Quote to Ponder

"If you can’t control what you think, you will not be able to control what you do."
--Joyce Meyer, today on Facebook

I like this. I don't think there's a person alive who doesn't struggle with this at some point in time or with some area or another. It's not easy to "control" what you think all of the time. Especially when you're mentally, physically, and emotionally tried and/or exhausted. Or when it just feels like you're in the midst of a seemingly everlasting spiritual battle. It's not easy.

But what I'm finding to be true--and what I'm still in the process of learning--is how to control everyday thoughts. For me, it's the negative thoughts that tend to try to get into my mind and spirit. They tend to do the most damage and are the most difficult to expel.

When they come, these negative attacks of thought, I don't always feel prepared to deal with them. But I know that I must "take control," as Joyce Meyer says here. I must learn how to "swat them away" before they can do major damage.

As I have thought about this, a very strong visual image came to mind.

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One visual image that comes to mind is of a tennis player holding a racket, swinging when the tennis ball gets sent over the net.

Sometimes, the tennis ball gets lobbed over by someone who is not bent on knocking you to the ground. It's almost a "non-threatening" lob over. And, usually, it's those tennis ball returns that we make that can help us learn how to return the ball, how to practice. We can learn how to hit back, how to aim. During this time, we can improve our posture, our stance, altering the way we hold the racket, even, if necessary, so we learn to be more effective.

We can't get better until we learn to work on this level. We can't be properly prepared for a real match, a tough match, a competitive match, until we've tweaked these things at the lower level.

Because, without this experience, we'd be out-matched and in over our heads in an instant in a real, gritty match.

I suppose there are those action-hungry people out there who think the "casual lob-over" too simplistic for them. I suppose they just stand there and watch (or not) as the tennis ball hits nearer and nearer them and they fail to respond...because it's just not interesting enough, important enough, critical enough.

But there will be times when that tennis ball comes over at an alarming rate--with intent to harm, so to speak. And sometimes that tennis ball can come over and whack you hard--whether you were ready or not, expecting or not--leaving a welt that you deal with for some time, for days, even. You may take it personally, get the sense that the person sending it over is intent in knocking you down.

He is.

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We must get to the point where we realize that everyday life is a potential training ground for what's to come. We can not afford to waste this valuable time by standing idly by, enjoying the "lazy days" we seem blessed by.

We must be preparing, each day, for the inevitable match to come.

And we must understand that no match is easily won. There will be sacrifice, pain, and a real effort made...or we will never experience true victory.

Prophesying the Future

"If you want to know where you are going to be five years from now, listen to your words. You are prophesying your future." --Joel Osteen, on Facebook.

So I "shared" the remark on Facebook and added that I wanted to visit Joel's church, meet him and chat with him, and added T.D. Jakes and Tyler Perry, since I was starting a list. (And then I added that my husband, Stephen Yandell and my spiritual brother, Aaron Williams, must be with me or I would never hear the end of it!)

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But, seriously, what ARE my words saying about where I'll be in five years?!?!

This makes me take serious inventory of the words coming out of my mouth. If what happens in five years IS what happens, where will I be? What will I be doing?

I Will Listen

I will listen, Lord.
I will hear you out.
What you say to do, I will do my best to do.
When you tell me to halt, I will halt.

I can hear you--something--telling me there is more.
You know that I know that you know my fears,
So I will not pretend to hide them from you...
But I will ask for courage, and wisdom, and strength.

To hear you as rightly as possible with these ears,
To stand as strong as I can on these frail legs,
To put one foot in front of the other,
I will do this, only with your help.

So I open my ears to you,
Close my eyes and stand very still,
Waiting for your command...
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Shhhhhhhhhh...I'm listening...

Divine Meeting at the Rangers Game

--This post is currently under construction--

It was a good game, it really was, the Rangers Game on May 26, 2012. They went for thirteen innings and Josh Hamilton hit a homerun in the last inning--apparently, he was severely ill and could barely see to hit the ball, they would say later on the news--to close the ball game against Toronto with a win.

I'm amazed, I must say, that I remember those details. Oh, how marriage has changed me! :)

All of us were there--with two bus loads of people from the church--to see the game. Stephen, myself, Allie, Raylee, and Psalm caravanned down behind his parents--his brother and future sis-in-law would meet us there. We got great tickets, the ones which come with the unlimited buffet and drinks! So worth the extra money--no doubt about it.

We were excited.

But when we walked, with great effort, down to our seats, holding children and trays full of food (not to mention the drinks!), I realized that I would be unable to stay. Stephen had not purchased an individual seat for Psalm; she was supposed to sit on someone's lap. Mine. Although I walked down to the seating and actually sat down, I realized in a millisecond that I would not be staying. There was no room.

So I got sissy and led her by the hand all the way back to the top, where the few seats in the air-conditioned buffet were. I knew from our last game visit that that seating was few and far between, so I mentally started praying with every step I took.

God, you see me. I'm not trying to be difficult. I just really don't want to be miserable for the next three hours. Please help me. Please....

The only way I was getting a seat was if God opened one up for us.

We entered the room and walked just half-way through before I stopped to ask a couple of ladies if we could join them, just Psalm and I. They were extremely gracious--it was just them, two friends watching a ball game--and allowed us to sit.

Within five minutes, we had begun a conversation that would last two hours. At the conclusion of the conversation--when they both had to leave--we exchanged information and hugs and promised to get in touch when and if I got the chance to get to Dallas again.

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I do not feel as if I have the liberty to discuss the spiritual impact of this meeting and conversation at this time, but I can say that it was obvious to all of us that it was a DIVINE MEETING. There was no doubt in any of our minds that we all were supposed to meet, connect, and exchange dialogue and information.

I have posted this on the Project Gideon blog for a very specific reason. This meeting has something to do with my destiny. I feel it. I know it, down deep, somewhere. It's like I was given a huge puzzle piece--not knowing where or when or what--but KNOWING that it's something that I'm supposed to pay attention to, closely, right now, at this moment.