Happy Monday!

At this writing it is beginning to sleet. I can hear it outside my window. Please be safe if you must travel in the morning. Geni’s school has already been canceled. Travis has to work in the morning. And Bruce, Travis and I were planning to head to San Antonio to be with Carme and Dave during his surgery on Wednesday. I am not sure of our travel plans now. Please pray for all who must travel to work in the morning and keep them all safe.

Colossians 3: 12-13 “As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

One of the final things I do each evening before going to sleep is to lay my clothing for the day out on the end of the bed for the next day. I lay out all of my clothes and dress in the dark as to not disturb Bruce. As I lay out my clothing for the next day I select items necessary and appropriate for the next day’s activities. I think about the weather, the lessons I will teach the ground beneath my feet and who might see me (such as execs form downtown that may be visiting out building). Some days are skirt days with flats. Some days are dress days with heels or boots and some days are blue jean days with crocs or tennis shoes. The point really is that I think about what I wear each day and avoid the “parade of the closet.” The parade of the closet is when you try on everything in your closet and it looks as if you closet has emptied itself onto the bed. Those days are messy, unfocused and generally cause me to not have the best of days.

Each day, we as children of God, we must put on the characteristics of God. We must put on love, mercy, kindness, humility, meekness and longsuffering. After we have put on Christ each day then we must act as His representative in the world. The world is not always a pretty place. There are those who hurt us and hurt others. Acting as Christ would act we must find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have hurt us.

These Christ-like attributes act as clothing others will recognize as one who is a child of the King of Glory. Once we have learned to clothe ourselves in the attributes of the Father then we are able to forgive those who have offended us and are able to represent Him in a messy world.

Take joy in the journey. Be careful in the morning. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us keep one another in prayer each day remembering that everyone is fighting some kind of battle. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.