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Author: Sharon Ricks

My Dream Wasn’t His Dream

My Dream Wasn’t His Dream

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Looking at my life, I started wondering how I got here. Why I am who I am, and why I do, or don’t do certain things. But really what I was looking at was my physical life. Not my spiritual life. That…I have no doubts about. I noticed that my physical life didn’t quite stack up to what I had envisioned my life would be like at this point. 

I always believed that my husband and I would live our lives doing exactly what we had dreamed about. He would play music, I would write lyrics, and we would make beautiful music together. But that wasn’t God’s plan.

What I realized is that I hadn’t consulted God at all. I figured it was my dream, so He must have given it to me, right? The Bible says that He will give us the desires of our hearts. Wait. Was that really our desire, or was it my desire? I don’t know. I think I may have assumed that it was my husband’s desire. Hmmm?

Unfortunately, I will never know, because he went home to be with the Lord. But what I do know is that he loved me so much that he would have done just about anything to make me happy…even cosign a dream he didn’t dream. He was definitely my hype man…lol.

So I guess even if my life is not what I envisioned, and I don’t always do the things I should…it is still a good life. God still has a plan for me. It would be better if he were here, but I know that his spirit is with me. I feel him pushing me. Telling me to go to all of the places he wanted to take me, and to walk out all of those things I dreamed about. 

And I promise to do everything I can to make him proud.

Until next time…

Be blessed,.

It’s Not The Thing…It’s the Best Thing

It’s Not The Thing…It’s the Best Thing

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Back before the pandemic, our group ministered at a local rehabilitation center. The clergy who spoke gave a demonstration using a heavy backpack to illustrate how we walk around weighted down by all of our burdens when Jesus is walking right beside us trying to “lift” those burdens from our shoulders. It was powerful. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case…then a demonstration is worth 100,000!

We get so used to trying to handle things ourselves, that we don’t know how to rest in God. And here’s the thing…resting in God doesn’t mean that we will never be anxious, or nervous, or afraid. It means that when we do begin to feel those things we can “cast our cares” on Him, and allow Him to carry our burdens. But, a lot of us feel that we are not being good stewards when we do that. Surely, we must not be managing our lives well, because we shouldn’t still have so many burdens. And besides that…it just doesn’t seem right to put our problems on someone else. But, it’s not a bad thing to put our burdens on God…it’s the best thing.

We can’t keep going through this life alone. Sometimes, as Christians, we make these man-made rules that we can’t even maintain, and it keeps us in a place of defeat. We keep trying to make God like one of our friends. And if your friends are anything like mine…sometimes they are all in, and let’s face it…sometimes they’re not. 

We think that putting all of our cares on God is like “copping out,” or getting God to do the things that we should be doing ourselves, but that’s not how it is with God. He actually wants us to bring our burdens to Him. He knows that we need Him, and He loves us enough to wait for us to figure it out.

In Psalm 34:19 it says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” So, why are we struggling through trying to do something we were never meant to do? 

The best thing we can do is to let God be God in our lives, and to trust Him with all of our “stuff.”  Then all we have to do is remember that He who holds the plan…holds our hand.

And nothing will ever change that.

Until next time…

Be blessed.

These Changing Seasons

These Changing Seasons

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Today, it feels like spring is definitely on its way. We have struggled through another season of winter, and I can finally feel that newness in the air…like things are about to turn around. 

It’s like that in life too. We go through these seasons of change that help move us forward in faith. It’s believing that things that are down will come up, that sadness will become joy, and trials will become triumphs. If we didn’t go through all of those seasons there would be no growth. Believe me. I know trials are not pleasant, but they are necessary. God uses them to show us that depending on Him will always lead us to victory.

I have learned to expect the seasons of life. It proves that a new beginning is on the way. And with that new beginning comes a deeper level of faith in the God who never fails.

So, now I listen for His voice. He is always near, and He always has the answer. That means I don’t have to waste time trying to figure things out on my own. I don’t need to know the why of things…I just need to know Who. The Bible says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 125:1-2). This says that if I put my trust fully in God…He will surround me.

I pray that if you are going through a season of change, that you will keep your hand in the hand of the One who knows you better than you know yourself. There is a gift in your trial…one that you may not be able to see, but know that it is there. God is working it all out. Trust Him. Our God is a loving, caring, and faithful Father, and He loves us so much.

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Love All Year Long

Love All Year Long

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Tomorrow many of us will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. It is the only day specifically set aside to celebrate lovers. Just about everyone will be sharing love in some form or another. Hopefully we are not waiting until February 14th to do that. Because that should be what we do everyday, right?

Although I have always celebrated this holiday, the older I get the more I realize how important it is not to wait for that one day of the year. If I want to give flowers, candy, or go out to dinner, I shouldn’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day to do that. Time is a precious commodity. We only have a certain number of days designated to us, and God is the only one that knows that information. Mark 13:32 proves it when it says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And since God is the only One who knows, it behooves us to make the most of our time. 

That means we need to let go of offenses, and stop living angry lives waiting for the opportunity to give someone a piece of our minds. We may have good reasons to be upset, but if what happened is keeping us from enjoying every bit of our lives…it’s not worth it. Let it go. 

Love like there is no tomorrow. Love until the pain goes away. Love everyone, even the people we don’t like so much. If we do that, God will handle the rest. The Bible says that God will contend with those who contend with us. That means that He will handle any difficulties, any struggles, or anybody that causes us problems. All we have to do is be obedient to His commandment to love one another. And here’s a news flash…it doesn’t say only love those who love us. Yikes!

Join me in working towards letting our love shine all over everyone we meet. And don’t let their willingness to receive or not receive it determine if we give it. Give it anyway. Even if we have to give it from a distance. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

I’m Learning to be Content

I’m Learning to be Content

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Winter is definitely not giving up without a fight…

I have a new appreciation for those workers who have to work outside. But, even with all of the cold we are having, and as tired as I am feeling right now…I am still so grateful for every single day God allows me to be on the face of this earth.

This morning I woke up feeling God’s hand holding me. I just felt secure…safe. I know that He ministers to my spirit as I sleep (that’s probably the only time my mind is at rest). That’s one of the things I love about Him. He never stops coming after us. So, I have to believe that whatever was on my mind when I went to bed last night is being taken care of by the Master. I have been striving to be more like Paul when he says he has learned to be “content” in whatever situation he finds himself in (Philippians 4:11).

There is a beauty in being content. It says that I trust the providence of God.

When we believe that everything is in God’s hands it makes it easier to let go. I believe that as long as we hold on to people, and things, it blocks the flow of God’s plan in our lives. He wants to do big things through us. But, we often get in the way.

Our little finite minds still think we have control. I guess in some things we do. We have the power of choice, and we can choose to believe or not believe—to follow Him, or not follow Him. I want to follow Him. I want my life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ, but for some reason I keep going left when I should be going right. I sit down when I should be standing up, and I watch way too much television…especially when there are plenty of things I should be doing. 

In spite of all of that, I know that God loves me more than anything. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. Just for me. And if there was no one else in the world, God still would have send Jesus for me. If I didn’t believe that, I don’t know what my life would be like. And to be honest…I don’t want to know. I love Him. He loves me. And that’s enough.

I pray that for each of us. I pray that we continue to walk in the newness that comes from a life that is sold out to God. I pray that His strength will help carry us through those times when we want to quit. 

And I pray that we all begin to appreciate the gift that is Jesus Christ just a little bit more.

Until next time…

Be blessed

When The Unexpected Happens

When The Unexpected Happens

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I came into this year so excited about what God would be doing. This year, I had plans to move forward into my purpose; claiming all the promises of God. I was thinking that if God could take time to breathe the word of life into His prophets for me…the least I could do is walk in them. I still think that’s true, but God didn’t do it the way I thought He would. 

Last week, my sister went home to be with the Lord. I didn’t see that coming. Nobody saw that coming. It knocked the wind out of me. There was no warning. God didn’t check in with me to see if that was part of my plan. What He did was what He had planned even before He breathed life into her lungs. He already knew when He would come to claim that same breath back. 

I thought the last few years were the worst, but I didn’t know about this. I didn’t plan for this. I didn’t know that having to endure the passing of my sister would be part of what I would be doing this year. But here’s the thing, God didn’t have to ask my permission. He is God. And even though I don’t like it; even though I would rather be doing just about anything else…I trust His plan. 

One of my favorite scriptures is from the Book of Romans, and it says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

I know that whenever the unexpected happens, whatever we have to go through, God has already worked it out. This scripture says that nothing…no problem, no situation, not even death can come between the relationship that we have with the Lord. He has to be number one, because when He has first place in our lives, we never have to worry about the outcome, because God holds the outcome in His hands.  

Until next time…

Be blessed

We Will Overcome

We Will Overcome

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Can I just say how grateful I am that God loves us so much. Without Him our lives would be so pitiful. And I am even more grateful that He works it all out so that in some way everything we go through will be used for our good. I love knowing that the trials of this world have a purpose…it makes it all a little easier to bear.

The promise I want to focus on this time is the promise of  joy. The Bible says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

God planned our ending before our beginning. Knowing every single thing we would encounter. Somehow, that makes me feel better. Because it doesn’t matter if we could have just gone to the doctor one day earlier, or if we hadn’t eaten junk food every day of our lives we could have maybe extended our lives a little longer (Although, there is no doubt that eating healthy and going to the doctor regularly will definitely extend the quality of our lives). The trials we go through; the exercise we never get around to; even the times we miss church because we just want one day to sleep in…won’t change anything. God knows who we are, the struggles we face, and guess what? He still loves us. 

None of it matters. He has a plan for our lives, and nothing we do or don’t do is going to change that. Every now and then, He even gives us a glimpse of the plan He has for us. I think He does that to encourage us…to let us know that all of this is leading to something greater. God promises that at His right hand are “pleasures forevermore.”

His promise is that…if we stay close to Him, not only will we overcome, but we will have some joy in the process.

Until next time…

Be blessed

I Don’t Want to Follow Tradition Anymore!

I Don’t Want to Follow Tradition Anymore!

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Ok. First, I want to apologize for the last two posts. I know it looks like I might be confused, especially since one post said I wouldn’t make any New Year resolutions. And in the next post I said I made five (sigh). But bear with me it will all make sense….

Making New Year resolutions is typically what I always do, and I usually end up abandoning most of the things on my list before I can even get started. This year I didn’t want to do what I have always done. The thing is, I realized that when we don’t set any goals for ourselves there is nothing to shoot for. It’s like, even though we sometimes don’t reach the mark…at least there was an attempt. And if we keep trying, keep striving, maybe one day it will happen. What I know for sure though is that our goals (resolutions) will never happen if we don’t try. That’s definitely not what I wanted.

I just didn’t want tradition to dictate how I live. We sometimes follow along blindly not really understanding why we do things. We just do them because that’s the way it’s always been. I have heard of folks who went through four years of college to get a job they hate, because that’s what their parents, and grandparents did. That’s not living the kind of life God wants for us. He has a special plan just for us, and it may not look like anything anybody else around us has ever done. 

That’s what I want. To leave myself open to God. And if it strays from my list…that’s perfectly okay. That doesn’t mean that I will never have those things, it just means I want to follow God more than I want to follow my list. And the five things that I listed…well, they will all help me be a better servant for the Lord.

I think this time He will help me get there.

Until next time…

Be blessed!

No More Distractions!

No More Distractions!

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Last year I didn’t really make any New Year resolutions, and it felt great. There was no way I could be disappointed for not living up to them if I didn’t make any. That really took the pressure off. But what I also realized is that I had no expectations of…anything. I definitely didn’t like that feeling. So I determined that this year I would make at least one resolution (I actually ended up with five).

The biggest one on my list was avoiding distractions. I am determined that this year will be the beginning of deleting people and things that distract me from my goals. The ones I have, and definitely the ones God has for me. What I realized too is that distractions were my way of procrastinating. If I did not have everything just right I would use that as an excuse to watch television, talk on the phone, or scroll the internet. Anything to keep from doing what I know I should have been doing. 

I know that it won’t be easy, but I trust in the promises of God. The Bible says that I am more than a conqueror, and I believe that. I want to complete some projects this year that have fallen by the wayside. And I want to enjoy everyday…even the ones that cause me to say scriptures out loud…lol. 

I love the Lord, and I know that He hears my prayers. He has put in me everything that I need to be the woman of God He has called me to be. I know that I have the power of the Lord within me, and that gives me strength for the journey. God is opening up new ways for me, and little by little, I am beginning to see the vision. I just have to stay the course.

I know that everything the world has gone through the last couple of  years has brought me to a new place in Him. He is my Comforter, my Hero, my Father, my Friend…and although His teaching is sometimes hard, I know that He is the best, most loving Teacher I have ever had. I am so grateful for always being so patient with me. 

I’m looking forward to 2022, because I know that God will be with me every step of the way. And one way or another, He will help make all those distractions from last year work out for my good this year. 

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Making Some New Traditions

Making Some New Traditions

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Christmas is over, and a new year is about to begin. 

As this year ends we are all looking forward to a wonderful new beginning. My family has always been close, but going through this experience has made us even closer. God used everything we went through as a family to grow us in ways we may never have done any other way. And, even though it has been tough, and our faith has been tested in ways we never expected, I know that God’s plan is still perfect.

My friend’s pastor recently gave me a word from the Lord that has continued to resonate in my spirit. He said that I did not have to stick with tradition. I don’t know why, but it’s like that word freed my spirit. What that said to me was that I do not have to do things the same way my parents did, or anyone else for that matter. I can do what works for me, and if no one else agrees…that’s okay. I love that! God doesn’t want us to be so locked into anything that we can’t switch gears when we need to. If nothing else these last couple of years has taught us flexibility.

I usually make a list of things I would like to accomplish in the upcoming year, but this year I am determined that I am not going to do it. I usually have at least one, and then half-way through the year I realize that my resolution has fallen by the wayside. So, this year I am not going to put that pressure on myself. And I pray that you do the same. Start a new tradition…one that makes you happy.

The next time we meet we will be in a whole new year. I pray that God continues to bless you and keep you. That He shows you a deeper level of faith in Him, and that in this new year every dream, every vision, and every desire will be yours for the taking. 

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Safe Prosperous New Year!

Until next time…

Be blessed!