The Lord is my Shepherd, I will not want...

How many times do I long for things I don not have? I will mourn the missing item in my life. Who says I am lacking? The LORD is my caretaker, the King of Kings. I will not want. The generous provider meets my need, gives me comfort and safety. The great I Am gives abundantly so I may also live a generous life. Why do I fell want? The other night I ate dinner and had a sufficient amount of food on my plate only when I was finished I still wanted more! I took more jjust for the pleasure of eating. How many times do we take more than we need just for the pleasure of having? What are the consequences of enduldging in this kind of pleasure? Today I am convicted that this endulgence reienforces my wanting to exceed what Christ offers. This leads to discontentment, worry, fear and in some practical ways disease. In this moment I see how my over eating on a regular is intergrated into my spiritual life. If I could give thanks for what has been give and not seek to go beyond what I need that would bring peace. Jesus thank you for caring for me. Forgive me for taking more than I need. Where do you take more than God provides?

The Good and Beautiful God

The tittle of a book I am reading, The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows, touches the core of my heart. I am not going to write a book review but I will take you on my journey of reflection as I read. So expect to see multiple posts with this title and photo. If you find yourself wanting to read and reflect along with me I encourage you get a copy of the book and join in. The comments section would be a great place for group reflection. Also to purchase the book through Amazon just click on the image it is a link.

Why does it matter if our belief about God is consistent with what Jesus's believed?

Our understanding, no my understanding changes with time and experience. Jesus came to reveal himself-God to us to show us how to relate to the Father to show us the character and heart of the Father. So if I am believing something inconsistent with who Jesus/God/Father/Holy Spirit is then I am believing a lie. Lies can sabotage relationships, cause misunderstandings and unintended hurt.

In each chapter we are looking at a specific character trait of God as revealed through the way in which Jesus interacted with God the Father while on Earth. I know that I have endured pain in relationships when I believed the motive of someones actions was selfish gain or deceitfulness or just plain that person is mean and does not care. Latter having learned more of the person's character my previous judgments had to be amended. Perhaps since my understanding is in constant flux I have interpreted life's events in a way that does not hold up to the truth of who God is? That is the core question to be examined while reading this book. The first characteristic of God that I read about is that God is Good, and then I did a practice of gratefulness.

practice:
Write a list of specific things you can be grateful for and actively thank God for providing pleasure in you life!

Orientation

Today I had my new hire orientation for Providence Health Services. The very first thing you learn is how to leave, next they shared about the fitness centers and 3rd came the pharmacy talk and that was the first time the crowd clapped at the end of a presentation.

That's right we clap for drugs.

Mission
As people of Providence, we reveal God's love for all, especially the poor and vulnerable, through our compassionate service.

This statement touches my personal life values and perhaps could be my own mission statement.

Core Values
Respect~All people have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)
Compassion~Jesus taught and healed with compassion for all. (Matthew 4:24)
Justice~This is what the Lord requires of you: act with justice, love with kindness and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Excellence~Much will be expected of those who are entrusted with much. (Luke 12:48)
Stewardship~The earth is the Lord's and everything is in it. (Psalm 24:1)

This may be from a business but I really do want these core values and mission statement to be evident in my life. Perhaps for the first time I have come to work somewhere that will value me. That will treat me with compassion and respect. A place where I can thrive because my values line up with the mission and values of my employer.

Have you ever thought about your core values? I invite you to share with us your life mission and personal values.

Discipline

Self discipline is one of the most difficult tasks for me. I was once upon a time an extremely disciplined person, when it came to exercise, food, and spiritual growth. Now as for time management... that has always been questionable. Today is my last day of freedom before I begin a job and believe it or not I am looking forward to work so much just to bring order and routine into my life. I had 2 months off of work and would have loved to have attained more goals... but... waiting for work seemed to be all I could do. Why does the lack of routine rock my world in such a way that it becomes difficult to achieve? I may not know the answer to that but I do know that I need routine! So while I will be much much more "busy" from here on out I hope to also become more consistent. RememberPeace