Confessions of this Gal's Sinful Heart

And the Gold Medal goes to ..........."Joanne Cuchel".  I'm not naturally athletic but if jumping to conclusions were an Olympic Sport I'd be taking home the Gold.  Usually when someone rubs me the wrong way,slightly irritated by another, or I feel mistreated I reach for my conclusion pole vault and jump myself right into a mess!  God has been bringing this issue to light and so it calls for a confession.  Normally, I tend to read-between-the-lines and invent meaning and intentions that people have towards me that are not necessarily true.  I love to play detective by picking up context clues and deducing motives and theories that certain people are against me, don't like me, or are jealous of me.  Then what's worse, sometimes I'll go and tell a few people to recruit them into my army of sympathetic supporters.  These supporters are appalled at what so-and-so did, said or is planning to do to me.  And then I rub my hands together while laughing mania

Like many of you, I've suffered the pain of other's actions many a time.  Flawed people who have flawed intentions leaving nasty marks on my life.  For me, giving people a place in my life has become an honor.  Not to sound crass but I am rather selective over whom I allow and who I do not allow in my world .  And some I allow but keep at a safe distance.  Truth be told, I don't know if this is a Godly approach or just a defense mechanism but because I've been hurt many times before it's become necessary for me to weed out those who add no value in my life. As I'm realizing, many people I know have been there done that too.  But one thing is troubling me...lately I've seen many a facebook post about how God puts people in our lives for a reason and sometimes that reason is to hurt us.  Like this one for example: Honestly I disagree.  While some relationships are God given others are by choice.  And even when God is shouting at us to avoid some peop

Continued from Part I ... Please know that although I've put so much of myself into my home, I see it as nothing more than a thing.  It doesn't define who I am, it isn't an idol and I don't worship it.  Therefore, if God chooses to take it away I'll be fine.  My joy comes from the Lord, the gifts He's given us and the people with whom I share them.  However, God has tested my faith with this home for the last five years and proved faithful over and over and over again.  So why should I believe that's He's not going to do any different this time???  Now normally I don't share when I think God is telling me He's going to work a miracle.  I usually just keep it to myself and wait and see what God does.  But this time, I'm not.  This time, I believe that God wants His glory to shine so brightly that there is no doubt that He was in charge.  I believe with every fiber of my being that God is going to work an incredible miracle here.  That

 Our Home Many months over the last five years, we have been in situations where we didn't know if we were going to be able to pay our bills.  And in many a post I have professed that God has made it possible to make all our payments each and every month since our financial crisis began.  So many times I thought our home would be added to the list of foreclosures.  But always God has remained faithful.  However, since last week I believe differently, I believe God is going to perform an outright miracle that no one will be able to refute God's hand in our situation... First, I'd like to take you on a short journey... Back in 1999 my husband and I purchased our home.  This is our first home and we thought we wouldn't be here more than 4-5 years.  Well 14 years, and lots of remodeling later and we are still here.  For this I thank God... I really like my home, it's small but it's warm and welcoming, it looks great decorated for the holidays and it'