Mind Your Own Business

I have been job sharing with one of my co-workers for many years now. When I started working at the jail, my child was only 5 years old then. He’s 14 now. You would think that I would go back working full time. But I truly enjoy my time raising my son and taking care of my hubby’s and child’s needs. In their teenage years, I believe that’s the most important time of guidance and sharing the Lord with them at these awkward years. They feel like they are grown-ups, yet, they still have not completely left their childhood years. They are still dependent with some things.


It’s amazing to me how co-workers are constantly teasing me about adding more work hours or making comments that my son now is big, why be there [for him]? I try to tell them answers that are not mean but let’s just say in a much better way than saying “it’s none of your business…”


Working this weekend, one really got to me when she spoke, “Why? Why do you bring your kid to school? He’s big now. Maybe he doesn’t want you to be there. He just doesn’t want to tell you because he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings?”

My first reaction in my mind? Prayer….”Lord, thank You for changing me. If You didn’t change my heart, I would have responded in a mean way to make this person zip her mouth…”


My answer? “I think I know MY son well enough that I will know whether he likes me to drive him to school or pick him up or not!”


S…I…L…E…N…C…E…..


She went back to typing whatever in front of the computer monitor. Topics suddenly changed…


I love the wisdom that comes from the Lord. Short but very sharp. So sharp that even one sentence was enough to make your point!!!


I would love to ask that co-worker some of my own but decided not to….I had so much if I did…

“Does working a lot of hours improve our relationships with our children?”

We may earn a lot of money, but is it all worth it than the times well-spent talking with our children, seeing their accomplishments, being there for them when they encounter their own defeats and losses as our kids meet new challenges in their lives?

“What makes you think that my child doesn’t want me to drop him off and pick him up at school?”

Everyday, I won’t trade with anything our breakfasts together, preparing his lunch and snacks, our devotions together, lifting up everyone we know in prayers. The way he says, “thank You Lord! Thank you Mom! [or thank you dad if my husband is home] as his warm kisses land on our cheeks along with his hugs, after eating each meals….

Oh no! I won’t miss it for anything the way he waves his right arm “goodbye” as he says, “I love you mommy! See you later!” How can I want to miss picking him up when the first thing my child asks as he gets into the car, “Hi Mom! How are you? How was your day?” To know that deep inside, he loves and cares for me and he appreciates the things I do, how does my co-worker know that?

“He’s big now..Yes, I know…But what makes you think that just because he had grown up a little and had known a little, he became a disrespectful half-man/half-child?”

No! You must know that if we keep teaching our children about the Lord, that if we instill His grace and knowledge, He changes our children‘s hearts, too, the way He changed mine and that of my husband‘s. Just this morning, I shared with him Galatians 5:22. Aside from starting each morning with Proverbs 3:5,6. The world or generation may seem the same, always hungry for what this world offers or are always thinking about themselves first, but the generation that believes in Christ do not always go with the flow. Instilling in our children to have that reverential fear of the Lord changes their hearts and as they also learn to trust in Him and read his Word, I just know, I do not need to worry about my child, if I place my worries to God's loving hands, to God's guidance, to God's protection...Don't get me wrong! I'm not trying to say that Christians are the best. No! We can also succumb to our old habits if we are not relying on Christ. It doesn't mean our children are well-behaved...It is only Christ Who can change a person's heart. And if we expose our children to His love and grace, that's what works, not our own achievements.

“Train your child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” -Proverbs 22:6 [NIV]

My response to my co-worker’s statement: Nothing….But to mind my own business…I have nothing against working full time. It is because it depends on our financial status and life’s priorities. My only point is that we cannot apply what situations we are facing with others. I think every family is unique, just the way each of us is unique to God. I have no one to thank but God because as I had learned to walk closer with Him, He changed my heart. He changed my priorities. I learned to live in contentment. I learned to prioritize of what matters the most…I learned to live in simple ways. It’s an on-going learning process…And how I love the simplicity that comes from Jesus Christ!

Let me just put God’s advice [1 Thessalonians 4:11]:

“Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.” - The Message

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” - NIV

“Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord , and you won’t have to depend on anyone.” -CEV

Disguised

The amber glow of the rising sun started penetrating the tiny windows in some of the prison cells. It was a beautiful morning to gather together and worship God on that particular Sunday. The throng of prison-issued, orange uniformed men, of different races, of different ages came and filled those benches neatly arranged for the fellowship.


The bolder ones shared what their faith meant, professing their powerful testimonies. Then, came singing. Some raised their hands into the air and completely released their adoration of the One Who forgave them of their heinous crimes. Tears freely flowed as they wept with a sincere gratitude for the newfound hope their broken hearts accepted from Jesus Christ.


The leader of the prison ministry stepped into the front, grabbed everyone’s attention and requested to bow their heads and confess their sins to God and lift up whatever petitions they wanted to say or even just to simply offer their thanks to God. Whatever they did that week up to that day leading to that worship, anything that was not pleasing to God must be confessed.


One by one, the heads slowly bowed low, eyes were shut closed, some pairs of hands were folded together; still, others felt compelled to bend and get down on their knees. With a silent whisper, confessions and petitions slowly lifted up into the air, towards the heavenly abode of the living God.


There were two of them sitting on the far corner of the last line of these benches. They were huddled close together and in whispers, softly spoke. Not to converse with God. But to each other. A negotiation started.


In a quiet hush-hush conversation, the previously incarcerated inmate was trying to lure the newly-arrived inmate to steal food from others for himself. He couldn’t afford to buy anything from the jail’s commissary. He had no money or funds from his account.


Unfortunately, there was no choice left for the new inmate. If he complied, protection would be given to him from those who loved to intimidate and impose power over the weak ones. If he didn’t obey, it would be an uglier outcome: “his safety jeopardized, even his own life might cost him.”


Their negotiation was drowned by the utterances of other’s prayers. It was carefully going on despite the surveillance of the prison guards. The cameras would not detect anything as they would not pick up a sound.


It was sad that the longer incarcerated inmate was taking advantage of that special fellowship for God to mask his own, evil agenda. The beautiful sunlight penetrated the cells, but not all of the parts of the prison get that benefit...There is still areas of darkness...And it is a very dark place to be.


The Bible warns us that Satan, too is that way. He is capable of appearing like he is an angel of light. Not everything or anyone who looks beautiful or good means that they are doing things for God. The apostle Paul said:


2 Corinthians 11:12-15 - “And I’m not changing my position on this. I’d die before taking your money. I’m giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing “preachers,” vaunting themselves as someone special. They’re a sorry bunch - pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers - posing as Christ’s agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they’re not getting by with anything. They’ll pay for it in the end.” [The Message].


Just as that time when Paul warned the Corinthians to be careful not to assume that every preacher or evangelist who was well-known or who demanded a large honor and recognition was superior at teaching God’s Word, still applies for all of us, believers, today…


“My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.” - 1 John 4:1 [The Message]


“Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ - the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person - comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!” - 1 John 4:2-3 [The Message]


As you worship the Lord this Sunday, may I ask you if the leader of your church gives all the glory back to Jesus or does he glorify himself? In everything we come across with...i.e...books, shows we watch in the theater/tv, video games, any other form of entertainment....is it the Lord Jesus glorified?

Satan doesn’t come like a roaring lion sometimes. He likes to slither like a snake just as how he did it in the garden of Eden. He comes in a very subtle way at times, so quiet that it’s hard for us to perceive that kind of attack… Let’s put on the Armor of God and ask the Lord for discernment in everything that we do…God bless.

Please visit Spiritual Sundays for other encouraging posts. Thanks to sisters Charlotte and Ginger for hosting this special place.

Which One Defines Us?

James 1:22-24 - "Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like." [The Message]

James 1:26-27 - "Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." [The Message]





I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. ~John Locke

After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done. ~Author Unknown

The shortest answer is doing. ~Lord Herbert

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. ~Frank Tibolt

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. ~Peter Marshall

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold - but so does a hard-boiled egg. ~Author Unknown

Fragile Vessel

She laid there on the bottom bunk, slightly nodding her head to questions but not saying anything. She was slightly diaphoretic. Her breakfast tray was visible on top of the steel table, still untouched. In a far corner, there were unopened graham crackers.


The night shift nurses just got done with the Accuchecks [when diabetic inmates come down to the Infirmary to have their blood sugar checked and their morning doses of insulin given if they are on it]… I felt my energy was waning as our shift neared its end. I picked up my transparent purse and just waited for my co-worker to give her report to the incoming day charge nurse. I took a careful sip from my cup of still hot coffee…When this call of distress blared from all the radios:

“Unit 9 Nurse! Mandown! She is a diabetic!”

My co-worker stopped giving report. She grabbed the emergency bag, making sure that the Accucheck machine was in it. I dropped my purse and took a radio and slid it into the left pocket of my scrub uniform. We both ran as another co-worker started popping the metal doors for us so we didn’t need to use the keys. The hallway was long and it felt like the minutes had slowed down.

The downed inmate was on the top tier. Swiftly ascending the steps of the stairs, we saw the deputy waiting for us inside her cell. I told my co-worker I had a feeling it was “Ms. Rodriguez”. Because I did her sugar check and it was okay to give the morning insulin. Except, I had given her a few packets of Graham crackers for her to eat knowing that sometimes, the breakfast trays were served late on weekends. Her body felt cold to touch.

True enough, it was that familiar face. I hated to see her in that situation knowing that it could have been prevented. She was nodding and as I noted that she was not able to swallow the glucogel [gel eaten to raise the blood sugar] in her mouth, I ordered my co-worker to go ahead and start an IV. Prior to that, I told her to give the shot of sugar to her thigh so we could bring her blood sugar level to a safer reading. The cell was so tiny. It was hard to move and it needed both of our precise intervention and cooperation in order for us to be successful in saving this precious life. We were both playing the tug of war: the tug between life and death…

I ran to the Nurse’s clinic inside that unit as we needed a needle to be able to inject sugar in an intravenous form. I grabbed the emergency kit stored in every Nurse’s clinic. My adrenalin pumping, I couldn’t miss a step on those metal stairs. Every seconds counted!

I saw the IV in on Ms. Rodriguez’ right arm. I aimed to the nearest port of her IV and slowly injected the medication. In less than one minute, she was slowly coming back and started talking and shaking with fear.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t eat those crackers you gave me,” she wailed.

“Shhh…” I said to make her calm down and in a soft voice added, “It’s okay. What’s important is that we are able to bring you back. That’s what matters right now.”

“Next time, if you are told to eat your crackers, do so. There is a reason why we do that and a reason why we don’t give it to you when you want them.”

“Yes, Nurse….sobs….I understand now. I’m sorry and thank you so much to both of you,” as she slowly got up and tried to get dressed up with her orange shirt.

“Go ahead and eat. We’ll have another nurse follow up with you. Don’t be afraid,” as my co-worker and I gathered all the needles and other things strewn on the floor. Her body became warm to touch now when we left her. I went back to the Clinic and found my cup of coffee had gotten so cold, it was not good to drink anymore….I tossed it out in a nearby trash can. I would rather have my coffee got colder and a precious life be revived and warm blood flowed again.

Diabetics are vulnerable to having too high or too low of their sugar level. These altered levels may cause confusion, diaphoresis, neuropathy, coma and even may lead to death.


Our bodies are very fragile! They are perishable! We get hurt, wounded, bruised, or sick. We bleed, our bones may break, our organs can malfunction. But Paul reminded us though we may feel that we are at the end of rope, we are never at the end of hope. Our body may be subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because of what Jesus had done on the cross, we have eternal life. Through all of our sufferings and trials, they are all great opportunities for Christ to show His power and presence in us and through us.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 [NIV]:


7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted , but not abandoned ; struck down, but not destroyed . 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So, then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 [NIV]:

1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down - when we die and leave these bodies - we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies, like new clothing. 3For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. 4Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.