Back To A Normal Routine

Well, the baseball season is finally behind us and starting today we can get back to our normal routine! Ummmm, normal, now what exactly does that mean? I'm not so sure I know! (*chuckle*)! You know, lately it seems that even in the midst of staying busy with practice, games, on the road to tournaments, I have struggled to find an inner peace! An inner peace for what you might ask??!! I really don't know! Ever had those kind of feelings? One minute I struggle with wanting to fit in...the next, with being lonely, the next, with worry......I can handle these things happening to me more so than happening to my child....and that is one of the inner struggles as well! So, how do we fix this?? Put it in God's hands! Yes, that is the number one answer....and I did! Or at least I thought I did! Sometimes, when we pray, we ask God to take care of things for us, but do we really believe that He is.... or will? When we have that doubt, our prayers will not be answered. It's in the Bible. Look it up in the book of James! Oh, I believe God answers prayers and I believe that God takes care of the situations that are turned over to Him...so what is it then? Why is it that one day, I seem fine! The world around me seems fine and then the next minute I feel as if the world is crumbling in around me! Am I rambling here, or can you relate to what I am saying? Put on that happy face and go out and face the world! Never let them see you down...some will want to keep you there! Be strong, stand tall and steadfast.........ever been told to do that? Sometimes even the strongest have their weak moments. Well, today I received a devotion that really opened my eyes.....and of course I want to share it here in my blog. I still have alot of work to do on "me"..... but I am one step closer after reading this!
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“You are like whitewashed tombs.” Matthew 23:27

Marybeth Whalen writes: “The painters painted the wall leading downstairs … A week later I discovered while the wall had been repainted, the habits hadn’t changed. The kids were still …dragging their dirty hands behind them, making what was white and clean, gray and dirty … Like that wall, if I’m not careful I can cover up what’s there …wear the Christian tee shirt, carry my Bible, smile like everything’s great, and talk a good game about my walk with the Lord. But deep inside the ugly old habits are …waiting to be revealed the moment life gets messy … I can become a modern-day Pharisee who focuses on the whitewash … and ignores the dirty stuff underneath.”

In Bible times tombs were whitewashed on the outside to disguise the death and decay inside. Jesus told the Pharisees: “People look at you and think you’re saints, but underneath …you’re total frauds” (TM). Acting like a Pharisee saying, “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else” (Lk 18:11), precludes grace, mercy and compassion. We live in an appearance-driven society and Jesus understood the danger that comes from focusing on looks instead of your spiritual condition. So, how do we stop it from happening? We follow Jesus’ example. He specialized in ministering to the broken, the forgotten, the lost and the lonely. We never forget that while we may be Christians, we’ll still struggle in certain areas. We ask God to reveal behavior patterns that are appearance-oriented instead of heart-oriented. We surround ourselves with transparent people who lift us when we fall and encourage us to be real.