About Friends and Flowers

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Last night i did something i don't normally do. I stood up two very good friends(Sorry, Buffie and Tonya). But before i comitted this horrendous act they gave me their blessings and assured me that we are still friends(Thanks, Buffie and Tonya). For at least two weeks we had been planning to take a certain Bible study together. Then, at the last minute, a new class was added to the roster. The name of the study is "When Wallflowers Dance" by Angela Thomas and it is one that i have been hoping for since i first heard of it. When i found the book a couple of months ago in a bookstore Jeremy bought it for me. Unfortunately, i have not had a chance to read it yet. With homeschooling and other commitments, finding time to read has become difficult. In fact, i am still in the fifth chapter of "The Creative Call". I believe these two studies are going to compliment each other so i am looking forward to getting into both. While "The Creative Call" is about realizing and developing your creativity, "When Wallfowers Dance" is about helping women overcome the hurt and disappointments of life to become the passionate women that God created us to be. He is the One who is inviting us to this dance. In the coming weeks i hope to share with you how God is guiding me through these studies and how i am becoming the creative, dancing woman God always intended me to be. I also anticipate hearing how Buffie and Tonya learn and grow in their Bible study. Thank God for good and faithful friends. Love you both!

Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 Chapter 4 of "The Creative Call" deals with forgiveness. I don't know how many times i thought i have forgiven those who have hurt or offended me only to have resentment rise up and smack me in the face when i least expect it. As i read through this chapter many of those past hurts have resurfaced again. One of the first things we are instructed to do in the book is to write the names of people i need to forgive and then we are to write a letter to one of those people telling him or her what they have done to discourage my dream of becoming an artist. My list really wasn' t very long-4 names to be exact. One of those names is my own. I have been stalling on writing the letter because i couldn't decide which would be most beneficial. It probably doesn't matter anyway because i would be the only person to ever see the letter but i do have a way of making things more difficult than they need to be. Finally, i decided to take the matter to God in my quiet time this morning. As i wrote my thoughts down in my journal the realization came to me that the grievances i held against these people were the same grievances i hold against myself. The hurtful things they said or did are the same as i said or did against myself. Maybe their actions were even motivated by the same emotions i feel: fear, overwhelm and uncertainty. From this perspective i do feel more compassion than resentment and with compassion comes forgiveness. While i am not all there yet, i do feel hopeful. I am also hopeful that God will take care of my overwhelming feelings as long as i take them to Him first.