My Very Cold Cup of Coffee

Luke 10:38-42 (TLB)

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem[a] they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. 39 Her sister Mary sat on the floor, listening to Jesus as he talked.

40 But Martha was the jittery type and was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing.

She came to Jesus and said, “Sir, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “Martha, dear friend, you are so upset over all these details! 42 There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her!”

First, I want to apologize for not blogging on Friday. I had a jam-packed day and honestly did not even remember until I was falling into bed at 1:30 Saturday morning.

That brings me to today…I have felt like I have been chasing myself all day long and I am a quick little sucker! I have been at least 10 steps behind the entire time. I would just feel like I was making ground and BOOM! There I go taking off again into twenty different directions.

My day started at 6:00 am. It is 2:50 in the afternoon and I just sat down to take a breath and enjoy my now very cold cup of coffee. However, I can finally see my desk. My emails have been answered. Copies are made and lesson plans are done. Whew!

I think I know how Martha felt. I have been that jittery type all day long fretting over all the details of my day. I unfortunatly also know how Martha felt. I did not take time this morning to just spend time with God. I rushed through my morning and didn’t even say good morning God.

I wonder if I had been a little more like Mary at the beginning of my day, I wouldn’t have ended up like Martha the rest of it. I am pretty sure my to-do list would not have gotten any smaller or magically disappeared. But maybe, just maybe, I would have caught up with myself and wouldn’t have felt so jittery. Maybe I wouldn’t be “enjoying” my very cold cup of coffee right now.

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

See Me

Hebrews 12:2
We must focus our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

God sees me. He knows all about my struggles. He sees the drama and pain. God has a plan for me. He has a path for me. he knows the bumpss and hills and even the valleys and mountains that I will climb.

God will be there for every step. His love is unfailing and his grace abounds. His promises never change and he is faithful always and forever.

So, do you want to hear the good news? He is there to do the same for you!

Whatever you’re
Facing today…
Whatever helpless or
Hopeless situations
Are around you…
Turn your heart to God
(~Leah Dipacal)

 

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Keep Moving Forward

Psalms 37:24

If he stumbles, he’s not down for long; God has a grip on his hand. (The Message)

For those of you who don’t know, I am working on my Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Education. I have finished all of the classwork. Two weeks ago, I had to turn in a final exam that consisted of writing two papers. The next steps should be to propose my dissertation, write my dissertation, and then finally defend my dissertation. The problem is I have hit a snag. I did not pass the exams on my first try.

Now, the good news is they sent me the rubric with all of the evaluator’s comments. One of my papers lacked a connection between two parts. The evaluator said both halves were well developed but I need to work on connecting them. As for the second paper, I got lots of nice comments on it. The only thing I did wrong was not write enough.

I was disappointed when I first read the email. It is never easy to get a rejection. However, when I sat down and read the comments, God graced me with a heart prepared to receive critique and not read it as criticism. He had also been preparing me over the past several months during training I received through Proverbs 31 ministries on becoming a writer. One issue we discuss all of the time is how to accept rejection and move one.

I have stumbled, but I am not down for long; God has a grip on my hand. I know he has called me to this path and I am going to keep walking.

What does that look like now? Well, I have two weeks to make corrections and resubmit by exam. So, I will pray and put pen to paper and do what God has called me to do…WRITE!

I would welcome any extra prayers you can send my way.

Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Find My Way Back

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

There are days when you get pummeled from every side. Those are the days you stop and go, “Wait just a minute! Satan you are not going to get away with this.”

I also know Satan is not behind every bad thing that happens to us. First of all, he can’t be everywhere all of the time. Unlike God, he is not omnipresent. Can I please hear an AMEN to that one!

So, what about his little minions? No, I am not referring to those adorable little yellow guys. I, of course, am referring to demons. Yes, I am sure they are around and cause havoc, but they still aren’t behind every bush.

No, I believe sometimes bad things just happen. I also believe there are times when Satan is sitting back laughing because he doesn’t have to lift a finger. We humans are pretty good and creating horrible situations all on our own.

Let’s also get honest here. We can never say the devil made me do it. We always have choices.

I find my students complaining about rules and they inevitable say we have no choice. I remind them they always have choices. They can always choose to not follow the rules. We always have choices, we just have to weigh if the consequences are worth our choice.

Our daily lives are the same as my kiddos. We all have choices and consequences. Many times we just figure the consequences are worth it. We take the wrong path and we find ourselves in trouble. No, the devil did not make me do it. No, the demons didn’t set me up. Even if the last one was true, I was still in the final control. I made the decision. I chose my path.

Here is the rainbow. When we find ourselves lost, we know the direction to look. UP! We will find the great navigator just waiting for us to ask directions back to safety. He is waiting with his grace and loving warm arms wide open. He has the perfect directions to get you home and he will even light the path!

Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

We Were Not Called to Climb Every Mountain

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

I have come to the realization, I can’t live anyone else’s life and I don’t want to.

I have a friend who sells jewelry as a side job.  Her hopes and dreams are for it to take off so she can quit her full-time job.  She loves selling this jewelry.  She loves wearing it and she loves the smiles on her customers face when they first put it on and they realize they are beautiful!

Recently she made a confession to me.  She belongs to various social networking pages specifically designed for consultants that sell this jewelry.  She was reading peoples successes and she began to feel very jealous.  She wished she could be them. The Holy Spirit quickly pricked her soul and said, “No, you don’t!  You don’t want the trials and tribulations she has been or is going through.”

When she told me this I realized I have done the same thing many times.  I have looked at magazines or watched TV, social media or even just saw someone walking down the street.  I have said things like,

“I wished I looked like _________.”

“I wished I had that person’s _______.”

“Wow, I wish I could do _______ like that person.”

God has marked out a path just for us to travel.  He has equipped us with just what we need to walk that path.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked for us.

Why do some paths lead down pitfalls and rocky roads, while others seem to walk on rainbows and sunshine?  I don’t know, but I can promise you something, no one is always walking on either one.  When you see those people who seem to be on the high, you never know the cliffs they climbed to get there.  What’s more, you weren’t meant to make that climb.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

Let us throw off the jealousy, envy, covetousness, enviousness, green-eyed monster, jealousy, resentment that entangles and let us find our own path of blessings, grace, mercy; favor, kindness, mitzvah, advantage, aid, assistance, gift, help, relief, support, comfort, consolation, solace; bonus, extra, delight, joy, and pleasure.

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Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.