Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

Tebow quote:  “we never become who God created us to be by trying to be like everybody else”.

If you are a people pleaser, as I am, (I am better at this as in years passed) but gee what a road to grind.  I am a gypsy at heart – the more I can hang on me the better I feel.  Many have tried to change that part of me…be more classic, you look better.  I am an artist & have always leaned to expressionistic work.  Again, be a realist. More people like realism than expressionistic art.  I grew up in a very legalistic religion, I wanted to be free from the dos & don’ts & prayed diligently to God to set me free so I could set others free.  People under legalism will try & cage you.  When I would take one step forward, I would meet up with someone who would confront me with “I like you better the way you were”.  So many encounters of have, have not, should, should not, do, don’t, be, on & on it went.   Being accepted & loved by others & not loving yourself can cause one to leave behind the one God fearfully & wonderfully made.  Through lots of great counseling, lots of prayer & reading what Jesus said in the Bible. Inch by inch I gradually inched my way out to be me….the snow flake God created…not like anyone else just me.  It was a fight &, still is to some degree, to stay on the path of healing but I am so glad I started this process many years ago……..being me was worth the fight.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my follows of Just A Thought by Coppi.

I am grateful for all of you, and may my thoughts of my own struggles in life as well as blessings bring a glimmer of light into your path.

It is such a secret place, the land of tears – Antoine De Saint

Ps 56:8 – Hold you…..weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning..

Ps 56:8 you have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle

My flesh & my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my portion forever…. 

As I read the above scriptures & sayings, I thought why does everything seem to magnify during the night?  I speak for myself, if I am overly concerned about something, you better believe it, when I turn the light off at night, my concerns become bigger than life.  Tears & fears overwhelm me until I get a grip and pray “Jesus, I have laid this problem at the foot of the cross…I keep picking it up again…I ask your forgiveness…please know I believe in you and your mighty power.  Take this concern.  Give me your peace, love, & guidance….I am your child & I take refuge in you.

Morning comes & joy does comes in the morning….so hold on…..weep no more.

“Here’s a question every angry man and woman needs to consider: How long are you going to allow people you don’t even like — people who are no longer in your life, maybe even people who aren’t even alive anymore — to control your life? How long?” – Andy Stanley

Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted as having said, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” 

These quotes spoke to my heart today. I thought I would share with my followers….maybe they will  do the same for you.

Mark 6:51 “Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed.”

“The thing is that when we follow Jesus, He calls us to a life of doing things that are impossible without Him. He calls us to a life of jumping out of boats and believing that He will do the rest. It’s called faith.”  Guidepost: Mornings with Jesus

“In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”–  Henri Nouwen

Just as He said He would. Mt 28

Quote: Ed Grinnan

“Is it any wonder, Lord, that when I force myself ahead of you, my way becomes so difficult”….

Enough said.

Quote: Ed Grinnan

“Is it any wonder, Lord, that when I force myself ahead of you, my way becomes so difficult”….

Enough said.

Just a thought by coppi

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever. . . .(Psalm 73:25–26)

Enough said……………….

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever. . . .(Psalm 73:25–26)

Enough said…………………..

Mt 7:12- Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.  This is the essence of all that is taught in the law & the prophets.

Mt 7:1-do not judge others, & you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

The standards in the Bible sometimes are difficult to do & my flesh rebels.  Yet again, as I read & re-read the above scriptures, I did note the dos that is required of me, but I also noted they were put there for my good.  If I do to others what I would like them to do for me, that’s for my benefit.  As, if I do not judge others & treat others with disgust, I will will not be judged in the same way.  In the Bible there are standards to live by – some, I will say to myself, I don’t like –  I will throw it out.  But, no, all are there for my benefit – the flesh says I will do it my way; the spirit says yes, Lord, I know your way is right & for my good, I will follow.  Life is full of choices.  Believe me, I have reaped from wrong choices I made; but thank God I have a redeemer, Jesus, who has & will lead me out/through them.  Lord, give me wisdom & knowledge to make the right choices in life.  Thank you for the Bible & it’s directives.

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Reach for the moon—even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.”

I am an advocate of going back into my soul and rooting out any “leftover’s” of hurt still lingering there.  I am big in journalizing , going to Jesus in prayer, and talking to a trusted friend about a lingering hurt in my life.  It was many years ago and I had returned to Dallas after spending a year In Oklahoma to try and face the demons I left in Dallas  and start over.  At that messy time my then husband had completely destroyed my life with his scam, leaving me with an over-the-top shame and with ‘who I thought were friends’ (that delighted in blaming me for his felonious actions). Plus, the repercussions of bankruptcy produced angry creditors, etc.  It was a total disaster, but I had to return to the city I loved and face the influx of shame of a situation I had no idea about, but was swept into because he was my husband.  I returned and found a wonderful job at Adams Golf.  The employees at Adams Golf became my family.  My immediate family had nothing to do with me, or if they did, I never heard from them.  I was alone.  I divorced my husband who was a pathological liar, which I could not live with, and found it hard to think he would cause such trauma for mankind including me.  Several years later I re-married and thought maybe my life would take a turn for the better, but the sad thing was the man I married was not who I thought he was.  Life was difficult being married to him, but I remember my mother made a comment to me one time “If you make a bed, you must now live in it”.  I did.  Joe became ill and was put in the hospital not expected to live.  I had gone up to see him after work and I guess all the pressure I was under caused me to break down.  I stood in the corridor of the hospital, and I could not stop crying;  During this breakdown I heard one of the nurses say “doesn’t she have anyone”?  I was alone except my special friends at Adams Golf.  I will never forget them-ever.  Anyway, I say all this because I thought I had dealt with all that pain and hurt, but I find a root is still inflamed in my soul.  To uproot something, I must dig it up by talking about it, praying, journalizing, to not let this bit of past darkness put out the light brightly shining in my life today.

Thank you for listening.