A little chunk of my life, seasoned with scripture

Below is the whole of Psalm 37. And I'm going to share my own experience with Psalm 37. Many years ago, my parents, as well as the rehab hospital I was admitted to, arrived at a general consensus that I needed to live in a setting that had 24 hour supervision. I had been a person with a disability living completely independently, and it was clear after a few years that people felt they could treat me "any ole kind of way" (as they say around my parts), and no one noticed. So, we all unanimously agreed that I needed to be in a place that could be held accountable for me.
However, my social worker had a very hard time finding a group home that was wheelchair accessible (this was all the way back in the early 1990s). So, we had one last place that we were trying. And the lady said they did have a ramp, but that I would have to prove that I could be completely and totally responsible for my own physical care.
And so, the rehab hospital did quite an excellent job of preparing me, and I moved into that group home. Problem was that they picked on me terrible because of my disability. One counselor in particular just couldn't seem to leave me alone. And I began to feel so bitter that every word of Psalm 37 became vitally important to me. Well do you know that one day this individual, who felt so free to do and say whatever popped into his head, was found dead in his home? Because wickedness seems like it will fly at the time, but they say that God keeps all our tears in a bottle. God is well familiar with our pain, and He will not allow us to be abused indefinitely. Take heart.

...my conscience has been bothering me about this story I shared earlier in the week, because I clearly made it appear as though it's OK to celebrate someone's death. Uh-uh. Whether I rejoiced over it at the time, or however long I've been gloating about it, I was wrong. And maybe if I hadn't assumed that all my problems would be solved if he was not working there anymore, and I began to really aggressively pray for him, the story might have had a much sweeter ending.
Psalm 37 is an excellent Psalm and has a lot of reassuring and comforting promises. But we need to keep in mind when reading the David's writings that David's life was very very unique. As punishment for his adultery with Bathsheba and consequent premeditated murder of her husband Uriah, God told him that he would be surrounded by enemies all his life.
Not quite the same for New Covenant Christians. Indeed, we are told that we'll be persecuted. But our goal should never be the destruction of those who persecute us! Our goal should always be to live humbly before them. We should live with an eye toward letting people experience the love of Jesus through us.

Psalm 37

Psalms 37:1 FRET not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord  will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passd away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Rescuing each other --one of the most satisfying parts of being friends

The visual aid below, which I created using a neat little app called textgram, is at the heart of the Position of Friend. Can we reason together? Yes, I know that there are miles of differences between us, but is there some way we can talk? Can we find a way to live in Peace with one another?

Yes, I know many religious books say there's no hope that there will be Peace. But don't you think God would want us to try? Look at the painting behind the Bible verse in the 'visual aid'. Jesus is rescuing a man who is about to drown. Is Jesus asking the man what kind of credentials he has that make him worth saving? Is the man frantically searching his wallet for more ID or some more money? Obviously not! Jesus has no concern about the details of the man's life here on Earth. He knows He's got some saving to do, and Jesus thrives on saving those who need him, and there you have it! It's that simple!

Joel Chernoff and Lamb singing The Least I Could Do

Friendship and cowardice --not a good mix

"Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." -- Luke 18:28-30

Hello! I am here today not just to discuss friendship, but to be a friend. I want to tell you that any way you slice it, life is a rough ride. And if you wish to achieve anything worth achieving, you are going to need courage. One way or another, we all will pay the Piper. Are you going to sit in silence, afraid to share your heart and soul with the world because you don't want to seem different? Or are you going to stand for the things you truly believe in? I've heard said before, "What comes from the heart reaches the heart".
I wanna encourage you to search your heart today. Don't let this be, 'just another day'. Take time today to find out what's really going on inside that soul of yours. Ask yourself "What are my real feelings about myself and my life?" And obey the One who speaks from deep within. Don't be so afraid of rejection that you live your whole life loathing yourself just so that you can blend in.

Here 4 U

Hard to believe, but here I am once again with something to say. I am here, In the Position of Friend, on a mission. I am not here to be the most widely read blog on blogger.
I am here because I know there are others like me, who have stomached too much for too long about this whole idea of "It's all about YOU" and "Your dreams can come true" and the real biggie, (let's get a drumroll for this one: "JUST BELIEVE". How bout it friends, anybody had about enough of this kind of bullshit? Cause I know I'm not the only intelligent person in the whole world. All the way back when I introduced My Sad Situation, I knew that there were others who in shame were going through hard times, others who secretly were watching their hearts being broken. There are others who don't wish to choose the going fare. I am here In the Position of Friend, especially for you.

Check me out: I'm not looking to go viral. Success terrifies me. I would have none of anything that would tear me from feet of Jesus. I am here 4 u. I am here for all those who would wish to choose God. Because Jesus Himself stated that rather than saying Blessed be His mother, Jesus said Blessed rather be everyone who does the will of God. Of such are my Mother and
my Sister and my Brother.

Cat Stevens singing 'Longer Boats'

Unlovable, but never unloved!

Michael W. Smith singing 'Never Been Unloved'

OK, here's a poem I blended into a visual aid. My message here is that there is NO ONE person in the whole world who is superior to anybody else. NO ONE person is more loving than anybody else. WE ARE ALL completely incapable of love. So if you are looking at the size of your heart, and feeling discouraged, take heart... from the only ONE who has one... Jesus Christ. Who knows what motivates Him anyway! Maybe you can find out more about it in the Bible... I do truly feel that we are never to assume that we are better than anyone else. If we have anything worth bragging about, it's only because He gave it to us.

Who will decide who your friends will be? You fully control this

Every day when we meet someone, or even when we meet someone for the 365th day, we have a choice to make: How do I want my relationship with this individual to go today? Where will I take us today? Through my words and actions, will I be deepening a feeling of trust and respect? Or will I interpret this person's behavior toward me as antagonistic, and further alienate him or her by raising my voice and making critical remarks?
We are at the helm of this ship of Friendship. We steer every relationship through our words and actions. So a good question to ask is: Is Friendship increasing or being minimized as a result of my thoughts toward the people in my life?

Patti LaBelle: New Attitude