Do you use your abilities?

God Smiles When We Use Our Abilities

by Rick Warren

In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:

"He has shaped each person in turn; now he watches everything we do" (Psalm 33:15 MSG).

After the flood, God gave Noah these simple instructions: "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:1,3 NIV).

God said, "It's time to get on with your life! Do the things I designed humans to do. Make love to your spouse. Have babies. Raise families. Plant crops and eat meals. This is what I made you to be!"

You may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you're doing "spiritual" activities like reading the Bible, attending church, praying, or sharing your faith, and that he is unconcerned about the other parts of your life. Actually, God enjoys watching everything you do, whether you are working, playing, resting, or eating. The Bible tells us, "The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives" (Psalm 37:23 NLT).

God especially enjoys watching you use the talents and abilities he has given you. God intentionally gifted each of us differently for his enjoyment. You may be gifted at mechanics or mathematics or music or a thousand other skills. All of these activities can bring a smile to God's face.

You don't bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You only bring him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating you. God says, "You have no right to argue with your Creator. You are merely a clay pot shaped by a potter. The clay doesn't ask, 'Why did you make me this way?'" (Isaiah 45:9 CEV).

In the film Chariots of Fire, Olympic runner Eric Liddell says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God's pleasure." Later he says, "To give up running would be to hold him in contempt." There are no unspiritual abilities, just misused ones. Start using yours for God's pleasure.

God also gains pleasure in watching you enjoy his creation. He gave you eyes to enjoy beauty, ears to enjoy sounds and music, your nose and taste buds to enjoy smells and tastes, and the nerves under your skin to enjoy touch. Every act of enjoyment becomes an act of worship when you thank God for it. In fact, the Bible says, "God generously gives us everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17 TEV).

God even enjoys watching you sleep! When my children were small, I remember the deep satisfaction of watching them sleep. They looked contented, secure, and peaceful, and I was reminded of how much I loved them. When you are sleeping, God gazes at you with love, because you were his idea.

Parents do not require their children to be perfect, or even mature, in order to enjoy them. They enjoy them at every stage of development. In the same way, God doesn't wait for you to reach maturity before he starts liking you. He loves and enjoys you at every stage of your spiritual development.

You may have had unpleasable teachers or parents as you were growing up. Please don't assume God feels that way about you. He knows you are incapable of being perfect or sinless (1 John 1:8).

What God looks at is the attitude of your heart: Is pleasing him your deepest desire? This was Paul's life goal: "More than anything else, however, we want to please him..." (2 Corinthians 5:9 TEV).

When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?"

God is looking for people like Noah in the 21st century—people willing to live for the pleasure of God. The Bible says, "The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God” (Psalm 14:2 LB).

Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal.

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How do you use your abilities?  I'd like to hear them? I think this would be a different way to get to better know someone that those 50 Q&A post.  Ill start:

I use my abilities of compassion to help others.  I have a love for children and would do anything for them. Babies love me, and almost instinctively know they like me and or feel safe with me.  It is amazing and I love it.  People often feel safe to open up to me, and they should, because I would never betray anyone like that.  I have even had a few blogger friends, friends that have never met me, open up to me about deep personal issues in their lives. Wanting to either just share with me and or seek out my advice.  I have also shared personal things with a blogger friend that I have never met. Something about her, made me feel it was okay and that I was 'safe'. I like for people to feel safe with me.  

I am trying to use my photography as an ability.  An ability to help people capture special moments in their lives, like weddings, births and their children's beautiful faces. God has gifted me in so many areas, its really hard to pick one and stick with it. I am one of those that is a Jack of many trades, but master at none. Although, some take that out of context to mock someone that isn't doing much with their lives.  I think this can be a wonderful thing, but often frustrating and confusing.  I feel I have my hands in so much, but that I am not a MASTER on one.  

I think I am learning that I may be a master of being a servant to my kids and husband.  I am getting really good at being a servant to others.  Giving up my time, my heart and my energy to invest in those that need me. 

I also have a gift of speaking in away to folks so that they understand.  Some people have a hard time communicating their thoughts or feelings, and I can do this with no hesitation. I am open, honest and direct.  

God has given me the gift of being super competitive and athletic.  My son is often proud to show his friends what an athlete his mom is.  He says to them, "my mom can hit and throw awesome .... for a girl."  And he says it not in that way like ....yea, um for A GIRL...but he says it in that way, like, man for a girl, my mom can really hit and throw.  Make sense? 

I love being MORE like God and getting to better understand the heart of God, through my children.  

So how are YOU using your God given abilities? I want to know. 

Changeling~

On Wednesday night, we had to meet with our tax guy. It's that time of year again. It brought bittersweet feelings to me on my long drive in the rain down to Ft. Lauderdale to meet with our tax guy. This time last year, I walked into the tax guys office, glowing and baring a beautiful pregnant belly. I remember sitting there not being that comfortable, because by that time it was hard for me to breath, she was a big girl inside me and took up a lot of space in there, that my lungs couldn't fully inhale or expand as wide as they use to.

I also remember often losing focus on anything the tax guy even had been saying to us, because baby girl would squirm or kick me in the rib. She was a feisty girl. When she would start kicking, it was like she was doing a kick boxing class for about 15 minutes at a time in there. Oh so bittersweet..... bitter about having to do the tax thing, and finding out that we may actually have to pay taxes this year, and sweet being able to look and hold that little beautiful girl in my arm that was once rolling and kicking inside my womb.

It was rainy all day yesterday and its suppose to do this for the next 3 days. I know my Florida weather and months, its going to do this on and off for the next couple of months probably. Although, I normally don't mind it, because I love the tropical rain we get here in South Florida. I love to open my doors and windows, listening to the rain drops hitting the ground. Wednesday, Mark and I thought we would hire a babysitter for Morgan, while Hunter was with his dad and we would make a date out of our tax meeting trip to Ft. Lauderdale. We got married down in Ft. Lauderdale and there are tons of restaurants down there to eat at. We haven't been on many dates over the last few months. This was an opportunity to not be passed up.

Here we are having our tax meeting, Im getting text messages from Devin, having a fun time with Morgan. As Morgan is talking up a storm in her own ways and language, causing Devin to crack up hysterically. We wrap it up and hop into Marks car, leaving my car parked in the garage. As we circle the block trying to decide which way to go, while its pouring rain on us.... all of the sudden we find ourselves sitting at a stop sign, debating to go eat or just grab our favorite Wings and Moes.. jump into some sweats, hop on the couch and watch a movie tonight. You guessed it, that's what we decided to do. Got home, ate our Wings and Moes, fed baby girl, gave her a bath and put her down to sleep. Our date went like this, driving in traffic and pouring rain, seeing a car turned upside down on the highway, getting our Wings and Moes, movie at blockbuster, feeding baby girl, bathing baby girl, baby girl went right to sleep, popcorn in microwave and movie in player.  A great date if you ask me. 

Have you guys seen this movie? CHANGELING?


If you have not, I would not read the rest of this post.

Don't say I didn't warn you.....

For that that want to know what the movie is about and knows the probably will not get out to rent it, here is the short verbal version of it.

It is about a mother (played by Angelina Jolie) who is a single mom of a 9 year old little boy. A true story! She went to work one day, only to come home to her little boy missing. It took place back in the 1920's, right before the Great Depression, and when LAPD had a bad rap for their crooked police department. 

While out looking for her missing son, they return to her another boy that was not hers. In order to save themselves from embarrassment and getting bad reviews in the paper, they convince the mom to just take the boy home for now and they would help her figure it out later. She being a mom in shock, expecting to see her little boy. sort of gets pushed off forcing to take the boy home. They tell her that its her son, trying to just wipe clean of this situation and move on.  She is persistent in telling them its not her son, so to keep them looking for hers. Not wanting to the take the rap, they then start making claims on her, saying she is not mentally stable, and seems to be an unfit mother now.  That she liked her freedom and was happy her son was missing.  To keep her quite they throw her in a psychiatric center, doing horrible things to her.

A pastor of a huge church and radio station, decides he is going to help her and expose what was taking place with the law force. In the process of all this hell the mother is going through to get her son back, they find a serial killer living out on a farm, who was kidnapping young boys of the age 8 or 9 years old (my sons age). Taking them out to his farm, locking them up in the chicken house and then brutally murdering them. He has a young nephew that is living with him, and he forces him to often 'finish' off the little boys if they weren't fully dead. The nephew ends up in custody with the police for something else he had done,  and ends up confessing to all the murders he and his uncle had committed. When asked to look at pictures of all these missing boys, he was able to remember a lot of the boys by photo that they had killed and buried out on the farm. He pointed out Angelina's son, Walter Collins.

They take the boy to the farm to prove that he wasn't lying, and sure enough he digs up remains of bodies that they had buried. They go after the uncle and he is convicted of several accounts of murder and has been sentenced to prison death, by hanging. He sees Angelina in the court room and says tells her he didn't kill her son, to only years later, the day before he is to be hung, calls to meet her face to face.  Saying he will confess he did kill her son to her face. Only wanting closure so she can go on living in peace and stop searching for him, agrees to meet this man in prison. During all this time, she still 'feels' her son is alive and doesn't want to accept or believe he was killed, that he was in the group of boys that were able to escape one night (Ill get to that). When she sits face to face with the guy, expecting him to confess, he goes crazy and tries to kiss her. He wouldn't admit to killing her son. She is left again with the on going pain and loss of her son and not having any answers. The next day the man was hung to his death. During all of this, they show scenes as to what took place to those children on that farm. Seeing their frightened faces, fragile little bodies and terror in their eyes... my heart aches to know that this actually took place. That this kind of brutal behavior takes place in this world every single day. I can't even wrap my brain around it. Its beyond what I can bare.

Years go by again, and still no answer or sign of Angelina's little boy being found. A call comes in and a boy has been found, she rushes down to see the boy, only to see its another families son. Turns out he is one of 5 boys,  that escaped the farm one night. When being questioned he remembered her son, Walker Collins. Stating that because of Walter, he was alive. Stating that his foot got stuck in the wires on the chicken fence as they were escaping, and Walter ran back to help free his foot. All 5 boys escaped that night, but the killer ran after them and shot at them. Until this day no one knows if those boys fully escaped, living free and in hiding, afraid to go to the police and share their story. Or, if the killer recaptured them and killed them. Only one of those 5 boys came out of hiding to be reunited with his family. 

End of the story and movie.... Angelina never stopped searching for her son, but was never successful in finding out what ever really happened to him.  A mother that lived the rest of her life not knowing if her son was brutally murdered or living and hiding out in the world in fear. The only thing that kept her alive and going, was the little bit of "hope" that she was given by the boy that was reunited to his family. "Hope" that there was a chance that her son Walter, did in fact escape just as that boy did, but was hiding in fear. 

It breaks my heart just thinking of ever going through something that painful, scary and devastating of losing your child and never not knowing the truth of his story.

It was a great movie, and I think Angelina did a fantastic job in her role. However, I went to bed that night wanting to dive to Hunter's dads house, so I could bring him home to snuggle with here. However, since that wasn't an option, I went and got Morgan out of her bed instead, bring her into bed with me. I wanted to just hold her and keep her close to me. Thankful for my blessings, while crying and praying for all those parents that have lost a child to sickness or to something as mean and unimaginable as murder.  

Although it was wonderful in theory, reality hit, when Morgan wakes and realizes she is not in her bed. Thinking it was funny, she begins to giggle and roll around, thinking its play time. So, being almost midnight, I have to take her back to her room, feed her a bottle and start all over with rocking and putting her to sleep in her own room. Ending the night not getting to sleep or snuggle with either of my children. 

Yesterday, with all the gloomy skies and continued rain..... I found myself just feeling a bit "blue". There seems to be so much sadness and evil taking place all around us (always, every day), that it's hard sometimes to focus on the blessings. In which I do every single day...count my blessings. Being a mom has changed my life. I have never been this emotional in all my life. I didn't fear anything but God. God tells me that I am to not fear anything still to this day but Him, but its hard. I know He loves my children, even more than I love them. That is hard to believe, but I do believe it. After all, they are His to begin with, and He created them. He is only loaning them to me, and has chosen me to train them in HIS ways. But, I can't help but think and fear of all the awful horrible things out in this world that could happen to them, and has happened to someone else's child. Out of all the bad in this world, the innocent children are what rip my heart out of my chest and strike a nerve with me the most.

I will NEVER understand how anyone can hurt a child. A CHILD! It's awful.

Anyways, before I get all emotional... I ended up watching the movie by myself, as hubby fell asleep on the couch with his wine glass, popcorn bowl and blanket. Ahh... yes, so that was my Wednesday tax and movie night date. If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest watching it. Good movie, despite the real story behind it. If anything, it will make you want to never leave your child alone EVER, and rush them to the next "child safety course" you can find. Teach your child how to protect themselves from strangers and horrible people after them. 

Today....I wish it were sunny and not raining! It just feels sad today. So many stories on blogs with people losing their babies, to knowing that there are children being hurt and killed all across the world. People losing their jobs left and right, homes being lost. It can be overwhelming. I don't read the news paper, I don't watch TV/news at all.  I simply love to blog, but lately its becoming a place that exposes me to the reality of our lost and fallen world as much as the TV/News papers would.  Blogging is my ONLY escape (so I like to think) while I am sitting home all day with baby girl.  Its my only adult entertainment and interaction I get during my days. Now even it is getting to the point where I may have to back off and not get on my computer as much.  

Maybe God is calling me to use all this time to have my "adult" interaction with HIM?  I may take a hiatus soon here, and spend some extra time in HIS word. I need to renew my spirites and give God some date nights.  We haven't had many real 'date nights' in awhile either. I guess, he smiles at me and loves me just the same when I fall asleep reading my bible, as my honey does when watching movies with me.  LOL 

I am blessed more than I deserve. Today I will sing HIS praises, and give thanks for today is the day the LORD has made, let me rejoice in it.

PS: If you read the Cora Paige blog, I often have mentioned here on my own blog.  Cora's mom, Jessica, had mentioned on her blog about a 14 year boy that died during his surgery, the same exact day that Cora went in to have her surgery.  Cora having survived the surgery fine.  They recently were informed that the father of that 14 year old boy was recently killed in a farming accident. Leaving behind his wife and three other children.  Please with the many others on your prayer list, remember this hurting family.

I just learned this like, um, five minutes ago...

Color Change!

Slowly but surely I am learning small ity-bity baby steps on my photoshop program.  As I have said before, anything you have seen of my images, none of which have been done through my photoshop, because I do not know how to work my way around it.  Anyways, on iheartfaces they give out tutorials and this is what I have attempted to do in the past, but repeatedly failed and then accomplished today after reading their tutorials.  Super cool.  

I know I missed a little spot, but hey man its a girls first attempt and succeeding at this alright!!!  Check it out! 

Before

After

PS: Okay, now who can tell me how to make the little heart icon instead of spelling it out??? Come'on I always share my fun secrets with you all. 

You can't do that!

We all know how curious babies are. It's a given, and most of the time its just "SO CUTE".

However, there are times, in which you just want to put a chain on your child or lock them up in a cage just to be able to sit down and actually eat a full meal, that you actually got to taste while chewing it more than once before tossing in to the back of your throat. 

Although, it would probably spark some concern, and I would have the child social services at my door, if they heard of me putting a chain on my daughter or locking her in a cage.  I figured instead of all that drama, I would simply close doors off to other rooms in the house so to keep Morgan sort of located in one section of the house. This way she isn't drowning or drinking in the toilet water, she isn't shocking herself by putting lose cell phone power cords in her mouth, or climbing up on furniture to fall off of onto the hard marble floors.

When this happens, what does Morgan do? She does what any person rebelling would do. She pitches her life size fit, stands at the doors, screaming and crying, until she loses her balance and falls on her bottom. Then she gets even more upset, cries harder and when she sees me taking her picture of doing such actions, she comes and attacks me like I am the paparazzi or something.

Do you see this folks? You are my witnesses of the abuse I was getting by this 11 month old girl. She pulled my pants half down, she bit my leg and sunk her claws in my thighs.

But who ya gonna call? Grandma?

It's raining buckets here today.

So, what are two handsome boys like these two, supposed to do when stuck inside all day, with no lizards to chase, no sun to bathe in and no birds to make their ears twitch???

But off course..... 

Grab the remote and watch your favorite TV shows:

"America's Funniest Animals"

Or just find a nice cozy spot and relax, listening to the birds chirp on the XM Spa station.

Do these boys have it made or what?  

Can I get you two some Whisker Lickin's?  Maybe a little chicken & liver flavor? Or, how about shrimp and tuna?  Mmmmmm!!!

While I am at it here, and you guys take it easy, let me go scoop your litter, making it nice and fresh for your paws.  

Anything else I can do, besides bring your litter box and food to you, you just let me know, alright?