What Would You Do If You Had Complete Control?

Control and freedom aren’t mutually exclusive. If we let them, they can act as entirely complementary notions.

Control isn’t allowing outside forces, like a goal or plan we (or someone else) created weeks or months ago, to shape our actions.

Control is taking full responsibility for how we spend our time, right here, today. And in that control lies freedom: we get to choose.

What would you do if you had complete control—the freedom to do whatever you wanted today?      Georgina Laidlaw

What would I do if I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do today?  Now   that is a very good question.  From the definition above control is taking full responsibility on how we spend our time.   Time…I hate that word.  I am always running out of time.  I am always wishing I had more time in the day to get things done.  I feel controlled by time.  I work in a job when I have to account for every minute of my day.  We have little timers that we have to turn on and off while working on clients or while doing administrative things.  I am always wondering what it would be like not to have to put down every second of one’s work day.

I think from my ranting above that if I were going to do whatever I wanted it would not be working at my job.  But I need to be responsible with my choices.  I do need money to pay for food, shelter and that never ending pile of bills. So I guess that my choice for today …. is to go to work.  Maybe I need to change my attitude.

What is the Secret of Being Content?

. . . I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11–13)

When we’ve been humbled or embarrassed. When there’s no food on the table — can you imagine that? When our team loses. When we’re unmotivated. When we err. When we’re feeling depressed. When we think we may have lost the strength to go on. That’s precisely when we need strength from Jesus.

Jesus is the one who by his Holy Spirit loves to give strength to his people both for doing life’s most enjoyable things and for enduring in life’s hardest things. Jesus is the strength-giver both for eating a good meal with thanksgiving and for missing one with thanksgiving. Jesus is big enough to sustain us when we’re low. He’s strong enough to hold us when we’re at our weakest. We can do all things — not just the things we want most to do, but even (and especially) the things we want least to do — through Jesus who strengths us.     David Mathis

Something To Think About Today

“If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” (Hunger for God, p. 23)

Something Purple

This is a picture of a rose from the bouquet my boss’s husband to celebrate the end of tax season.


Here is the giant daisy flower from the same arrangement.


Finally, here is a picture of the entire arrangement.


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April 3 ~ Picture of a Picture


The original picture was taken by my son. The fireman in the picture is his father!

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April 2 ~ Under My Bed


There is my lost shoe. No more excuses. Exercise time!

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Humility

Humility is the state of being humble; absence of pride or self-assertion – Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

I would like to think that I am a humble person – Someone who is not prideful or thinks that they have all the answers.  However,  the more I think about this word humility I realize that I do not possess this trait.   I do not particularly like it when someone points out that I am wrong.   I do not like to put others first.  I do think I am better than some people – that is in my mind I do – because I would never say it out loud because I want people to perceive me as a humble person – not a know it all jerk. Confession time is over.

The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy.  Do not be proud, therefore because of your learning or skill.  Rather, fear because of the talent given you.  If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much that you do not know.  Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance.  Why prefer yourself to someone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?   …..If you wish to learn and appreciate something worthwhile, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing.  Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel.  To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think will and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom.  Thomas a’ Kempis

I Peter 5:5     You younger men, likewise, be subject to you elders: and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

April 1 ~ Photo Challenge

Happy April Fools Day. The photo challenge for today is to take a picture of your very own silly face. A most appropriate challenge for this day .

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All Is Vanity

It is that time of year where I am drowning in preparing tax returns.  Since I am working more hours the extra money is always nice at first.  But then after a few weeks of no time off, working seven days a week the money is no longer as attractive as it seemed at first.  I miss time with my family, working in the yard, being with friends and even household chores.  This is what comes to my mind.

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3  “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.  What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?”

This is the greatest wisdom – to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world.  It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride.  It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come.  It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provisions for things to come.  It is vanity to love what passes and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides. – Thomas a’ Kempis

Catching Up On the Photo Challenge

March 21 – Spring


Then I thought this was a good picture of a spring.


March 22 – Fabric


This is a picture of a crazy quilt pillowcase my mother in law made for me.

March 23 – no pictures taken. 😦

March 24 – Get Close

And Here is a picture of my favorite color.


Can you guess – my favorite color is green.

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