What to do when you are Sukkerpunched

   Do you ever feel like you are being sukkerpunched? I’m not talking little love taps. I am talking about someone or something is punching you as hard as they/it can. It may not be that you are literally being punched but it sure feels like it.

   Maybe someone was unfair to you at work. Your friend had to cancel when you had a meeting together. Your dad needs your help with a project but you have to get things done for work. Your grandma is having health problems. You try to do your best everywhere but you feel like you are failing for one reason or another. That is five punches all at once. And, because you care about all of these things/people, the punches just keep on coming.

   What could be worse than that? I’ll tell you: these punches are not just coming from others but also from yourself. Many times we end up beating ourselves up over everything we do wrong. We are our own worst critic.

   I don’t know about you, but I have had so many times in my life where I have beaten myself up for one reason or another. Most of the time I try to look at the positive side but it is hard to do when you are being punched all around.

What can we do if we are constantly being punched by others and ourselves? There are a few things I have found that help in these times.

   1. Look at the positive: though there be clouds in life you know behind the clouds there is always the sun. You may not be able to see it, but you know it is still there. No matter what situation you are in positive things can come out of it. You may not be able to see the positive at the time; but I’m sure if you look back at some of your hardest times you can see that good things did come out of them.

   2. Realize that when you feel like you are being hit a lot that it is either a test from God or a trial because the Devil doesn’t want you to grow/trust in God: there are times where just one bad thing happens after another. A good friend of mine once said that Satan attacks those who he sees as a threat. The closer we get to God the more we learn about him and want to share with others. Satan doesn’t like that and tries to dissuade us from our mission, but we cannot let him. We must stay positive.

   3. Going through trials helps us grow. Think about it: anytime you have gone through something bad and come through it did you end up learning more and becoming better? More than likely you answered yes. While we may not like whatever we are going through, we know that it helps us grow and learn.

   4. Know that everything happens for a reason: God does have a plan. We may not know what that reason or plan is but we know he works everything together for good. We just need to trust him.

   So, the next time you feel sukkerpunched what will you do? Will you think positively, realize that Satan doesn’t want you to grow, realize that going through trials helps you grow, and know that everything happens for a reason?

   Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Peter 5:10, Romans 5:1-5

The Turkey Hand

   This is a story that I hope will encourage you to be thankful for everything you have in your life. I’m not just talking about the good things, but also the bad things.

   Many years back my time at Lancaster Bible College began. I went through a lot of ups and downs my freshman year. I had reached the point where I thought life wasn’t worth living. Then I decided to play soccer. It was there that I met two really good friends. Both of these friends realized that we all needed to improve our self-esteem (God-esteem). We all agreed to write down five things we were thankful for about ourselves.

   I started writing the list but it wasn’t easy. That was how down I was. On Sunday I went to church where I was teaching second grader during Sunday school. One activity we were to do was to draw our hand and make it look like a turkey. Then we had to write five things we were thankful for. I sat there thinking about all the things I was blessed to have, and I wrote down everything that came to mind. By the time I was done my paper was overflowing.

   It took me doing an activity meant for children for me to realize how blessed I was. Sometimes we go through difficult things and times in life. But, no matter the difficulties, God is with us. He give us so many blessings that we may not even know about.

   This Thanksgiving I encourage you to think about everything you are thankful for. Try to not only think about the obvious things like family, friends, home, etc. But, to also think about things you may not normally think about like the trials you went through, the people in your past who helped shape you, and the everyday things we tend to take for granted. And, if you so desire, create a turkey hand to write all the things you are thankful for. I am sure that your list will overflow just like mine did.

   I would like to say how thankful I am for all of you. Thank you for making an impact on me in one way or another. Your name is definitely on my turkey hand this year.

   1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 107:1, Colossians 3:15-17

Conclusion: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Grow deep roots to harvest rich fruit! When your roots run deep, you cannot help but bear the fruit of the Spirit” (Michael Beckwith).

   Thus ends the journey through the fruits of the spirit. Even though my journey of writing about the fruits of the spirit has ended my study and application of them in my life has not. Because, if we as Christians stop learning about and applying the fruits of the spirit then we fail to grow in God.

   Through this journey I learned a few things that I hope you realized as well. First, all of the fruits of the spirit are connected in one way or another. Detaching them was a difficult task as was defining them. For example: if one has a gentle spirit then that person will love others. If that person loves others then the person will show self-control if someone else angers him, and so on.

   Another aspect I hope you have seen is that without God one cannot exhibit all of the fruits of the spirit. This is why one must be in constant communication with God. And, why you must have a relationship with God. God wants us to be his friend, and he wants him to grow in him. Above all else we must remember that when certain things happen in our lives, that we may not like, it is all within God’s plan for us. That is why we must trust him.

   So, are you willing to grow and exhibit the fruits of the spirit? Do you have a relationship with God in order to better exhibit the fruits of the spirit?

   Matthew 7:15-20, John 15:1, Matthew 6:19-21, Galatians 5:22-23

Learn to Love being a Servant: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Every day of our lives…we are given opportunities to show love kindness to those around us” (Thomas S. Monson).
   Love is an interesting word. Many people do not know how to describe it. And yet, we use the word love every day. We say we love food. We love our parents. Love is in the King James Bible 310 times. Love is God.

   Love is also the first fruit of the spirit. We are to have these 9 attributes in order to live a Christian life. But how can we show love to others? Most people may think this is really simple. However, aren’t there some people you just do not like that much? I’m sure you are saying yes. So how can we love these people?

   The answer is to look at Jesus’ life. There were people that he could have hated in his life. He could have hated the Samaritan woman because all Jews hated the Samaritans. He could have hated the Pharisees who planned to kill him. He could have hated the Roman soldiers who nailed him to a cross. And yet, he still died for these people. On top of that he showed love to these people. He was a servant to these people.

   The best way to show love to others, no matter who they are or what they have done to us, is to be a servant to them. I’m not going to lie, it is not easy to be a servant to people who hate you or who are mean to you. But, if Jesus could do it for all those people who hated him I’m sure we could do it for a few people.

   When I say be a servant, what am I talking about? I am talking about being kind and patient toward others. Love encompasses all of the other fruits of the spirit. If we have the other fruits of the spirit then love is sure to follow. We will have joy when we love and help others. We understand that we have peace in God when we trust in his love for us no matter what is happening. We will have patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control when we love others. That’s why I ended with love even though it was at the beginning of Paul’s list.

   So, will you love others even if they hate you or are mean to you? Will you work hard to be a servant and help others? Will you try to embody the fruits of the spirit?

   1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 5:22-23

Learning to Control Yourself: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character” (Grenville Kleise).

   Imagine you walk into a restaurant. You smell the delicious food such as potatoes, ham loaf, and mac and cheese. You sit down at a table and decide to order the buffet. As you walk up to the buffet line you can already taste the delicious food. Then you eat your first full plate of food. You move on to eating your second plate. Then you look at the deserts. You feel them calling you but you already feel full. Against your better judgement you decide to go up and get a plate of deserts. After you finish your stomach is not happy. You go home and barely make it to your bed before you pass out.

   While you were at the buffet you were not able to “exercise restraint over your own impulses, emotions, or desires” (Merriam-Webster). You did not have self-control. Controlling one’s self can come in many different shapes. You can have control over your emotions and desires but that’s not always easy.

   It is impossible to control you emotions and desires without the help of God. During times that your emotions are taking over pray for patience. Count to ten and realize that the next thing you do may hurt someone you care about or yourself. Ask God to give you peace in order to stay calm.

   So, are you willing to work on controlling yourself? Do you realize that your actions may hurt someone if you do not control yourself? Are you willing to ask God to help you control your emotions and desires?

   2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 16:32, Galatians 5:22-23