Ruth O'Neil's Blog, page 3

Monday Meditations - Journey

Journey
My parents instilled a love of camping in
me at a young age. That little baby in the
stroller, that's me!
Journey is a word that can evoke a lot of thoughts and feelings. A journey can be physical, mental, or emotional. Sometimes a journey we take is all about reaching a specific destination, yet other times it's all about the getting there. We all take journeys from time to time. Maybe the word brings to your mind family vacations. My family would often go camping when I was a child. To pass the time the car my brother and I would play a game he made up called "open your mouth and close your eyes and I will give you a big surprise." The rules were pretty much self-explanatory. One time when I opened my mouth and closed my eyes he fed me dirt from the floor of the car. I didn't want to play the game anymore after that!
Many times a journey needs planning. I tell my writing students that they should know the beginning and the ending of their stories. The in between is the fun part – at least in story writing. Sometimes the life journey isn't quite so much fun when it involves pain and loss or many other negatives. It's how we handle these in-between's of our journey that count.
One journey I would love to take someday would be to travel to all the Civil War sites/battlefields mentioned in the novel my mother wrote. She passed away before it was published, and I think the journey would help me feel close to her again. It would be even more emotional if my sisters could join me.
What's going on in your life's journey right now? Do you have any journey stories you would like to share? I'd love to hear them. Please share them in the comments.

Monday Meditations - New

New


Anyone who knows me knows I homeschooled my kids from beginning to end. One of the aspects of that I enjoyed most was seeing the light shine on their faces when they learned to read. It's fun to see people's reactions to new things – whether by sight, sound, taste, or feel – especially with children. Watching a child as he or she puts letters together to read a word is an amazing thing. Their eyes light up in recognition and realization.
I still have the set of books my mom bought for me when I was leaning to read. (Not sure she really understood what she was starting with that book purchase!) I used those same books with my own children and am keeping them for future generations.
I enjoy visiting new places, trying new food, making new friends. Every time we have a new experience, we open the doors of our minds and hearts. When my oldest daughter had the opportunity to go to Europe and see new things, she came home with a couple thousand pictures and a whole lot more words. She was excited to share what she had experienced.
What about the newness of a relationship? I remember what it was like when I first started dating my husband. It was fresh and new and exciting. We have to work at keeping it fresh and exciting, but we put work into it because it's a relationship worth the effort.
When we become new creations in Christ, we will want to share what He's done for us. We're excited in the beginning. The bad part comes when we lose that excitement. That should never happen! God does so many wonderful things for us each day.
The Bible tells us that God's mercies are new every morning. No matter what we did the day before, the week before, the month before, the year before, we can have a fresh new start. God wipes the slate clean so to speak. Once we accept Christ, we are a new creation. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). I think that verse pretty much says it all.
Don't lose the excitement of new love in Christ. Keep it current and share with others how God reveals Himself to you every single day. 
          

Monday Meditations - Gratitude

Gratitude


Gratitude is something we are not exactly full of these days. We would much rather show ungratefulness with all of our petty complaints. And what do we complain about? Big things? Sometimes. But more often than not we gripe about such minor issues like the temperature being too hot or too cold.
Have you ever known someone who complained about everything? Did/do you like to be around that person? The complaining person can be almost toxic. They bring us down and make us want to complain more.

There was one time I was going through the checkout at the store. The cashier complained about the company that employed her the entire time. Apparently she needed to be out of her apartment that day and wasn't allowed to take the day off. My cynical mind didn't want to hear her griping. I'm sure she had more than a couple hours' notice to vacate her apartment. As usual, my mouth was at work before my brain.
"You should be glad you have a job."
She was fairly silent after that.
At the time I had several friends who had been diligently looking for work and finding nothing. I felt she needed to show a little gratitude. (Isn't it funny how we can point out the faults in other people?)
My Blessings BookThen there came a time I felt myself becoming so ungrateful. It is it said that knowing you have a problem is half the battle, and I realized I had a problem. To combat my complaining, I decided to start a Blessings Book. I had a small journal someone had given me that I had yet to put to use. I began writing down all the little (and big) blessings in my life. I jotted down when I missed an accident by one car. I wrote down the times I went to the store looking for something specific and found an awesome deal. I recorded the times God protected my family from catastrophic danger. These entries are not anything anyone else will ever read; they're just between God and me. 

You know what I noticed? The more blessings I wrote down, the more blessings I noticed. I was grateful for each one and wanted to make sure the Lord knew of my gratitude.
Sometimes we are the cause of what we complain about. Think about that. You know it's true.Instead of complaining this week work a little harder at having an attitude of gratitude. (A song from my childhood just came to my mind! I'll have to go look that up.)

Want to start your own Blessings Book?

Monday Meditations - Joy

Joy
Someone recently told me she wasn't experiencing any joy in her life. Each day she would go through the motions of simply surviving. There was nothing to look forward to. She didn't feel as if she had many friends with whom she could get together and make plans. While her feelings may have been true, the reality of the matter is that sometimes we need to make an effort. Yes, we need to work. Yes, we must pay the bills. But we also must make time for the things that bring us joy.
My sisters and I dressed up
in some CW finery.One of the things my family did for fun when I was growing up was Civil War skirmishing. That is something that is similar to reenacting, only the different regiments shoot at targets for competition instead of at each other. My parents started doing this when I was only five months old. They continued doing it after I got married. We camped with the same people many weekends from spring to fall. We made lifelong friends, some I'm still friends with today. (Although it's not necessary to mention how many years later!)
We looked forward to those skirmishing weekends. Those weekends were the only time we saw those friends. Spending time with those people and doing something we loved brought us joy. I still have so many precious memories of times and people from those years!


My parents. My mom made so many
CW clothes, from uniforms to camp
dresses to ball gowns.
My brother and me. My Happy Place
As an adult, I'm a simple girl. It doesn't take much to bring me joy. All I need during the summer months is my chair, a book, and some sun. If there is a pool, that's just icing on the cake. If I can sit outside and read for an hour, I feel rested and recharged enough to complete the rest of my daily tasks.
I'm not good at thinking up stuff I want. My kids get frustrated with me at Christmas, Mother's Day, and my birthday. They ask what I want, but I can never think of anything tangible. I would much rather spend time with them doing something. It's often the littlest things that bring me the most joy.
What about you? Do you feel you need a little more joy in your life? What can you do to make that happen? What hobbies did you once enjoy? Take some time, even an hour a week to revive it. Call a friend, go out to lunch, and catch up. Don't look for only big things to bring you joy. Take a walk. Enjoy the sunset.
This week find one little thing that brings you joy and take advantage of it.

My mom enjoyed writing and the Civil War. She combined them when she wrote her novel Victory Song.
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Monday Meditations - Enjoy

Enjoy
Summer is a time when people often think of vacation. Families make plans when the kids are out of school. Summer is a time to enjoy life. The weather allows for more outdoor activities. People plan BBQs (activities surrounded by food are something I always enjoy!).
As a child, summer for my siblings and me meant riding bikes, making trails through the woods, plenty of badminton, and long, sunny days at the community pool with friends. We would spend hours with our friends and only come home at dinner time or when Mom rang the bell Dad had installed on the porch to get our attention in far off places.
Now that we're all adults, whenever my siblings and I are all together we do a lot of reminiscing. We remember those days gone by that we enjoyed so much. We enjoy the time remembering. So many of our conversations begin with, "Do you remember that time…"
"Do you remember that time you spit on my head?"
"Do you remember when Martha punched Grandma in the face while she was sleep-cheerleading?"
"Do you remember Sarah's sexy dress?"
"Remember when Billy went to the ER for…?" (You can literally fill in that blank with anything!)
"Remember our Olympics competitions?"
Oh, this list could go on forever!
One thing I've learned over the years is that God wants us to enjoy life.  "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 NIV). That doesn’t mean He will give us every little thing our spoiled hearts desire, but I imagine He enjoys hearing us laugh and carry on with friends and family. I can't help but wonder if He enjoys it as much as we do. After all, we are His children, and as any other loving parent, He wants to see His kids happy and enjoying the life we have.
So go enjoy life today!

Monday Meditations - Kindness

Kindness
What do you do when people are rude to you? I have a tendency to "kill them with kindness." Unfortunately, my "kindness" is laced with sarcasm. I'm pretty sure sarcasm isn't what God had in mind when He commanded us to "Be kind one to another" (Ephesians 6:1). While I might have the right thoughts, my attitude is definitely wrong. I'm certain Christ didn't have a sarcastic bone in His body, even when there were those who treated Him so poorly.
Sometimes people just need a word of kindness. I was going through the line at the grocery store one day when the cashier, whom I'd had several times before, said, "Thanks for always being so nice." To which I responded, "I try to be. I don't know who came through before me that may have been nasty.""You don't know who's coming after you, either."
There have been countless times I have witnessed customers being rude to employees for no reason. Yes, we all have bad days, and yes, it's easy to take out frustrations on the next person that crosses our path. But what if that person is that one who could greatly benefit from a simple kindness? Do you realize how much power there is in a kind word or a genuine smile?
I can recall several instances when I was a child that people showed kindness to my family. Kindnesses we could never repay, not that repayment was ever asked of us.
Sometimes a kindness can be listening as someone vents their frustrations in a safe place. Keep your eyes open to showing someone a simple kindness today. Has there been a time when someone was kind to you? Share it in the comments.
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." --Leo F. Buscaglia

Monday Meditations - Attentive

Attentive


Attentive. There's another one of those traits where I need some work. I have a friend that I want to be like when I grow up. She not only notices needs, but she also does something about meeting those needs. If I were to be absolutely honest, I would have to admit that I see needs sometimes, but I just come up with a whole lot of excuses as to why I can't do anything about those needs. Yes, my life is busy, but is it really that busy? Am I too busy to do something even once in a while?
My friend puts me to shame. When she sees a need, she jumps into action. That's the difference between my attentive and her attentive.
I need to rethink my attentive.
I need to be more like God's attentive. He sees our needs and begins meeting them before we even know they're there. Have you ever prayed for something and almost before you were finished getting the words out of your mouth an answer was there? I have.
There was one time we were struggling financially because my husband was out of work with a back injury. I tried not to add to his stress by bringing things up, but I was at a point where I had no other choice. He sat down next to me, grabbed by hand, and said, "Let's pray about it." So we did.
A few minutes later I went to get the mail. That day, there was not one but two envelopes with money in them in our mailbox; one from an unknown source. During our trials we tried to remain faithful to God and He was faithful to us. He was attentive to our needs. He was taking care of them before we could even pray about them.
I want to be like that. I want to anticipate the needs of others and be there at the appropriate moment. It's definitely something I need to work on.

Monday Meditations - Ambivilence

Ambivalence
Oh, how this word defines us as humans! We are ambivalent about so many things. We are wishy-washy. We can't seem to make up our minds about anything. Just look at a woman's bedroom after she has gotten dressed. The pile of clothes on the bed tells us that dress is the wrong color, that one is uncomfortable, today's the wrong mood for that one, that one isn't appropriate for the situation, that one doesn't fit anymore… I've known women that can't make up their minds about who they want to date. Some can't make up their minds about which women they truly want to be friends with.
College students enter the university with one major and come out with another, yet work in a completely different third field.
Couples get married only to find out shortly after the wedding that marriage (or the person they chose in the first place) isn't really right for them
I could go on with examples of how we have mixed feelings, uncertain feelings, or simply mind changes about so many decisions we have made, but I won't. I'm sure a few more have come to your thoughts as you've been reading this.
But you know what? I am so thankful that my heavenly Father has no ambivalence about Him. He has never had mixed feelings about us. He has always loved us in spite of how we act. His love has never been uncertain, and He has never fluctuated. There has never been a time when He was unable to make a choice. When the time came for Him to die on the cross for our sins, there was no waffling back and forth. He did what He needed to do because He loved us. And because we needed Him to do it.
Where would we be today if ambivalence was one of God's character traits?

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8)

Monday Meditations - Intentional

Intentional
Intentional is one of those ideas that we have to… well… be intentional about. We have to think about something and do it on purpose. Most of our lives are made up of instinct or habit. The good news is that we can make "intentional" a habit. It just takes a little practice. I once read somewhere that to develop a habit we need to do something for 21 days straight. Sometimes I think it takes longer than that. It certainly takes much less time to ruin what we are trying to do.
One of the times in my life that I recall being intentional was when I saw this boy I thought was cute. I didn't exactly throw myself at him or do anything wrong, but if my mom had seen my actions, I'm pretty sure she would not have been happy with me.
But whether my actions were right, wrong, or somewhere in the middle, they were intentional and they worked. I caught that boy's attention and have kept it now for 33 years.
If being "intentional" is something you have to work on, we can find the perfect example in Christ. He was intentional in everything He did. He intentionally created us, regardless of the fact that He knew how sinful our hearts would be. He intentionally came to earth as a baby in spite of the fact that He knew He would be rejected by His own people and be subjected to one of the worst forms of torture and death. He intentionally interacted with simple people. He intentionally sat with those society considered unclean and imperfect.
We need to follow His example and live and love intentionally. We need to put thought into every move we make and every word we say. Maybe we need to intentionally step out of our comfort zones to reach a lost and hurting world. We need to be intentional in how God and His love are revealed through us.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. How can you be intentional in living and loving this week?

Monday Meditations - Bible

Bible
There have long been debates over which version of the Bible is "correct." I grew up with KJV, the church I now attend uses KJV, but I have also long used the NIV. When I'm studying a passage I will read several different versions to get a better understanding. Sometimes a different word is used and it gives me more clarity. Yes, there are good versions and some definite bad ones.
The writer in me looked at the original NIV as being in language that's easier to read for many people. Some argued the NIV had so many fewer words than the KJV, my writer brain also saw with KJV's "Jesus saith unto them" as the wordier form of the NIV's "Jesus said."
While working on a project not too long ago, I was copying and pasting a plethora of versus off-line to help me save some time. However, as I read back through the project, many of the verses didn't look right. I pulled out my old, falling apart NIV and looked up each verse. Sure enough, there was a newer version that reflected the ways of the world. I didn't like it.
Again my writer brain kicked in. I was taught to use the masculine forms of pronouns as generic when talking about a group of people – masculine and feminine. People didn't used to get offended by that. That is no longer the case. We now expect our Bibles to be politically correct.
I'm not trying to start a debate on which version of the Bible to use. The point is that we must know our Bibles so much so that when man tries to turn God's Words around to better suit them, we will recognize it. If I hadn't been taught to memorize verses all through my growing up years and continue to hide God's Word in my heart as an adult, I probably would never have noticed. How familiar are you with the Word of God?