Tag: person

A Citizen’s Response -ability

Jennifred Jones

I am a citizen of the United States of America. I was born here. I am granted full rights and responsibilities being an American citizen according to the US constitution.

We are governed by law through elected officials who are to have our best interests at heart, because they are one of us.

This places responsibility upon me to be watchful of my country, to live by its principles and to help my officials and representatives follow what we elected them for. We pay our taxes to have this done, and we want to make sure our hard-earned money is going to a profitable return.

I realize this comment may open a big can of worms, and I’m not going fishing!

Let me give a local example fresh from today. We’ve had multiple inches of rain where I live. One of the central parking lot drains at a nearby apartment complex doesn’t drain right. Many times water stands in the lot and comes halfway up car’s tires when they drive through. The mailbox unit was engulfed so the mailman didn’t stop -he couldn’t get to the boxes for all the water. It’s been over 6 hours and water is still there. Residents have literally waded in ankle deep water to reach their cars.

I felt it my responsibility to call the city and inquire about the drain since this has been repetitive. After several calls I reached the right person. They were unaware of the situation. The helpful official said he’d check out whose responsibility it was – the city or the apartment complex. I told him I felt bad for the residents living there, (including a man with a limp who had to walk all the way around the big ‘puddle’ to get to his car.) There was no other interest of my own…just noticing other’s wading through their difficulty.

How simple it was for me to call. Yes, it took time and effort, but I thought this is why we pay taxes – to have things run smoothly for the citizenry. I spoke with the city official as person to person, citizen to citizen – both working towards a common good.

What if every time something needed attention, we citizens did our responsible part and contacted whoever we needed to and didn’t think, ‘someone else will take care of it’. We are the someone else and we need to take care of it. How will our officials know what we need if we don’t tell them? This is how America works and how we keep a big country small and approachable.

I’m glad we live here and can help make things better!

What do you think?

Become Ye Thankful

Jennifred Jones

Every single day become thankful for something.

Big or small, large or insignificant….there is stuff in everyone’s life and work to be thankful for.

Sometimes it’s buried under layers of care, concern, fear, and plain old bad circumstances. These anchor us down, sap our energy and deplete our strength. …steal our joy and peace of mind.

Thoughts might say…. ‘stay concerned’ or ‘stay serious’….but too much of that is not good for us.

When you start to feel heavy and pressed down with cares, make yourself think of one good thing….and say thank you.

See the better person you are becoming.

Thanking is an automatic stress reliever, it will change your outlook on life, you will be more helpful to others.

Thanking gets our thinking off ourselves.

What is one ‘thankful think’ I can do today?

I will have two ‘thankful thinks’ tomorrow.

The Power of Your Story

Jennifred Jones

People say there’s power in your story.

“But I’m just one person, how can that make a difference?” “I haven’t lived any special kind of life. Nothing significant about me that I can think of…I haven’t won any medals, or rescued anybody from drowning. I haven’t even got a college diploma. I’m just a mom, or I’m just a cashier, or I’m just a mechanic, or I’m just a factory worker, a skilled laborer going to work on third shift for the last 30 years. What kind of story is that?”

God has done something in your life that is worth sharing and that is the foundation of your story.

A little boy shared his loaves and fishes with Jesus, and Jesus used it to feed 5,000 people. We’re still remembering that important story. Hungry people need to be fed; feed their bodies first and then their souls will want to hear from God.

The woman at the well met Jesus and was amazed how He knew all about her past and her many, many husbands, yet he cared enough to talk to her, a woman no respectable person would spend time with. He sought her out. That became her story and she ran back to town and said to the men to come see the man who told her everything she’d ever done, and they went out of the town and came to see Him…all by the power of her story. (John 4:27-30)

The man born blind, in John 9 was healed. He went and told everyone his story. His neighbors asked him what had happened. They had seen him as a beggar all his life and now he was washed, clean and walking around seeing everything. He told them the story. They wouldn’t believe it. The religious leaders didn’t believe either, but that didn’t cancel out his story. God did it to show He is a loving, caring God. Although many wouldn’t believe, some did. His story mattered. It mattered to him. It mattered to God. He believed and was healed. Others could have been healed too- if they chose to believe.

The little Israelite girl, who had been captured by the Arameans in Elisha’s time was made servant to Naaman’s wife. Naaman was a leper. This brave, caring little girl said to his wife, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:3 (NASB) She took her story of Elisha being able to pray for lepers and shared it, so Naaman could be healed. If she hadn’t shared her story he might never have recovered.

I have nothing that important to share, you say, and nobody will listen to me. If God has touched your life in any way, that’s part of your story, and it matters to God. He said, “Go tell.”

People don’t want a religion to believe, they want a reason to believe. God is that reason. We need to show people the good reasons to believe in God.

People have seen enough religion and what that has done to civilization. They need to hear your story of a powerful working God; the God who cares about His creation and came to save them from evil and help them in their daily lives. Down here. On earth. Right now. In the thick of trials, and hard family situations…not thinking they have to wait until they get to heaven before they can see God do something good for them.

They need to see a ‘today God’!

I have seen and know the ‘today God’, have you?

Talk to Him! He has time to listen.