How About a Drink

Have you ever been outside on a really hot day? You would give just about anything for something to drink, wouldn't you?

Even though any kind of drink is appreciated, nothing will quell that incredible thirst the way a tall, ice cold glass of water will. When you are that thirsty, Mt. Dew, Gatorade, or anything else only offer a temporary solution. Before long, you are thirsty again.

Life is a lot like that glass of water.

Too often, we travel through this life looking for something, searching for something, needing something. Every single one of us go through this desire.

Most of the time, we don't realize we are even doing it.

Some people fill this void with drinking, drugs, food, abuse, material possessions, fame, or power. The Samaritan Woman at the well chose to fill her void with sex and attention from any man that made her feel special for more than 5 minutes.

Her life was changed forever when Jesus went out of His way to cross her path. He filled that part in her heart and soul that she didn't even realize she was missing.

How amazing is it to know that someone is out there looking for you, wanting to help you, offering you the greatest gift you can imagine. Someone who thinks you are worth dying for.

Jesus has that thing that you've been hopelessly searching for. He is the only one who can offer you something that will satisfy your soul. Best of all - it's FREE!

Salvation will change your life, if only you will allow it too.

{If you are new here, feel free to connect with your inner Bad Girl. None of us are perfect, we are just forgiven!}

And it All Turns to Salt

In this week's chapter of Bad Girl's of the Bible, we read about Lot's wife.

Here is another well known Bible character who is not even given a name. I have a couple thoughts about that lack of information.

How many times are you referred to as so & so's wife or Billy Joe's mom or Big Daddy's daughter? A lot of times we lose ourselves in the shadows of other people. We feel insignificant. We wonder if we are even important.

That's one theory, but dear Bad Girl, God knows your name even when others forget. God loves you through your faults and failures.

The real reason I believe God chose not to tell us any more information about some very notorious people throughout history was so we could identify with them that much more. Think about it, these no name individuals could actually be any one of us.

How many times have we looked around us & thought everything was perfect? How many pretty knick knacks bring a smile to our faces? How often do we find ourselves immersed for hours in the latest gadget? How far in debt do we continually fall just so we can keep up with that proverbial Jones family?

Now, how often, when we start bragging about how fabulous we are & what shiny goodies we have, do we take all the credit? Look what I did. Look what I have. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.

Even though we are blessed with more than we deserve, how often do we give credit where credit is due?

Lot's wife forgot about good & evil, right & wrong. She was more concerned with the here & now. When she thought everything she held dear to her was being threatened, she didn't look to God for guidance. The only thing she could think about was saving her precious existence. She wanted her home, her things. I'm sure she was concerned for her family & friends, but she was much more worried about herself to see the lasting consequences.

Have we ever fallen into this trap?

We need to get up earlier in order to make it to work a few minutes sooner. We need to work later because we need those overtime hours to pay for that thingy we bought last week. We have to swing by a drive through because we worked too late to cook supper. We need to stay up later to do one more load of laundry. Oh yeah, we have to get up earlier the next morning to try to finish that project for work that we didn't have time to do last night.

Oops, we meant to study our bible . Oops, we meant to check the kids homework. Oops, we meant to call that friend who has been sick. Oops, we meant to kiss our husband goodbye before he left. Oops, we meant to let our family know we love them. OOPS! Maybe there will be time later.

Unfortunately, later never came for Lot's wife.

Take time for what really matters. Tell your loved ones what they mean to you. Quit holding onto the material things that won't matter when life is over. Don't look back with longing in your heart at the sins of the past. Give God glory for the miracles in your life.

Don't let your life turn to salt before your very eyes.

A Little More Lovin ~ Bad Girls of the Bible

We all love to be complemented, right?

We all love to be told we look nice, right?

We all love to be desired by someone, right?

There's nothing wrong with that.......or is there?

How far are you willing to go to get that compliment?

How much are you willing to lose just to have others tell you how beautiful you are?

How much are you willing to sacrifice to feel desired?

Is our need to be desired more important than all the things we used to hold dear?

Potiphar was a man who seemingly had it all. He had a prestigious job in the palace guard. He probably lived in luxury. He more than likely had many friends. And his wife was beautiful, I'm sure. 

Potiphar's wife was a woman that many others envied. She had an important husband. She probably had every "modern" convenience available. And she had the attention of almost everyone.

Everyone except the one person she sought after the most.

Genesis 39 doesn't tell us the whole triangle of Potiphar, his wife, & Joseph, but if we can use our imagination for just a few minutes, we can see the bigger picture & the underlying problems.

I believe that Potiphar had become so important in his job that somewhere along the line, he forgot to keep his wife close to his heart. In turn, Potiphar's wife felt neglected. She had everything she could ask for, except her husband.

How many times have we been there?

Potiphar's wife started seeking attention from every possible source in an effort to repair that missing piece of her heart. But when her efforts didn't turn out the results she was looking for, she sought to destroy everyone around her.

Have any of us tried to substitute other things or people for what we were really needing?

Think about Potiphar's wife before you put on that outfit, fluff your hair a few extra times, reapply your lipstick, or bathe in that intoxicating scent all because you know there is a chance that a certain someone might see you. Especially a certain someone who is completely off limits.

Are you interested in learning more about this strange little love triangle? Come join us as we study the Bad Girls of the Bible over at Christian Momma and find out more.

The Original Bad Girl

Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Do you ever think that everyone is watching your every move? Do you ever think "Why me"? Do you ever wish you could change the past?

You are not alone.

I can't see the past & I can't predict the future, but I understand a lot of things. No matter the make, model, or year, people are still people. We all feel pain. We all feel fear. We all feel disappointment. We all make mistakes that can haunt us for much longer than they should. We all hold grudges when we should just let things go.

You know how bad you feel after you have just made, what seems at the time, the biggest mistake of all time. You spend hours, days, sometimes even years, dwelling on those few moments of utter stupidity. You spend time, energy, even money trying to fix things or change the past. You cry, scream, beg, & cry some more trying to fugue things out.

Of course, we are all over reacting.

That moment where it seemed our world stopped turning, somehow, didn't stop everyone else's world from turning.

But what if it did affect everyone else? How would we react then? What if that bad judgement call changed the world as we know it?

One colossal blunder rocked Eve's world. One slip altered her very existence. One single decision changed the future for every single person.

How would you like to deal with that for the rest of your life?

Compared to her, our sins don't seem so serious.

Eve was the original bad girl. She had everything she could possibly ask for - a handsome husband, a beautiful home, the best food to eat. She lived in paradise. But somehow, she wasn't happy. For some reason, she wanted more.

Isn't that the way we all are? Even when we have more than we need, even when we have more than we could ask for, we are never truly satisfied.

I've heard it my whole life..."If only Eve hadn't eaten that apple." "If only Eve had said no." "If only Eve walked away."

We are so quick to judge other people because we KNOW that we would behave differently.

I hate to break it to you, but you have no idea how you would react in a certain situation until you have to face it.

Don't just assume the worst because someone has a less than stellar moment. Don't throw stones when someone handles things in a different way than you would.

Most importantly, don't forget we are all "BAD" at one time or another.

We will be studying the Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs over at La Toya Edwards' blog for the next few weeks. I hope you can join us. Maybe you will discover your inner "Bad Girl" & learn from her mistakes.

How Bad Are You?

All of us have a past. Most of us have more than our fair share that we are ashamed of. Some of us have made smart decisions most of our lives. None of us are perfect.

I love reading stories (whether from the Bible or where ever) about strong women with good morals, but I identify more with the prodigal daughter. Yes, I realize that in God's word, it is the prodigal son, but in all actuality, so many of us are prodigals in our own way.

I am excited about the Bad Girls of the Bible book club starting tomorrow over at La Toya Edwards' blog Christian Momma.

I hope that you can find time to join in this study either on her blog or over at her Facebook page. You might learn something about yourself that you never knew before.