Articles by Jane Vincenzi at Heartlight

Bless Your Heart!

vincenzj@bellsouth.net (Jane Vincenzi) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Okay, I was born and raised in the deep South. Once I open my mouth and speak, you know it. My southern drawl cannot be mistaken for any other accent in the English language. Many times, when people first meet me they ask the question, "Where are you from ... Georgia, Alabama, or South Carolina?" They seem to "luv" my accent. Or they say they do.

As a true southerner, I am known not only for my drawl, but also for colloquialisms that are uncommon to people in other areas of the country. For example, when one is telling me about a crisis in their life, I sometimes reply, "Oh my goodness." If I am I very angry or upset, I am "fit to be tied." If one asks for directions, I might say, "Oh, you know where that street is. It is 'over yonder' by the Big Chicken." For those of you who don't know ... the Big Chicken is a famous landmark in Marietta, Georgia.

As I grew older, I left the country. I became citified. However, as the saying goes, "You can take the girl out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the girl." So, many of my southern expressions remained in my vocabulary. It is my heritage, and, I thank God for it.

My daughter-in-law, Sarah, was exposed to one of my southern colloquialisms when she and our son ate lunch with us on New Year's Day. We had the traditional meal with black eyed peas and collard greens. When I asked her if she wanted some "pot likker," she had a puzzled look on her face. I had to explain the term.

My favorite southern expression is "bless your heart." I usually say this to someone who is going through a painful experience in their life. I say it out of genuine care and concern. However, many times I say it without thinking of the meaning. I say it out of habit. Sometimes, I even say it in a derogatory way. I make statements such as, "Bless your heart, you are having a difficult time getting it together today."

However, as I was meditating on God's Word this morning, I thought about the significance of the expression. The word bless means "to speak well of, to invoke blessings upon a person" (Vine's Expository Dictionary). How does this apply to me? God led me to Jesus' words: "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:28). The Holy Spirit gently began to convict me. Suddenly, my worn expression became pregnant with meaning.

God instructs me to speak well of others ... even if they curse me. And, I am to pray for them. Lord, this is a hard commandment. In the flesh, I know I cannot obey. I admit my helplessness. I relate to the apostle Paul. "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not" (Romans 7:18).

However, I am learning from experience that when I say, "I cannot ... God says, I can." Admitting my helplessness opens the door for His divine enablement. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Oh Lord, bless those who have hurt me. Yes, bless them indeed. "Enable me never to repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this I was called so that I may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9).

Jane McRee Vincenzi is a homemaker in Marietta, Georgia. A Christian for over 33 years, Jane uses her spiritual gifts of teaching and exhortation in her writings.

The Clutter of Activity

vincenzj@bellsouth.net (Jane Vincenzi) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

As I approach almost sixty years of life, I pride myself in the fact that I remain active. Each morning, while lying in bed, my mind begins to race as I think of activities planned for the day. I offer up a quick prayer and then I am "up and at 'em."

For years, the same routine has been carried out almost as a ritual. In fact, if truth be known, I get annoyed if anything or anyone interrupts the start of my day. I walk Susie, our five pound Yorkshire terrier, and pick up two local newspapers that have been tossed on the ground. Occasionally, I will look up at the sky and thank God for the beautiful world He has created.

I throw the newspapers on the sofa and then head for the kitchen. Of course, Susie, being the alpha dog that she is, demands her breakfast. Since she is such a tiny pup with a delicate, digestive system, I pound her hard food with a hammer. Her tiny, "grits for teeth" can now crunch the bite size pieces of food. After pouring myself a cup of steaming coffee, I robotically walk to the family room. I hit the remote for the television and plop down on the sofa. The noise of a yapping dog, a pounding hammer, and newscasters fill the air. Abruptly, the stillness of the morning comes to an end. The clutter of activity has begun.

Clutter is defined as "a disorderly heap." I have more clutter than anyone I know. When you walk into my basement, your eye immediately goes to the stacks of boxes and big, black plastic bags that are overstuffed with clothes. I have old clothes, old furniture, old mattresses, old photographs, old everything. I could open up a thrift store with the inventory I have in stock. I keep telling myself that one day I am going to sort through things and give it all away. One day ... yes, one day.

Being a strong type A personality, I thrive on activity. This morning is an unusual morning for me. Having strained a muscle in my back, I am quietly reading God's Word. The clutter of activity has ceased. It is just God and me. The Holy Spirit has been prompting me for quite some time to "be still and know" that the LORD is God (Psalm 46:10). There is silence and then He speaks. "I always live 'to intercede' for you" (Hebrews 7:25). What do you live for?

I became numb. To be completely honest, I live for myself. Yes, I love the Lord. I love my husband. I love my family. I love my friends. But what do I live for? Is it to do my Lord's bidding? Ashamedly, I must say no. Too many distractions have led me astray from God's purpose in my life.

Jesus, my Great High Priest, set the standard. When He was on earth He started and ended His day in prayer. Now, seated at the right hand of the Father, He lives to make intercession for me. If Jesus lives to pray for me, how then should I live? The answer is simple ... a life of prayer.

Oh, Holy Spirit, renew a right spirit within me so that I will "devote myself to prayer" (Colossians 4:2).

Jesus, I thank you for removing the clutter of activity from my life today. Lord, I thank you that I am keenly aware of your presence in the quiet times. For it is in those times, my spirit is able to receive your Truth.

My Lord and my God, I thank you for speaking as you always do ... in a still, small voice.

Jane McRee Vincenzi is a homemaker in Marietta, Georgia. A Christian for over 33 years, Jane uses her spiritual gifts of teaching and exhortation in her writings.

The Talking Keypad

vincenzj@bellsouth.net (Jane Vincenzi) — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Since we recently had a visit to our home from, ah hum, a drug dealer, my interest in our home security has become a priority. We have a system but it is old and does not perform properly. I received a flyer in the mail that seemed to offer a good system with a reasonable monitoring fee.

I called the company and set up an appointment.

The salesman and his assistant arrived promptly at my home. They had their sales pitch down to a science. He was trying to sell me the latest equipment. He says, "Well, I have a keypad that will talk to you." I laughed out loud. He had aroused my interest. I asked him, "Well, what does it say?" I went on to say, "If it tells me in the morning, 'Hello good looking!' then I might pay the extra amount."

I don't think he was amused. However, he pursued the matter. He said, "The keypad will beep if someone opens a door. But, if you are lazy, you can get the talking one that will tell you that the door is open."

I jokingly said, "Oh, now you are saying I am lazy. I don't think it is a good incentive to pay an additional amount of money for that feature. Do you?"

Poor man ... he kept putting his foot in his mouth. I could relate. I know the taste of shoe leather quite well.

Bless his heart; I think he was kind of "bumfuzzled" by the end of our meeting. He was unaware that God had used him to give medicine to my soul. "A joyful heart is good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22 NAS). That's my God. He is always raining down blessings. He always has ways and means to send me little bubbles of joy!

Lord, how I thank you for the gift of laughter. You can take a serious matter and allow me to find humor in it. I needed to laugh out loud today. You are always raining down your grace upon me. I thank you God for the talking keypad. Bless that salesman, Lord. He made this old heart glad.

Jane McRee Vincenzi is a homemaker in Marietta, Georgia. A Christian for over 33 years, Jane uses her spiritual gifts of teaching and exhortation in her writings.