happy sunday.

hubs and i went to church today.
it's what we do every sunday when he's home.
since he's been away, though, it's been tough.
me, by myself, with four children to get dressed and out the door, drive thirty minutes, and be seated in life group by 8:30.
it's a lot.
and then we have another issue that we're praying about.
we know.
and God knows.
all of those excuses have kept my family away from God's house for much too long.

today we woke up at 7:00am.
fought satan's temptation to stay in bed.
showered.
got ourselves dressed.
dressed each of the children.
threw a little food into our bellies.
ran out the door.
drove those thirty minutes.
pulled into the church parking lot at 8:40.
took all the kiddos to their appropriate classes.
and took our seats in life group at 8:50.
no one cared that we were late.
they were just talking about us.
praying for us.
and there we were.
we fellowshipped, and talked about God's Word, prayed for the coming week, and said our see ya next weeks.

then, it happened.
the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart.
He was telling me to listen.
what are your thoughts when your preacher begins to preach?
do you wait for the message that the Lord has for you on that day?
do you throw up an invisible "talk to the hand"?
how often do you really listen?
i admit, sometimes my mind is thinking on what's for lunch, or whether i mailed that package that was suppost to go out last week, or if i left any diapers in the diaper bag for the nursery workers.
but, today i listened!

brother larry's message came from the book of matthew.
chapter 7, verse 12.
so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.

oh man.
we can all learn a little bit from this verse!
once i started listening and really hearing what the preacher was saying,
or the Lord speaking through him,
i started taking notes and couldn't stop.

have you read that verse and then asked yourself "what if that person doesn't deserve it?"
do you deserve it?
do any of us deserve it?

treat people the same way that you would want them to treat you.
in everything.
wherever you are.
at home.
at work.
at school.
in the neighborhood.
at church.
in EVERYTHING.
in marriage.
"well, he doesn't treat me that way"
that's not what Jesus said.
treat people the same way you would want them to treat you.
when someone does you wrong.
treat them the same way you would want to be treated.
a bad waitress.
a rude cashier.
you don't know their situation.
they may be working a double shift 'cause their relief called in sick.
they may have just gotten a phone call from their teenage daughter who announced that she is going to live with daddy.
you can warm their heart by giving them a great big smile.
treat them the way you would want to be treated.

if i spend some time thinking about how i can bless someone else, Lord, i know you will be thinking of how You can bless me.

can you love the Lord your God with all your heart and not show love to your neighbor?
Jesus said "treat them the way you want to be treated."

if i treat others the way i want to be treated will they in turn treat me with kindness?
maybe.
maybe not.
do it anyway.
for this is the law and the prophets.
the "golden rule"


our faith is not demonstrated by what we say we believe but, in how others see we behave.

here's a little "golden rule" test:
ask yourself.
before i speak,
before i act,
before i respond,
would i want that person to speak, act, or respond that way towards me?

if we begin to live out this verse,
if we begin to treat others the way we want to be treated,
our lives WILL be changed.

whew.
God spoke to me today!!
now, does this mean i'm an ugly person all the time?
no.
but, i (we all) need a reminder sometimes of what He is seeking from us.
afterall, we are His children.
do our children need reminding?
mine do.