The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
-Psalm 103:8
I hope you’re all hanging in there. By my count, this is Week 8 of the “COVID 19 Shut Down.”
For 8 weeks now, you’ve been in cooped-up in close quarters with the same people. There’s no escape. We’re able to pick our friends but when it comes to FAMILY and this quarantine…we’re stuck with them.
This week’s Holy Habit is vital to your survival: FORGIVENESS.
Take a tour with me through some of my dirty laundry, minus the smell, and I’ll teach you 5 Steps I’ve found to be essential for my forgiving others, and myself.
Here are this week’s 3 O’Clock Circle Questions:
1. If you hold onto a grudge and refuse to forgive, what are some negative consequences you and others experience?
2. If you practice the Holy Habit of being QUICK TO FORGIVE, who benefits? How so?
3. Review our 5 Forgiveness Steps.
When someone hurts you, walk this way:
• Give thanks to God for good times you’ve shared and how many times you’ve been forgiven.
• Pray a special blessing over the person – one you’d want spoken over you.
• Step into Their Shoes – See things from their perspective and grow compassion in your heart.
• Forgive – Every time you feel the offense or think about it, ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive again, and again, 70x7 times forgive.
• Take Action – How can you walk in forgiveness? Pick up the phone. Write a loving note. Make a favorite meal. Ask God what He’d want you to do then do it. Step out in faith!
Remember - Taking these steps of forgiveness will set YOU Free! It’s worth the work it takes.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll remember to be QUICK TO FORGIVE every time you do your laundry or someone you love dumps all their dirty laundry on you.
See you next week!
Lessons From Your Dirty Laundry
May 16, 2020 • Laura Busse
I Hate to Wait
August 21, 2020
I hate to wait. Especially when I’m looking forward to something… like my flight leaving on time. But it’s often while we’re waiting that God gets our attention and gives us our next assignment. This week, let’s play a quick game of Uno as we learn four faith strategies to help us while we’re waiting. 3 Questions and 4 Faith Strategies: 1. On a scale of 1-10 (one being a little, ten being a lot) how much do you hate to wait? Explain why you chose that number. 2. What are you currently waiting for? 3. Why do you think God makes us wait instead of snapping His fingers and working immediately? Here are faith strategies to help you while you WAIT for a breakthrough or better times. W – WORD OF GOD – Search the concordance in the back of your Bible. Look up a word that describes a challenge you’re facing or something you need. For example, you could look up anxiety, stress, love, or hope. A – ASK GOD – Pray specific prayers to God. This will cause you to clearly communicate your needs and heart’s desire. Then when you’re prayers are answered, you’ll know who to thank. I – INVITE GOD IN – Every day brings new challenges. Your faith will grow when you invite God into your problem solving and decision making. T – TRUST – Jesus taught, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, Trust also in me.” ( John 14:1) Trust is relying on someone and placing your confidence in them. Every day at 3PM, I encourage you to thank God for at least one blessing in your life then repeat, “JESUS, I TRUST YOU.”
Comparison is Crap
August 14, 2020
“Where do you live? What do you do for work? Where do your kids go to school?” We live in a culture that’s quick to rank the room: who’s the smartest, the prettiest, richest? It’s been said that comparison is a trap. But I’ll just go ahead and say that comparison is crap! Why? Because it has the power to take our minds to places we don’t want to go. Spiraling toxic thoughts can lead us to envy, judgement, and even self-loathing which makes a mess of our minds. But wait, there is hope! There are two pathways we can take to get away from comparison. The more you take them, the more accessible they become. This week we shift lanes and stop comparing ourselves with others.
Let Go and Blend Your Inner Mary and Martha
August 7, 2020 • Laura Busse
This week, we’ll see what happened when the sisters, Mary and Martha, met Jesus Face to Face right after the death of their brother Lazarus. Martha accused Mary of being lazy, and Mary thought Martha was a little crazy. But the truth is, both of them showed good qualities. When we face crazy times, whether it’s company coming or COVID keeping our kids home from school, we can handle it best when we blend both Mary and Martha together: praying like it depends on God, then working like it depends on us. Here are 3 Circle Questions for you to reflect on, then discuss in a small group. 1. Who do you most identify with Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet or Martha who was busy in the kitchen? Why so? 2. Why do you like it’s a good idea for us to be a BLEND OF BOTH sisters? 3. How can you be the best blend of Mary and Martha this week? Make an action plan and hold each other accountable to it. Thank you for being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call! If you liked this, please share it with someone. And I always love hearing from you about what you’re thinking, so please email me anytime at http://laura@3oclockwakeup.com