THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

By Vernalee

This remake of an old song certainly hits home. We are blessed when we have friends, and truly blessed when we have genuine sincere friends. Lest not forget that we have to be a friend. I'm thankful that I have people whose shoulders will bear the weight of my leaning; whose ears hear my words even if they are voiced trembling; whose hands that if necessary will wipe my shedding tear away that I try to hide. Let me add the icing on the cake. I am blessed to have a praying friend who will bend that knee with me and take it to The Lord in prayer. Now …that's the type of friend that some dream about, the friend that I am grateful to have in my life! A friend in need is a friend indeed.

WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND? WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND?

By Vernalee

The phrase "on your mind" refers to what's presently on your mind, while "in your mind" is something that has been there for some time. So - In your mind means what you think; it means in your head, in your view. Recently, I heard Dr. Charles Stanley in one of his heartwarming sermons speak of conflict with people who are ”in our mind;” some who have been there for a while. They may have mistreated us or spoken to us with cruelty. They also may have injured our spirit years ago, but the memory still reside in our mind. We may have become enslaved and can’t remove it on our own, but through prayer, we can. It is necessary to get it out of our mind! It’s occupying space that could be better used for positive thinking!

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WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKPACK - EMOTIONALLY?

By Vernalee

What's in your backpack - emotionally? If it's anything like mine's, you're probably carrying around a lot. No wonder my shoulder aches from the weight! Sometimes, we don't realize how much is in that sack because it's so neatly packed. But my, oh my, try emptying it. You may be carrying your stuff and that of others. Ouch! Anxiety, worry, frustrations … are contained inside. Don't fret. Your bag also contains joy, happiness, accomplishments … too. We just have to stay on guard and emotionally work hard to make sure that we regularly clean out and unpack our backpack by removing and letting go of stuff that should be released. If we don't, that cute little backpack becomes too heavy to carry. Balance is so critical to our emotional health and viability. We have all been there with those heavy weighted burdens. Having them may be a way of life, removing them is our responsibility, even if the task is hard!. Sometimes, stuff and people have to go! Their removal may be extremely hard (no one said that it was easy), but the load will be lighter!

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