Welcome to Fresh Mercy Every Morning

Author: Diane

  • Why We Don’t Compare

    Why We Don’t Compare

    Comparison, Am I Normal? is bad, it’s a dirty word. Thinking in the vein of – Am I normal – is a trap that leads to depression. If you have ADHD that path to depression is incredibly short. It’s not really a path, more like stepping through a doorway and you’re there — Depressed! In that light we can call comparison the door. This door should remain closed. It hides a very ugly room.

    What’s so ugly about the comparison to normal?
    Being normal has a nasty habit of always putting you and your loved ones in an unfavorable light. How would you feel if the family photographer was always cutting your head out of the pictures they took. You would constantly see your body as it is without the beauty of your smile or the light in your eyes. That’s just what thinking “am I normal” does! You are cutting all the beauty & light out of the picture, leaving only starkness. 

    When our oldest children had reached 5th & 7th grade, they began coming home with talk of Normal. They were coming to the realization that with ADHD they were different.  My response was – let me give it to you straight – “Comparison is not your friend. It will kick you when you’re down. It will turn its back on you when you need a hand getting up. Comparison is Satan’s agent. It is hollow, cold, and cloaked in darkness. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it is the goodness of God. It is not. It will pull the rug out from under you and laugh out loud when your bum hits the floor. Then came my motto: You will NEVER come out on top when you grapple with comparing yourself to others.

    For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

    John 3:16

    Comparison, or seeking to be normal, is a cruel taskmaster, keeping you unsettled down to your soul. It will keep you awake when you should be sleeping, distract you from what you should be doing. It likes to steal all the joy out of your days. It can even immobilize a person by creating great fear in their soul, so much so that they refuse to go out. Comparison is crippling. It gives no relief; it hangs on with a death grip. You want to shake it off. You may even think you have shaken it off, but then you turn a corner and there it is again. Have you had enough? Are you ready for fresh air and sunshine in your days? I can help you find it.

    Jesus is who you need. Jesus accepts you just as you are. Where you are, secrets and all. Jesus has a love for each one of us so vast we can’t comprehend how deep it is. Jesus has enough love for the whole world. Every single person on earth can find more than enough love in Jesus. Once you meet Him it will be much easier to let go of comparison. You will soon be leaning into the great big bear hug of Jesus. He washes away all our grief, replacing it with joy & peace. He tells us that we are enough for Him. We can relax in that knowledge. Jesus loves us just as we are. If we are lacking anything He will provide it.

  • Hello world!

    Welcome to our Florida Fall! The sun is not as intense as it has been, grasses are blooming with feathery plumps, leaves of the Raintrees are turning yellow and flittering to the ground. Some mornings start out foggy. But that is soon burned off by the sun. The best part of Fall in Florida is that the nights cool off, down into the 60’s. Here are the days of every Florida child’s delight and chagrin; chilly mornings require a sweater to be comfortable; every afternoon is too warm for such gear. So, we are in the days of wear the sweater out but carry it home. And most importantly, try hard not to forget it! This year we are having a classic fall. The daytime temps have dropped into the 80’s. Some years we don’t cool off. Some years we soar straight into Christmas with hot slightly humid days. I have celebrated more than one Christmas with a high of 94 F. What’s with all this weather talk? Weather effects our lives! That’s easy to see when the storms roll in and life is put on hold until the storm passes. But even the pleasant days, full of sunshine days, cool breezy days effect our moods and activities. So, why wouldn’t we talk about the weather?

    The day is Yours, the night is also Yours. You have established the light and the sun. You have fixed the boundaries of the earth; You have formed the summer and winter.

    Psalms 74:16-17

    As a child I remember with fondness listening to my father talk about the weather with his brothers. They were raised as farmers. Weather is important to farmers. I grew up on a small farm too. Weather brings the announcement of new seasons, even here in Florida. I love the cooler days of fall. Every day is a race to see how long I can postpone closing windows and putting the a.c. back on. I draw the line at sweating while sitting, 😂 I lived in Ontario, Canada as a young adult. Fall is completely different there. Grey days & cold rain. When we get rainy days they remind me of those days up north. Only they were so much colder!

    What’s your favorite season and why?