April 24, 2008

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. — Irish Proverb

This is the devotion I got today from Purpose Driven Life and I wanted to share it on my blog.

Loving Difficult People

2008/04/24

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (NIV)

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When asked what he considered the most valuable skill in employees, the financier John D. Rockefeller replied, “The ability to get along with people!”

One of the most important skills we can develop as we walk with Christ is knowing how to love troublemakers. If you learn how to interact with difficult people, then you’ll be able to pour your energy into areas of ministry rather than constantly putting out fires of conflict.

Here are four methods Jesus modeled when he encounter difficult people:

1. Realize you can’t please everybody. Even God can’t do that! Refuse to play games (Matthew 22:18).

2. Learn to say no to unrealistic expectations. Confront them by “telling the truth in love.”

3.NEVER retaliate (Matthew 5:38-39). It only lowers you to their level.

4.Pray for them (Matthew 5:44). It will help both of you. Let God speak to them.

Well today is my Friday. :) I'm keeping it a surprise ... going to pull Matthew's leg this afternoon or tomorrow morning one. :) He asked me on Tuesday if I'd take Friday off, so when I got to work yesterday I asked my boss and he said that would be fine. I'm hoping to get in at least an extra hour of sleep in the morning. :) I think we will have our normal bedtime routine that way he will get up in the morning. Got to really give this some thought as to how I'm going to do it. :)

I plan on walking this evening but haven't made up my mind yet where that will take place. I'm also thinking that I'm going to start doing some sit-ups and crunches in the afternoons as well. My pants are so tight that I can hardly breathe today. :( I keep telling myself I've got to buckle down and so far I haven't but I'm really going to have to do something because I really don't want to go buy work clothes. :( Think I'll start weighing in every week and writing down and that should give me the boost I need ... or at least I hope it will. :)

Well guess I'll stop here and will try to blog sometime this weekend. ;) Maybe try to go get some memory for my computer so it will actually let us do something. My son and I get so mad at that STUPID COMPUTER!!! In fact I think that's why I get behind on my craft emails because I don't check them at home on the weekends.

God is Good, He is Still in Control, and He is worthy to be Honored and Praised!!!

Guess what???? It's Hump Day!!! I've been on a roll this week ... and still behind at work. :( To my surprise I haven't really stressed over it too much. :) I give all the Thanks to the Lord for all that he is doing and helping me to do in my life. :) I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am in life as I am now. Yes there is stress all around me day in and day out but I'm praying about it leaving it with the Lord and pressing onward. :) Why couldn't I have learned this lesson a long time ago. Meagan is trying to drag me into her drama now and I'm refusing to let her. I think she needs to figure out this time how to get out of her situation instead of relying on someone to fix things for her. Sometimes you just have to have that hard love and one day she will be thankful that she had to solve her own problems. I know I've heard it's always easy for the person on the outside looking in to know what the person needs to do and that person will not listen. Well me and several others have tried to tell her what to do but she just won't listen. I just don't understand but it's in the Lord's hands now.

On a better note .... my brother in-law is getting to go home from the hospital tonight. He's still in pain but his blood has started to thin. We just need to keep him in prayer that he will be healed. :) I know pain is not a good thing and to be in it every day is just not good.

I don't think I've updated lately on keeping on track ... I'm still caught up on my Bible reading and my podcast that I listen to. :) Guess you could say my podcast are caught up I normally take off what I have listened to and add new items once a week. At one point and time I couldn't add anything because I wasn't taking enough off. I want to one of these days to be able to go back and listen to the ones I've left on my I-Pod. :)

Well it's getting close to going home time today ... I've let time slip up on me again. LOL

God is Good, He is still in Control, and He is Worthy to be Honored and Praised!!!

So far this has been a stressful day and I'm trying very hard not to let this get to me. It started out before leaving home ... I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed, then after we did get on the road I got all the way to the High School, and had to turn around and go back home. I didn't have my badge to get in at work or at least I didn't think I had it but after going back home and not finding it we found it in my purse. I didn't really start stressing until after I let Matthew out and I got behind a lady that wouldn't go the speed limit and I couldn't pass her any where. :( So I was late for work which was my own fault. I should have gotten up on time. :( Oh and once I did get to work of all mornings a boss was sitting in my office chatting with one of my co-workers. (Of all mornings)

After work yesterday I picked up my son and we hurried to the Shepherd's Shoppe to get my mom a gift certificate instead of trying to pick out another book. :) I forgot to go by the CVS on the way home. :( Got home got a load of clothes started and watered the back yard then waited on my sister and her girls so we could go walk. (I actually worked a few pieces on the puzzle I am working on.) We ended up not walking until almost 7 last night so that threw the whole night off, and at 10:30 I was still wide away. I normally can go right to sleep when my head hits the pillows but not last night. :) I think that has a lot to do with the OCD getting off schedule just throws everything off. I forgot all about the clothes I had started so Matthew would have something to wear today, but at least I remembered before I went to bed to put them in the dryer. :) After we walked we went to Chick-fil-A to eat ... one of my nieces had a fit because the other niece was going to ride with me so after my son called to find out where I was because I had told him I was on the way I just put both girls in my car and let her win. I was telling her on the way that yeah she got her way this time but it wouldn't happen again. She was like oh yeah I'll win next time too. (You can't help but laugh but she is only 5 yrs old) ... well by this time my son had give up on me and was mad said he wasn't coming to go without him then called back a few minutes later said his dad was bringing him. Well he wanted a sandwich (which he didn't eat) and went and sat in my car waiting on me to drive him thru the drive thru for ice cream (which I did do, and guess what he might have eaten 1/4 of it) :(

Well got to end here I've been dragging at work all day and you can really tell because I haven't gotten much done and now its 15 minutes until it's time to go home so I better get something done before then. :)

God is Good, He is Still in Control and He is Worthy to be Honored and Praised!!!

The picture to the right was taken Friday night. My sister came by the house on her way home to get me to show her how to do something with her new I-Pod. Then after she left I found the notes I had written down still on the desk. LOL She had dropped off Travis and the oldest girls 5 and 3 at the lake to fish while she came to walk and go eat. When she got back to pick them up she said he was sitting there holding 2 sleeping girls. :) I think I went to bed right after she called to let me know she had made it home. :)

Saturday I got up and messed around making tea and straightening the house a little bit ... got the dishwasher loaded and hand washed a few that I didn't want in the dishwasher. :) Then I got my flower pots out that I wanted to paint and painted them with the cobalt blue paint and then I left to go to town while that paint dried so that I wouldn't get impatient waiting. Came back got the white paint out and finished up my pots and went back to town. I had forgotten that I wanted to get my son a book this weekend and I needed to run before the store closed to get it. :) Got all my flowers planted that I had bought (if you look closely in the picture below you will see 2 of the flower pots with my flowers in them. :) I guess I need to take a picture of the yard and post before my son messes it up playing basketball. I know the yard it looking better since all the clutter has been moved, but it's only been moved to the patio now. LOL My sister called and they were going to Lee's Barbecue so I met them there and had supper with them. :) Left from there and went to Wal-Mart and then I went home to get my shower and hit the sack ... my sister called has I was getting out of the shower to let me know she was taking Travis to the ER could I keep the girls.

Here is a picture that my sister took yesterday (Sunday) of me and 2 of her girls. :) They spent the night with me on Saturday because my sister had to take her husband (their dad) to the ER. Lydia wouldn't go to sleep for nothing LOL she stay up until 1 am so I told them they would get up with the chickens because they were going to church. :) It was kind of funny when morning came when I was waking them up I was reminding them that I had told them they needed to go to sleep because we'd get up with the chickens. They wanted to know where the chickens were ... LOL So they got up and moving around and I got them in the tub to bathe while I put on my make up. Got finished with that and got them breakfast and we got dressed and made it out the door just in time to get to church early I guess you could say or right on time. :) After church we meet a friend of mine at La-Ha for lunch then headed to my house to try to take a nap .... I got about a 30 minute nap in couldn't get both girls to lay down at the same time. I had figured since they had stayed up until 1 am and I got them up at 7 that it wouldn't be a problem getting them to take a nap. I did put on a movie that we watched while laying down. :) My mom called late in the evening and asked if I had decided to treat her like Meagan was treating her. I had already told her that I hadn't gotten much sleep and that I had the girls. I had planned on going over there this weekend I painted her a flower pot and planted a flower for her but I didn't make it.

Well it's a typical Monday. :) I actually stayed in bed about 30 minutes longer this morning ... I should have known better. Mike was suppose to take our son to school but he called and said he was running late. So I picked up my pace a little bit so I could leave in time to get him dropped off at school and to work on time ... I made it early. :) I even remembered my moms flower .... it's out in my car and yes I left my windows down so it wouldn't get to hot and die. I need to take a picture of it ... if I don't forget I'll do that once I get to my mom's this afternoon. ;) Well I've got to stop here will try to blog again tomorrow. :-)

Alright it's Friday!!! How did you like my post yesterday??? I thought I was going to have time to blog but didn't. LOL Going to try to get some things blogged about today.

My mom is doing great and I've really been surprised at how she has done. So has only complained about 2 things ... 1. how bad it hurts getting out of the bed and I understand that completely. 2. Her house needs to be cleaned (it's not dirty) ... I told her this morning maybe she could dust with the swifter duster. I don't think she liked that idea too much. Now I know your thinking that I should go out there and clean her house for her so let me clarify why I will not do this ... I won't do it to her liking, she would find something to complain about. That's just how she is, and she will tell you real quick that my house needs to be cleaned.

Well I am home now ... been having trouble with my stomach the last couple of days cramping ... and now I have the runs. Maybe I will get some blogging in in between running to the bathroom and laying down. :) I really wanted to stay at work but the bathroom just wasn't close enough to my desk. :(

Now lets see ... I finished the book "Battlefield of the Mind" written by Joyce Meyer and I ended up with I think 24 note cards filled out front and back. :) I really recommend this book to everyone (I think the whole world needs to read it), and I even shared about it with my counselor last night. I'm planning on going and getting my son the Teen Battlefield of the Mind but he says he's not going to read it ... our counselor thinks it would be great if he would read it. Guess I will have to figure out a way to make him read it. I've already suggested he could read it while I'm reading in the evenings ... but he said NO!!! I'm reading "Boundaries with Kids" now and instead of note cards I picked my up some steno books and I'm using it to take notes. :) So far its a lot easier with the steno book taking notes instead of the note cards but I so love note cards. :) Just fixing to start chapter 3 ... it takes me so long to read a book when I want to jot down notes from it. :) I've got a couple of other books lined up to read after this one but not going to say which it will be because I keep changing up what I do read next. (I think I need to stay away from the book store and the book section at the store) LOL I actually got the book "Boundaries" that I was going to read but then I discovered that I had this one "Boundaries with Kids" so I started it first. I wonder if my knitting needles are missing me???

My counseling session went pretty good last night, my son would go in and talk with her last night. I told her that he seemed to be doing great the past few weeks. (Hope I don't regret saying that) I know in one of my sessions we had talked about him having OCD, and she told me last night that I have OCD too. I pulled it up at work to see what all it said about it. It was pretty interesting to me, after reading the material I pulled up I guess because I have OCD that I passed it on to my son. :( Now that I know I can understand somethings that I couldn't really understand before. I know that my doctor has talked to me about my serotonin levels but I don't guess I ever really understood it until my counselor explained it to me last night. She was comparing to someone who has high blood pressure or high cholesterol and they have to take medication to help them in that area and that I should take medication that helps me with my serotonin levels since I've already been told that I have trouble with that. I just hate taking medication!!!! :(

I just woke up :( I was just a blogging away and had to run to the bathroom and was cramping so bad I just laid across my bed and I fell asleep. :) Not sure how I'm feeling right this minute, but I'm hoping I feel up to walking in a little while, not sure about eating out but I could eat my shoe right about now. :) Maybe I can eat and just come straight home that way if I get sick I'll be at home instead of having to worry how I'm going to make it home. The ride from Abbeville this morning almost got me. My stomach hasn't been this bad in a very long time, or lets just say when I do have trouble with it I'm normally already at home. :)

Well I just went and got my son and he's already making plans for his weekend. He's wanting to go to his cousins tonight. :( Guess I shouldn't frown I should just enjoy the time since it doesn't happen very often. :) I actually plan on reading this evening and then getting up tomorrow cleaning house then back to my book. I'd like to go to Anderson and use my coupon at Books-a-Million but I think I can use it online too. (Will have to look it expires 4/29)

Well I guess I'm finished blogging for today. :-)

God is Good, He is Still in Control and He's worthy to be Honored and Praised!!!