Sympathy, Empathy, or Compassion

      Sympathy, Empathy, Compassion! Which do we do best? 

By definition:  
Sympathy is a feeling of pity and sorrow for someone's misfortune.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Compassion is to literally suffer together, or even to become motivated to relieve the suffering of another. 

     I am sorry to say that compassion (to literally give my life so someone else can live) is not a trait built into my character.  I am so blessed and thankful that Jesus had compassion.  He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep.  Jesus had true compassion when He took up the Cross and let the nails be hammered into His hands and feet for me.

Silver and Gold

 What can I say? I am a banker at heart and, as such, believe in saving for future needs.  “Prepare” would be my motto. Finding a “Pot of Gold” at the end of the rainbow to stow away in my savings account would be very exciting and desirable. 
     However, the greatest treasure in life is more than that.  The greatest treasure would be finding the wisdom of God. That is what I call saving for the present and the future.  I cannot do that without preparation, and the only way I can prepare is to read my Bible which is loaded with a treasure trove of riches, silver, and gold.  

     In several verses of Proverbs 2 I find, “…If you accept my words…turning your ear to wisdom…applying your heart to understanding…and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure…you will find the knowledge of God.”  This is truly my “pot of gold.” So, as I reach for my Bible, I ask what it means to me: 

 

     B iblical gold for advice and principles 

     I mmense wisdom

     B anquet of indispensable tools 

     L ife-giving words

     E ncouragement and love from God

 

 

Refueling

      Refueling is not my favorite chore these days with the price of gas as it is.  My pocketbook feels the pain at the pump. It is costly and does nothing to give me a relaxing peace about the day.
      However, there is a type of refueling which is free.  It feeds the soul and restores the body.  We all need it. In fact, when God created the earth, He worked for six days and then on the Sabbath, He rested.  This is the day He established for His people to refuel.
     On the other hand, I find I need to refuel every day.  When I start first thing with God,  my day goes so much better.  It is good to "fill the tank" but when time does not permit, a simple prayer will help, a praise song goes a long way, that is, if I could sing.  I love a casual walk around the yard while talking with God. Nothing brings me closer to God than nature.  Quiet time alone with God and a good steaming  cup of coffee bring a smile to my face and a peace inside. I am reminded, as I type this, of a quote I would do good to remember, "A little coffee and a whole lot of Jesus!" 

     

 

The Trap

     A trap is not of God. He does not give a list of to-dos to please Him.  He simply loves us whether we attend church, whether we read the Bible daily, whether we tithe, or whether we seek to do good deeds.  God is a God of love who sets a standard but does not require adherence to a set of rules.  God does not make it impossible to be a child of His.  He only asks us to believe in the name of Jesus. The only loss we have in not-believing is death.  So why not try Jesus?  Satan is the One who instigates the trap. Do not be deceived. 

 A  T rap turns light into darkness

     R aises fear

     A dherence is impossible

     P ossibility is a closed door  

P.S.  Once we accept Christ as our Saviour, we will want to do things to please Him.

A Merry Heart

      I was researching the best foods for good health during the night-time hours when I could not sleep, and while doing so, remembered the best medicine for good health, and it is given to us in Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart doth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."  According to this verse, maybe the best thing we can do for good health is to have a jolly whole-hearted laugh every day.

     I truly believe laughter is good for the soul.  My neighbor and I talk a lot, from time to time, about joy vs happiness and how joy creates laughter even in the worst of time.  We both agree that joy is inner felt, and it shows in people's lives.  In fact, Mr. Jim found and purchased an old plaque from a good-will store that said, "If you're happy and you know it, say Amen!"  He wanted the rest of the lyrics added, so I helped him add "clap your hands, stomp your feet, and your face will surely show it."  He attached it to the outside wall of his garage entry as a reminder to put a smile on his face and to sing and shout, "Amen."  I thought this was a neat idea. 

     Now, back to the foods for good health. I found a chart which shows foods that look like the body parts they benefit. To name a few: Celery looks like the bones,  kidney beans like the kidney, ginger like the stomach, a sweet potato like the pancreas, a sliced carrot like the eye, etc. There were other charts and the one below does not show them all.  I am not sure there was one regarding the thyroid which is butterfly shaped, but if you look at both sides, it looks like the Brazil nut which I have read is good that that body part.  I find God's "healthy" humor interesting.  Here again, enough to give us a jolly laugh! So, laugh-out-loud. 

The Quilt

     This patchwork quilt was pieced together during 2022 but put into the old fashioned frame to be hand-quilted out by me during the cold winter months beginning 2023.  However, as of yet, we have had no substantial cold weather to keep me inside long enough to get it completed. 

     This quilt reminds me of the pieces of life we put together.  We start with no idea of the finished product, but however the pieces fall together, they somehow connect into a design we learn to live with.  Each hand-stitch is different.  In my case, some are long stitches while others are short.  I hate to admit it, but some are even crooked.  Often, not liking the stitch, I pull out a few and restitch them in an attempt to make them look better.  It does not take long for my pricked fingers to become sore, with one or two crusted over from the needle sticks.  A thimble is a necessary tool.
     Persistence is what it takes to get a completed project.  We simple take one stitch at a time, hour after hour and day after day, excited about finally getting it out of the frame. However, the project is still not completed.  It has to be trimmed and evened up with a finishing border attached.    

     My point: In life God prepares the pieces- we either follow His instructions or plan our own design.  In following our own design, we often have to pull out the stitches, starting over.  The process of life is done in seconds, minutes, and days.  We get pricked with the thorns of life.  If we let Him, God is our shield (our tumble). Only God can put the correct finishing touches on our life's design. 

 

The Vine and The Branch

     The winter's barren trees are showing their artful display of empty branches. The trunk is their source of nourishment. If the trunk dies, so do the branches. Today, the branches have no leaves, but come Spring they will issue a beautiful display of colorful leaves all because of the trunk. 

     We are reminded of the Vine and the branches in John 15: 5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”  

 The Vine and The Branch

 Lord, You are the vine;

Me, only a hanging tender branch,

Undeveloped, thin as twine.

I’m just an offshoot

Waiting to bear fruit.

Without your nourishing power

I cannot hang on or thrive;

You keep me alive.

I’m not complaining,

Or being hateful;

Just grateful.

I’m striving to be content

Hanging here twisted and slightly bent.

Your loving food helps me abide,

Growing me as I sproud in mortal pride.

Yet, Fruit is what I yearn to yield;

Fruit loving, ripe, and fine

As you feed and shield.

You are the vine

And can rightly say, “You’re mine.”

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 1/10/2023

 

 

 

Grace

 Grace is a term used to describe God’s unconditional love. We don’t earn His favor.  He created us. He knows our faults and failures, but He loves us anyway.  I broke it down for me as follows:  

                           G od’s enduring love

                           R edemption  

                           A ll knowing but loving anyway

                           C anceling debt by His Son’s death

                           E ven in sin-filled life, God loves 

"He is merciful and tender toward those who don't deserve it; He is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love.  He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever.  He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, for His mercy toward those who fear and honor Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.  He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.  He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence Him. For He knows we are but dust and that our days are few and brief, like grass, like flowers, blown by the wind and gone forever. But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence Him."  Psalm 103:8-17 TLB

Count the Stars

      There are some things we cannot count.  God challenged Abraham in Genesis to “look toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them.” I don’t believe Abraham could count the stars and neither can we, but God can.  In Psalm 147 David said, “He telleth the numbers of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.”  Scripture also tells us, “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured,” and “so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable (too many to be counted).” 
    So many things we cannot count, yet God can.  

    Just as we cannot count the stars or grains of sand, we also cannot fully count our blessings. So many we are unaware happened.  Yet, at the end of the day, we should thank God for the ones we realize as well as for His intervention and the blessings we are unaware happened. 

    

Doubt

Our doubt often leads to failure and a lack of accomplishment. Look what happened to Peter when he doubled, yet Jesus was there to reach out and take his hand.

Peter stepped out to walk on the water but then he 

         D oubted

         O vercome by fear

         U nrealistic goal

         B elittling self thoughts

         T hinking negative 

 

Attire for the Day

     Cleaning a closet should be an easy task, but I do not find it an easy one.  That is why I have so many clothing options to choose from.  Yet, I find myself continuing to buy new ones to complete the latest styles.  I also want ones that compliment my skin color and shape, which for some reason keeps changing.   
     However, with the right mindset, my daily dress selections should be simple. 

                               Daily Attire 

 

My day is set

By the way I dress.

It helps, also, to have had a little rest

So my mind is clear 

When temptations draw near.

It’s not about the color I wear

Or whether there’s an unseen tear.

What sets the day is what I select;

What dress is correct?

Man-made won’t take me through the trials,

Nor will the latest styles.

I do not need clothes of velvet; 

Just a helmet.

I do not need a belt of felt.

I need a shield 

For Satan’s battlefield.

I do not need a purse

For when life goes from bad to worse.

What I carry should be a two-edged sword

To complete this armour from the Lord.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson. 1/5/2022

 

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 13-17

 

 

 

Worry

     Worrying gets to the best of us.  It’s not easy to STOP.  Our minds are set on GO wondering how we can fix the problem.  We fail to give God the credit for “having the whole world in His hands. We fail to let Him be the driver.  It’s too hard to let go of the steering wheel.

     Letting go has to do with knowing God is in control.  He created us with a specific plan in mind and has the power to direct every course for us and for our loved ones.  He is in charge of the first heartbeat and the last heartbeat.  He will get us to our destination if we just trust and let go of our fears.

     One day at a time will get us through. 

One Day At A Time

     I am trying to start the year off right with not worrying about tomorrow.  Matthew 6 gives us several verses to consider in letting God take care of us just as we allowed our own parents to solve our problems when we were little children, children without a care in the world. 

One Day At A Time 

 

Give me this day.

Oh, let me walk in your way.

One day at a time

Is my daily chime.

No worries over yesterday,

Where I’ll not linger or stay.

No worries over tomorrow.

That’s not yet my sorrow.

Just one day at a time, let me walk

With you in lingering talk.

Each day has its own upheaval;

Its own tempting evil. 

Oh Lord, take my hand,

Help me stand;

Find the joy in the climb

One day at a time. 

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 1/2/2023 

 

“Give us our daily bread.”  Matthew 6:11 NIV

 

“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you- you of little faith.”  Matthew 6:30 NIV

 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough troubles of its own.”  Matthew 6:34 NIV 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello to 2023

     Hello 2023! Goodbye 2022! 

     Hello and goodby is repeated throughout life to people, events, and experiences.  I was reminded of this as I watched the movie, And So It Goes, when Michael Douglas said, "Every hello is just a good-bye waiting go happen." 
     Yet, there is One we never say "goodbye" to once we say "hello." When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are "marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit."

     I, for one, am happy to tell all,, that as a youth, I said, "Hello," to God and since then have never had a desire to say goodbye.  He is the One I depend upon every single day. He is the joy in my heart.  So, "Hello" 2023 and "Hello," God!

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of His glory.  Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV