Bench warmer.

Sitting on the sidelines at the majority of our basketball games was not ideal, but knowing I was not physically a good athlete I accepted the position.

I accepted the situation and would later learn I was a better cheerleader than basketball player.

Are you on the sidelines of life? Do you watch other Christians serve while you’re thinking that you’d be no good at it, so why bother?

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Guilt

Are you blaming others for your current situation?

It’s easy to do. But, there’s one principle of life that most people forget. It’s your life. It’s up to you how you live it.

If you’re constantly blaming others for your misery, you’re overlooking the truth.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Accepting change.

Change is inevitable in every aspect of life. We have two choices when change invades our spaces. We can accept it and adjust to the new situation, or we can reject change and offer another solution.

This would be a very boring place if change was not a part of our lives.’

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Dianne PetreyComment
One body.

When we care for our bodies, it glorifies God, but it also demonstrates a good testimony to others. The bonus is that it will give you the energy you need each and every day.

As a Christian, to not do this is disobeying God.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Humanity.

We are all to value human life by loving others, tending to the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, seeking justice for the oppressed, and caring for the orphans, widows, and strangers. But are we doing this?

I’ve seen less of this in the past year. People killing each other, disobeying the law, living selfishly while others are dying from their mistakes.

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Dianne PetreyComment
The perfect storm.

A perfect storm is defined as a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors.

This can be a variety of scenarios. Like the one in the movie, “Perfect Storm” where the weather conditions where the ideal setting for a disastrous outcome.

As it is with life. You’ve heard the phrase, “when it rains, it pours?”

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Dianne PetreyComment
Provision.

Can you imagine a pair of shoes lasting 40 years? Maybe if you didn’t wear them every day. But the Israelites in the Bible wore the same shoes, ate the same food for 40 long years.

Yes, as you can imagine, there was some complaining. Yet, the people trusted God to get them through the desert.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Follow me?

While cycling with my husband, I thought I knew a good route to take. Knowing that I was heading to a dead end, he accommodated my request, even though he knew I was wrong.

Yep, he was right (again), but was willing to follow me anyway.

How about you? Who are you following today? Are you giving into your peers, chasing after the elite? How’s that goin’ for ya?

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Dianne PetreyComment
Self-medicate.

All worry, stress, tension or depression comes from fear. Fear is being unable to deal with the circumstances on your own, so you replace it with something that makes you forget about it at the time.

The sad thing is that when the stimulate (whatever it is; alcohol, medications, etc.) has worn off, you still have the problems.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Disappointment.

Col 3:23-25 - “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.”

I am no stranger to disappointment. There have been many times in my early 30s that I would build up my expectations in events or even people, that when things didn't turn out the way I expected, I was extremely hurt and disappointed, to say the least.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Investment

When we hear the word investment, we often think of money. What we have our money invested in.

But the most important things we need to invest in aren’t material things, it’s relationships.

Have you given your life over to Christ? Are you investing your time reading His word (the Bible)?

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Dianne PetreyComment
Don't let failure disrupt your peace.

The problem may look overwhelming. You may feel abandoned on a deserted island. But if you have Jesus in your life, you can have peace.

Jesus blazed our path before us. He died so that we could live. Don’t you think that His power over heaven and earth is the same power that can calm your soul.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Catch and release.

Catch and release is an intended technique used in fishing. You catch the fish, then you release it.

So, how does this relate to Christians? It’s easy for us to hook onto problems, or to get into a destructive relationship.

The solution is to not dwell on the dilemma or to be consumed by the wrong choices.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Customer Service.

I’ve wrote about this before, probably because it has been a large part of my career.

“What can I do for you?” The theme statement of anyone who serves the public.

This is what we need to ask God, every day.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Anchors.

Have you ever saw an anchor on a large cruise ship? They’re huge!

Anchors have been around since the beginning of time. If a boat is on a body of water without an anchor, it will be tossed around.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Details! I need details.

Have you ever noticed that some men leave out the details of a conversation they may have had with their buddies?

As a woman, we want details! We want to know everything that was said, and how you felt about it. lol.

As it is with life. God has a plan for each one of us, if we believe and follow Him. But, that doesn’t mean He’s going to give us all the elements of our journey.

We have to trust Him in His plan for us.

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Dianne PetreyComment
He never changes.

I never really understand people who wake up one day and say that they want a new life. They’re tired of family or commitment, and they need something new.

Some people will change their moods based on someone else’s response. I’ll admit, it’s hard to not fall into these traps.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Seeing things through His eyes.

I love being around kids or even adults when they are seeing something new for the first time. The adventure in their eyes is something to behold.

As a Christian, we should live our lives, dedicated and committed to Christ. This requires a steady, unmovable spirit of love.

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Dianne PetreyComment
Just one more day.

If I could have just one more day with my mom, I would tell her what a wonderful role model she was for me.

I look at each day as a gift. Another chance to do the right thing, to say a kind word to a stranger, to make someone laugh or to be that example that someone might be looking for right now.

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Dianne PetreyComment