectic but blessed morning I had a few years ago. It was really just like any other typical, rushed, everyone needing to get out the door type of morning that we all have from time to time. You know the drill, alarm... Snooze button... alarm... repeat this process a few more times, then like a crazed maniac you race to begin the chaotic daily process of waking up, getting the kids fed and out of the door for school, and getting yourself ready for work. The scene is the disorganized, scattered, pure definition of mayhem.
I finally get out the door and head to the nearest Starbucks haunt for my much needed morning cup of joe only to see that the line, of course is much longer than usual, I wait for what seems like an eternity, isn't it always that way when you are late? I hastily flip back and forth from checking the time to checking on my growing list of morning emails until finally, "One vente nonfat latte please!" When I start to hand the cashiere the money to pay for my morning addiction, she smiles at me and says, "A man gave me a one hundred dollar bill and told me to buy all the coffee for the people in line until the money is all spent so your coffee is free today!"
Imagine the wonderful surprise I had received, a blessing of kindness in the midst of my stressful morning routine from someone I will never even meet or know. I experienced my good fortune along with several others who were all blessed with free coffee and goodies that morning as well. We all just smiled and were thrilled to have been so blessed, it had turned out to be not such a bad morning after all.

I thought about the gentleman that purchased our coffees and thought he was probably every bit as hurried to get to work as the rest of us but he took a few extra seconds to just bless some patrons in a coffee shop that he didn't even know. He would get no thanks, just the great feeling of happiness one would get from doing such a deed.

Receiving such a wonderfully random act of kindness, not only changed my whole demeanor for the day but it blessed me and inspired me to pay it forward in some other way. It encouraged me to be a blessing to someone else in as random and unasuming kind of way that I was just blessed. Kindness.... Pure kindness..no tricks, no pay backs.. by definition, kindness means being marked by good and charitable behavior and the virtue of having a good disposition and a positive concern for others. It can be the joy of our lives to do good deeds for others without expecting anything in return. When we follow this desire there will be a kindness in everything we think, do, say, and feel. A savored protocol to live by and follow. He who does sow kindness and courtesy will reap an abundance of friendship and a glorious inner peace one can only get from doing good! We will greatly please the Lord when we are doing His work and we will inspire others to do the same.

I think too often in our very busy and hurried lives, we can greatly underestimate the power of a what a kind word, a cheerful smile, a listening ear, a heartfelt compliment or a simple random act of kindness and compassion can have on turning someone's day around.

Have you ever been having a pretty lousy day when all of a sudden someone pays you a sweet compliment or kindly offers to help you out with something, or maybe clear out of the blue you receive an uplifting phone call or email from someone that was thinking about you or praying for you.
These simple random acts of kindness can change the ways the corners of someone's mouth is turned and can put a smile not only on their face but in their hearts as well. There is an amazing magnitude of power buried in a tiny display of kindness, not only for the person on the receiving end but the bearer of the kindness as well.

(Acts 20:35) it is better to give than to receive...

Examples of well meaning joy and random displays of kindness can be contageous, it can start with one person doing just one thing! That one touch of kindness can have an endless snowball effect. Goodness seems to multiply and pick up speed, gathering momentum until a loving energy and a force of compassion sweeps its way into our lives and begins to implement positive change in all things, people, surroundings, and circumstances. A trickle of kindness can turn into a stream, a stream into a river, a river into a flood of kindness that spills over into a massive ocean of people all paying it forward, passing along the joy, the goodness and the kindness, extending out across the borders of hatred and laying a foundation of favor and blessings until kindness is a certainty rather than an occasional rarity. Kindness can cause a chain reaction that can change the very way we think, which can have a massive impact on how we treat others. We can walk in love. We can be grown up Christians that live what we preach, and by doing so, we can lead others to follow suit. In the Bible we are taught to walk in love. The Scriptures also tell us what love is....

(1Corinthians13:4-8) Love is patient, Love is KIND, it is not jealous, it does not brag and is not arrogant, it does not act becomingly, it is not its own, it is not easily provoked and does not take into account a wrong suffered. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, real love never fails. Now abide in faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

Wherever we are, or happen to be, wherever there is humanity, there is an endless need for generosity, kindness and compassion. We all desire the exact same things, we all want to feel loved and cherished, we want a purpose. In the end, that's all that matters. We as Christians are put in place to be stewards of the Lord, to lead by example. We need to be ready and willing to reach out and bless others at every available opportunity. We can all get out of our cushy little comfort zones and ask ourselves daily, "What can I do to bless someone else today?" "Am I doing all I can to walk in love, to help others and to be an example of kindness of spirit?"

Start today, Do one thing!! One small, random thing!! Kindness comes in many forms, it can be as simple as a few sweet words, or an encouraging compliment. Bake some cookies or offer to cook dinner for the single mom down the street. Be a kind neighbor that will water the plants or help with the yard. Take someone's shopping cart back for them or help carry the heavy groceries for someone that's struggling to do so. Offer to babysit without pay to give some stressed parents a much needed night out. Let someone go ahead of you in line, give up your seat to someone standing, or buy that random cup of joe that will make a crazed mom's day better!

One thing I can assure you is that your good works will bless you in ways you would never have imagined, or have expected.. Blessings of pure joy and an an imeasurable happiness will overwhelm you, God makes sure of that. Your heart reaps the endless joyful rewards when you have made someone else smile for no other reason than just that ... No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted because it does more for the human soul than anyone could ever conceive. Go ahead, do one thing!!!

( Col 3:12). Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.


Heavenly Father we thank you that you will lead us to be a blessing to others today, give us opportunities to be of service to help others. We thank you that we will be at the right place at the right time and feel your gentle nudges to spread kindness! In Jesus name!
Amen