May 31, 2017
by Brandy Webb
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to do nothing at all. I really think God is trying to teach me how to be still, let go, and trust Him. I know how I am supposed to behave when facing trials that I can’t fix, but I still find myself fretting and trying to figure out a solution. As if I can somehow control the situation and make the problems go away. Continue reading
by Brandy Webb
Love Yourself to Love Others
I know some people, me included, that struggle with truly loving themselves. I am not meaning that we hate ourselves. We just struggle with loving ourselves by liking who we are instead of wishing to be something else. Some of us also struggle with loving ourselves by not forgiving ourselves when we make mistakes. Instead we rehash the mistakes over and over, wishing we could go back in time and have a “do-over.” There are also some of us that struggle with loving ourselves because we are afraid that we will end up becoming prideful and start having the worldly self-love of caring about themselves more than we care about anyone else or esteeming oneself above others. Continue reading
by Brandy Webb
I know that I have said this many times before, but I will say it again, life is hard sometimes. Maybe hard doesn’t have the punch it should, but I am a Christian blogger, so I will stay with the word “hard.” I don’t know anyone who hasn’t gone through at least one tragedy. In fact many people close to me are going through some type of trial. Some of the trials, on a scale of one to ten, maybe are only at a four, but I have people close to me that are going through trials that are beyond ten, in my opinion. Continue reading
October 18, 2017
by Brandy Webb
My family and I just got back from the Feast. We were blessed to have been able to go to a small site in Costa Rica. It was an awesome experience.
The irony is that my children and I were not too excited about going to Costa Rica at first. One reason is we had just started at a new school that I am teaching at for the first time. So, we had a lot of “firsts” going on, and we just weren’t really in the right frame of mind to travel to a country we had never been to before and one that spoke a language that none of us are able to speak. However, my husband happened to purchase our plane tickets before we had a chance to voice our concerns, so we ended up going to Costa Rica. And we all are so grateful that we did. Continue reading
April 19, 2017
by Brandy Webb
I have a friend that tries to live his life by the motto, “Speak evil of no one. Speak good of everyone.” It is a very good motto to go by, and it is also Godly. Paul tells Titus,
“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men” (Titus 3:1-2, emphasis mine). Continue reading
April 10, 2017
by Brandy Webb
God desires none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He desires all to come to repentance and to accept Christ as their Savior. He desires us to love Him with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:30). He desires us to love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). He also desires us to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15), to serve (Galatians 5:13), to edify each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and many more Godly characteristics. Continue reading
March 27, 2017
by Brandy Webb
I find myself sometimes asking, “What if I had done so and so differently? Where would I be now?” Or “What if such and such didn’t happen?” Basically, I have a tendency to say “what if” as if I could go back and change the present outcome. It is all hypothetical nonsense, really. It also causes me to keep looking backwards instead of watching where I am going, which may cause me to “run” into something or miss out on things right now. The truth is, there are no what ifs, there is only what is.
My husband does not allow himself to ask “What if…?” He actually makes a point in saying he has no regrets. Has he made mistakes? Oh, yes. He is human. He doesn’t mean “no regrets” in a prideful way. He has no regrets because he likes who he has become today. Does he have things to work on? Definitely, and he knows that. But his point is that to regret things in the past, things that we can’t change anyway, is like not accepting God’s forgiveness and His work in our lives. God has really worked in my husband’s life to create a very wonderful young man. Many who would have known him in his teens would not have expected for him to have grown up and become who he is today. Therefore, he doesn’t regret his past because he has a testimony of how God can turn you around, and that God does forgive, God does heal, God does cleanse, and God does help you get back on the right path.
I have learned a lot from my husband’s viewpoint on his life. I realize that when I linger on the “what ifs” of my life, I am focusing on my regrets. Yes, I have made mistakes, but it is far more important to learn and move on from my mistakes rather than lingering and wondering what I could have done differently. Plus, having regrets is basically saying that I don’t like who I am today, and in a roundabout way, I am saying I don’t like how God has helped me to overcome and to grow. We may have plans for our lives, but God is the one to direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
I also have learned that when I linger in the past, I am trying to make sense of everything. However, I am not to lean on my own understanding. I must trust in God with all my heart, and in all my ways I must strive hard to acknowledge God because only He can make my path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Truth be told, I don’t know when I honestly was supposed to go left instead of right, only God knows. Thankfully, though, when I do go in the wrong direction, He is able to set me in the right direction. I must just hold to the truth that for right now “we see through a glass darkly” and only know in part. However, sometime in the future, we will see “face to face” and fully understand all things (1 Corinthians 13:12). Therefore, let go of the “what if,” enjoy the “what is,” trust God, and live in love.
By Brandy Webb
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone? (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
My children wanted to have an unplugged camping trip on our property, meaning no devices, not even a cell phone. They scoped out the spot, planned supplies, put everything together, and set out yesterday to camp. They did have long range walkie-talkies so that I could stay in touch with them. It was so neat watching them go with their backpacks and tents. I am sure it made them feel very grown-up. Continue reading
The Church of God International Springfield, Missouri 