Humility is not a lowering of oneself but a submission of oneself! el

Monday’s Mantra

1^st Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.

What’s the first thing you think or feel when you read/hear this word, humility? My guess is your first instinct may not be so positive, at least not as beautiful as humility was meant to be. Years ago, I prayed for this virtue…whew, what a season! J J  Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Monday’s Mantra with Trench Classes United.

I’ve come to learn that this fruit of the Spirit is one that tries to sneak away…often, and I do mean often!  Why is that? Because we have this house of flesh that consistently needs to be shushed!  It’s not something that you just tweak your nose, snap your fingers, or push a 30-second button and voila, we are humbled! I mean, we can be humbled that quick; but the problem is pushing the pause button so humility stays with us and in us through all circumstances. Yes, I have learned, albeit the hard way, that humility is like salt to a tasteless meal; it adds flavor; it makes everything better!

In fact, humility helps me to hang on to my Christianity and prevents me from getting on my broom and rising above others as I take a fast spin around my circumstances.

What does “humbling yourself” look like? Let me share a God-given picture of humility:

I’ll never forget an experience I had when I read 1stPeter 5:6. The crazy thing is I had read it a year prior, even wrote a blog on it as I was struggling with wondering why my first book wasn’t being picked up by an agent/publisher so I thought He was saying in due time. But months later, when I was brought back to it, He gave me another meaning that spoke much louder than the first one. What He was speaking this time literally rendered me humbled: In due time, through this season of seeking humility, He would lift me up and out of… myself! Yes, the scriptures are God-breathed and useful for teaching and correcting. The only way we can know this is by showing up each day to have our eyes and ears opened, offering up a sacrifice of time.

The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines humility in this way: “The quality or state of not thinking you are better than others.”

I have learned firsthand that God will humble us not to hurt us but to help us. He is more concerned about our humilit

y than our happiness… and He will do what He needs to do to achieve this virtue in us. Join me Wednesday for a sort of redemption of my mistake and Him giving me a “retake”!

Humbly,

Evinda

We are more likely to hear His whispers while being vs. doing. EL

Wednesday’s Word

Driving while not knowing where I’m going, aimlessly, until I reach a dead-end and there’s nowhere for me to go but to turn around and look for the turn I missed…

Thanks for joining me today for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United.

There’s something that comes over us when we realize we’re lost, especially in the world of Siri, GPS, and any other navigation system coming from our phones and/or our cars. Some of us may experience frustration, especially if we’re in a hurry; and some of us may be more easy-going about it, and still yet, this feeling of being lost may push the panic button. But eventually, we find our way, right?

What about in life, when we feel unsure with the direction it’s headed, not confident with the last important choice we made, or a turn taken? What do we do when we find ourselves in front of a dead-end, with nowhere else to go, no turn to make, and no moving forward? The only choice we have is to do a complete turnaround…or sit and wait for instructions.

We can either sit in peace trusting while waiting that He’s working everything out for our good, ^{Romans 8:28} that His plan is not to harm us but to build us up, ^{Jer. 29:11} or we can fight it, squirming within ourselves, stressing instead of chilling in the warmth of His love, our anxiety rising louder than the quiet of His whispers, risking the possibility of missing our next instruction.

There is something to be said about a peace that transcends all understanding that guards the heart and mind ^{Phil. 4:7} in a fast-pace world; holding us steady while waiting for a way out of the dead-end, a new direction, all the while enjoying being…versus doing; after all, as Jesus says in Matthew 6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his/her stature?

Waiting…

Kim-Evinda

Wednesday’s Word

Humility Brings Redemption

1^st Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you

Happy Wednesday and thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Grab your favorite break time drink and your strand of faith. We’ve got some knots to tie to insure our faith doesn’t unravel in the process of achieving humility.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a true story that told on myself, that I was so focused on my own agenda that I only half participated in a divine appointment, missing the opportunity to really share Jesus with a 14-month cancer patient, a lady who seemed so vivacious, joyful that learning she had cancer was almost incredulous…but after listening to her for several stops on the train ride, I knew she was being truthful. And her good-bye really clinched it when she got off earlier than I suspected and thanked me for listening…but I hadn’t given her both ears!

Anyway, I did reach out to her via text and voicemail but have not heard back. Talk about a dose of humility. But this mistake has been bathed in God’s grace, and no, I haven’t been given a second chance with that lady,; however, a week later, while getting ready to board the train, focused yet again on all I wanted to accomplish, He interrupted me, reminding me of my missed opportunity the week saying, not if I have another divine appointment for you and a different plan. Enter humility and please, sit for a while!

My attention went to an African-American guy who approached me asking if I would buy his ticket for cash as he was now getting a ride. “I already purchased mine. Thank you.”

I watched as he got his cash from someone else, and then tried to bamboozle somebody else and then a young lady went up to the machine and he followed her. I watched him and you know how you get that gut feeling that something isn’t right? Well, that overwhelmed me and moved me at the same time. I looked down and immediately recognized her case; it looked like a court reporting case. I tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you a court reporter?”

Her smile warmed my heart and answered my question. She quickly affirmed me and I whispered to her to keep getting her own ticket; that this guy was up to no good. I stayed with her and we walked toward the train together. I explained that I had witnessed that guy approaching several people and heard him lie differently each time. She was very thankful and followed me to the car I chose, and sat right across from me. We talked the ENTIRE way to Los Angeles! I wasn’t about to miss this divine appointment! I was blown away by her story. It always amazes me that I don’t need to look far to discover stories of wounding, addiction, failed relationships. And her story involved all of that and more.

She had obviously worked through a lot of her stuff but still has doubts, concerns and relational struggles, all things that a relationship with Christ could/would heal. I did share the reality of the necessity of a loving God, His grace that had gotten me thus far. We exchanged numbers just before arriving at L.A. Union Station, and as I said good-bye to her, I knew in my heart that it wasn’t good-bye, that I would be seeing her again, because I had not missed this appointment, there was a dual blessing: hers and mine!

Incidentally, we have been in touch, several times and she is coming to our Night of Purpose on January 19^th. I can’t wait to see her and share how she was an answer to one of my cares that appointment day!

Humbled,

Evinda