Finding the Balance

“I felt trapped in the misery of my life. Lost in the sorrow of my soul.” These words hit me like a ton of bricks. They were spoken by a little girl who was displaced from her home and family. She appeared to only be about 9 years old. There was no normalcy in her life. She grew up watching her father drink to intoxication, then watching her mother become his punching bag. She was also physically abused by her father. She protected her younger brother the only way she knew how. That was until she was taken from her parents. Separated from her younger brother. She felt trapped and lost. Not just on the surface, but in her soul. A soul filled with sorrow.

Her story reminds me of how many of us feel when faced with the storms of life. In Acts 27:20, we see that there was a bout of hopeless. “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” Issue after issue. The darkness begins to outweigh the light. We are over…

“Da da!” The first words muttered by the precious, innocent baby. She could barely walk and understand her surroundings. Yet, she knew there was something powerful about her daddy. She saw him enough to identify him. Whether there was a biological connection or not, she knew there was something special and powerful about him.
Daddies are leaders. Daddies are protectors. Daddies are developers. Daddies are encourages. Daddies are teachers. She knew that when her daddy was around, she would be the center of his attention. He would teach her ho to value herself. No one would be able to hurt her, physically or emotionally. She knew that her daddy would help her define the woman, wife, and mother she would later become.  Her daddy would always affirm her. He would support her and lead her forward down the best paths.  Daddy would be an example of how she should expect people to treat her. That expectation would become a demand.
This father-daughter relationship is one of the most meaning…

What do people see when they look at you? Take a few seconds to think about that. 1 Samuel 16:7 states, “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” It is absolutely true that God knows everything about you including what’s in your heart, but when you interact with others, do they know your heart? Is your heart apparent? This scripture specifically tells us that man looks at outward appearance. So whether we like it or not, what we display outwardly in our interactions with others is what counts. Are we warm and open? Are we approachable? Do we smile? Is it genuine? More often than we think, people can tell when we’re wearing a mask. But that’s a topic for a later date. Do we appear organized or disorganized? Do we appear flighty or decisive? Confident or doubtful? Have you done any internal che…

Every now and then, I spend time in the kitchen preparing meals for my family. There are some times where I try to get a little fancy and use onions. Anyone who has ever been in the kitchen with onions knows that onions can be a feat in themselves. I feel good and inspired when I get started but as I chop and cut up the onion, I typically begin to grow sensitive. My eyes begin to water and even burn a little. I fight through to the finish because I know the onion adds value and taste to my meals. I’ve even noticed that once the onion is cut and the meal is complete, I sometimes have a residual onion scent on my fingers. This lingering scent keeps me aware of the preparation process and the worthwhile outcome.

Have you ever experienced the onion effect in your life? It’s the effect described above. It occurs during times when you are on the verge of experiencing a new level on your life journey. A journey that remains incomplete until you’ve reached your full potential and can experienc…