When You Really Don’t Want God To Bless Your Enemies

I have always struggled with certain passages in the Bible like when Jesus instructs us that we are to love our enemies and ask God to bless them. 

When someone hurts you and then you hear that you are to ask God to bless them, you just want to scream, “What? Are you kidding me?!”

The last thing I really want God to do is bless them! It seems all the compassion I can muster is to ask God to not let them suffer too long when that bus you wished for them runs them over.

Let’s face it, forgiveness is hard, and asking for them to be blessed can seem downright cruel of Him to ask.

Then it was shown to me that I misunderstood the lesson.

When Jesus said we are to love our enemies and ask God to bless them, He wasn’t saying we should ask God to send them money, lots of stuff, or for them to achieve great financial success and have all their hearts desire.

Jesus meant we are to ask God to bless them in the way that is most beneficial to all. We are to ask God for Him to show Himself to them, to softly reach out to them, to open their eyes to the hurt they’ve caused and to seek God for their own benefit, not ours.

Ok, that I think I can do.

Now that I get it, it may be just a bit easier to ask God to bless my enemies instead of praying for that bus to come and run them over, or whatever other calamity I may be thinking. 

I also have noticed it takes less painful effort to do this than to waste my time and emotions stewing over the hurt.

It’s the same as the lesson of turning the other cheek. God doesn’t want us to be doormats for other people! Good thing, because I have a short fuse for that! 

He wants us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. How many times have you’ve been angry at God and have hurt Him and he turned the other cheek? He forgave and forgot, and He does it much quicker than we do.

I believe the turn the other cheek is to behave in a way that means we don’t exact our revenge on others for hurting us, though at the moment it really sounds good, doesn’t it?

It means we are to ask God to be our vindicator as he really knows how to get to the other person – through their heart. 

Where we just want to hurt them back, which really accomplishes nothing, God wants to reach them, turn them around and help them along the right path. Kind of like he is already doing with us.

Ouch! That stings a bit.

This method really benefits us. Think back to the times when someone really hurt you and you asked for them to be hurt just as bad. Only to watch them seemingly be blessed in ways of finances, things given to them that you wanted and success in ways you can only dream of.

Ahhhh! Why is God blessing them when you were the one that was hurt?!

It seems like you are the one who got hurt while they seem to be getting rewarded for their bad behavior. What gives?

Well, we know that it does balance out. Call it karma or call it God's way of making sure everyone is even, either way - what you reap, you eventually will sow. 

And a life that appears calm and perfect on the surface often can mean there is a fierce undercurrent of disaster that is hidden from our view just under that seemingly perfect life.

So, the next time someone really is awful to you, don’t assume God wants you to get all the junk and the enemy to prosper. Ask God what He wants you to do. 

Forgive might be a word that quickly comes to mind. It may taste bad at first, but it’s OK for you to ask God to help you do that. Then ask Him to bless your enemies now that you know what it really means.

You may just find that the blessing is yours. J

Julie

Automatic Dishwashing Powder & Babies - A Deadly Combination

Automatic Dishwashing Powder - 

Warning! Strong eye & skin irritant. Can burn throat. Contains corrosive bleach that can burn mouth and throat.

Repeated or prolonged exposure to vapors or dust can cause irritation of the lungs, central nervous system disorders and even death.

Most common poisoning among children.

Many children have died from eating the little candy looking detergent pods or consuming the powder.

Scared yet? I would be.

The powder and liquids used in dishwashers account for some of the most common poisonings of children.

Picture this: 

You’re a mom, tired from working all day. As you are cleaning up from dinner, you have one child asking you for help with homework, your husband is asking where his favorite shirt is, the dog is barking, the clothes washer sounds off balance and your toddler is tugging at your leg while you are loading the dishwasher.

Sound like a typical evening in the kitchen for you?

You have the dishwasher all loaded, have the detergent in and the rinse aid filled. Then at that moment your older child knocks over a glass of milk all over her homework. You don’t shut the dishwasher door as you rush over with a dish towel trying to clean it up and trying to keep from blowing your top – let’s face it life can be hectic!

As you settle your older child down, wipe up the milk and help her with that math problem, you hear a scream.

Your toddler is standing at the open dishwasher door, detergent powder and rinse aid all over his mouth and fingers. The chemicals are burning his lips, mouth, tongue and throat and he is wheezing for air.

You scream for your husband. By the time he gets down the stairs full panic has set in. He’s screaming, “What happened?!” You are frantically looking for your phone to call 911 with your toddler in your arms.

You are sobbing on the phone to the 911 operator and what may only take minutes seems like hours for the EMT’s to arrive. By this time your precious little one’s lips and mouth are blistering and he is barely breathing.

Then begins the long ride to the ER, the agonizing wait at the hospital to see if your baby is even going to survive. 

IF, yes I said if, he does survive you could be looking at multiple surgeries, agonizing pain for him and possible permanent damage to his mouth and esophagus.

You are racked with guilt. You only turned away for a minute. It wasn’t your fault, but those words are little comfort as you run that scene over and over in your mind.

This may not be you personally, but it has been some mother at one time and sadly, many others.

I tell you this story, not to upset you, not to make you feel bad about the brands you buy, but to make you aware of the dangers these products can do.

The dangers are very real. And we all love our children and want to keep them safe. It’s just many families are unaware of the dangers is all.

I love my dishwasher. As a busy mom, I don’t want to stand and do dishes by hand, though there are times I do. I love to be able to throw the dishes in the dishwasher, slam the door, hit a button and they disappear for a while.

We decided a while back to make sure the product we used was safe. Safe first of all for our child, safe for the nosy dog who likes to come over and “help” with cleaning the plates once loaded in the dishwasher, and we wanted to not pollute the environment.

We also didn’t want it to cost more. Is there such a brand?

Yes there is and it’s called Shaklee. I know I am risking at sounding like a commercial here. I just want to share with you why I trust them in my home.

Shaklee’s commitment to safety and the environment goes back 100 years with the first multivitamin and they had the first biodegradable cleaning product produced in 1960. 

Shaklee has a long heritage of safety first. Safety for all – people, pets & Earth.

I trust them and they work. Plus, they actually save us a ton of money compared to the store brands. I love their Automatic Dishwashing Powder as I actually use a fraction of the amount compared to “filling up” the cup with the store brands. A little goes a very long way with Shaklee. My Shaklee dishwashing powder lasts me about 4 months and that’s doing a full load every day!

They are so worth trying. Please consider trying Shaklee’sAutomatic Dishwashing Powder.

 See below for a list of features or just click the link.

So, the next time you do dishes, think about the product you are pouring into your dishwasher cup and think about the mom waiting in the ER for news of her precious little one who just accidentally ate some of that powder.

There are safer alternatives. Please consider using them.

Thank you.

Julie

For more information about the dishwashing powder we use or to purchase it:

ToBeHealthy.MyShaklee.com/HealthyHome

Features: 

• The deep, enzyme-activated cleaning power gently removes tough stains, leaving dishes and glasses sparkling clean.
• Super concentrated – cleans 48 loads – just 2 teaspoons in each dispenser cup.
• No pre-rinsing needed – Removes dried on food and tough stains, so they don’t get stuck on.
• Dissolves quickly and completely, getting to work straight away.
• Absolutely no chlorine and no fragrances, which can pollute the air that you breathe.
• Comes in a handy resealable pouch with measuring scoop

Clean Credentials

• Natural
• Concentrated
• Biodegradable Surfactants
• No phosphates
• No chlorine

Disinfecting Wipes

Here is a great tip to help ward off the cold and flu viruses this year.

Shopping cart handles can be pretty nasty and most of us like to wipe the handles down with a disinfecting wipe. 

I often notice the stores will be out of the wipes they provide and I’ve also noticed they don’t do such a good job of cleaning.

I put several of the wipes we use in a Ziploc type baggie to throw in my purse. I use these to wipe down the shopping cart handles. I just pull one out of my purse as I walk up to the carts.

I like to have disinfecting wipes in my car to clean off the steering wheel, handles, radio knobs, etc. every now and then, too, especially if we just walked out of a store and my kids have touched every toy and item in the store.

Don't you just love it when you see your kids handle all the toys in the store, then stick their fingers in their mouths?

Ugh!

We use Shaklee’s Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes and we use them on everything, phones, doorknobs, handles, you name it.

I love these and I’ll tell you why I trust these wipes over the Clorox brand!

They not only disinfect much better and the disinfecting power lasts longer than bleach wipes, they also clean better than the bleach wipes!

I noticed when I used the Clorox wipes on shopping carts the grocery stores provide, they get the handle wet, but the handle still seems dirty. Plus, I notice the wipe itself is still white after wiping the surfaces down.

Did it really clean?

When I use the Shaklee’s Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes, I notice the surface seems cleaner and the wipe is black from the dirt and grime it just cleaned off.

Wow! It really lifted the dirt off and you can almost hear the germs dying a quick death.

I also like Shaklee’s Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes because they are safer to use. 

They are less toxic so kids can use them and they don’t pollute the environment. The material is also biodegradable and can be thrown into the recycling bin.

Since it has better cleaning and disinfecting powers than the Clorox wipes do, they are great for classrooms and offices.

Before I was able to work from home I used them to clean off my desk phone at work. Not much is yuckier than coming back from lunch and seeing a co-worker who has been sneezing and hacking all day sitting at your desk using your phone and pens! Yuck! 

So I always had some in my desk and I made it a point to let them know I was getting rid of their cuties! LOL!

They make great teacher and co-worker gifts. ;) hint, hint.

To help stay healthy this year, do what our family does, carry Shaklee’s Germ Off DisinfectingWipes with you everywhere. You just never know when they will come in handy. 

Julie

You can find the wipes we use here: 

Shaklee’s Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes