Inspirational Messages By Fran Jamison

 

 

    We’ve heard the term “I gotchu” quite a bit lately.  In my prayer time this morning, this is what God told me.  The way He said it was, “I’ve made provision for that, too.”  He’s got my back. He not only has my back, but my front, top, bottom and sides, too!  Since He’s no respecter of persons, He has all of you covered, too.

 

    So often, we find ourselves trying to work things out, fix the mess we’re in, or settle disagreements on our own.  God wants us to move over and allow Him to do the work so things will work out right.  If we struggle and juggle with it too much or for too long, it might get totally messed up.

 

    Perhaps you’re in that situation today.  Make a move to just step aside . . . move over and let God have it.  This is where trust comes in.  You’re going to have to just trust that He knows how to handle it better than you do.

 

     Some of us have experienced pain and/or rejection when it comes to our love lives.  Because of this, we’ve set up walls that, in our minds, will protect us.  Actually, those walls have a tendency to hurt us because they prevent love from coming to us.  Real love doesn’t penetrate a wall.  What may happen is that the wall will turn it away.  That love will go elsewhere and you are still left . . . alone.

 

    I had built up so many walls in my own life, I felt like I was a walking Fort Knox!  Those walls added extra burdens that were totally unnecessary.  They weighed me down.  It was a long journey and not always pleasant, but the walls had to come down not only to allow real love to come into my life, but also to free me.

 

    There are many reasons for many different walls in our lives.  Make a move to take them down.  Try to see where you may be part of the problem, yourself.  The other person is not always the only one who’s “at fault” and causing friction which causes you to put up the walls.  Sometimes the greatest enemy is in “me.”  When you begin to take down the walls, real love, joy and happiness will come in to replace them and you can experience more freedom.

 

 

    Some of you may remember the little song we used to sing as a child when someone called us a name (that wasn’t our given name), “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.”  That was a lie!  The sticks and stones really could break your bones and the names will hurt.  As children, we just didn’t realize there is a hurt that goes beyond the physical.

 

    There are children in the world who are called names on a daily basis.  Often, the name-calling is not only done by other children, but also by their own family members.  Parents call their children dumb, stupid, ignorant, etc.  Some teachers do this, too.  We must begin to realize these names go deep and although the child may not show outward signs of any stress or problem resulting from the name-calling, inside there are emotional scars that may take years to remove but the person is still bruised and damaged.

 

    The affects of name-calling don’t only apply to children.  There are many women (and men) all over the country who are being verbally and emotionally abused.  The abuse may come from a spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, employer, rivals in the workplace, etc. This, too, causes emotional wounds that need to be healed.

 

    Why not make a move today to stop the madness??!!   Names can actually shape and mold a person to become what they are being called.  Don’t add to the problem. If you know someone who has been abused in this manner, try to help bring the good out in them so they are able to see the greater possibilities.  Try to show them that God has more for them than what they have seen in the past.  The Bible says that when we see someone who is down (for whatever reason), we are to at least attempt to restore them.  If you can’t do it, help them find someone who can.

 

 

    We were not designed to have mountain-top experiences every day.  It’s just not in the plan.  If that were the case, there would be no need for any of us to learn, grow or improve.  It may sound like a wonderful life to be up there all the time, but I doubt it would be.  I believe that one day it would come crumbling down and you wouldn’t know what to do.  Having had a few valley experiences might help you out in such a situation.

 

    Valley experiences come to teach us and help mold us.  It’s as if we have to be put back on the potter’s wheel to have some edges smoothed out and/or add some fancy scrollwork to our design.  Whatever the case, trust that there IS a reason.  Sometimes, they come to humble us.  Other times, maybe to show us a better way.  They don’t last forever and they can lead to greater things in our lives, better opportunities to even help in doing God’s work.

 

    If you’re going through a valley experience today, rest and trust the process.  Know that God WILL bring you out.  Learn to be content in this state.  That is probably not going to be very easy because, by our nature, we want to control situations.   Make a move to listen for God’s voice while you’re there.  Usually, it’s easier to hear Him when you’re in the valley once you release all the worry to Him.  Know that He’ll never steer you wrong.  Be blessed.

 

 

    All of us need to do these things on a regular basis.  If we don’t, we may run into various problems on many levels.  It can be dangerous not to do so.

 

    As I was led to this topic this morning, the Holy Spirit reminded me of exactly how this habit started with me.  When we were very young, my mother would take my sister, Mona, and me on little trips to beaches along the northeast shores.  It gave us an opportunity to get away from the normalcy of life and just “be free.”  Those were some of the best times of my life and my great love of the beach has remained to this day.

 

    When I was a child, I thought of it as a time to play and have a good time.  As an adult, I look at it as my time to do exactly as stated in the title.  It’s a time to rest, reflect, rejuvenate and restore.  Whenever I return from a trip to the beach, I always feel better, even if I was feeling pretty good before I left.

 

    The last time I got away to the beach was a couple years ago when I went with a group of about 15 women from my church back in Raleigh.  We went, for three days, to one of the Wilmington beaches and had a ball.  I think it was Carolina Beach.  It was the perfect time to do these things mentioned here and, for me, it was the perfect location.  I’m overdue for a trip and I’m going to have to get away at some point this summer.

 

    Whatever you choose to do for your personal time and wherever you choose to do it is up to you.  Just make a move to do it.  It may be the best thing you do for yourself and for those around you.

© 2010 Francina I. Jamison

 

 

    That’s the question God is asking.  He’s not talking about the message in the song that was once popular, but what have you done for Him?

 

    Many times, people are busy about trying to do things for other people to impress them or make others think they’re more than they really are.  They are trying to do things to “get” or hold onto a man or a woman.  But what have you done for God?

 

    Our purpose on this earth is to be salt and light to the world.  If we truly are doing that, then we are about our Father’s business and doing things to further His Kingdom.  That’s in addition to all the other things we do as we travel along this journey. 

 

    Doing things for God/serving in the Kingdom is not as hard as it may seem.  First of all, be a member of a local church.  In that way, you not only have more opportunities to serve, you are also under His covering.  It’s like a certain level of protection and grace you don’t have otherwise.  Second, join a ministry or two where you have a passion for the work of that particular ministry.  Don’t join just because you’re out in the open and people can see you.  A lot of the ministries operate behind the scenes.  For some reason, they have a tendency to be the least popular . . . I wonder why.  If you’re not a member of a local church, perhaps you could volunteer your time at a local organization.  Hospitals are always looking for volunteers and it’s a very rewarding experience.  The one where I volunteer lets you choose the area you are most interested in working.  You could also volunteer to work in a school in your neighborhood.  This is all a part of service in the kingdom.  It’s about helping other people and allowing your light to shine wherever you are.  This way, others will want what you have (whatever is producing that light).

 

    Make a move to give of yourself to someone else and help advance the Kingdom of God.  When that question is posed to you, and God will definitely ask you that question on the Day of Judgement, you will be able to respond with your head held high and a smile on your face.  Remember this, the Bible tells us that only what we do for Christ will last.

 

 

 

    I’ve been following the news reports about the snow in Maryland very closely.  Fortunately, I can get their local channel news via the Internet.  It’s been an amazing weekend.  None of the post offices around the state were open on Saturday and no mail delivery!  You know it’s bad when the mail carriers are not out.  They had final totals of anywhere from 24″ to 33″ of HEAVY snow.  They call it the Blizzard of 2010.  I’ve experienced such extremes when I lived there…most recently was the Blizzard of ‘96 and there were a couple more I remember from earlier times.  It was NOT FUN!

 

    Yesterday, a friend of mine said that if we’d gotten that much snow down here, we’d be paralyzed for a couple of months.  Guess what?  She was exactly right.  If they weren’t prepared to handle the 8″ we got here last week, I can’t imagine what a couple of feet would do to us.  We also realize we’d be in such a distressed state because they don’t even have the equipment to handle such situations here.  We just don’t normally get snow like that.  The schools were closed all last week.  They went back one day only to get sent home 2 hours early.  Schools in 3 counties are still closed today!

 

    What amazed me equally as much as how much snow they got up there, was how friendly and helpful people have been.  Neighbors helping neighbors shovel driveways and walkways.  They’re also helping clear cars of snow so people can get out once the roads are cleared.  I have a neighbor in my complex who barely opens her mouth to speak and none of her three children speak to me.  Last Tuesday as I was trying to get out of my parking space, I was having trouble. There had not been any snow removal after the 8″ of snow the previous Friday and Saturday because they didn’t have the equipment.  The lady who barely speaks was coming home.  She saw I was having trouble and she came over to assist!  Amazing!  I was thoroughly surprised yet very thankful. 

 

    Why can’t people be so nice, kind and helpful every day?  Kindness doesn’t cost anything.  It would make a lot of difference in the world and we’d experience less violence all over the place.  It just makes sense.  Make a move to be kind to people every day, even when the sun isn’t shining and it’s cold outside.  God is the same every day.  He doesn’t change and we are to follow His example.  At least try.

© 2010 Francina I. Jamison

 

    Some of us are not quite where we want to be in life.  Some are not where God wants us to be.  Either way, we have to realize that there is something good inside of us that He wants to bring out.  He wants to bring it out, not only for you to see, but to be shared with others.  We all have something that will help another person.  Many people don’t realize that because, all their life, they’ve been told how messed up they are, how useless they are, how bad they are, how ugly they are, how skinny they are, or how fat they are.  Those people who said those things were being used by the enemy to deceive you; to bring you down and hold you back.

 

    I have good news . . . You are not that person!  I look back now at the people who told me I was too fat to be a model.  Well, I did just that and proved them wrong.  At the age of 17, I was wearing a size 14.  My mother sent my sister, Mona, and me to modeling school and I was one of the first two professional full- figure models in the state of Maryland.  That experience taught me more about self-confidence and self-esteem than I ever would have imagined.

 

    There is something else I want to share.  There are a few other things God has enabled me to do that others never would have imagined I would do . . . things even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be doing today.  Having a close, personal, intimate relationship with God has brought me to where I am today.  It took a lot of time and a whole lot of study. It’s still not over and never will be because every day is a learning experience, but I realize that I could not have done it without those two things: time and study.

 

    Make a move today to begin to do the things necessary in your life for the goodness to come through and shine.  It will shine for you and for others.  God wants to use all of us.  Wouldn’t you rather be used by Him than by the enemy like so many of the people who put you down. Being used by God will bring much greater rewards and you’ll feel so much better about yourself.

 

     I really enjoy my volunteer job at the hospital and I’m meeting some very nice and interesting people.  Last night a gentleman came in to visit a cousin.  He stood there at the desk for a while and we had a pleasant conversation.  He told me he is a trucker but that he is ready to come off the road now.  He said he won’t just stop and retire because the money is too good.  He did say that he has tried, several times, to do things so he would be fired. (Ok…that sure doesn’t make much sense, but just work with me here.)  They won’t fire him.  I told him it’s because there’s something connected with that job for him to do.  There is a reason deeper than the fact that he hasn’t had any accidents as to why he hasn’t been fired.  That statement gave him something to think about because I could see him start to reflect on a few things for a couple minutes.

 

    We’re all given assignments by God.  Some are easy and are accomplished quickly.  Others may take some time.  Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, it’s part of your assignment.  Sometimes, the assignment may be connected to the job you have.  I think it may be that way for a lot of us.  At least I know it was for me in a couple of mine.  There may be people in your workplace who are very difficult to work with and you may be wondering, “How much longer . . . . ?”  Well, the answer to that is, “However long it takes to do what has to be done.”  Your assignment may also be tied to your family.

 

    With the assignment, there will be a series of tests.  Remember the tests I talked about a while ago?  Here they are again.  Once all the tests are passed, you are moved on to another level . . . another assignment.  In the case of family assignments, you’re still in the family (smile), but you’ll notice some changes (for the better).

 

    Make a move to realize and recognize the assignments in your life.  Once you recognize them, you’ll be better able to accomplish what needs to be done and the frustrations will lessen as you walk it out.

 

    Wherever you are today, you can be a star.  All you have to do is let your light shine.  Each one of us has a light, but not many of us use it.  In reality, other people should see your light as soon as you enter a room.  If that has not been the case for you, let it happen today.

 

    Make a move today to be the light that others see.  If you are around sad people, try to cheer them up.  If you are around someone who is hurting inside, maybe you have gone through what they are experiencing and you can share how you made it through.  You might not even be all the way on the other side of “it” yet, but you are on the journey and you are still moving. That’s progress and they need to know that the hurt doesn’t make you stop.  Bottom line: even if you’re the one hurting or sad, when you help someone else, it takes some of the sting off your own situation.  Don’t believe me?  Try it.  I dare you!