We have had a couple of fantastic sermons lately at church that have really hit home for us. I want to share just a couple of points of those, then I want to give you all a debt update.
Our youth pastor gave a sermon on integrity. It was AWESOME!! Integrity = your behavior matching up to what you believe.
How you act when no one is looking!! Integrity demands sacrifice. There will be times you are tempted to do what you KNOW is wrong. You will give yourself reasons like 'it feels right', or 'it's my business and no one elses', or 'no one will know', or 'i deserve it', the list goes on and on. What you decide to do at that moment will determine what your integrity is worth. Integrity=beliefs. So if you decide to take a ladder from work (because they never use it and you sure could), your integrity is only worth a $40 ladder. Seems life awful cheap integrity. If you decide to have an affair or to lie or to kick the neighbors dog, you just devalued your integrity. You devalued your beliefs. What do your actions say your integrity is worth?
This sermon was a tough pill to swallow. It makes you check yourself! Check your beliefs! Check your willpower! Check your self worth!
The benefits of integrity are amazing.
1. Closer walk with God. If you are trying to live right, you WILL be closer to God.
2. Built in guide for life. Do right ALWAYS.
3. Constant peace in your heart! How awesome would this be?? To walk away knowing you did right!
4. Gain trust, respect, honor and influence. People love a person with integrity.
I took good notes. It was an awesome sermon, even our thirteen year old daughter pondered this for days. She wrote the word integrity down and circled it, and circled it, and circled it. I pray it still runs through her head ;).
It is never too late to start over. God forgives, so do godly people. I saw a great sign it read: For what it is worth, it is never to late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you are proud of. And if you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
So start today, right now! Do what is right!
On to last weeks sermon, I labeled it Talking With God. It was probably called something a lot more creative than that. I am just going to give you the five points. I am not going to discuss it much here. You will most definitely see the impact of it in our debt elimination at the end of this post.
1. Regular Prayer and Fasting. Regular means MORE than just Sunday morning! Everyday! Fasting is not between breakfast and lunch, it is for a full day or more!
2. Do what you can for the Lord right now. Help others!
3. Be ready to change directions on a moments notice.
4. Be faithful.
5. When God is silent work anyway.
DEBT REDUCTION
Remember those five points above. You better, it was just a few lines ago!
Our debt has been a big ball and chain for years. We have had opportunity after opportunity to eliminate it and have decided to go our own way instead. You know how it is new car, new house, new clothes, another new car, more clothes. We just couldn't seem to stop!! In our last debt update we mentioned that we had planned to pay off my student loan and put a roof on the house. Well . . . we did put a roof on the house.
The second and third points above kept popping in our heads though. 2. Do what you can for the Lord right now and 3. Be ready to change directions at a moments notice. Although we had yet to hear this sermon!!! Freaky, I know!!!
We had a roof put on the house, paid off TFCU and paid off a car. We ALSO bought a car for $1500 cash (money we had saved just for that). Now, it gets complicated, we paid off a car to help someone else out financially. That burden being off their shoulders was completely worth the student loan still sitting there. Why? Because we did what we were told. We did what we could for someone else. We changed directions at a moments notice. I have to tell you, I never felt so good. It really was an awesome feeling! I literally felt like every last part of me was smiling! I want that rush more than anything now! That is what is motivating me to get out of debt. I want to GIVE.
I am well aware that God has been the force behind everything that has happened to us and for us lately. I am very thankful. I feel overwhelming blessed.
The awesomeness just keeps rolling in, right along with the bad. We just CHOOSE to focus on the good. Give you an example:
Bad: I cried this week. Because I got turned down for a job! Lame, I know. I was just discouraged. I have applied here several times and everytime they give me a lame excuse for not hiring me, or no excuse at all. I know I have more education than some of their employees and I know I am smarter than some of them. So why can't I get a job here?? Why? What do these other people have that I don't? THEN, Poor Tommy pops off, "God just knows that isn't the place for you". Made me livid. I cry when I get mad. Completely caught him off guard. I mean I know that if God wanted me there I would be there. Stupid thing to say. I cried, he felt bad, so I felt bad that he felt bad, so I cried some more. Pathetic I know. He apologized, even though he did nothing wrong, because he is awesome like that. He then clarified and said that maybe I was too good and deserved something better. I so liked that reasoning better. lol You feel sorry for him don't you, but he loves me despite my spaz attacks.
Good: I have realized that I don't need a job. I am so very happy where I am in life. I started making some cool necklaces. I think they are cool anyway. Check them out on facebook, Perfectly Imperfect Personalized Necklaces. I have also been painting some. This has brought in some income, so I don't feel like such a moocher. I know, I know Moms work way harder than most full time jobs. I believe that, wish I could get a check for it. God has given me a spastic creative gift and I am just now becoming comfortable with it. So here is to being content in life!
And OH MY WORD, this has been a LONG POST!! Just one more thing, bear with me!! Pretty Please!!
We took our saving guru children to the bank today to open up savings accounts!! How very cool is that! I then proceeded to embarrass them by asking the bankers, Kyle and Mary, to pose for a picture with them. I live to mortify my children after all! I am just super excited that they may not have to live like we do with money someday, that possibly they will learn from all this. One proud momma!!
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| Look at Harley's smiling face, bwahahahaha! All three kids opened savings accounts today! Thank you Kyle and Mary for tolerating me! |
So keep trudging along, it will all be worth it someday!! Focus on the Good, Laugh at the Bad. Keep God at number one in your life!! God Bless!!
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