6.27.2011

You are never alone!

Have you ever felt so sick, that you literally feel like you are going to die? I'm sure we have all had the stomach flu, and you feel so sick that the thought of actually feeling well enough to walk around again is far from your mind. At those moments, a person feels so alone. No matter who is by your side, you are facing it alone. Others may have been through what you are going through and understand your feelings, but you are the one going through the pain and having to face it.

Our extended families have been hit hard with illness. Some of them handle it well and want people around them, others want to be left alone to deal with their own suffering, shutting others out. Now, I am a fixer by nature. When I see someone hurting, I want to run over and fix it immediately! I hate to see someone in pain, and fighting amongst each other makes me sad, because to me, life is just to short to waste a moment. There are times, though, that even if I do reach out, the other person doesn't want my help. They are the ones going through the actual pain, they are going through it alone and want to keep it that way. I may not understand it, but I have to learn to respect their decisions.

Not being able to understand why a person would want to go through something alone, God revealed to me that He can use the loneliness and pain to reach them. Have you ever tried to run away from God, or hide what you have done? God sees all, knows all, and obviously, you can't hide from Him! For awhile, things may be going ok all alone, until you start to hit some rough spots! Pretty soon things get worse and worse until you hit the lowest of lows. Right there, God has you cornered, doesn't He? Where does one turn to when there are no places left to run? They turn to God. At the weakest of moments, where there is no place left to hide, people turn to God. Someday when each of us face death, we will do it alone. People may hold our hands and comfort us, try to understand, but they cannot. We must each do it alone. Will you still be running? At that moment, eternity will have caught you in a corner, and there's no place to hide.

In your moments of heartache, loss and despair, reach out to God. You may be running away, but He has never left your side!

Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. ...for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

6.19.2011

Stories of Miracles and Protection - 1

Today was Father's Day, and it was a special day of spending time with my father and whole family! My husband, kids and I started our day as we do each Sunday, by going to church. In the sermon, our Pastor was talking about how we should share our stories about what God has done for us and pass them down to our children. Today as we were sitting around the table, we began to share stories of all the miracles that God had done in our lives. All the stories were amazing, and at several times they brought tears to my strong, dad's eyes. Of course the stories also brought tears to the rest of us! In my next few blogs, I would like to share some of these stories with you. They are special to me, because I have heard them over and over, and yet every time they bring me amazement at how great our God really is!

The first story I would like to share is about a time when we first started attending the A/G church. My dad would every once in awhile have a very strange heart beat. He didn't know what was wrong, but all he knew was that he had a wife and two little ones that he wanted to live a long life for. One night at church, my dad began to pray for healing of his heart. As he focused in on God, he felt a burning pain so deep that he prayed, "God, I asked you to heal me, not to kill me!" As he stood there, the pain felt like burning hand or fist literally go through his chest. As soon as the pain left, he turned to look at a woman standing nearby and she pointed right at him and said, "something just happened to you!" And so it did, God had healed him! From that moment on, my dad never had anymore problems with his heart! Praise God for His healing touch, and so many wonderful years with my dad!

As the weeks continue, I will share more stories of God's amazing protection on me and my family! I pray that these stories encourage you and fill your hearts with faith and hope!

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6.05.2011

Leaning on Jesus

Recently my life has been a series of ups and downs. A mixture of good, bad and ugly! Not getting into the sorry, little details of my life, I will tell that I have had about every emotion known to man in these last six months. Just when I think one challenge is ending, another begins. There are days when I wonder why I wake up to trudge through another moment and then I realize, I love being alive! Not only do I enjoy spending time with my husband and children, I know that no matter what I go through, things can always get worse. At those moments I begin to remind myself that when I feel like I can't go on, that's when I'm trying to do things in my own strength. I have to begin to lean on Jesus and let him carry me. Let's face it, we are all independent, and it is hard to relinquish control of our daily schedules, let alone our entire lives. I like to know what's ahead, how to plan my day, get my paper and pen out, and write those lists. Surprises are good too, but nothing compared to having a plan! No one can plan for a family member to become sick, or to lose a loved one to suicide. One moment your walking along and the surprise of your life strikes you with one phone call. At those moments, when life takes us by surprise, we need to remind ourselves that we are not in control. Even when things do not go as we think they should, God knows what lies ahead. We need to begin to lean on him and not for a moment think that we are strong enough to walk this road of life alone.

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."