Category Archives: MUSINGS

Pass Your Test

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I’m a word girl; you know that by now. Don’t ask me about scientific processes, dates from significant historical periods or how to figure out a geometric problem. I would look straight dumb in most of these instances. So you know I was elated when I went to college and had to take only a few science and history courses and no math whatsoever. I was okay with not passing a few tests and overjoyed not to take one math test, but as you know hard tests transcend the walls of academia. We face them every day, can’t escape them if we tried, and we decide based on our preparation if we will pass these tests.

I had one last night. Flynn and I had dinner with a young married couple we mentor. They were talking about an unexpected car expense they had from their car just dying on them in route somewhere. We encouraged them to be thankful that they had the money for repairs and to remember “that life sometimes throws you curve balls,” tests that you don’t want and don’t expect. On our way home we got a curve ball: ironically our car died on us in the left lane of the expressway in the middle of a snowstorm. With the words to our young couple fresh on our minds, we had to decide what the answers to our test would be.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

With this verse ever present as we mentor young couples and our scriptural arsenal we decided to believe that our God would supply all our need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Though we didn’t understand why the car broke and the fees came when the income is low, we understood that we couldn’t by worrying add a single hour to our lives (Matthew 6:27). We chose to accept that God, who cloths the non-employed grasses with lilies and feeds the jobless birds, would take care of us who do work and are more valuable to God than these (Matthew 6:25-32).

Yes, I’m a word girl, but these glorious words sometimes sting like a fast curve ball pitched by the opposing team. They are like the phrasing of trick questions on dreaded tests that you have studied for but had no idea would show up like these. These words sometimes seem too hard to learn. But I like words and praise God for the ones with promises. They are so much easier to remember and eat even with their sting.

What tests have you had lately? How well have you done with them?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Friday Feature: Yeast Infections

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The nagging itch had come again and there had only been three weeks since my last bout. I went to the doctor. She gave me a prescription. I filled it. I used it. I was better for three weeks then I started the itch, see doctor, and get a prescription and relief cycle again. I was suffering with chronic yeast infections—from Candida albicans (the same fungus that causes athletes’ feet and jock itch)—and all my doctor was doing was treating my symptoms. I needed to understand why I kept suffering so I went on my own quest and what I found out has allowed me to treat and prevent reoccurrences:

• I had an imbalance in my flora, which essentially means that I had too many bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria in my intestines. We all have good and bad bacteria that naturally occur in our bodies. When there is an imbalance we get an infection.

• Sugar, white distilled vinegar (found in salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and tons of other condiments), dairy, fried foods, products containing yeast and fungi (mushrooms and aged cheese) are culprits for yeast infections. It’s not that I can’t ever have these things foods; it’s just that I had to cut them out for about three weeks to promote long term healing.

• During my three weeks, I ate low fat plain yogurt and used it like a prescription vaginal cream. Yogurt is full of good bacteria, or probiotics, the live cells that help restore your flora balance. I also took a probiotic supplement and do so almost daily to maintain my flora balance. I avoid regular yogurts, especially the ones with the fruit, because their sugar content counteracts the good bacteria. I ate bunches of raw and juiced vegetables and lean, non-cured meats.

• Using internal prescription medicines (antibiotics) kill the good and bad bacteria. This is the reason I would get better and eventually get sick again. If I ever have to take antibiotics I make sure to take some probiotics after my course of medicine.

I was able to restore my health by doing my own investigation and mainly using the teachings of two doctors who are Christians that I admire, Don Colbert, M.D. and Valerie Saxion, N.D. When my doctor saw that I was no longer having yeast infections, she said, “Whatever you’re doing keep on doing.” I then knew even greater that it was my responsibility to take care of my temple. I can’t ever expect a doctor to solely do that for me.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Satisfying God

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Light a candle for the Holy Spirit, let His figure be the one invited person we’d hope would come, show up to cover us with His presence, illuminate our lives, giving direction, showing where we need correction and peace. We need Him here, always, stroking our lives, making us whole and holding us captive with great fear, an awe of His presence, His likeness, His coming near to us, helping us. He’s the Helper, if we let Him. He’s our guide, if we choose not to do this on our own. He’s our shield, protecting us from us and others. He’s Lord, leading us down righteous pathways, the place we belong.

He’s calling us, in whispered songs and we hear the melody floating above our heads, in our heads. We long for and like the words, but they are too simplistic to us. We want better, want more than what He sings. We bring our requests through ignoring the songs, refusing to sing the lyrics, hum the tunes in our hearts. Our dark, dry souls can’t see and are thirsty. Our candle is quenched, and we have snuffed our sight. We are not satisfied satisfying God.

This is His request: Be satisfied satisfying Me. This is the great challenge of my too often discontented soul, the strong black woman one who always wants more and so little of that has to do with God. I yearn through faithfulness and obedience, putting the spiritual above the physical, to be satisfied by satisfying God. Yearn with me. Joy with me in bringing joy to God.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

The Valentine’s Day Gift

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Each time I was pregnant, I craved burgers. I devoured patty melts my first go around, Wendy’s double cheese burgers my second go around and White Castle burgers with my third pregnancy. While I had a great love affair with burgers, I declare I wouldn’t want my husband to try to woo me with a burger, even though this is what White Castle is encouraging.

Did you see this ad? While I commend the fast food chain for capitalizing on broke people who like sliders and people who just want to show their loved ones some love, I just don’t think White Castle is special enough to give as a Valentine’s Day gift. White Castle is something you crave in the moment, get in the drive through when you’re in a hurry, buy when you can’t afford something else or grab when you don’t feel like cooking. White Castle just doesn’t seem special enough for the special person in your life.

The more I thought about how I would feel if my husband took me to White Castle for a Valentine’s dinner, I thought about how God, our first love, feels when we give Him the spiritual equivalent of a White Castle dinner: When we only read our bible when the moment hits us, only say a couple of words to Him as we rush out the door, or go to Him when nothing else has worked or when there’s nothing else to do. While these are probably not the pattern for most of us, I’m sure we have been guilty of at least one of these at some point in our Christian walk. I know that I, trying to balance all that strong black women are expected to balance, have given God some White Castle love. Yes, we all have extenuating circumstances, like perhaps sickness and caring for a new baby, but when we constantly let life get in the way of our fellowship with the person who gave us life, we have to make some adjustments, including planning better so God gets our very best.

This Valentine’s Day I want you think about how you plan to upgrade your gifts to God. I’m not necessarily talking about giving more money to Kingdom work, though some of you may need to do that. If you’ve been giving Jesus White Castle burgers with your time and talent, I want you to figure out how to give Him filet mignon. I want you to give Him whatever your best is. And as you know, He is worth every ounce and then some.

Read what an exSuperwoman is doing with her gifts this Valentine’s Day at Confessions of an ExSuperwoman.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Friday Feature: Free Flowing

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It’s so easy to give up after trying hard at something and not seeing the results you expected. I know. I’ve done this in trying to improve my digestive health. The change in eating certain foods, the increase in enzymes and even more water just didn’t seem to be working for me at one period. I finally realized that more water and fruits and vegetables for me meant more than the average person. My major increase helped, but I was still having a bit of sluggishness until I discovered that I needed to do the following to keep my colon free flowing:

    1) Avoid mucous-forming foods (also known as acid-forming foods), like cheese. Mucous can get caught on your intestinal walls and block the free flow of waste through and out of your system.
    2) Drink room temperature beverages with meals. Many of us love an ice cold glass of water, but cold and food don’t mix well. Cold drinks can solidify your food and keep it from flowing freely.
    3) Drink 32 ounces of room temperature purified water first thing in the morning. This helps my digestive tract get going after its rested overnight. I also have a friend who drinks a hot cup of water first thing in the morning. She says this does natural wonders for her system.
    4) Drink a freshly squeezed juice or vegetable drink in the morning. This also helps my digestive tract get going immediately.
    5) Drink a hot beverage after a meal. I like to drink tea. Hot drinks help to “melt” foods, helping them break down and allowing them to move easier. Sometimes for an extra boost I select fenugreek tea, which loosens mucous and is a natural diuretic.

If you are on the quest for better help, please don’t give up. Sometimes we strong black women think we have too much going on to work so hard on an issue like digestion. After all, we’ve dealt this long with a sluggish system; we can survive, some of us might think. But you don’t know this. God gave us everything we need for life and godliness. Taking care of our bodies in every way we can gives us life and helps us to be godly because we are honoring our bodies, the temple of the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost, God Himself, deserves the best. We should give our best whenever and wherever we can.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith