By Lois Hewitt

I have heard it said that you have to give too much up to follow Jesus. And it’s so true. You give up:

Your love for sin.
Your anger.
Your anxieties.
Your fear.
Your hate.
Your insecurity.
Your death.

He takes it all away through prayer, faith and focusing on Him.

So you give all that up and what do you get in return:

Forgiveness.
Strength and courage.
Peace and calm.
Love.
Guidance.
Eternal life with Him.

If that’s the trade off, sign me up.

He has done all that in my life and more if I just focus on Him. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? More than you can imagine!

It’s not some magic pill, it’s a lifelong commitment. It’s not an easy fix, but you can change.

By Lois Hewitt

Last night’s dinner was pizza. I could have ordered one but I made one myself. 

I smiled as I felt the dough, soft and pliable, in my hands. Spreading it ever so gently into the pan.

Then making a sauce with garlic and herbs.  Pouring a dash of olive oil to give it a gloss.

Then cutting olives and onion as a topping.  Trying hard not to forget a little fresh spinach.

Finally, tearing some fresh mozzarella and fresh parmesan to top it all off.

As it cooked, the apartment smelled absolutely delicious. And my anticipation grew.

Once it cooked and cooled a bit, a fresh salad was added and Heaven on earth was created.

Simple, it was.  Nothing fancy, just made by hand and with love. 

In past days, cooking seemed to me to be an unfair chore I was expected to complete. Food not made with love but with haste, may have filled the stomach but never filled the soul.

Now the food we eat nourishes our bodies and our hearts. No fancy meals are necessary, a casserole, soup or a pizza work just fine.

Cooking has gotten a bad wrap.  A chore.  A necessary evil.  None of which is true.

You have to change your mind set and realize it to be a joyful experience that has the most amazing gift at the end. A healthy, affordable and nourishing meal is the fruit of your labors.

Oh how I despised cooking. All that work and clean up just so everyone can gulp it down in a few minutes and go back to their phone screen.

Learning to not only savor the process (meal plans, shopping, prepping, cooking and eating) but learning to savor the meal itself changed my life.

Before food filled a basic need. I ate like I was starving with no thought whatsoever to what I was actually doing. Wolf it down and start thinking about the next meal.

Today, I enjoy the process which also includes the clean up.  I value the time I spend consciously making food that is flavorful and healthy.

It took a long time to get over the resentment I had previously. Then it was hard trying to figure out how to do all this.  But it was time well spent.

I do not want to sound like it’s a Jamie Oliver meal every time. I still put out a stinker now and then. Or a failed attempt at something new.

But it’s now become part of who I am.  I find my peace in my tiny kitchen.  I find lost pieces of myself as i lovingly combine ingredients that create, hopefully, a delicious and nutritious meal.

I get that not everyone will agree. I know I certainly would not have even just a few years ago. 

What’s the moral of the story?  It’s never too late to find that “thing” that moves you, that enriches you.

That thing may be something so far removed from your consciousness.  But leave your mind open to the possibility of it.

The world wants to drain your peace. It is more important than ever to find the solice inside of you and maybe it can even be shared with others.  It may not be cooking, it doesn’t have to be.

Find your joy. Feed it and nurture it and it will do the same thing back.  Make your peace a priority, a decision you will not regret.

We are not called by Jesus to worry and fret. He came to give everlasting live in abundance. Grab that gift and never let it go!  Joy and peace to you!

By Lois Hewitt

Yesterday, someone spoke words that hurt me.  Someone, who doesn’t know me well made assumptions.  Those words hurt.

In my new mindset, I was obligated to question my reaction to those words.

My ego took a hit because the words put my ideals, not my person, in a bad light. Frankly, I did not like that.  But ego wants it’s way always, so ego had to toughen up and get over itself.

Then I dealt with the assumptions. The words tried to paint a generalized picture of me.  I’m a unique child of God as we all are. Yes I have certain ideals, but none of us is exactly like the others, no matter the “group” you affiliate with.  Just as my fingerprint is unlike any other, so too is my being.

Words said with anger are the worst words cast.  I have lashed out many times, saying what I felt in that moment, which was not necessarily true. But once spewed, they can never be unheard.

So I listened as the words came flowing like a river full of hate.  Then my heart grew heavy, not for me, but for the speaker of the words.  Who hurt you so very badly?  What experience caused such hate? 

At that point, I realized I gave the words their punch. I allowed the words to cause a reaction in me.  That was on me, not the other person. 

Now the words no longer stung. The iffy truth they claimed just was not true at all. I went from hurt to compassion.

I, too, have hurt people with generalizations and assumptions. Many times it was in an attempt to protect myself from a perceived threat.  Like a feral dog, backed into a corner, self-preservation always kicks in.

We hope our words can uplift and encourage but there are times they do the opposite. You, as the brunt of those words, has to make a choice. Cornered feral dog or be more like the best example ever, Jesus.

On a Sunday, He was adored.  By that Friday, He was hated, ridiculed, abused and killed.  Yet His wrath was not present. He even asked His Father to forgive them, for they know not what they do.

That is my new model.  Words only have meaning when I allow it.  I realized that all my retalitary words would probably not change their assumptions. That is on them.

So today, instead of moping around wondering why I am being picked on, I am at peace. Because I know who I am and Who I belong to.  I have known pain in my life, so compassion should be with me.

I know there are some words that continue to ring in your head said by people you loved and trusted. Those words hurt far more than a stranger or an acquaintance.

But for your own sake, your own good, pray to make peace with those words. You can ruminate on them for a lifetime or you can take their value away and move into peace.

I will never forget the angry words my father said one day.  Devastated, was I.  I lived by those words for years. Chasing away my peace. Then one day I could no longer take it and I took the value of the words away.

It won’t be an easy choice to leave the words said before or the words not yet said. But your responsibly lies, not in justifying your retaliation, but in realizing your own peace and the compassion the other person so desperately needs.

I pray that in these precarious times, we can look to Jesus, and not the world, for our example of how to act when we are attacked. For many times they know not what they do.

By Lois Hewitt

There comes a time when, after sitting on the sidelines, you are called to the field.  You may not feel prepared.  You might not think yourself strong enough.  But when you are called, you better jump to it with all the enthusiasm you can muster.

I used to think being a Christian meant bring good.  Being compliant.  The last couple of years have taught me different.  Yes, it’s important to be a good person but you are never called to be a doormat.

Jesus does not call you to be a victim.  He calls you to take His strength, His courage and His power to use to glorify Him.

He came to start a revolution against the standard religious practices. He stormed the establishment and He brought about change that is still relavent 2000+ years later.

Sometimes God lays down a foundation of His truths that you may not have seen before. He has time, so it can unfold gradually.  Then one day you get a metaphysical baseball hit to your knees and you have to decide which way you will proceed.

We live in very uncertain times. People are not always what they say.  We must be on guard and be ever vigilant.

We must seek God’s direction in all things these days. I feel like I’m finally being called to play, I haven’t practiced, I am not strong but I’ll let Jesus do the heavy lifting…i just need to show up.

If you are struggling lately, unsure of your place. Not sure you will be called.  My advice is to pray.  Seek His guidance and His strength.

You are stronger than you think. The world is going to need those who believe. It isn’t going to be an easy road but what in life is easy?

I’m finding there is so much more to live in the uneasy. Do not let fear stop you from playing your part. You ARE a warrior!!

By Lois Hewitt

Hello, it’s been a little while.  I hope you are all doing well.

On this rainy Sunday, I thought a little financial review was in order.  So I logged into Social Security just to nose around.

I found the list of all my earnings, dating back to 1978 when I made my first $825 (yearly income).  My income has always vacalated between pretty good and how-did-I-make-it.

As I looked over my years of working, I noticed quite a few high earner years. It made me step back in time a bit.

Those years were my brutal years. I was working two jobs usually and attending college full time on the weekends.  Boy, was I tired then.

Those years were the years I fell into deep, debilitating debt. With all my working, I felt I deserved everything I wanted.  I was totally driven by ego at that time.

Those were the years I drank and smoked and ate bad food.  I rarely exercised and could barely sleep.  My stress levels were so high but, by then, it seemed normal. Anger, I was literally angry all the time.

I spent, drank and ate all that money away.  I was chased daily by collections people.  I never felt any peace in those days.  The only dream I could ever muster was about hopping a fright train and never coming back.

Night after night I dreamt about leaving. I was surrounded by all the things I thought would make me finally happy but ended up drowning me.

Fast forward to a life that is the total opposite. These are not high earning years and that is perfectly okay.  Bills, I have a few but they no longer deplete me of life.

Things, as they say, have come and gone.  Possessions now are few but have meaning and purpose.

The anger and addictions that had a stranglehold are now a memory. Yes, always aware that they can reappear but I have tools in my arsenal for them.

Empty and hollow I was then.  No purpose or reason. Today full and grateful.  Living for my purpose. Lived ungodly, today full of the Spirit.

Ego is finally in the backseat. She rears up every so often, she hates the peace and the calm.  But it is my new normal.

I have taken stock lately.  The past needs to be put in the past.  The lessons never forgotten but it is time to live in the present. No more wallowing in self-pity.

I speak frequently about a warrior spirit as I sit afraid and defeated on my couch.  The warrior is ready to make an appearance.

Gone, thankfully, are the days of past.  They made me who I am today. But today needs more than that.  

Living for Jesus is the answer I found. Money never made me happy, nor did the things. Busyness, like a disease, destroyed my life.

Today needs more sunrise watching, more simple pleasures, more gratitude, and more joy.  This only comes from Jesus.

I have made a shambles of my life, but the One who created all things has fixed the holes in my soul, filled the emptiness and cleansed me from all I did before.

As I look back on the work I did and the money I made, I see how important priorities are. My priority used to be me but now I have a Higher Calling.  And that is worth more than any amount of money.