Posts by joaniebruce

“I Forgive You”

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 22, 2014 in Blog, General | Comments Off on “I Forgive You”

Isn’t it nice to hear those three little words? “I forgive you.”

Forgiveness has been defined as the “intentional and voluntary process by which a person experiences a change in feelings and attitude toward an offense, letting go of negative thoughts such as revenge or anger and thereby gaining the ability to wish the offender well.”

Forgiveness is an intentional decision, and I can think of three reasons why I should make a daily decision to have a forgiving spirit:

One: I am not perfect. Sometimes, I do things that hurt others and need their forgiveness. If I hold a grudge or withhold forgiveness from someone who needs it from me, it’s possible I might be treated the same way. The Bible says we can’t be forgiven by God if we aren’t willing to forgive. (“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15)

Two: God forgives us of ALL our sins. He hates sin, and yet He’s willing to wipe out our complete “sin history.” All we have to do is ask. Why can’t I show that much love to others and forgive them when God is so gracious to forgive me? (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:9)   

Three: It’s been proven that an unforgiving spirit breeds bitterness in our hearts, and bitterness in turn affects everything in our own lives … our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes … even our health. The acid of bitterness corrodes the vessel that holds it.  (“Follow peace with all men … lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Heb. 12:14-15)

Am I willing to embrace the spirit of forgiveness? Every day? I should be. What about you? Is there someone you need to extend a hand of forgiveness to today?

Can you think of other ways how a forgiving spirit affects our lives in a positive way?

Unexpected Kindness

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 14, 2014 in Blog, General | 2 comments

The other day, Ben and I stopped by Dairy Queen (my favorite place) and placed an order for two small blizzards. When we pulled up to the window the cashier informed us that the lady ahead of us had already paid for our order.

We just looked at each other with our mouths open. Ben turned to the worker and asked, “Why?” She said she didn’t know except the man in front of that woman had paid for her ice cream, so she wanted to return the favor. 🙂  So……guess what we did? Yep, you got it! We paid the money for the order of the car in back of us. How much fun was that to watch the faces of the family behind us when they realized they were getting their ice cream for free! It made me wonder if the lady in front of us had watched us in her rear view mirror. Lol

One good deed can start an avalanche of kindness. 🙂 What about you? Have you done something nice for someone today???

God Loves Frogs Too!

Posted by joaniebruce on Oct 4, 2014 in Blog, General | 2 comments

Every year, around Mother’s Day, my children buy me four ferns to hang between the posts on my front porch. This year, not long after I hung my ferns on the porch, I was petrified to see two little bulging eyes staring back at me from the bottom overflow section of my hanging pots. Tree frogs!

When I first pulled back the fern fronds and saw those eyes, I was terrified until I realized they weren’t monsters living in the bottom of my pots, just harmless little tree frogs. But now, watering my ferns became a problem. I was afraid I would drown them by filling the overflow pot with water, or I would run them out of their “homes” and divide their little family. They also have a tendency to “sing” incessantly at night, and their noisy croaking was NOT one of my favorite songs. To me, the tiny, harmless little beasts had become pests … or so I thought.

One day soon after I discovered the frogs, I found little pieces of chewed up leaves all over the cement under each fern, and tiny grasshoppers were eating my ferns for breakfast. Now I had another dilemma. If I sprayed the grasshoppers with insecticide, it would kill all of the beneficial insects like the praying mantis who eat mosquitoes and flies, and, I wasn’t sure what it would do to the tree frogs living in the ferns. I swept up the dead pieces of fern and fretted over what to do. Then … the next morning when I went outside, dreading what I would find, I was pleasantly surprised. There were no more dead leaves on the cement. The frogs took care of the problem for me by eating up the grasshoppers.

That life-lesson made me think. I’ve seen people shun or ignore others because they make them uncomfortable, or because their good qualities are not immediately apparent? We are ALL God’s workmanship, and He created each one of us unique, and for a reason. Just like the frogs have a purpose here on earth, God gave each of us a perfect purpose too. I want to strive to honor, serve, and love others just because God loves them and created them for His glory.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Stuck on the Interstate at a dead stop!

Posted by joaniebruce on Sep 27, 2014 in General | 2 comments

Yesterday, I was on my way to a drawing class when I got stuck in traffic on the interstate. What a pain! I almost panicked! We sat still in total gridlock for fifteen minutes, and all the time my head was chanting:

I have to get going.

I can’t be late!

I am the teacher,

for goodness sake!

 Don’t laugh! I’m sure you’ve all been there … impeded in traffic because of a wreck up ahead or because of what seems like never ending road construction. Sometimes, I think a delay is the end of the world, and I wonder why the Lord lets this happen—He knows I’m in a hurry.

And then … AND THEN … I remembered something I said just before leaving the house. I think my exact words were, “Lord, please protect me as I travel.”

Suddenly, while I sat there beating an impatient hand on the steering wheel … it hit me … The Lord might be protecting me while I’m here “resting” in the middle of the road. If I had been fifteen minutes further along on my journey, I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and might have been involved in an accident. So…..instead of moaning because the Lord was making me late for my class, I decided to thank Him; for saving me from possible disaster, for protecting me from harm, and for answering my prayer. And you know what? I was five minutes late for my class, but my heart was full … because no matter how impatient I feel, facing those irritating situations that God allows into my life, He still knows what’s best for me, and He’s looking out for me.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thess 5:18

“The Warrior’s Bride” Book Review

Posted by joaniebruce on Sep 22, 2014 in General | 2 comments

Wow! This book is fantastic. It’s a wonderful treasure of information for married women…military and civilian. Even though the authors promote this book as encouragement for military spouses, all of the principles and guidance found here are applicable for any married woman. It covers subjects all the way from handling the fear of your husband’s death to dealing with a husband whose job requires him to be away from home and the family for long, extended periods of time. It encourages every woman to realize that God forgives us in spite of our faults and is standing on the sidelines begging us to come to Him for reinforcement and wisdom. It also urges the struggling woman to turn to God for love and wisdom in dealing with all circumstances of life.

What I loved: I loved reading the personal testimonies revealed by both Carrie Daws and Kathy Barnett. They used their personal struggles to help illustrate their tidbits of advice and encouragement for the military spouse, and these personal touches are what make the book so genuine and tender.

What I didn’t like: Nothing. This book has a wealth of information, and anyone would be able to find encouragement and assistance within its pages.

I loved this book. I cried when I read about the strong emotional clashes the authors endured, and I laughed at their personal glimpses of life in their worlds as military wives and mothers. But personally, I came away with an enthusiastic decision to have a more positive attitude toward all things in life. If I could give this book six stars, I would. But I give it five stars…..and firmly believe, it’s worth every star!