The word wait is defined as "1. stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens. 2. used to indicate that one is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen."
I am not a good "waiter". When I am ready for something, I am ready. Because of this particular flaw in my character (one of many), God has used waiting as a way to force me to rely on Him. I don't like waiting but I've spent most of my life doing it. I have a wonderful husband who has no concept of time--so I spend a lot of time waiting for him. Waiting for him to get home, waiting for him to be ready to go, waiting for him to make a decision. And there is only small comfort in knowing that other women feel my pain! I don't like to be late. But I have a precious friend who also has no concept of time. So I spend time waiting on her when we have plans. (I finally learned just to tell her 30 minutes earlier than necessary--so now most of you know who this is as does she! ) I don't like waiting when I have doctor's appointments or if someone has set a time to see me and then they are late. I can forgive it and get over it--usually--but I don't like it. I already hear some of you saying, preach it sista!! (I have learned to always have a book or magazine handy, especially when waiting somewhere other than home.)
Perhaps the hardest thing for me to admit is that I don't particularly like waiting for God's timing. Do I know that is the right thing to do? Of course I do. I am familiar with all the Bible verses that tell us to wait. Psalms 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. Psalms 62:5 - My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation [is] from him. In the Psalms over and over David talks about waiting. And I know that is what we are to do. And as I've gotten older and matured in my faith, I realize more and more the importance of waiting. Mainly because every time I got ahead of God's timing I failed. Nothing went the way it was supposed to go. Nobody did what I had planned for them to do. And, thankfully, God refrained from saying "I told you so" but I wouldn't be surprised if He shook His head and asked "Will she EVER learn?"
We discuss waiting on God in Sunday School. We sing songs about waiting for Him to give us His answer. So finally, I decided to follow the advice in Isaiah 8:17 - And I will wait upon the LORD... and I will look for him. While I kept praying, while I asked my prayer warriors to pray with me, while I read and studied my Bible, I was waiting. And I stopped worrying. I just kept telling myself that God was in control. He would meet my needs. He would take care of everything. I felt lighter. I felt more content. I even have become a "waiting" encourager. Helping others to see the peace of just giving it over to God and trusting Him.
Finally, God must have felt like I had reached a point where He could answer one of my biggest requests without it changing me. So He showed up and He showed out. Very soon this scripture filled my heart---Psalms 40:1 - I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Hallelujah! You just have to shout there! I sent texts to those who had been praying so diligently with me and just said Praise the Lord. Oh how my heart is singing. Oh how thankful I am that I let go. That I gave it all to Him.
So if this is where you are, just trust. And wait. And when God's time is right you will agree with the Psalmist: Psalms 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
The Wedding vs The Marriage
Genesis 2:24
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
It is wedding season! There have been lots of showers with more to come and many weddings over the next few months. Many brides have put hours into planning their perfect wedding and many parents have spent thousands of dollars to be sure their child had the wedding of their dreams. Discussions have been had about flowers and attendants, songs and food, venues and honeymoons. Plans have been made, friends and families have been invited. Everyone comes to the big day. And the ceremony takes 15 minutes and then it is over. The two have become one. Mr. and Mrs. New beginning.
But wait! In all this time that was spent on plans for the wedding, how much time was spent thinking about the marriage? Oh, I know. "And they lived happily ever after..." Lovely ending for a fairy tale but not for real life. Marriage is hard work. There are things you need to discuss before you become one flesh. There are decisions to be made before the situation arises. I am a strong advocate of 3-6 months of premarital counseling for engaged couples. A time to examine those big issues but, equally important, a time to look at those small issues because they are often the ones that lead to the biggest blowups! "Oh," the deeply in love couple says, "those issues won't be a problem for us." (Add buzzer sound here) Wrong. They will be. Let's examine just a few.
Money--are we a couple that pools all our money, keeps our money separate or does a combination of these? This can lead to more problems than you think. And with more couples waiting until they are established in their careers before they get married, this can be even a greater debate. And more than likely, each set of parents did things their own way so you can't just say we will do what our parents did. Once the decision has been made about where to put the money then we have to decide how to spend it, who is responsible for it and what do we do with extra. A scenario I often use with engaged couples is this: You get 500 dollars back on your income tax. What are you going to do with it? You can rest assured these leads to some lively discussions. But it is a necessary discussion.
Holidays/Extended Family---where are we going for Christmas and Thanksgiving? Who gets to see their parents on Mother's Day and Father's day? Who do we visit more often? These issues may be less troublesome if everyone lives in the same town. But what if you all live in different states? What if you live in the same town as one side of the family and not the other? Again, somebody will have to make concessions and that is not always an easy agreement to make.
Leisure Time--how we will spend it? In today's world our time is just as, if not more, valuable as our money. There doesn't seem to be enough of it. So when we have some time, how do we spend it? Do we have to spend it always together? Or can we each do our own thing? One likes to hunt and one doesn't. One likes to tinker with old cars and the other doesn't. One likes to veg out in front of the tv and one likes to "do" something. How do you decide what is fair?
These are just a few things that need to be discussed BEFORE the wedding takes place. And I didn't even try to get into the things like children, careers, church that are huge topics of conversation. The more time spent preparing for the MARRIAGE before the wedding, the better off you will be. I truly believe some couples would have called off the engagement rather than divorcing years later if they had spent some time looking at issues prior to getting married.
And this is my final point and of utmost importance--what about God? Is He going to be the cornerstone of your marriage? Are you going to allow Him to play a part in the decisions you make? Is your main goal as a couple going to be how you can serve God better together than you can individually? This is more than likely the most important decision you are going to have to make as a couple. Those who are Christians know they are not to be "unequally yoked"--
2 Corinthians 6:14says"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? That is something important to consider before you even start dating. But if you are both Believers and Followers of Jesus Christ, how important is that in your marriage? We know how important it is to have the "threefold cord." But this section of Ecclesiastes can also show the importance of "two." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: 9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Plan the wedding but, so much more importantly, plan the marriage. May God always bless each of you in your marital relationships and may you allow Him to work through you in your future.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
It is wedding season! There have been lots of showers with more to come and many weddings over the next few months. Many brides have put hours into planning their perfect wedding and many parents have spent thousands of dollars to be sure their child had the wedding of their dreams. Discussions have been had about flowers and attendants, songs and food, venues and honeymoons. Plans have been made, friends and families have been invited. Everyone comes to the big day. And the ceremony takes 15 minutes and then it is over. The two have become one. Mr. and Mrs. New beginning.
But wait! In all this time that was spent on plans for the wedding, how much time was spent thinking about the marriage? Oh, I know. "And they lived happily ever after..." Lovely ending for a fairy tale but not for real life. Marriage is hard work. There are things you need to discuss before you become one flesh. There are decisions to be made before the situation arises. I am a strong advocate of 3-6 months of premarital counseling for engaged couples. A time to examine those big issues but, equally important, a time to look at those small issues because they are often the ones that lead to the biggest blowups! "Oh," the deeply in love couple says, "those issues won't be a problem for us." (Add buzzer sound here) Wrong. They will be. Let's examine just a few.
Money--are we a couple that pools all our money, keeps our money separate or does a combination of these? This can lead to more problems than you think. And with more couples waiting until they are established in their careers before they get married, this can be even a greater debate. And more than likely, each set of parents did things their own way so you can't just say we will do what our parents did. Once the decision has been made about where to put the money then we have to decide how to spend it, who is responsible for it and what do we do with extra. A scenario I often use with engaged couples is this: You get 500 dollars back on your income tax. What are you going to do with it? You can rest assured these leads to some lively discussions. But it is a necessary discussion.
Holidays/Extended Family---where are we going for Christmas and Thanksgiving? Who gets to see their parents on Mother's Day and Father's day? Who do we visit more often? These issues may be less troublesome if everyone lives in the same town. But what if you all live in different states? What if you live in the same town as one side of the family and not the other? Again, somebody will have to make concessions and that is not always an easy agreement to make.
Leisure Time--how we will spend it? In today's world our time is just as, if not more, valuable as our money. There doesn't seem to be enough of it. So when we have some time, how do we spend it? Do we have to spend it always together? Or can we each do our own thing? One likes to hunt and one doesn't. One likes to tinker with old cars and the other doesn't. One likes to veg out in front of the tv and one likes to "do" something. How do you decide what is fair?
These are just a few things that need to be discussed BEFORE the wedding takes place. And I didn't even try to get into the things like children, careers, church that are huge topics of conversation. The more time spent preparing for the MARRIAGE before the wedding, the better off you will be. I truly believe some couples would have called off the engagement rather than divorcing years later if they had spent some time looking at issues prior to getting married.
And this is my final point and of utmost importance--what about God? Is He going to be the cornerstone of your marriage? Are you going to allow Him to play a part in the decisions you make? Is your main goal as a couple going to be how you can serve God better together than you can individually? This is more than likely the most important decision you are going to have to make as a couple. Those who are Christians know they are not to be "unequally yoked"--
2 Corinthians 6:14says"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? That is something important to consider before you even start dating. But if you are both Believers and Followers of Jesus Christ, how important is that in your marriage? We know how important it is to have the "threefold cord." But this section of Ecclesiastes can also show the importance of "two." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: 9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Plan the wedding but, so much more importantly, plan the marriage. May God always bless each of you in your marital relationships and may you allow Him to work through you in your future.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
The heavy hearted
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
My heart is heavy. I feel a sadness that can't quite be shaken. It could be because Mother's Day is Sunday. It could be because of all the deaths that have occurred in the past few weeks. It could be because it is the end of the semester and things are hectic. It could be because some of my dearest co-workers are retiring.
But it could be because God wants more of my attention. It could be His way of saying to me that I'm letting the worries of the world replace the joy of Heaven.
The first part of Psalm 34:18 popped in my mind this morning. But when I read it, it was the second part that really got me to thinking. Contrite is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming. Ok, I'm fine with that. At least the feeling sorrow part. Oh, the next though. The remorse for a sin or a shortcoming part. Who wants to admit those? Do I sin? EVERY DAY! Do I have shortcomings? Have you met me????!!! To think of those things though are not happy thoughts.
If you read the entire Psalm you will see that David begins by saying he will "bless the Lord at all times" and later on reminds us to "taste and see that the Lord is good." That is what I think is the reminder that I needed. The Lord IS good. Even when I don't understand, even when my heart is heavy, even when life feels overwhelming I can still bless the Lord and I can still know that He is good.
So I am taking time to discuss those sins and shortcomings with the Lord to ask Him for forgiveness, guidance and strength. I know that He can take the heaviness away. I know that only He can save our souls. I also will strive to walk closer to Him, to spend more time talking and listening to Him, to spend more time in His Word.
Micah 7:7
Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Why 1st Corinthians 13:4-7 Is So Important
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 King James Version (KJV)
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New International Version (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
(I am including the NIV verses because I think that is how many people recognize these scriptures. We know that charity in the KJV is the same as love so as I write this I will use the word love instead of charity.)
These scriptures refer to the perfect love. While it is a great example of God's love toward us it is also how we should love one another. We hear these scriptures often read at weddings. There is a reason for this--the truths in these verses are important in every relationship we have but they are especially important in romantic relationships. So I just wanted to take some time to break some of this down and help us understand their importance or maybe just renew what we have known all the time.
Long-suffering is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship. There is your patience. Have you ever wondered why this was the first thing in this list? I think it is because if we are not long-suffering, if we are not patient, then we bail on a relationship before we have time to get to the good stuff. If you have been in a relationship longer than 2 hours you know that sometimes that person you love the most can also be the very one that makes your the craziest! So, if the first time one of you did something different from expected and the other ended the relationship you would never learn how to work through those things. Sometimes he is more patient, sometimes she is. But without the patience--yes, you can even say suffering a long time--you don't give the other person the chance to grow to become the person God wants them to be. You also don't give your love time to soothe those hurts. I've never met anyone who said "I am the most patient person in the world." For most of us, that is a struggle for us every day. (On a side note, don't pray for patience because God will provide lots of opportunities for you to practice it!) True love is long-suffering; patient. Keep that in mind.
Love is kind. Being kind is seen as a personality characteristic. It is having a pleasing personality, treating others the same as you wish to be treated. Kindness is based on your own values, morals and ethics. Being kind does not mean you always have to make others happy. It means having empathy. We don't always know what the other person in the relationship is going through but we can be there for them. I am a "venter". When I'm having a bad day, I tend to just let it all fly out of my mouth--not wanting anything fixed, I just need to get it out. It took a few years for my husband to understand that all I wanted was for him to listen and say "I'm sorry you are dealing with that" and give me a hug. He is being kind--having empathy for me. I have had to learn to do the same in return. Being kind sometime means saying no. Think about that for moment, parents. We are being kind when we don't enable someone to continue in a harmful way. Kindness does not come easily for all of us. But through love we can learn the behaviors.
I know you don't want to read through all of the characteristics but I do want to touch on the last verse here: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Some see beareth to mean covers or conceals or protects. And love does protect the other person and conceals wrongs. Even though today on social media some people feel the need to share every little thing that goes wrong in the relationship, love doesn't do that. When we truly love another person we don't want the rest of the world to know all of their faults. We might talk with our most trusted confidante about a hurt but we don't want everyone else to know. We try to cover them with love so that they feel safe.
Hope--a word that has been used so much that the true meaning is often lost. Hope is a desire that we want to see fulfilled. But it also means trust. Love must have a sense of trust. And your hope is not always just for what YOU want but also what you want the other person to have. Sometimes, sharing a hope--a desire, a trust--binds people together so strongly that outside forces can't come between them.
Finally we see that love endues all things. Abuse, no, but those little things and sometimes big things. You know the little things--the cap is off the toothpaste, dirty socks 2 feet from the hamper, dirty dishes in the sink. And the things that might be bigger to some--a forgotten birthday, a feeling of being taken for granted, whatever. But again, if you leave a relationship the first time one of these things happens, then you are not giving yourself a chance to grow in that relationship. You've heard it said that a relationship is 50/50 but you know in reality it is not that way. Sometimes it is 80/20 or 30/70 but for each person the goal should be to give 100%. I don't honestly believe a relationship is ever 100/100 even though that is our goal. We get busy. We get frustrated. We get sidetracked. But if our goal is to give our all--to bear all things, to believe all things, to hope all things, to endure all things--then I think we can watch the relationship flourish. Of course, you know in all of this is the fact that we have to learn to ask for, offer and give forgiveness.
So today, take a few minutes to meditate on I Corinthians 13:4-7. Then measure your relationship against it and join me in working on those areas where we fall short. Through prayer God can help us have these aspects in our interactions with others. May you all feel loved today by our Father, your family and friends. I am sending a hug out to each of you today to let you know I appreciate you. Thanks for reading!!
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
No and Not Now
There's this thing. This thing that I have been praying about for a long time. Nobody is sick or in trouble and nothing is wrong. But this thing has been a constant prayer for me for what seems like forever. And yes, it is something that would be good for me but it would be beneficial for others also. Maybe even more of a blessing for others than it would be for me. I don't talk about it much and when I do it is only with someone I can ask to pray with me and keep the information private. While this thing would lead to other things to be prayed over because many other choices, decisions would have to be made, it is still an important thing to me. Because isn't that how it works? Any thing that happens impacts other things also?
I must admit that sometimes I do just stop thinking about it and try to be patient and know that God is always answering my prayers even though I don't really like the "no" or "not now" that I get. But I trust Him. I know that His plans are perfect. I know that He has it all under control. And that if He is saying no or not now then that is the best answer. Maybe no one else ever struggles with these answers---but I do.
Mark 11: 24 tells us: "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Maybe my belief isn't strong enough. I know God CAN but maybe I don't truly believe that He WILL. Perhaps He is waiting for me to have the faith that He has this thing under control. Therefore, I shall change my prayer from "God, please make this thing happen" to "God, give me the faith and trust I need to allow You to take care of this thing in Your time and Your way."
I strive diligently not to be a worrier because I know that worrying really does no good. So I'm not really worried about this thing either way. And I do spend time camping out in Philippians 4:6-7: 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I am so very thankful not only for what I do have in my life but also for the things I don't have. And I do feel God's peace. The peace in knowing that He is right here with me, every step of the way. The peace that He WILL work things out in a way that is best for all concerned--even if it is not what I think is best. I'm so grateful for the fact that God sees the big picture. And, really, I'm glad that I can't. Because if I knew how everything would go over the years left in my life, I wouldn't need faith. I wouldn't need to trust Him.
So if you have a minute, pray with me and for me to have that patience. To have that knowledge deep in my heart that God will take care of this thing just as he has taken care of every other thing in my life so far.
I must admit that sometimes I do just stop thinking about it and try to be patient and know that God is always answering my prayers even though I don't really like the "no" or "not now" that I get. But I trust Him. I know that His plans are perfect. I know that He has it all under control. And that if He is saying no or not now then that is the best answer. Maybe no one else ever struggles with these answers---but I do.
Mark 11: 24 tells us: "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Maybe my belief isn't strong enough. I know God CAN but maybe I don't truly believe that He WILL. Perhaps He is waiting for me to have the faith that He has this thing under control. Therefore, I shall change my prayer from "God, please make this thing happen" to "God, give me the faith and trust I need to allow You to take care of this thing in Your time and Your way."
I strive diligently not to be a worrier because I know that worrying really does no good. So I'm not really worried about this thing either way. And I do spend time camping out in Philippians 4:6-7: 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I am so very thankful not only for what I do have in my life but also for the things I don't have. And I do feel God's peace. The peace in knowing that He is right here with me, every step of the way. The peace that He WILL work things out in a way that is best for all concerned--even if it is not what I think is best. I'm so grateful for the fact that God sees the big picture. And, really, I'm glad that I can't. Because if I knew how everything would go over the years left in my life, I wouldn't need faith. I wouldn't need to trust Him.
So if you have a minute, pray with me and for me to have that patience. To have that knowledge deep in my heart that God will take care of this thing just as he has taken care of every other thing in my life so far.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Live the Life God gave to YOU
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
We spend a lot of time with other people. And sometimes, from the outside, another person's life looks so much better than ours. One person gets to travel all over the world. Another person just got a nice new house. Someone else has the best spouse. Those people never have to worry about money. Feeling guilty yet? Yes, I think we all look at other people and think that the life they have is easy, glamorous, fun. Not like ours. Not mundane, hard, lonely.
But...that is THEIR life. That is the life God gave to them. What you may not know, however, are the sacrifices or losses those other people have. Maybe those people you envy never had children they longed for. Maybe they are hiding a severe illness. Maybe they have lost their parents. Maybe, just maybe, to them YOUR life looks pretty good.
God tells us to be content with our lives. That HE is with us always and nothing else is of great consequence. In Luke 12:15 we read "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
It is not important to God for us to accumulate great wealth or possessions. It is important to Him that we take whatever He has given us and use it to serve Him, to minister to others, to live a life that may lead someone else to see His goodness.
Am I going to say that I am never jealous? Well, mercy me, that would be a big ole whopper! But I have learned that God gives each of us what He wants us to have. Will I ever have a brand new expensive home? Very doubtful. But I have had some time to work on renovations of our old run down home and it has brought lots of laughter and time together with my husband and, occasionally, our sons and friends. Will I ever drive the top of the line vehicle? No, that would be a waste of money; but I do have a vehicle that not only will carry all of my grandchildren but gave me the opportunity to travel some this summer with 3 of my aunts. And we had a grand time!! Do I sometimes wish for better or nicer things? Of course I do. Do I sometimes feel a little green because someone else got those things? I must admit I do. But then I remind myself that I don't know their entire story. I don't know what they went through or went without to get to that place.
It is MY responsibility to live the life that God has designed for ME. It is YOUR responsibility to live the life that God designed for YOU. We won't all go through the same struggles or trials or heartaches. But we will all go through some. Isn't that what Jesus said in part of John 16:33 "In the world ye shall have tribulation..."? Oh but look at the rest of that verse, "but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We need to strive every day to be as Paul and say "for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." And we can change that to say "whatever life I am given I will be content in living".
Let us all pray for one another that the desires of our heart will be the desires of God's heart. And let us each be thankful for our life, our path, our journey. My prayer is that God blesses you greatly and that you are very grateful for each of those blessings!
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
We spend a lot of time with other people. And sometimes, from the outside, another person's life looks so much better than ours. One person gets to travel all over the world. Another person just got a nice new house. Someone else has the best spouse. Those people never have to worry about money. Feeling guilty yet? Yes, I think we all look at other people and think that the life they have is easy, glamorous, fun. Not like ours. Not mundane, hard, lonely.
But...that is THEIR life. That is the life God gave to them. What you may not know, however, are the sacrifices or losses those other people have. Maybe those people you envy never had children they longed for. Maybe they are hiding a severe illness. Maybe they have lost their parents. Maybe, just maybe, to them YOUR life looks pretty good.
God tells us to be content with our lives. That HE is with us always and nothing else is of great consequence. In Luke 12:15 we read "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
It is not important to God for us to accumulate great wealth or possessions. It is important to Him that we take whatever He has given us and use it to serve Him, to minister to others, to live a life that may lead someone else to see His goodness.
Am I going to say that I am never jealous? Well, mercy me, that would be a big ole whopper! But I have learned that God gives each of us what He wants us to have. Will I ever have a brand new expensive home? Very doubtful. But I have had some time to work on renovations of our old run down home and it has brought lots of laughter and time together with my husband and, occasionally, our sons and friends. Will I ever drive the top of the line vehicle? No, that would be a waste of money; but I do have a vehicle that not only will carry all of my grandchildren but gave me the opportunity to travel some this summer with 3 of my aunts. And we had a grand time!! Do I sometimes wish for better or nicer things? Of course I do. Do I sometimes feel a little green because someone else got those things? I must admit I do. But then I remind myself that I don't know their entire story. I don't know what they went through or went without to get to that place.
It is MY responsibility to live the life that God has designed for ME. It is YOUR responsibility to live the life that God designed for YOU. We won't all go through the same struggles or trials or heartaches. But we will all go through some. Isn't that what Jesus said in part of John 16:33 "In the world ye shall have tribulation..."? Oh but look at the rest of that verse, "but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We need to strive every day to be as Paul and say "for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." And we can change that to say "whatever life I am given I will be content in living".
Let us all pray for one another that the desires of our heart will be the desires of God's heart. And let us each be thankful for our life, our path, our journey. My prayer is that God blesses you greatly and that you are very grateful for each of those blessings!
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
5 years or Yesterday?
Revelation 21:4 - And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
September 27, 2012. That's the day my heart completely broke into. I lay on the bed, I talked to her, much of her family surrounded her. I had told her she could go weeks before. I promised I would be ok. I asked her to please tell Daddy that I kept my last promise to him--that I took care of her to the best of my ability. That I stood strong in his stead.
She waited for her "adopted" daughter to get there to say good-bye. Then she left. Just like that--she breathed her last breath. I felt her chest and it did not move. I looked up at her older sister and said "she's gone."
I was prepared. I knew it was coming.
Then I fell apart. I cried tears I didn't know I had left. I hurt so bad. I wanted her back. Not back sick, I wanted the Momma I had always had back. The Momma who scolded me and encouraged me. The Momma who was my friend. The Momma that cooked for me every weekend. That Momma. But she wasn't coming back and I couldn't stop the tears. I couldn't call my brother; somebody else had to do that. I couldn't get up. I couldn't let go.
I COULD NOT STOP CRYING!
And I knew I wasn't crying for her--she was whole again, she was with Daddy again, she got to hold my baby sister and she got to sit at the feet of Jesus. I was crying for ME! Because in all honesty, my heart truly was completely broken. I was an orphan. I had, in one fell swoop, lost my best friend, my advisor, my mom.
5 years have passed since that day. I have only cried a handful of times since that weekend. Sometimes I think I am just cried out. And I miss her. EVERY single day. Anyone who has lost someone they loved dearly knows that feeling. You know how little things bring them to your mind; how you sometimes dream about them at night and it feels so real you expect to see them; how you've picked up the phone to call only to realize that they are not going to answer. You understand. We can empathize with each other in our losses.
BUT---the good news is that there will come a day when I will see her again (and Daddy and meet my sister and see my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends who have gone home). And God promised there would be NO TEARS. None. All pain will be gone. My broken heart will be healed--my body will be perfect. How exciting! How I look forward to that day. And if you are a child of God-- you do too.
AND, I'm not really an orphan. He said He would be our Father: Psalm 68:5: A father of the fatherless... God is with me now, He was with me then and He will walk with me through the remainder of this life whether that is 30 minutes or 30 years. That brings peace. That brings hope.
So even though it often feels just like yesterday since Momma left me here, a lot has happened in those 5 years. The best part---my family has grown. We had already gained one daughter, now I have 2 and three of the most precious grandchildren ever. (I have no problems saying I am biased, but I can also give you a list of trouble areas!) My heart made room for all of them, just around the cracks in it. But I'm still looking forward to the day when we are all together again. Yet, while I am waiting, I will trust in the Lord and know that His promises are true and thank Him every day for that!
Now this part is just funny. :) Sunday we were in choir practice and we were singing "Build My Mansion" and the second part says "My mother's mansion may be close by me." As we were singing that I thought, "I don't even NEED a mansion. If Momma's is close by then I'm going to be at her "house" all of the time anyway!!! :)
September 27, 2012. That's the day my heart completely broke into. I lay on the bed, I talked to her, much of her family surrounded her. I had told her she could go weeks before. I promised I would be ok. I asked her to please tell Daddy that I kept my last promise to him--that I took care of her to the best of my ability. That I stood strong in his stead.
She waited for her "adopted" daughter to get there to say good-bye. Then she left. Just like that--she breathed her last breath. I felt her chest and it did not move. I looked up at her older sister and said "she's gone."
Then I fell apart. I cried tears I didn't know I had left. I hurt so bad. I wanted her back. Not back sick, I wanted the Momma I had always had back. The Momma who scolded me and encouraged me. The Momma who was my friend. The Momma that cooked for me every weekend. That Momma. But she wasn't coming back and I couldn't stop the tears. I couldn't call my brother; somebody else had to do that. I couldn't get up. I couldn't let go.
I COULD NOT STOP CRYING!
And I knew I wasn't crying for her--she was whole again, she was with Daddy again, she got to hold my baby sister and she got to sit at the feet of Jesus. I was crying for ME! Because in all honesty, my heart truly was completely broken. I was an orphan. I had, in one fell swoop, lost my best friend, my advisor, my mom.
5 years have passed since that day. I have only cried a handful of times since that weekend. Sometimes I think I am just cried out. And I miss her. EVERY single day. Anyone who has lost someone they loved dearly knows that feeling. You know how little things bring them to your mind; how you sometimes dream about them at night and it feels so real you expect to see them; how you've picked up the phone to call only to realize that they are not going to answer. You understand. We can empathize with each other in our losses.
BUT---the good news is that there will come a day when I will see her again (and Daddy and meet my sister and see my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends who have gone home). And God promised there would be NO TEARS. None. All pain will be gone. My broken heart will be healed--my body will be perfect. How exciting! How I look forward to that day. And if you are a child of God-- you do too.
AND, I'm not really an orphan. He said He would be our Father: Psalm 68:5: A father of the fatherless... God is with me now, He was with me then and He will walk with me through the remainder of this life whether that is 30 minutes or 30 years. That brings peace. That brings hope.
So even though it often feels just like yesterday since Momma left me here, a lot has happened in those 5 years. The best part---my family has grown. We had already gained one daughter, now I have 2 and three of the most precious grandchildren ever. (I have no problems saying I am biased, but I can also give you a list of trouble areas!) My heart made room for all of them, just around the cracks in it. But I'm still looking forward to the day when we are all together again. Yet, while I am waiting, I will trust in the Lord and know that His promises are true and thank Him every day for that!
Now this part is just funny. :) Sunday we were in choir practice and we were singing "Build My Mansion" and the second part says "My mother's mansion may be close by me." As we were singing that I thought, "I don't even NEED a mansion. If Momma's is close by then I'm going to be at her "house" all of the time anyway!!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)