"Add" itude Check

OK, so today is a pretty stressful day. I am at work with piles of stuff around that I can't seem to get to and I am getting frustrated. My attitude is not quite where it needs to be. And I go to the doctor and get what could be some not so great news-but could be fine-we'll see in 6 weeks. Meanwhile, I am lecturing a friend on his attitude and all the while, Hello? Get the plank out of your own eye, Stephanie. My attitude has been bad today. And the worst part? How much of my bad attitude did I "add"? I am paranoid, pouty, worrying about scenarios that might not even happen, yet they are affecting my attitude. How much of my mood is because I filled my own head full of stuff that I don't need to think about? I reminded my friend, and myself in the process, that people are watching. I am a Christian, and not only is it a duty, but it is a great opportunity to show people that the love of Christ is enough to sustain me-even in the tough times. I know that when I worry, it saddens God because in essence I am saying that I don't trust Him. How guilty does that make me feel? If He were looking at me with His hands out saying, "Don't you trust me?" I would be like that cartoon dog nodding my head up and down as fast as I could with my eyes wide open... "Of course, Lord! Yes, I trust You." Buy why is it so hard to make that attitude come to the forefront when you are burried in your own thoughts? Umm...let's see...because you are burried in YOUR OWN thoughts? We can't always see His answers. And we don't always understand, but sometimes it's because we have added so many of our own ideas of how WE need to handle it, that we can't get clear direction. Meanwhile, Satan gets into our heads and begins to manipulate. Pretty soon, our families, our friends and our coworkers see a grumbling, groaning, seemingly hopeless person who is NO reflection of God and all the glories He bestowes upon us.

1 Peter 5:6-9 says, "6.Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, 7.casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you. 8.Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9.Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world."

That's not to say we won't ever naturally feel down, confused or disappointed. We ALL have problems, and we ALL suffer. But it's our attitude that shows the rest of the world if we truly trust God, or if the Devil just won. Even for the day. One bad attitude is a missed opportunity to show God's faithfulness. I am going to try and get my "add" itude in check for tomorrow!

The Pickles

OK, I need to blog so you all would know what I asked you to pray for...

Mt. Olive pickle company held a contest through the end of December for naming what they called the "Pickle Pak". The product is individually packaged pickle cups to pack in lunches. Mt. Olive came up with four characters that each had unique personalities. Each of the characters needed a name and the contest was to name the pickles. I submitted countless names but only 2 that I feel are worthy of winning. However, their website still says "thanks for playing" with no winning names appearing. I feel that if I had won, I would have heard something by now, but the door is not closed yet. The prize for each winning name is $7,500. As you all know, I am not a greedy person at all. However, my debt mountain would look so much more attractive with...let's say....a few thousand dollars chunked off the top. The website is picklepak.com if you want to see these cool new friends of mine. Again...the door is not closed yet. So, pray for the pickes. :) Hope all is well and that you all had a SMASHING great Valentine's Day. I am going to bed at 10:30...that's what I say about Valentine's Day. Blah. XOXO

HSL-Henoch Schoenlein Purpura

So that's what I've been learning about the past few days. Either Kennedy's new glasses made such a statement that they sprayed pink spots all over Cadence, or she (Cadence) has this weird disease called HSL. Its main symptoms are reddish purple spots all over her lower half, swollen joints and tummy pains. It can last a couple of weeks, or up to six. Who knows? Hopefully it will turn into a nice, painless recovery and we wont see it again. In rare cases, more problems can occur so let's just pray we stay in the majority. Poor thing looks like a speckled easter egg and is "hobbling" around like a 90-year-old lady. She's pitiful. For the record, it is not contagious. But please keep her in your prayers!!