Blogging

I am having trouble blogging right now. If I do write something I feel it will be negative. I have deleted so many post because I just feel I may offend someone. Maybe I'll just take a break. Maybe I'll work through this. Every ones experience is not the same. Opinions are like noses, every body has one. I use to read someones facebook page and I quit because it seemed I disagreed with so much that this person wrote. If I tried to comment, it came off negative. I like to talk about scripture, I don't feel I have all the answers but I have changed my views on a lot of things. The spiritual side of life is so important and it seems so many neglect the spiritual things. Many countries that we use to send missionaries to are considering sending missionaries to America because they see the ungodly direction we are headed in this country. We need to be careful to what we listen to. Does it just sound good , or is it actually scriptural. Is it wise counsel, or are people telling you what you want to hear. Sometimes we can say things that may hurt a little, if our hearts and motives are right perhaps something good will come of it. As I was thinking on the counsel we get sometimes, I was thinking of my children's mother. When we separated, I still paid the mortgage even though I wasn't living there. I paid the telephone, paid the electric bill, bought groceries. I didn't know how I was going to live, in fact for a while I lived in the back of my pickup with a canopy on it.  I didn't feel I had money to rent a place for me. My ex got advice from some probably well meaning friends that probably told her what she wanted to hear. She took me to support enforcement. I think she expected to get a bunch of back child support. The trouble was, I was supporting my kids with the house payment, electric bill, groceries and all I was paying. I had check stubs for all these things. It ended up I was paying for more than my child support would be. Even though I didn't give her money directly, I was supporting my kids with all these things. They set my child support per their rate chart on the money I was making and it was probably less than 2/3 of what I had been paying all along.  Of course I don't get any of that back. You might say she shot herself in the foot, when support enforcement got involved she ended up getting less than what I had been doing since we had separated. It ended up being a blessing for me. Sometimes we need to see what motivates people giving us advice. If they are telling us what we want to hear, it may not be good advice. It may hurt us.  I have never been hurt by following God's word. In fact like the situation described above,  God made it work for my good.  I was trying to do the best I could for my children, and I feel God protected me. My motives haven't always been that good. But usually when they have been, God has watched out for me. I made many bad decisions, and I suffered for them. But God still helped me. I look today at where I am and it is by God blessings and mercy I am where I am.  I'm not perfect, I believe God is still at work in my heart.  Who do we listen to? Is it good advice or are people telling us what we want to hear? Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." I think this describes the advice given to my ex.  A true friend may have told her to look at what I was already doing. It wouldn't have been what she wanted to hear, and wouldn't have liked it. But the words that she wanted to hear were actually bad advice. I use experiences from my past to explain these issues as best I can.  My past is different, my experiences are different, but God's word applies to us all. In all situations it seems if we listen God will advise us. Who do we listen to? If I may be political for just a moment. What we listen to and base our votes on, is it truth or what we want to hear?  God bless, LVZ.