11.23.09
Posted in Judging Others, Love at 5:41 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Chris and I were having a cup of coffee last weekend and he began sharing with me a story about a sweet girl in his class at church on Saturday nights. She is about 8 years old and has downs syndrome with a heart bigger than Texas! My heart just softened at the thought of this precious little angel. I have always been drawn to the Special Needs children and adults. It’s as if they have the most precious hearts out of anyone. Well, anyway – he began to share that they did a class activity where the kids had to pair up with someone. I was really interested in hearing so sat there anxiously awaiting this great story that would warm my heart and then he said, “None of the kids would pair up with her. She stood there all alone.” Literally tears welled up in my eyes. There is this precious little angel who has a heart so pure and beautiful left to stand all alone. It made me so sad. The tears kept streaming down my face – I felt this sadness so deep within my heart as to what the world has become.
I then saw this vision of the land of the misfit toys and then it dropped in my heart, how many people in the world are looked over, shoved off to the side, left standing in line all alone … shipped to an island feeling isolated and unloved? Everyone seems to have their own definition of what’s acceptable in a “toy” – to one person an airplane painted red is beautiful but to another it is anything but good. When the reality is that only God knows what is best for that little 4 year old boy whose mom is in the hospital fighting cancer. See some times we are sent those little gifts so we keep holding on and fighting the fight – and other times we are sent challenges to teach us some lessons but only God knows what is best for each of us. This is why it is important for us to ask Him what role He wants us to have in that person’s life before we make a decision based on personal feelings or beliefs. At times He may tell us to walk away because He needs that person to seek Him and other times He may say give them love because that bad behavior is their final cry out to the world before they try to take their own life.
He’s taught me through my own mistakes and experiences that when we let God do His job in other’s lives and quit trying to help Him all the time that is when we can really see His power. So I encourage you to turn to Him first in all things – that means things you may just assume is your role like being a parent, your job, or how you treat that “misfit toy”. Ask Him, “How do You want me to deal with my child who is being difficult right now?” Or, “How do You want me to handle this situation at work?” Or, “What role do you want me to take in this person’s life who the rest of the world is rejecting?” Give Him COMPLETE control and watch and see how He can change your life and those around you. We don’t realize how much we bind our own blessings by seeking everything in the world before God. So seek Him first in all things – turn to Him. It’s easy, just talk to Him, He’s there waiting. You can even ask Him to help you believe. He will lead you to all Truth.
I want to encourage each of you to pray this … ask if you are to go to the land of the misfit toys to pick up a toy you may have shipped there or possibly to bring some love to one who really needs it. The most important thing is allow Him to lead your steps because only He knows what each of us needs at the exact time we need it so there could be a toy right now crying out and God wants you to be the one to make a difference in their life. Ask Him and see what He says. :)
Have a blessed day! Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
Let your light shine bright so the world will see it.
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11.07.09
Posted in Love at 11:14 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
I keep feeling it being pressed upon my heart that it is time for a new face of love – time for us in today’s world to begin living the unconditional love that was encouraged by Moses, lived by David (the man after God’s own heart) and taught by Jesus.
Only thru many mistakes, dark valleys, and difficult personal life experiences are the eyes of our hearts opened to the meaning of how to live in unconditional love. Yes, many of us act in love but living true unconditional love is different. Until we make some mistakes and begin facing the giants, we don’t always see what within our very own hearts has to be changed. As I’ve shared in some of my other blogs, learning to live in unconditional love is one of the hardest things I have ever had to learn but is exactly the place where each of our hearts will find rest.
God brings us to a place where although life may bring sorrow or hurt, we no longer confuse the actions of someone with their heart or where they are along their journey to unconditional love. We find that our perspective is one that instead of turning bitter, angry or upset – thru the tears and hurt we find ourselves praying for them and asking God to teach them what He has taught us. We have compassion, empathy and patience because we have learned the true meaning of “forgive them they know not what they do” … We get it.
I want to share a few things this journey has taught me in hopes of helping you along yours.
1. When someone is not being nice to you, be kind. You don’t know what is going on in their life at the moment so be kind and hold your tongue. Remember we are judged by what comes out of our mouth not what goes in!
2. If someone succeeds at something in life (especially if it is something you would love to do yourself) don’t get envious but sincerely be happy for them. View it as a place you know you will be some day instead of a measuring stick of failure.
3. When you do succeed (and you will!), do not boast in your accomplishments only boast in what God has done in your life – remember you could not have done it alone, He deserves all the credit.
4. Do not be a proud peacock – pride sends you down the wrong path so instead fill your heart with thankfulness.
5. I do not care how inconsiderate someone is to you, do not be rude EVER and if you slip up then apologize. Just because someone forgets your fries in drive-thru or you would “never” do what that person is doing, it does not give you the right to be rude or haughty – they are human just like you.
6. Love expecting nothing in return … this is a hard one! We need to be able to freely give love with no expectations. God will then overflow our hearts with every bit of love that we give out and then some!
7. Be slow to anger – even when someone is pushing your buttons (yes especially those who know exactly what buttons to push), control your temper. Remember just as it is impossible to put toothpaste back into the tube – our words cannot be taken back.
8. Forgive and forget … oh I know that last part gotcha but please do not keep reminding people (or yourself) of things that God has forgiven them for – do not keep a checklist of what someone has done so you can recall it at any time like you do your favorite TV program on DVR.
9. Act in love. No matter what we face in life, strive to see the good in everyone and everything. Let our actions always be out of love, not evil.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
May God bless you and be with you on your journey to a new face of love … unconditional Love.
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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11.06.09
Posted in Love at 3:55 am by Sandi Rauwolf
I recently heard of a sermon done by a Pastor saying he was proud to be a Lutheran and that got me thinking – am I proud to be a Christian? I have to say from deep in my heart my soul is crying, “No!” and I want to share why. Over the last few months God has been showing me the masses of people who have turned away from God and are angry with Him. I have felt the heaviness of their hearts, the desperation of them wanting to know God but a distance and a hurt that seems almost irreversible. God would continue to wake me in the early morning hours to “fill the gap” for them. He would say pray, pray and pray some more for these hearts/souls. Why God? Why is this happening? He then began to show me why and the sadness that came over me was so deep.
He started bringing person after person into my path who had turned from God or was very angry with Him. I just loved on each of them and would gently ask why. Time after time it was because a Christian had done something very harmful and forever wounded their heart. They have been judged, they have had others turn on them because of gossip, they have been made to feel unworthy, they have been told that they aren’t good enough or will not amount to anything, they are struggling with sin (whether it is an addiction, being gay, whatever) so were kicked out of the church and told that God does not Love them, that their mistakes are too big for forgiveness – the list goes on and on … these are ALL LIES!!!
My heart wept deeply, very deeply.
But not as deeply as when He began to show me the very people surrounding me in my life with the same judgment, the same gossip, the same approach – their hearts being filled with everything but unconditional Love. If they hurt me so deeply and tried to make me stumble, then how much more pain and harm is it doing to people who do not know God yet or are just growing their faith? The sorrow that overcame my heart is hard to put into words.
Let me tell you “this” lesson, I did not want to learn or go through because there is so much pain (I had no idea until I lived it!) but it was an important one and I am more than blessed for having gone through it. I want to encourage you to do some inner reflecting and spend some time in prayer asking God, “Am I one of your children who gives Love a bad name?” The title of this blog dropped in my heart when I was flipping through the radio and an old song came on, “You give love a bad name”.
God sent His Son to teach us to Love and clearly spell out for us that the TWO MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENTS are to LOVE GOD, AND LOVE OTHERS so we need to understand the importance of being able to live unconditional Love. It is not easy but the reward far outweighs the hurt from others. Someone once said to me, “If you continue to see the good and love everyone you are just going to end up hurt.” Well sadly there is a lot of truth in that statement but what keeps me going is at the end of each day I stand before God saying, “Father did I Love like you today?” And He says with a smile, “Yes, child you did even when they spit in your face.” He then overflows my heart with every bit of Love I gave out that day and then adds even more!
Please love one another and desire from deep within your hearts for God to teach you how to live unconditional Love even through the hardest of circumstances. You can do all things thru Him so just ask and He will show you.
With MUCH Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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