Five Minute Friday: Nothing

By Jeanne Takenaka

I know I don’t usually post on Fridays. I learned about a concept of writing for five minutes on a one word prompt. i decided to take the challenge. I don’t know if I’ll post every Friday, but I want to try. These posts will be simpler and probably not as consistent as my normal postings on Tuesdays. I hope you’ll enjoy and join in the conversation.

Nothing . . . 

What I felt like as a girl in elementary school. Taunted by classmates, teased and spit upon.

Made to feel less-than.

How is it that what other people thought of me became so important as to negate who Jesus created me to be?

Nothing . . .

In womanhood, I still struggle with feelings of being “nothing” in others’ eyes.

Insignificant.

Not worth others’ time and attention.

But God . . .

In God’s eyes, I’m not nothing. He created me with a purpose and

He loves me,

and that makes me something.

Something special to Him.

Something—someone—He has plans for because He loves me.

When I begin to feel like Nothing, I remember that in His eyes I’m Something.

Someone worth sacrificing for.

I’m something because He loves me. He sings over me, rejoices over me. He delights in me.

When people miss the Something that I am, I limp to my Father and remember that He loves me. In His eyes I’m something, not nothing. Not insignificant.

So it is with each person on this globe. Each person is a treasure. No one is Nothing in His eyes.

He holds each of us in the palm of His hand, cherishing us because in His eyes, we are something . . . something special to Him.

What about you? When you hear the word, “Nothing,” what comes to mind?

http://lisajobaker.com/2014/05/five-minute-friday-nothing/

Memorial Day: Remembering the Sacrifices

I know Memorial Day was yesterday, but one day a year is not enough to remember those who have fallen in protecting our country. This reality is never far from my mind with a husband who served in the military for twenty years, and with many other family members and friends who served or are serving still.

Marriage: 5 Tips For Keeping a Marriage Strong

By Jeanne Takenaka

Hubby and I recently celebrated our eighteenth anniversary. Life before I met my man is hazy memories. Times with him occupy most of the happy cells in my thoughts, in my heart.

Things haven’t always been easy. We traversed the ups and downs of the second decade of a military career. Travel, occasional stress with co-workers and accomplishing the mission at hand sometimes demanded his focus.

Am I Enough: A Thought on Mom’s Night Out the movie

By Jeanne Takenaka

A couple friends and I saw the movie, Mom’s Night Out.  I came away uplifted by the story. My still-a-little-sore right side ached from all the times I laughed.

Along with great humor, beautiful messages shine through the story line. One thing that resonated with me was when the main character is in her darkest moment. She’s talking with an unlikely truth speaker. She’s certain she’s a failure at everything (Because really, what woman hasn’t felt this at one time or another?). And she says, “I’m not enough.”

Seasons: The Changing of Seasons

I’ve been waiting for spring.

Winter has worn hard on most of the United States this year, with barely a respite from snow and biting cold. Even in the monotony of the landscape, there is beauty in winter time (Yes, I know some will refute this!).