Keeping the Peace

1 Peter 3:10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."

This verse today is a bit convicting. Unfortunately sometimes I have to try hard to keep my mouth shut about things I have a strong opinion about, especially those things where my personal experiences are the source of my knowledge. I can go for a while and keep my mouth shut, but then every once in a while it is just too much for me and I burst, so to speak. I guess I don't know that I would say my tongue is evil or that my lips were deceitful. As my dad would always ask in regards to having an opinion about someone, "Is it something you would say to his/her face?" If not, then I was dealing with an evil tongue and/or deceitful lips. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way as a kid. Now my struggle is to keep things to myself when something/someone is causing others pain or frustration and is working contrary to my own practices. What's odd is that I struggle with this opinion sharing problem in the education world more so than anywhere else. Theologically, politically, socially I can keep my opinions to myself. But when it comes to my job, that is my struggle. My prayer is that God would work on that part of my life and provide peace for me in those moments when I feel myself wanting to "burst". I have come a ways, but there are definitely still days of struggle. Ugh!

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Mercy and Compassion

Jude 22-23 Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. This is something I have struggles with, loving those who frustrate me. How can we be merciful to those who are "corrupt" without being judgmental? It is definitely not our place to judge one another, it is our place to love one another. Sometimes loving the people who are rude or cruel is the hardest part of being a Christian. My humanity would like to judge people for their behaviors and choices and lash out at them. I believe we are only able to show true mercy and compassion for others when we accept these for ourselves from Jesus and then He lives them through us. Allowing God to change our hearts in order that Jesus' mercy and compassion shine through is a journey. It's not always easy. On those difficult days, I remain quiet and ask God to love on me, so I can love on them. Yo

For Mom

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. This is a post for Mom. She is the embodiment of these words written by Paul. When I think of Mom and who God created her to be, this is it. Each of these phrases describes her perfectly. Mom learned very early on in her walk with Jesus to let Him have His way in her life. Who she is and has been to people is the testament to that. Her patience with a super naughty 2-year old, namely me, rivaled that of Job. I don't ever remember her getting angry. Quite frankly, Mom and the word angry in the same sentence is laughable. She never bragged or boasted about us (even though we know she's proud of us) because that wouldn't be showing love to her listener. Mom was never rude, she was always serving others, and she was never judgmental of anyone, no matter their past or

The Heart of Jesus

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I have had a difficult time finding a single verse today. I have been all over my Bible, reading and thinking. I'm settling on this verse, mostly because it is closely related to one of my favorite verses. I sometimes get caught up in thinking I need to do certain things to grow in my faith. These things are not inherently bad, nor are they necessarily good. Two big stumbling blocks for me are fasting and tithing. I find myself getting hooked into the religious value of them rather than the relational value. I find that spending time with God gives me a clearer picture of my own motives for wanting to do these things. I find that I usually feel the need to fast when I'm feeling poorly about my body image. I find that wanting to tithe usually comes after reading verses in the Old Testament about God blessing Israel for its offerings. Both of these are motivated by my selfishness. I am always am

Abbie Coffey

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