Influence

Influence Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass September 24, 2012

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling. –Psalm 43:3 The beach has been such a part of my life since I was a child. It made sense that I would share my love of the beach with my own children. They were influenced by me and both of our children love everything to do with the beach today. I enjoy seeing parents taking their children to the beach for the first time or out on the pier with their first rod and reel. Little children want to emulate their parents. We don’t have to tell them what to do as much as we must show them by our actions and live a life that would make them want to follow. When our actions and words surround them, that is called “influence”. We each have the power to influence anyone. It is a mighty thing to know that something we can say or do could shape another person’s life, choices and decisions. Using our influence in a subtle way is far better than actually telling someone what to do. To be told what to do can often be received as unsolicited advice, unappreciated wisdom, and just plain interference. To have success in this area, we must realize that our actions carry more weight than our words. How are we using our influence in our everyday life? Who do we look up to? Who looks up to us? Everything that we say and do reflects our character which reflects our relationship with God. If we are using the gift of influence to guide others, we must pray that it is God’s Light and His Truth leading us to lead others.

Today

 

Today

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

–Psalm 118:24 NIV

 

More than once, I have found myself leaning against a sand fence and thoughtfully staring at the ocean into the distance. I wonder if there was someone on the other side staring back at me with a heart full of hopes and dreams, too! It is a great past time to wonder what lies beyond what our natural eye can see.  At times I wish I could see supernaturally for what is coming next week, next month or next year. But, God knows best when He limits our vision to the “here and now”. When I was a child, my friends and I wished our life away, as though we were in an anxious race to mark time quickly, so we can become adults. Only to become adults, and long for the carefree days of our youth again! How foolish we were!

 

The Bible teaches us to not worry or have fear about His Provision. We aren’t to worry about tomorrow, just live in today. Worry can’t accomplish anything. In fact, worry is actually a sin. It cancels out our prayers.   We are to trust God for His blessings and favor.  It is a blessing to just being able to live and enjoy each day in contentment without fear or anxiety. He provides for us in all ways, each day. God brought this message to me another way this week. As I was going about the house, I was humming a hymn. Finally I paid attention to the song He put in my heart. It was “Great Is Thy Faitfulness”. The refrain says it all:

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Beachcombing

BeachcombingReflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
September 13, 2012

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. -Psalm 16:11 NIV A beachcomber, according to the dictionary is defined this way, ”a drifter or loafer usually by the seacoast”. Is that all it says? They left out the part about having fun, getting exercise and clearing the mind. I am not too crazy about being described as a “drifter or loafer”, but if that is what you call strolling along the shoreline in search of washed up treasures, then I’ll take it! Filling my pockets with shells in all shapes, colors and sizes is heaven on earth to me. Maybe there is a little “drifter” in you, too. Slowing the pace and enjoying a walk on the beach is a precious gift we can give ourselves. I am not sure what draws people to the beach. Maybe it is the ever-changing grandness of it. The ocean looks different everyday. The way the sunlight reflects off of the water and waves that curl and roll in to shore is mesmerizing. And maybe yesterday’s footprints have been worn away by a strong ocean breeze so the sand looks untouched and new. To me, the best part of beachcombing is to arise early and be the first one on the beach in the morning to be a part of the day as it unfolds. God wants to be part of our day. And, He wants to be first in the order of things we have on our schedules. Before the demands of the day can multiply, I can honestly say that making God first is the best way to meet the day head on. Finding that special time and place to rest in His Presence may take some effort. Especially, if the TV is blaring, children and pets have to be fed and the phone starts ringing. It may take a juggling act to find that time with God but it is worth it. Plugging in to God’s Word, His Peace and Protection will start the day right. It is a discipline at first, but once God’s Presence is truly heartfelt in those special moments with Him, you may find yourself waking up a little earlier just to spend more cherished time together with God.

Being Guided
Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass

September 05, 2012

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—Proverbs 1:5 NIV The Outer Banks offers so much to do and many times, tourists aren’t sure which way to turn. Fortunately the “locals” are a wealth of information and are always willing to share to make the vacationers visit special. When we travel we always ask where the “locals” dine and for directions to those special places that are off the beaten path. We will take any advice that we can get from anyone “in the know”. Being guided by people who know more than we do is a blessing. We would never set out in a boat without charts, or hike without a compass or travel somewhere without a map to guide us. That’s why it is important to seek information, wisdom and knowledge which give us the tools to stay the course on our journey.  Spiritual guidance is a blessing, too. When we allow ourselves to be guided by God, it is amazing the places He will take us. Sometimes we think we know all we need to know and on our own will we set out to do things, move, change jobs, make things happen. Many times it will work out and sometimes it won’t. But I can tell you from experience, when we surrender our will to God and allow Him free rein in our life, mighty things happen. Part of surrendering is to let go of worry and fret too. It is counterproductive to “give it all to God” and then take it back again with anxious thoughts.  I know too that with each new day we have to make the decision about what will guide our lives or will we allow ourselves to be guided. Make no mistake, there will be days, weeks, maybe months when absolutely nothing happens. I know because that has happened to me and I think God is off on assignment tending to other people and just hasn’t gotten to me and my life just yet. But that isn’t true even though it feels like it at times. Keeping faith strong in these quiet times when we aren’t hearing anything is vital. In our “I want it now” world, it is easy to get impatient with God’s Timing. But this I know. When we think nothing is happening, God is actually lining up things behind the scenes for us. And then one day, the blessings pour down on us and we are flooded with opportunity, blessings and more. The phone will ring and the news is what we have been waiting for. We may have a divine appointment to meet that “right” person of influence that will help us to make our dreams a reality. He guides us in many ways. But what is important is to stay with God during the drought. He has not forgotten us or forsaken us. We haven’t done anything wrong. The drought builds our faith and when God is ready, He guides us higher. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14 NIV

Higher Ground Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Glass August 29, 2012

Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. -Proverbs 2:11 NLT Walking the beach not so long ago I was with my family and we set out to search for sandollars. They are my favorite. Everyone was at the waters edge looking for the one that was riding the tide of seafoam before settling onto the wet sand. There would be one, two and three. Then, more. As more sandollars were found, we began to attract a crowd. I decided to leave the shallows for higher ground. To my surprise, I collected just as many as everyone else, but mine were dry and white as they sat on top of the hard sand. They had been there for days and had gone unnoticed to my delight!  This week I was been given many choices to either take the higher ground in my actions or wade ankle deep in the muck. It is a choice to not enter into discussions that you know are going to end in disagreement. It is a choice to walk away from a person that is argumentative or negative. It is a choice to guard our thoughts when it would be so much easier to gossip or mock someone. Yes, I think God puts us to the test sometimes to remind us that He is always watching us and He knows our heart. We either pass or fail this test. And if we fail, it means we must do better and that if we are truly living in God and He in us, we can make only one choice…to always take the high road…to walk the higher ground with Him. A friend told me this week that our mouth acts as a rudder. The rudder is what steers the direction of a boat. It is very small but very powerful. I thought that was such an accurate statement. There is a saying, “The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live”. So it is up to us which road we take. Temptations will chase us down to pull us back in to the old strongholds like the speed of a rushing tide. But it is the choice that we make in that split moment about how to conduct ourselves and what path we choose to walk that steers our path. God will always meet us on the higher ground.

Great Egret

Great Egret Reflections by the Sea ©  Betsy Glass August 19, 2012

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. -1 Peter 2:17 NIV The Great Egret is the largest of the white, wading birds found in this area in the wetlands. Moving about on their long black legs gives them the appearance of doing everything in slow motion. Their pointed bills are yellow and that is what they use to spear small fish, which is a main part of their diet. The Great Egret can either nest in trees or in low shrubs where they live in colonies of up to 100 birds. The word egret is French and it means “ornamental tufts of plumes”. When the Great Egret is in breeding season they will grow a plume. It was the plume that hunters sought after that nearly put the Great Egret into extinction in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Fortunately, they are now protected and can be seen enjoying the Outer Banks in large numbers. When I see a Great Egret, there are certain words that come to mind like graceful, elegant, polite and poised. They behave as though they have impeccable manners to go with their majestic appearance! The Great Egret is in complete contrast to the noisy gull that shows his greed without remorse. I prefer the elegance of the Great Egret! Is our behavior more like the Great Egret or the noisy Gull? How would the people we live and work with describe us? Should we be afraid of the answer! The formality that our grandparents once lived by that promoted respect, kindness, manners and courtesy seems to be fading away in favor of an unrestricted casualness. Gone are the Sunday hats and gloves our grandmothers wore to church. And that may be a welcomed change for some. But more importantly, also gone are some of the basic values we once lived by of being polite, putting others first and showing respect. Is the way we behave and the way we treat others something that would please God? The lady at the grocery checkout counter would appreciate a kind word. So would all of the many people that we come in contact with each day, but don’t think to speak kindly to….if we speak at all! Sometimes there is a tendency to be less than courteous to someone we know we may never see again. God says that everyone deserves our respect, whether it is earned or not. Our actions say a lot about our character. Our children and grandchildren are learning from our example and they will follow our lead. One smile, one random act of kindness, a show of respect can make someone’s day. It can make our day, too.

The Sky's the Limit

The Sky's the Limit Reflections by the Sea ©  Betsy Ore Glass August 16, 2012

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. -2 Cor. 13: 11 NIV “The sky’s the limit”…..that’s a saying that has been around a long time; probably since before WWI. It was a phrase that was a symbol of optimism and progress. It is used to describe abundance; no limits as to what one can achieve or strive for and no upper boundaries. Haven’t we encouraged one another from time to time and said these very words, “The sky’s the limit”? I know I have.  The other evening at dusk when these beautiful clouds in today’s photo were forming, we had to pull our car over to the side of the road so we wouldn’t miss the moment. It was a spectacular sky. The colors were rich and they reflected over the water and cast a beautiful orange glow in the atmosphere. But in all the beauty, a storm was taking shape. The lightning was sharp and it burst from the center of the clouds in a way that it surprised us. We didn’t expect it. Sometimes the beauty of something is lost because of something bad that comes along and that is exactly what happened to us. We forgot for a moment all the glory in the sky and instead waited for the next bolt of lightening. It is just our nature sometimes to veer off into the negative when all we need is a nudge, an encouragement, a reminder to stay positive. I have come to realize that everyone needs a lift at times. So often, the rigors of coping with each day are overwhelming. Students are starting another school year with anticipation mixed with fear of new beginnings. New parents are trying to cope with so many “firsts” on precious little sleep. Families are trying to balance work schedules to maximize communication with each other. And seniors seek a life that keeps purpose and usefulness in the forefront. We are all simply doing the best we can. And how wonderful it is when someone comes along side of us and notices our efforts, or notices that the struggle is getting the best of us? All we need some days is a hug, a kind word, a telephone call, acknowledgement in a card or letter, or a bit of time for someone to listen over a cup of coffee. Often times that is all it takes to feel “normal” again. Encouragement means something different to each of us. Most often we try to encourage others the same way we wish to be encouraged and that doesn’t always work. When we rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, we will be given the right words at the right time to help when the need reveals itself divinely. Remind yourself that “the sky’s the limit” for your own hopes and dreams. If you are thinking them, it is a good chance that God has given them to you to hold on to until they manifest. And be an encourager to others. It is a gift and an honor if someone considers you an “encourager”. When given the chance, do it to give someone a much needed bit of hope for their day. We can ask God to give us eyes like His so we can see when someone needs a lift. The “sky’s the limit” to what we can do in His Name.

Pressing Through

Pressing Through

Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
August 09, 2012

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? -Roman 8:31 NIV When I was a little girl playing at the ocean’s edge during our many vacations to the Outer Banks, the big waves would knock me down and I would get back up in time for the next wave to tumble me once more. I wasn’t out far, maybe just up to my knees but the swiftness and force of the water knocked my legs out from under me each time. Many times I’d repeat this over and over until exhaustion set in and I would come ashore and rest before going back out again. Life is like that at times, one wave after another can come against us. We can hardly stand up straight before we get knocked down again with trials, problems, conflicts and demands that won’t go away. If this has happened in your life, you know that the only way to get past these times is to press through. Giving up, “washing our hands of it” or running away won’t give us the victory we seek. Pressing through means to stay with it and never give up. Find another way around the situation. Patience, persistence and determination are all we need to press through to our destiny. God is for us and He is greater than any obstacle or problem we face. Possess a “never give up” attitude. We can reach up to take hold of God’s hand and strength during these times. Having an “overcomer” mentality will keep us on the road to our destiny instead of getting sidetracked by the difficulties we stumble upon on our journey. When the waves of life rise up against us, we must rise up even higher.