Jump for Joy!

Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

Matthew 7:1

As I have gotten older, my tolerance has expanded.  I still believe some things are right and some things are wrong.  But I am more open to trying to understand why people believe or behave as they do.

I am interested in seeing what beliefs are beneath the behavior they are expressing out front.  

Many people do what they do because they want to be seen … noticed … simply matter … be remembered.

Besides looking at victims of violence, I also look at perpetrators of violence and try to understand how they came to be perpetrators.

I look at the sins of other people and sadly feel a kinship with them.  I may not have acted on my feelings yet, but I often was tempted in the same way.  

Sometimes I realize I have sinned in the same way.  I am not so quick to condemn.  

I understand.

I have discovered I was wrong about some things I once passionately believed.  Therefore, I have more patience with people who may be wrong about what they believe.  

I know I was never converted by people telling me how wrong I was.  I changed when they listened to me and prayed God would show me what He wanted me to see.

So in doing a self assessment recently, I felt good that I had become so non-judgemental.

Then God tapped me on the shoulder and showed me who I was still judging.

I have been amazed at some of the rhetoric that has come from Christians in recent days.  

Instead of being the flavoring salt Jesus intended us to be, some have become salt to rub in wounds.

Instead of being The Light Jesus intended us to be, many have used what light they have to accuse or condemn others.

There has not been much love expressed for friends or enemies.  Many have been pronouncing judgements left and right.

God said, “So, Carolyn, are you judging those who are judging?”

Gulp. 

Yes, I am still working that one out with Him.  How do we deal with this issue of knowing what’s right and wrong without getting into judgement?

We can bring any situation to God.  He will even let us express our opinion to Him in His Private chambers.  

But He will remind us we are not the judge.  He is.

The decision of how to resolve any matter is completely God’s Call.  He already has The Plan and He will carry it out in His Time and in His Way.

If we are a part of that Plan, He will tell us what to do.  But in the meantime, we have to leave the judging up to Him.  

And yes, that includes judging those who judge.

Let all creation rejoice before The Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His Faithfulness.

Psalms 96:13

As we are discussing mercy and forgiveness, you may find it most difficult to forgive one person in particular — yourself.

We learn valuable lessons in life, sometimes after we have made mistakes.  

Unfortunately we often spent much way too much time deciding whose fault it was.  It hurts to think it might be our fault, so we may look for someone else to blame.

If we can’t lay all the blame on them, we may try for the shared blame route.  OK, I did it, but I would not have except for … he led me into it, she left me no choice, she deceived me, he gave me bad advice, etc, etc, etc.

But ultimately, it comes down to us.  I did it.  We may feel all alone in that pool of self pity, but look again.  You’ve got company.

Satan thrives on torturing humans.  He is an expert in pouring on the guilt.  He has really enjoyed your humiliation, anger, attempts to blame others, but now he is licking his chops.

Like a prosecuting attorney, he makes his case for how and why you screwed up.  He calls you names.  He reminds you of every past failure.  God may forget your sins, but it seems satan never does.  He tells you that you are a total failure and you will never change.

He tells you people don’t like you, much less love you.  He points out you are alone.

Then he moves in for what he hopes will be the kill.  He tells you God is very disappointed in you and no longer loves you … if he ever did.  He tells you that you better run because God wants to punish you severely.

In fact, he says, the world would be better off without you.  He suggests you should end it all now because you really have no future.

Who knows but what that is what Judas heard after his colossal mistake.  And instead of knowing the mercy with which Jesus would forgive him, he suffered the deceit of satan who literally left him hanging.

Can you forgive yourself?  In part, but not completely.  You can give yourself some grace in realizing the lessons often come after the mistake.  But to receive the full Gift of Grace and Mercy, you need God.

Imagine yourself sitting down with God.

He is not name calling.  He is not condemning you.  He does what He did with earth’s first humans who sinned.

He let them know He was present, had been and always would be.  He is with you now.  He was with you when you stumbled.  He will be with you.

He let them know He knew … everything.  He does.  God knows every detail of every moment of your life.

He asked them, “Where are you?”  This was not a game of hide and seek.  He wanted them to pause and consider how they got where they got.  How did you get here?  Where are you now?

He then asked them who they had been listening to.  They recognized it was satan.  Have you been listening to him too?

They then listened to God.  Are you listening?

They let Him give them new clothes.  Are you ready to change?

They followed Him on a new plan for their life.  Are you really to leave your mistakes behind and follow Him to a new Life?

Judas was sorry for what he did.  But he could not find forgiveness except in the one place it would be freely offered.

We will never know whether Judas heard Jesus’ Words from the cross and knew Jesus meant him too.

“Father, forgive him.  He did not know what he was doing.”

And the message of Grace is Jesus has said that about all of us.

“Father, forgive them.  They do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34

Have you ever really messed up? Put your foot in your mouth up to your thigh?

Turned on people you loved and did awful things to them?

Woke up in the middle of a horrible nightmare and realized you played a big part in the unfolding drama?

What happens next? 

The answer determines the rest of your life.

In the unfolding Easter story, there were two men who had those experiences. They were once friends. They had eaten at the same table with their other friends.

They had worked together. They were part of such a close knit group they likely thought at one time they would die for each other.

But now they were in the middle of a nightmare. One of their friends had been killed in a horrible, tortuous way. Both had viewed from a distance. Neither had tried to rescue him. Both were drowning in grief … and guilt.

One man’s name was Peter. The other was named Judas. Their friend’s name was Jesus. All three would be remembered throughout history. But the rest of the story would be quite different for each of them.

Judas fully acknowledged how well he knew Jesus. He kissed Him and then betrayed Him.

Peter said three times he didn’t even know Jesus. He denied Him.

Jesus knew both of them far better than they knew themselves. He knew them and loved them both, even after they sinned against Him. 

They were included in Jesus’ petition to His Father, when He said,

“Father, forgive them. For they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34

Judas was sorry for his sin of betrayal. He tried on some level to undo his actions. He tried to return the money he 

had been paid to betray Jesus.

But Judas could not undo what he had put into play. Sin can be forgiven, but its consequences often remain.

Judas publically acknowledged his sin.

“I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
Matthew 27:4

No one could forgive him. And Judas could not forgive himself. He needed Jesus’ Forgiveness.

But instead of looking at Jesus and seeing himself in the reflection of Jesus’ Eyes, Judas looked in the mirror and saw himself. How could Jesus ever forgive the horrible person he had become?

Judas never asked for Jesus’ Forgiveness. It was fully available to him, but he would never know the joy of receiving it.

“He went away and hanged himself.”
Matthew 27:5

After Jesus’ Crucifixion, Peter hid. But at the first report that Jesus’ tomb was empty, he took off running to the tomb. He went directly inside.

The possibility of seeing Jesus again was all he wanted. He remembered the first day he realized he was standing in the Presence of One Who had Awesome Power.

After a day of fishing and catching nothing, Jesus had told Peter and his friends to cast out into the deep. They did. They caught so many fish that two boats were filled!

Peter had realized on that day that no one but God could have brought about such a miracle. He was stunned to realize he was standing in The Presence of God!

In the reflection of the Great Light coming from Jesus, Peter saw himself. He was a sinner. He did not deserve to be in the Presence of God.

He had fallen at Jesus’ Knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” 
Luke 5:8

But Jesus would not go away.

Jesus didn’t even seem fazed by Peter’s confession. He already knew all about him.

Jesus simply said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on, you will fish for people.” 

Luke 5:10

Peter left his nets, his boat and all the fish that day and he followed Jesus wherever He went … until … he became afraid … and denied him.

Peter also remembered the day he had known beyond a shadow of a doubt Who Jesus was. Jesus had given him the opportunity to say it out loud. He had not denied Jesus that day.

Jesus had asked His Followers,
“Who do you say I am?”
Matthew 16:15

Peter had answered without hesitation,
“You are The Messiah, The Son of The Living God.”
Matthew 16:16

Standing in the empty tomb, Peter may have remembered how Jesus then told him who he (Peter) was and why he was on earth.

“You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven …”
Matthew 16:18-19

Peter longed for Jesus. Peter knew who he was — a sinful man. But now he also knew who he was in Jesus’ Eyes. He was the one on whom Jesus would build His Church.

Peter didn’t know how … but he would be ready. He started with what he knew. He went fishing.

It was there Jesus came again. When Peter saw Him on the shore, he jumped into the water and swam to Him. 

What followed was a beautiful reunion in which Peter had the opportunity to tell Jesus three times that he loved Him.

Peter knew he was forgiven and he received that Gift with Joy!

Judas and Peter both sinned. Judas saw himself as a sinner too far away to ever get home. 

Peter knew he was a sinner, but he knew The Power of The One Who looked past the sin to the person God created him to be.

Jesus loves you. He sees you as you were created to be. Are you running from Him or to Him? If you are not sure why you are here, ask Him. He knows.

“For I know The Plans I have for you,” declares The Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, Plans to give you Hope and a Future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Is there someone who gets on your last nerve?  

How about someone you have forgiven of the same thing multiple times and yet they keep messing up?

Let’s get real.  It may be easier to forgive someone from your past than someone in your present.

Peter had had it.  We don’t know who had ticked him off.  Peter was somewhat of a loose cannon, but he was really trying to live the way Jesus was teaching.

But he thought there must be some limit on how many times you can forgive someone.  After all, after awhile, aren’t you being a doormat?  How can you trust someone to be any different if you just keep forgiving them?

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Matthew 18:21-22

Peter did not have a calculator, but he immediately grasped that would be a bunch of times.  Much more than he wanted.  But Peter, even in his still immature state, loved Jesus.  And so he continued on the journey.

We don’t have a report card for Peter, but we know he must have mastered the art of forgiveness, as he became the rock on which the church was built.

Let’s look a little closer at this issue.  Someone who needs your repeated forgiveness is probably someone who is in your life or at least comes back into it again and again.

Isn’t repetitive forgiving just enabling them?  No.  Forgiveness does not mean you do not set boundaries for behavior.  Jesus called out people when they needed it.  He spoke clearly.  He acted quickly and decisively.  People knew where he stood.

And like a parent with a child, sometimes it took more than one time of setting boundaries to get through to people.  But He used each opportunity to show love.  

Forgiving like God is an interesting process.  Forgiving seventy times seven was really only training wheels for Peter.  The more he learned about God, the more he would understand God does not keep count of how many times He has forgiven us.

God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah,

“I will forgive their evil ways. 

I will not remember their sins anymore.”

Jeremiah 31:31–34

The problem is we do remember.  We have an imaginary counter.  When we forgive, we remind those we are forgiving how many times they have messed up before and how grateful they should be that we are forgiving them again.

We put ourselves in a martyred position of “I don’t know why I put up with you.”  And we may pronounce those words of condemnation that sink deep into a person’s soul — “You will never change.”

If they believe that, they will continue to need forgiveness over and over again.

But in God’s way of forgiveness, every time of sin is the first time.  If we believe what He said through Jeremiah, then when we say to Him, “I’m sorry.  I did it again,” He would say “I don’t know what you are talking about.  I don’t remember that sin.”

Right after Jesus told Peter to keep forgiving, He told the story of the man whose large debt had been forgiven by The Master, but then the forgiven man refused to forgive the smaller debt of someone else.  

The master was not pleased.

How many times have we been forgiven and will need to be forgiven again by God and other people?  

Fortunately God is not counting … and we shouldn’t either.

Is there anyone you cannot forgive?

Have you ever thought, “I’ll forgive them, but I will never forget it.”

Not being able to forgive is tied to hurt.  But sometimes we are so angry or outraged, we cannot admit someone got to us … and it hurt.

 You cannot rewrite history.  It is what it is, but it does not have to be now what it was then.

Jesus showed His Wounds to Thomas.  He let Thomas get very personal with Him.  He told Thomas to reach into His wound.

But He did so, knowing He would not feel the pain.  Was this because He was super human?  No, Jesus was human, but He was also filled with The Healing Power of God.

That same Power is available to you.  You may have scars, but you can be free of the pain.

Why does the human body show scars?  It is a reminder, not just that we were wounded, but also that we survived.  We healed.  The evidence is still there, but not the pain.

We accept with gratitude the body’s natural physical healing, but we do not always do the same with our emotions, which affect our spiritual healing.

When we go over and over again things that caused us pain, it is like picking a scab off of a wound.  It cannot heal.  It still hurts.  

We still feel angry with the person who caused the wound.  We feel we cannot forget them.  We feel we cannot forgive them.  

Sometimes in an effort to free ourselves from the memory, we try to forget the person who caused the pain.  This is nearly impossible.

The memories of that person are not only tied to the hurt, they are tied to other things too.  So just hearing a song or being back in a certain location can bring the memory of that person and unwanted memories with them.

What can we do to practice true forgiveness?

Acknowledge your pain to God.

Tell God everything.  He knows already, but He wants to hear it from you.  It is like draining a wound.

Receive healing from God.

And then, remember the person who hurt you — not their actions, but the person.

Ask God to let you see them as He created them to be … not what they became, not what other people said they were, not who you thought they were.  Just focus on what would have been the best version of that person, the one made in The Image of God.

We begin to crack our shell of hardness of heart if we can think of even one good trait.

Pray for them that they blossom into all God created them to be.  Pray that they know God.  

Then release them to God and be confident He will complete the work in that person and in you.

Yes … in you … that you allow God to complete His refining and restorative work in you.

Ask God if there is anything else you need to do.  Sometimes He may prompt you to connect with that person.  Sometimes He will simply say, “Let Me handle this now.”

And then rest in God’s Presence and receive forgiveness as you have forgiven.

For if you forgive others for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matthew 6:14

in my last post, we talked about what God says He wants — acknowledgement of Him, obedience and mercy.

Today is called Ash Wednesday in many Christian traditions.  Some will have their foreheads marked with ashes to indicate their mourning over their sins and their hope that Jesus’ Work on the cross will bring God’s forgiveness.

However, not everyone can be forgiven.  

This seems like a radical statement.  Shouldn’t we repent of our sins?  Isn’t God merciful?  Wouldn’t He forgive those things for which we are truly sorry?

Yes to all those things … except there is one thing we need to do first.

We say The Lord’s Prayer.  We say, “Forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Matthew 6:12-13

As if to emphasize the importance of what we prayed, Jesus added, 

“For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus said it plainly there.  That is how forgiveness works.  We have to forgive everyone first.  Then we can receive what we gave.

In our humanness, we might say, “That’s a big ask.  I don’t know if I can do that.”

Here is where we go back to what God wants.

He wants us to acknowledge Him — accept He is God.  We are not.   He makes the rules.

God wants us to obey.  Do what He says to do .

God wants us to show mercy. 

A dictionary defines imercy  as 

• Compassion or forgiveness shown to others when it is well within one’s power to punish or harm.

So mercy does not mean we look the other way or try to pretend a wrong has not been done.  

Mercy means we are fully aware something was wrong.  

We may be fully aware we or someone else was deeply hurt because of that wrong.  

We may have the desire and means to punish or harm them.

But God says, “I desire Mercy.  I want you to forgive them.”

We might be tempted to say, “What about justice?  What about fairness? What about righting this wrong?”

The answer to that is God will bring justice in His Way and His Time.  As for us, we cannot judge.  See Rule number one.  God is God.  We are not.

Jesus said,

“Do not judge or you too will be judged.”

Matthew 7:1

God is perfectly willing to hear our concerns .  But He is the only Judge.  We cannot judge.  We cannot sentence.  We cannot punish.  

What can we do?  We can forgive and ask God’s healing power to flow through all who were hurt.

We can pray for our enemies.  

We can bless those who persecute us.

We can continue to follow the path of mercy. 

Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means.  I desire mercy!”

Matthew 9:13

 The Old Testament prophets delivered God’s Words.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea6:6

Does The  Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22

Jesus reminded everyone again when He said,

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”

Matthew 9:13

Jesus’ Words are an excellent way to enter what humans have called a season of Lent.  Lent actually came along 325 years after Jesus.  So it is a tradition, not a directive from God.

Traditions can be helpful to focus our attention or bring us together in common thoughts.  But we have to be careful so our traditions do not drown out God’s Words.

Jesus warned about that also.

He gave an example of how even religious leaders could fall into the trap of tradition, 

“making The Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Mark 7:13

If we want to celebrate Lent, we do not need to come up with ways of self denial for a season.  We do not need to announce with pride or pain what we are giving up for Lent.

We can do what God said He wants, not just for a season, but for a lifetime.

What does He want?

Acknowledge Him.  

Be still and truly know God is God.

Obey God.  Hear Him.  Do what He tells you to do.  When He tells you to do something, do it.  If He tells you not to do something, don’t do it.

Learn what God means when He speaks.

Look at how God lived life as a human.  Recognize He still lives in you right now.

Lent is not a time to mourn.  It is not a time when we have to wait for some recurrent miracle to happen at a time we call Easter.

The Christmas message of Jesus being God with us is still true.  

Jesus’ Promise of being with us always is still true.

The best way to begin Lent is to do what Jesus said.

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”

Thoughts for today

What is mercy?

How did Jesus show Mercy?

How has God shown His mercy to you?

How have you shown mercy to others?

What can you do now to show mercy to others?

Jesus’ Words are timeless.  What He said, He still says.  As He told the church in Ephesus, you did some things right.  Good job.

But you need to work on some other things.

He said,

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. 

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 

You have persevered and have endured hardships for My Name, and have not grown weary.”

Revelation 2:2-3

While we might smile and feel pretty good about all those successes, He then comes to where we have failed.

He said,

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

Revelation 2:4

Stop for a minute and think of the joy and passion you had when you first discovered Jesus.  

Think of the promises you made and how intently you planned to keep them for the rest of your life.

How you loved Him then!  

Do you still love Him in the same way now?

Have you given your whole heart to Him or have you given your heart … even part of it … to other people, even other causes?

If you have lost any of the love you first had, then hear what He says.

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from The Tree Of Life, which is in The Paradise of God.”

Revelation 2:5 and 7

When Jesus commissioned Peter, He asked Him three times, “Do you love Me?”

You might answer as Peter did.

“Lord, you know I love You.”

“Then,” Jesus says, “We’ve got work to do. 

Feed My Lambs.  

Take care of My Sheep.

Follow Me … yes … everywhere I go.”

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My Disciples.

John 13:34-35

It is said when we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.  We are living in a time when that warning feels especially true.

Adam and Eve had everything they could have possibly wanted.  They could have eaten the fruit of any tree in the garden except one.

God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He told them to do so would result in death.

God did not say He would kill them.  He simply told them what the results of their own actions would be.

So what was the big deal about this tree?  How could a tree that had good in it be that evil?

Eve did not know.  In fact, when she realized there were things she did not know, she felt a pang of a feeling she didn’t understand.  She felt deprived.

Satan smiled.  His little pin prick was working.

He moved in closer.  Like an expert salesman, he offered her the one thing she thought she didn’t have.  He offered her wisdom.

Now this was not real wisdom.  It was artificial through and through.  But satan tried to sweeten the pot by telling Eve she could know all God knew.

Eve fell for satan’s line.  She thought she could improve on what God had already given her.  Satan’s bait and switch was working.

Eve exchanged gratitude to God for a power trip of getting what she thought was missing.

The results were disastrous.  Adam and Eve got exactly what God had warned them about.  They had knowledge of good and evil all mixed together in a true satanic brew.

They could no longer tell the difference between good and evil.  Good looked evil.  Evil looked good.  Confusion and fear overtook them.

Satan laughed.  He knew that even as limited as the humans were, they would never go for pure evil.  He always needed some good to coat his evil.  

He was not even above cloaking his evil in religion.  Actually some of his best workers were religious people.

If his victims hesitated before choosing what he offered, he told them what was good and what was bad.  After he had softened them up, they did not see him as a dictator.  They saw him as their defender of all truth.  They thought they could trust him.

If satan’s victims continued to hesitate, he enticed others to join him in pointing out  what was good and what was bad.  Even having one other person agree ramped  up the possibility of false labeling.  Eve did not eat alone.  She waited for Adam to join her.

Beyond that, satan knew how to work a crowd.  Having a bunch of people together believing and acting on his lies was satan’s favorite.

Satan continues to use this tactic today.  Many will concede some things are bad (they rarely say evil), but they say, “It was necessary.  The end justifies the means.”  Or they will just simply turn away and say, “oh it’s not that bad,  people are just over reacting.”

When people get confused, satan puts on whatever body he needs to and says, “Don’t worry.  I will tell you what is true and what is false.  You can trust me.  I will tell you what is very good and what is very bad.”

Satan wants us to believe he is the way, the truth and the life.  But he isn’t.  He lies.

Jesus said, 

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

John 8:44

So what do you do if you already fell for satan’s lies?

Turn around and praise God He is still with you.  Ask Him to show you The Real Truth.  Walk His Way.  Rejoice in the good Life.

If satan tries to deceive you again (and he will), remember Who God is.  God is Love.  Test every thought and every action by that one standard.  Is it Love?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

And that is The Truth!

Some years ago I was invited into the practice of selecting one word to use as a focal point for the next year.

The word selection was not to be just one I selected because I liked it or thought it catchy or encouraging,   It was to be a word God gave me.  It was to be His Personal Gift to me to carry with me through the year, an ever present reminder of His Presence.

It turned out to be an intriguing experience.  I learned early on I could not predict God.  My Word was sometimes for encouragement.  But it was also sometimes a Word to prod me back to the right path when I faltered.

The Word also led me to God’s other Words, Words recorded and passed down through the years to me and other.  Words that stood as Truth.  Words that gave Light.

As I prayed about my Word for 2026, The Word that came to mind was NOW.  I smiled.  And then I instantly realized how challenging that might be for me.

I am a person who enjoys reliving the best parts of my past.  Memories are a God given blessing.  But we are not created to perpetually live in the “good old days.”

We are also not created to be burdened by memories of “the bad old days.” If we even give them a passing thought, it should be to thank God for getting us through them and bringing us to better days.

I also am a planner.  I love organizing things and setting goals for the future.  I love the feeling of success when a goal is accomplished and I can already forecast where I am headed next.

My life for the past couple of years decidedly put a crimp in my five year planning.  And this past year has brought events that threw out the entire thought of any planning. 

I tried to embrace the thought of “this is the day The Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  But sometimes planning even the next minute was not possible.

So reluctantly I learned to live one moment at a time.  And I discovered there was beauty there.  There were things I might have missed if I had had the energy to busily be making lists and running from one activity to another.

David said in Psalm 23, “You make me lie down in green pastures.”  I always thought, “If the pastures were so green, why would God have to make David lie down?”

Maybe David needed a little reminding too.

So, as I begin 2026, God is reminding me He began His Lessons in 2025 by making me lie down.  

But for 2026, perhaps He wants to see, if I am given a little more freedom, if I will choose to use each moment wisely.

So I choose the word, NOW.  I felt The God Wink when He said, “NOW stands for No Other Way!” 😘

Living in the NOW already is giving me a different view.  Sometimes NOW means not postponing the good we can do at this time.  

When we are tired or distracted by life, we sometimes believe some things can wait for tomorrow.  But tomorrow the opportunity may be gone.  God calls us to follow Him NOW!

A friend once wrote of Life’s moments.  I also take his words with me this year.

Pat Conroy said,

“Time is a finger snap and an eye blink and you should not let a moment pass you by without taking joyous ecstatic note of it, not wasting a single moment!”

The Truth is this Word will be good for more than a year.  It has no limits … no expiration date … even in eternity!