Keeping Your Mind On The Things Above

Heaven is not just a destination, but a mindset. Colossians 3:2 says,

“Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.”

We must not only seek Heaven, but we must also think of Heaven.

There are so many things screaming for our attention, each sounding ad though we should stop everything else and go investigate. Sometimes it feels like a scary movie, where verifying every little sound could be a matter of life and death. But, it is just something like a tree branch scraping against the window.

We’ve become necessarily aware of the many things going on around us that could potentially “get us,” but at the same time have become so fixated on what surrounds us that we are just not able to gain or keep the right perspective on them.

Finding higher ground becomes crucial because it gives us the advantage of a broader view of Joe different parts that make up the whole, and even whether something really matters.

To think Heaven is like putting on special glasses that allow us to see what we would not see otherwise. Seeing things for what they are and are not.

We need to be in a place where we see things as God sees them, instead of how people see them.

Gaining the advantage of higher ground is more about elevating our mind’s eye. When we set our minds on the things above and put things below into the right perspective.

By directing our minds on the things above our hearts become committed to seeking and striving for the things of God. Being heavenly-minded needs to be our heart’s desire.

By doing this we learn to view, understand, interpret, and respond to things below from a mind and heart fixed on things above.

We can do a lot of earthly good by being heavenly-minded.

As much as we like to think we are in control, reality quickly dismissed any possibility of that being true. In Isaiah 46:9-10 God says,

“I am God, and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done. I say: My counsel will stand, and I will do all I please.”

If we want to have and keep a heavenly perspective, we should have a good picture of heaven in mind. For example, there will one day no longer be a need for the sun or join because as Revelation 21:23 describes,

‘…The glory of God gives light, and its lamp is the lamb.”

God will make all things new, all things right. This is where we are headed, if we believe in our hearts that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. It’s both the basis for our hope and also the motivation for bringing to bear a mindset on things above.

Before The Internet

Do you remember life before the internet?

I raised my children without the internet or cell phones. They were the last generation to know what life before was all about.

Raising children without these things was a different world that it is today. There was a whole different set of rules. It was either landline phones or face to face interaction which influenced the daily life or both parent and children.

No internet or cell phones we turned to books or relying on grandparents for help.

Parents had to trust children as they played outside. As they were free to roam neighborhoods, played outside until just before dark or when the street lights came on.Television was limited to cable or broadcast channels. There were cartoons and simple shows like, “saved by the bell.” Children listened to music on “boombox’s. I remember Nintendo came into the scene.

There were no GPS trackers or find my phone apps or Life360. I had to rely on trusting my neighbors and my children. But I also had to teach them about “stranger danger.”

This allowed children more freedom to become independent. But, disciplining children for wrong actions were on display and putting a child in time out was beginning to become a thing.

My Gifts

What are you good at?

I thrive in environments where I can work alone. I am good at writing, researching, I always dive deeper to learn the things no one takes the time to.

I am also a good listener, I tend to pick up on things no one else does. I am observant.

Testing From God

There’s a reason the Israelites went around the same mountain for almost 40 years. It’s the same reason many of us are stuck in repetitive cycles and battles year after year. We’re failing the same test with no idea why.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says,

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith -mote precious than gold that perished though it is tested by fire -may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Tests expose what is in us and where trust truly lies. They aren’t meant to harm ud, but to sanctify us so that we will become more like Jesus.

Even after we put our faith in Jesus there is still a lot of work to be done. Thankfully, God is gracious and refines us little by little. He doesn’t expect us to exhibit all the fruits of the Spirit immediately. He knows that it takes time. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula.

The primary way God helps us grow in love, patience, kindness, etc… is by placing us in situations that require us to develop and exercise those characteristics.

“It’s the people that frustrate us that God will use to grow us. We won’t learn how to love well if we only love lovable people.”

I seem to find myself in situations that are weirdly similar to previous ones. A sign that we are failing the same test if found in the same pattern we see in life.

If we’re not learning the lesson, God is trying to teach us. He allows us to re-take the test. If we don’t pass the first time, we will have another chance, and another, and another until we do. God doesn’t do this to punish us. He trying to reveal our weaknesses and dibs so that we seek Him to learn how to overcome them.

Its important to remember that we don’t pass tests from God in our own strength. We pass them by relying on God’s strength and walking in obedience to His instruction.

God tests us when we are in a trying or difficult situation, and that gives us the opportunity to put into practice what God has been teaching us.

I think that God wants to develop joy or peace in stressful, overwhelming situations. Because we will never know biblical peace and joy in our lives if it’s always “perfect.” Happiness can be based on what happening around us. But biblical joy and peace can exist regardless of our circumstances because it’s rooted in Jesus and a godly perspective.

Through the years God has helped me grow in biblical peace that has allowed me to endure stressful situations. When I have anxiety it’s my evidence that my faith is in my situation -not in God. I could worry about all the “what ifs” or focus on God and pray. He has helped me through every trial before so, why do I doubt Him now. He has always made a way.

“Count it all joy, my brother (and sisters) when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” -James 1:2-4

When God places us in difficult situations we mustn’t run back to old habits and mindsets, but run to God for guidance. Any characteristics we possess that aren’t Christlike we should be working to remove them.

So, don’t be surprised if you find yourself being tested on the same characteristics over and over until you pass the test. We won’t reach perfection on this side of heaven. There will always be more to learn and develop.

The best way to pass Spiritual tests is to trust God and be obedient to His Word. Which isn’t always easy. I find myself asking God “What are you trying to teach me through this trial?” God gives us the resources and wisdom we need to pass the tests if we ask Him. But, it’s up to us to apply what we’ve learned and received from God.

We can pass these tests. Remaining stuck in toxic cycles, bound by sin, and defeated are not our portion in Christ Jesus. We are overcomers. We are no longer slaves to sin, but set free in Christ Jesus.

Keeping Up With The Joneses

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?

Having it all means life, love, and freedom. These are attainable without chasing the Joneses it’s defining success on my terms. It means prioritizing what fulfills me over societal pressure or the need to flaunt status or wealth.

Instead of flashing fast cars or the fanciest house in the neighborhood I invest in relationships, and experiences.

Freedom means having a savings that is adjusted for what life throws at me -inflation, emergencies. I know those things are inevitable.

I curate my life around what gives me joy, not what screams “look at me.” That’s what having it all means to me.

Heeding God’s Warning

I consider myself a smart person, but sometimes I do not have common sense. In my teenage year my father would tell me I was too smart for my own good, meaning I would be so interested in big abstractions, but would completely tune out the basic stuff even to my own detriment.

Sometimes I did really dumb stuff.

My first car was a 1967 Monte Carlo -so basically a boat. It sucked down the gas. I was always running out of gas, because I always thought it would go a little further. I’m pretty sure my father, picked it out for me, because he thought if I got into a accident I would have all the metal around me to be safe, or because I would have to stay home, because I would have enough money for gas to drive it. My entire check would go toward gas for that car.

I knew I was running out of gas, but I pushed that thing as far as it would take me, or thought it should take me.

Still today I tend to ignore some rules or think it doesn’t matter, but it matters to God. When I heed God’s warnings things just turn out better. It’s important to give special attention to His guidance, instructions, and promptings, and the act accordingly,

It’s about being mindful of His voice, whether through the scriptures, the Holy Spirit, or even a word of knowledge by trusted people and responding with a willingness to align our life with God’s will.

God’s warnings are often given for our protection and guidance, helping us avoid harmful choices and negative consequences. It’s not simply about avoiding punishment, it’s about experiencing blessings and fulfillment that come along from living in accordance with God’s will.

My pastor always says, “If God tells you to turn right and you turn left you may find yourself into danger.

Noah’s obedience to God’s warnings about the flood, Lot’s initial hesitation to leave Sodom, and Jesus’s frequent warnings to His followers are all examples of the importance of heeding God’s warnings.

We need to stay sensitive to the guidance of God in our daily lives. It involves making difficult choices, relinquishing plans or changing direction in order to align with God’s will.

God’s desires for His people to live in righteousness and avoid judgment.

Proverbs 1:33 offers a promise to those who need God’s warnings.

“But, whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”

This calls to vigilance and obedience remains relevant today. Urging Jesus’s followers to live in accordance with God’s will and remain steadfast in faith.

Without Hope

We don’t talk about hope when all is going well. When things are going along smoothly, there is no reason to. There is no expectation that things will take a nose dive. But eventually, they will.

I’m not trying to be fatalistic. It’s simply a fact. We live in a fallen world. as a result, at one time or another, our circumstances will stink.

That’s when we talk about hope. That’s when it counts. When things are not going well. Because we are hoping for something better, for a turn around. For things to improve.

People don’t look for hope when life is good. People look for hope when life stinks. That’s when it counts.

For those of us who put our faith in Jesus, we don’t have a “get out of jail free card“ when life hands us a crummy situation. Just because we are God’s children doesn’t mean we are immune from the tough stuff.

We have kids who struggle in school, who are intent on learning the hard way. We have disappointments. We get unwanted diagnoses. We experience tragic loss.

The difference is, we have hope. It’s not a hope that God will wave a magic wand and make the tough stuff disappear. That’s the earthly hope. A part of us certainly wants that, and we often pray that God will fix everything like new or mostly like new.

Biblical hope is different. It doesn’t focus on removing difficult circumstances. Biblical call hope is looking forward to a confident expectation. There is no confidence in earthly hope.

In those days when we were living apart from Jesus, we were excluded from citizenship, and we did not have the covenant promises of God made. We lived in the world -without hope and without hope.

In Ephesians 2:12, Paul wrote to the Gentile Christians. He explained that before they knew Christ Jesus, they were without hope. They did not know God. And since they did not know God, they had no deliverer. It is the same for unbeliever today. Paul told the Gentiles this,

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” –Ephesians 2:10

From the very beginning, God had a plan for them and us. He created us for a specific purpose, to do good things you planned for us to do. This is our hope.

For those who do not know, Jesus, it is tragic when they lose loved ones. It’s painful for believers too. But we have hope in the future. None of us are happy when a loved one is facing death. But we have to have confident expectation that we will see them again.

I may not be able to tell you what happened to believers who have died in the past. But if we believe in Christ Jesus we will not grieve like people who have no hope.

Since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with them the believers who have died. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 tells us,

“Concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), so that you don’t worry like the rest and have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died in was again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

The human body can survive without food for 1 to 2 weeks depending on one’s health, hydration, body fat reserves. we can survive with without water about 3 to 4 days. And only 1 day without hope. While hope is not a physical necessity, like water or food, it is critical for mental and emotional survival. Without hope, people succumb to despair, which can lead to loss of life, especially in extreme circumstances.

The purpose of hope is to sustain us through unimaginable hardship.

While physical needs are essential, mental resilience -driven by hope is equal revival for survival. It’s less about literal timelines and more about the power of mindset.

Talking To Family

Who would you like to talk to soon?

I would like to talk to my niece. I haven’t spoken to her in years only became my family is I think weird. We are family but we don’t act like family. She moved away and unless she needs something we prefers to stay in her own bubble of life.

We used to be really close, but she has gotten on with her life and don’t want her family in it. Which is her choice of course. But I miss her and our talks.

A Judgmental Culture

Being Judgmental seems to be second nature to many of us, and these days it seems like through greater the judginess, the bigger the external reward, which makes resisting the urge even harder.

The judgier the post on social media or YouTube video, the more likes it seems to get. The Judgier the content the greater the viewership.

I think judginess is leading us to a cease pool of inactivity, bullying, polarization, and pain. Judginess has oozed out of all of us despite our best intentions.

I think understanding the other person’s perspective is essential to solving problems is key. We’ve gotten to the “if you disagree with me I hate you phase.” There is no growth in that just more judging. We have to be able to distinguish between judging actions and judging people.

We need to ask ourselves “What do I really know about the person I’m judging? We all have histories and baggage. We all have various levels of reactivity, apathy, hurt, denial, anger, and hypocrisy. We are all imperfect. We can consciously choose to cut the person some slack and still influence them to change their behaviors.

We’ve all been judged. We all know how it feels to be stung by judgment. Do we really want to add the suffering and pain of someone else? Unless the person has wronged you personally, chances are you don’t let this reflection temper your judgment.

We can see the impact of judginess all around us. Fighting in the streets, bombings, shootings. All by people who have believed someone else’s words of why they judge others. It’s become a ripple effect of judgment that leads to pain.

Things I Hold Dear

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

The things I hold most dear are pictures of my ancestors in Hungary. My grandparents pictures show the struggle it took for my family to get where we’re at now.

I also cherish my father’s harmonica. He taught himself to play while at a hospital while they basically put his face back together from a war injury. He was there to get half of his face blown by a IED in war. I’m sure I will never be able to play. I still remember him playing when I was a little girl, it was the thing that made me smile and still do.

These things are irreplaceable to me.

Collectibles

Do you have any collections?

I have collected salt and pepper shakers for many years.

I began when I would see ones I thought were cute and unique. Through my travels I have picked up more and more. People now buy them as gifts.

Here a just a few of my favorite ones.

But there is more.