#inquiringminds – JOURNALING TO MY TRUTH

~TIME~

February 10, 2023 Journaling To My Truth

How much Time have you wasted?

Good Afternoon Loves,

I ran across this awesome word this morning, as I had taken a moment to scroll Facebook for a second. As I prepared for the day the Lord has Blessed me and you with!

You know when God is giving you a word or message because you are reminded of it constantly. All morning, I saw references to “TIME”!!

I saw it first as I scrolled down Facebook early this morning, a Facebook friend (brother in Christ) had posted a word on time. Basically saying “time is the Lord’s”. Then I continued to scroll and as I did this, I ran across my cousin’s post, my heart got heavy, as I read that my uncle had passed away-(my dads’ uncle). I immediately felt sorrow and began to think about the precious moments and good times spent at my uncle’s home in Milwaukee, with my family. Some good ol’ fashioned family time, that we rarely see today. As I sat and was in my feelings thinking about my family, I was reminded about “time” again.

My thoughts immediately went to my dad, thinking Lord, how much more, see, on the 23rd of January, two days before my “baby girl” 25th birthday—my dad, kids, and grands almost lost their lives in a house fire. Lord, how grateful I am, they didn’t. But that day, they lost all material things and my dad lost his house, BUT GOD spared their life.

That day, I wanted to scream and shout

“LORD, HOW MUCH”

BUT COULDN’T EVEN FINISH THAT SENTENCE!!

Why-because

HE GRANTED THEM ALL “TIME”!!

That day, I thought, Lord, I could have lost my dad, my oldest daughter, my only son, and my only 2 grandsons all in a flick of a switch!!

(SEE, I TELL Y’ALL, MY PRAISE IS #REAL)–

I SHARE HIS GRACE AND MERCY AND ALL HIS GLORY BECAUSE I OWE IT ALL TO HIM !!

As I was having a moment of gratefulness, THANKING GOD FOR IT ALL!!

I KEPT SCROLLING AND YES, THIS TIME–I CAME ACROSS “TIME” IN A SERMON

God is good

because I wasn’t even friends with or associated with this person’s ministry

But God

I clicked to listen– and The sermon was on “Time”…and Yes Lord again, he put my thoughts on “TIME”!! Oh, and it blessed my soul as God continues on with “Time”!

I thought, Lord, they are leaving here–we are leaving here, my uncle and so many others have gone on now.

And many of us, yet are “so caught up” in NOTHING!!

BUT ALWAYS SAY “WE LIVING”-

as some say

“THEIR BEST LIFE”

HOWEVER, I’M SAYING THIS

“WE AREN’T LIVING LIFE IF WE NOT LIVING A GODLY LIFE”-

~BUT LORD~

I’M ASKING THIS!!

How good is that “time”, if it doesn’t REVOLVE AROUND YOU?

How good is that

“BEST LIFE”, IF WE ARE NOT APPRECIATING AND UTILIZING “YOUR TIME”

ACCORDING TO

YOUR WILL AND PLAN

FOR US?

How good is that “time”, if we not living it in love showing love, and as love?

How good is that “time”, if we are turning our backs on “Your Time”?

God reminded me, that

“TIME IS PRECIOUS”

EVERY MOMENT OF IT IS HIS AND EVERY MOMENT SHOULD BE COUNTED FOR!!

TIME

“intangible” and “unmanageable”

WITHOUT

GOD!!

We can’t control it,

we can’t stop it,

and we

can’t set it back

because

TIME

only moves

forward!!

Tick-Tock,

Tick-Tock

-the mouse didn’t run up this clock

-BUT- GOD-

definitely running down

the

TIME!

AN EXPIRATION DATE IS COMING!

And as we All are, “on borrowed TIME”

MY QUESTION TO YOU TODAY IS-

HOW ARE YOU UTILIZING GOD’S TIME?

~MY PRAYER~

Heavenly Father,

I pray that You lead my steps in all that I do so that every moment spent is spent utilizing Your Time as You intended for my life. That every moment of time granted aligns with Your Will and not my own. I pray, that in the time given, Your light shines in me, through me, and around me; so that all granted Time was “utilized” to show You Love, Spread Your Love, and Appreciate Your Love!

I pray that when my Time runs out, Lord, You are PLEASED!!

He will render to each one according to his works! (Romans 2:6)

ALWAYS W/LOVE,

JOURNALING TO MY TRUTH

(PRAYING FOR MY FAMILY AND YOU)

ALWAYS IN MY

YOU’LL BE MISSED UNCLE LONNIE

Good Morning Lord

Henry Ossawa Tanner

February 3, 2023 Journaling To My Truth

Christ Walking on the Water, 1910

Medium; etching in black on laid paper, Dimensions: plate: 18.42 × 24.13 cm (7 1/4 × 9 1/2 in.)

sheet: 20.48 × 26.04 cm (8 1/16 × 10 1/4 in.), Accession Number: 2015.19.3016

Corcoran Collection (The Evans-Tibbs Collection, Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr.)

~JTMT-Did You Know~

#BlackHistoryMonth

Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in Pittsburgh in (1859-1937), the first of five children born to Reverend Benjamin Tucker Tanner, a future bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Sarah Tanner, a woman who had escaped her enslavers via the Underground Railroad.

In 1891 Tanner proceeded to Paris and commenced study under Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian. Tanner soon joined the American Art Students’ Club and spent his first summer in France with the colony of artists at Pont-Aven, Brittany. Tanner’s choice of subject matter was influenced by a growing consciousness of his racial identity, and during a trip to the United States in 1893 he delivered a paper entitled “The American Negro in Art” at the World’s Congress on Africa in Chicago. His concern during this period for creating dignified and sympathetic portrayals of Black people in art is exemplified by The Banjo Lesson (1893, Hampton University Museum, Virginia).

~JTMT_Insights~

In the painting below, Mr. Tanner did an excellent job depicting Jesus walking on water. While studying the painting, it reminded me of “True Faith”, and how we start off confident and strong and end in doubt. As Peter began walking across the water, when Jesus summoned him, he was confident and focused on Jesus and WALKED.

But as he took his focus off Christ, he became afraid and began to drown. Think of the times you did this, you start off in “True Faith”, strong, confident, and focused on Christ: then something, like the boisterous winds, grabs your focus off Christ. And as you lose focus, you began to drown-drown in your troubles, sorrow, or pain.

Not really realizing, because you took your eyes off Christ, is the reason, you began to feel afraid. And as fear crept in, it began to make you doubt in Christ, in yourself. But, it isn’t that Christ is not there, it is because you doubted his abilities and lost hope in Him.