The Kitchen Table: Yesterdays......

Hello my dear sisters!!!

Yes, it has been awhile since our last post. In fact it was June 16, 2011, which is exactly 7 months to date. Wow, such a long time and in those 7 months a lot has happened in my life. Mostly all for the good, but the adjustment of it all was not as easy as I had hoped. But the really good news is that I have a lot to share and many encouraging words from my 7 month hiatus! And it gets even better because some of the other sisters are back writing for the table too!

My goal is to post every Monday and have special blogs here and there from the sisters of The Kitchen Table. Please keep me in prayer to be faithful.
We are 16 days into a New Year and many of us are still going strong with our resolutions and goals we set for ourselves. Some might be petering out a bit, because human nature has a tendency to bit off more than it can chew, and so keeping up is becoming more than a notion. But today I want to encourage you to move forward taking with you all that is good and helpful from your yesterdays.

I have one goal for 2012, and that is…”It’s all about ME!” No, not the self-indulgent, selfish, all about me and no one else—that would not be good. But the “Me” where I no longer neglect myself. The “Me” who God sees as worthy to be in this world and in the Book of Life. I have too many yesterdays of not caring for that person. I have too many yesterdays of leaving her on the back burner to simmer until she is like a dry pan that has run out of liquid. What about you? Anyone else see such a pattern in their lives?

Taking care of oneself entails a conscience effort, especially if you have a husband, work, children or care for an elderly or sick family member. It is somewhat easier for single women who don’t have children or their children are grown. But even they can fall into a rut of not taking care of themselves as they should.

We have a physical body that needs daily care and a quick shower is not always enough. We need to watch what we eat and how much we eat. We need some type of daily exercise, if nothing more than walking up and down the stairs more and dancing to a couple of records. Our mental health is also a very important part of our being. We need others in our lives who encourage and lift us up during the hard times. But most of all, we cannot afford to neglect our spiritual life, because no matter how much we take care of the other things, if our spiritual life is tattered we will have troubles. We just can’t make it without Jesus and God’s precious Word!!

The yesterdays of our lives are usually bitter sweet, but packed with lessons for our today and each tomorrow we are granted. But often we have to make decisions about our yesterdays and how we are going to let them affect our lives. It is important to know where to put the “periods” and when to start a new chapter.

One thing that helps us to be complete and whole in God is letting go of the bad in our “Yesterdays” and the “Forgiveness” of those who caused pain. A couple of months ago I posted something on Facebook in my status about forgiveness, truth is I don’t remember what it said, but I do remember the comment my friend Carmen wrote, “We must also learn to forgive ourselves!” Bam!!! If ever there was a true statement, this is it! Some of us have not learned to forgive ourselves and let go of those yesterdays when we messed up.

Losing a few pounds, buying new cloths and getting our makeup done is fun and really does help boost morale, but it can’t heal the pain of unforgiveness or the sadness of living in the past of our yesterdays.

My dear sisters, my prayer for all of you, is that somewhere in your New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2012 there is the goal of forgiveness of others and oneself. If we say we walk in the Love of God than we must forgive as He has forgiven us. And yes, it is hard work to forgive and allow God to cut out the deep wounds that life has given but it is not impossible. And sometimes the forgiveness of ourselves can be the hardest work of all—but it is all good because we have the love and strength of our Lord to carry us through.

So, let your “Yesterdays” hold only the good things that make you smile and the lessons (hard or easy) that have helped shaped you to be more like Christ.