hold on, don’t quit
Don’t let it steal your joy!
I’ve got your back girlfriend!
Life can be hard but don’t let it steal your joy!
Things happen. Sometimes it is things beyond our control. It might be a direct result of something we have done. Other times it is because of what someone else has done and it affects us. Whatever it may be doesn’t change the fact that God is still God. He will help us if we give it to Him. Joy comes from God and is not dependent on circumstances.
I don’t have to look hard to find things that are attempting to steal my joy. How I respond to those things is huge in whether or not I am walking around as the victim or the victor. No matter the situation that I face, I can still have the joy that comes from God in the midst of it. My hope comes from Him. He holds me (and you) in the palm of His hand. It will be alright!
I’ve got your back girlfriend! We need each other. When someone is hurting I may not have any answers but what I do have is compassion — letting someone know that they are not alone, that I am there, that I am praying with them, and that I’ve got their back.
Christians that tear down other Christians, I believe, grieves the Holy Spirit. Look for the good, encourage others, and pray for God to develop His character in them. Do you have their back or are you just waiting for them to mess up so you can stick it to them?
It has been a long week and I look forward to a better week ahead. Even if it isn’t, God will still be right there with me and you.
To all of my friends who are facing huge obstacles hold on, don’t quit, stand firm in your faith! God specializes in working all things out for your good. (Romans 8:28)
Jesus will still be there
“…When the going gets tough – When the ride’s too rough — When you’re just not sure enough - Jesus will still be there, His love will never change – Sure as a steady rain. Jesus will still be there. When no one else is true – He’ll still be loving you. When it looks like you’ve lost it all and you haven’t got a prayer – Jesus will still be there.” Point of Grace
Whatever tomorrow holds we face it with Jesus by our side.
til next time
now please! please? pretty please??
What do you do when you must make a decision and the choices are all unacceptable?
Do you pray about it?
Do you flip a coin?
Do you walk around in denial? (Denial is just making the choice to do nothing.)
Maybe you get mad and stomp your foot. (I haven’t found this technique to be very helpful.)
Dr. is still pretty hopeful that the ringing in my ears will stop completely. The inner ears are now fluid free and appear to be healthy. Yet the ringing rears its ugly head. It is the last thing I hear before going off to sleep and the first thing I hear when I wake up. It also randomly shows up.
It tests my patience, sanity, and emotions like nothing else has.
I do have longer periods of silence. Oh – Silence is golden. Each time finds me hoping this is it – no more ringing.
The next step?
I could go to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. Apparently there is this device that can produce a form of white noise that will actually counter the high-pitched noise I hear. (On the one hand, it is very impressive that they have this device. On the other hand, I don’t want something in my ear 24/7.) I could go have a CT scan. I could stay with physical therapy. I could stay on the medicine that I am taking. I could do nothing, but how long will I be able to do that?
I have often wondered, since this started, if it isn’t one more thing showing me that I still have room for improvement in my schedule and commitment department? Is it meant to teach me to slow down?
Choices.
As with other huge decisions, I have and will continue to pray about it. I do believe that God is a God who heals. I know that He will give to me grace to see me through until such time as the healing is complete.
I also know that I have room for growth. Sometimes it just seems to be too much and I feel like I have been thrown two steps backward. Other times, I have a ‘bring it on’ mentality. Maybe that is part of the plan – bringing those two sides into some sort of balance.
I wonder, what do other people do who have Eustachian tube dysfunction?
I am so ready for the ringing to stop. Now ppppllllleeeeaaassseeee! Please? Pretty please??
I am waiting.
I am waiting?
Yes, this is why I blog. Thank you God.
“I’m waiting. I’m waiting on You Lord, and I am hopeful. I’m waiting on You Lord, though it is painful but patiently I - will - wait.…”
If you have a moment – listen to this song. (It isn’t just about the movie or marriage. It is about life!)
Ahhh, God has spoken once again to me through music. I will wait!
You will need to click on the link to go to YouTube to watch it but it is worth the time.
Is there something that you are waiting for? While you wait – keep running the race. You can move ahead bold and confident as you take every step in obedience!! God is worthy of trust!
til next time
journey
It’s been over a week since I made the life changing decision that rushing was no longer going to be a daily part of my life. I would like to eliminate it completely from my life. However, I will settle for just not having it be a constant companion.
I recently received Francesca Battistelli’s CD. “Free to Be Me” is a great song. It pretty much describes my life when I was 20.
Wait, what am I saying? It is a great song for my life right now. I’m still trying to put the pieces together. I am trying to avoid a mid-life crisis. Perfection is my enemy, I have a tendency to be clumsy, and most important God still has great plans for me. I am free to be me.
Ah, but I am not 20 anymore.
In fact, I recently had a birthday. It was a great time for reflection. Am I where God wants me, doing what He wants, and living the abundant life that He has for me? Great questions to ponder.
I remember one year really struggling with the word abundant. Just what is the abundant life that God talks about in His Word? At that time it sure didn’t seem to describe my life. Now, I’ve come to realize that it has much more to do with the heart than material things. Ah, but that is for another blog.
Francesca sings another song “Beautiful“. She sings about how God looks at us and sees who we can be — making life beautiful.
The thing I have noticed most in this last week is that rushing/hurrying were tools used to hinder the enjoyment of my life. The thing I regret is that I didn’t do this sooner. Yet I know that God will take that regret and make something useful out of it.
Some songs really resonate with me. “Beautiful” is one of those.
“…. mercy reaching to save me…..”
God’s mercy does reach out to save me, especially from myself.
“…there’s a joy inside I can’t contain, but even perfect days can end in rain…“
The biggest difference I have noticed is my joy is back. It’s like my joy was buried under the heavy schedule that I ran with.
“I have come undone, but I have just begun – changing by your grace….”
God is always at work in my life. By His grace is the only way I know how to change.
What is God trying to do in your life? Say yes! It is an amazing journey! A journey that I am taking time to enjoy and not just rush through.
Here is the song “Beautiful”
Enjoy the journey!!
til next time
in God we still trust
I read a definition of coincidence the other day that made me laugh out loud.
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous!
In the past, I have been known to say that I don’t believe in coincidence. Things happen for a reason and a purpose. My life is safely in the hands of the living God and He orchestrates things in such a way that I am in the right place at the right time. Even if it may feel like the wrong place at the wrong time – I know that my life is not governed by my ‘feelings’ but by the knowledge that God will work ALL things out for my good.
There are those who do believe that a coincidence is just that – a coincidence. There are those who certainly don’t want to acknowledge that God had anything to do with it. Which brings me back to my new definition.
It also reminds me of a song by Diamond Rio.
You place your hand on His Bible when you swear to tell the truth. His name is on our greatest monuments and all our money too. When we pledge allegiance, there’s no doubt where we stand. There is no separation …we’re one nation under Him.
In God we still trust … here in America. He’s the one we turn to – every time the going gets rough. He is the source of all our strength – the one who watches over us. Here in America in God we still trust.
Now there are those among us who want to push Him out and erase His name from everything this country’s all about. From the school-house to the courthouse – they’re silencing His word. Now it’s time for all believers to make our voices heard.
In God we still trust….
I am told that the radio stations have been advised that it would be in their best interest to not play this song of the radio. Whether they do or don’t, whether people like the message of not, doesn’t change who God is.
So I am heading out today to see what ‘coincidences’ God has in store for me. One thing is for sure – it is an adventure!
til next time
He will carry you
Sometimes life just isn’t fair. Oh I know that all things work for our good and all. I know that God is still God. I know that He has it all under control. Yet there are times my feelings get the better of me.
I try not to live by my feelings. Feelings can be deceiving. Feelings can lie. Feelings blind us to the truth. Today my guard was down. It may have something to do with working 24 hours between Thursday and Friday. Yes, 24 hours. I am physically drained. This is not the time to deal with emotional issues.
Yet that doesn’t seem to matter. You see, as I type this, my sister is taking my mother to the ER. I hate that I am here and not there. I talked with my mom this morning and it nearly broke my heart.
Last fall I went through all the “why” questions. I still have no answers. Now the big question faces me again. What am I suppose to do? An answer to that question would be nice.
God speaks to me through music. There are a couple of songs that give me renewed hope and bring calm to the storm. So I have youtube going in the background. I have been listening to ‘Trust His Heart” and “He will carry you.” Both are filled with truth and hope.
TRUST HIS HEART
All things work for our good. Though sometimes we can’t see how they could. Struggles that break our hearts in two, sometimes blind us to the truth. Our Father knows what’s best for us. His ways are not our own. So when your pathway goes dim and you just can’t see Him, remember you’re never alone.
God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand – Trust His heart.
He sees the master plan. He holds the future in His hands. So don’t live as those who have no hope. All our hope is found in Him. We see the present clearly but He sees the first and the last. And like a tapestry, He’s weaving you and me to someday be just like Him.
God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand – Trust His heart.
“He will carry you” is another one.
If He carried the weight of the world up on His shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you. If He carried the weight of the world up on His shoulders, I know my sister that He will carry you.
He said come unto me all who are weary and I will give you rest.
There is no problem too big – God cannot solve it. There is no mountain too tall – He cannot move it. There is no storm too dark – God cannot calm it. There is no sorrow to deep – He cannot soothe it.
If He carried the weight of the world up on His shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you. If He carried the weight of the world up on His shoulders, I know my sister that He will carry you.
So I leave my mother again in the hands of God. Trusting that He will work all of this out for good. As for my ‘feelings’ — when I can’t trace His hand I trust God’s heart.
til next time
who inspires you?
I was thinking about the impact that people have on my life.
God brings people into my life for various reasons. Some people are meant to stretch me and help me to become a better person. Others are there to bring encouragement and cheer me on. Still others are in my life so that I can pour into them – it isn’t about me at all.
There is this lady in our church who is loved by all. When we first accepted the call to minister here I remember being impressed by her attitude and her evident love for God. (I believe that at that time she was 78.) I can’t put into words what Opal has become to me. I am so blessed to have her in my life.
It’s been over 19 years and still she impresses me and causes me to want to be a better person. I can only hope that if I live to be her age that I too have her attitude and evident love for God. She demonstrates, by her life, this scripture!
“… older women … to teach what is good … they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children…” (Titus 2)
Wednesday night in Bible study we had a time where people could request a song. Opal asked us if we knew a particular song. She had been singing it all day. “I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.” I loved the title but didn’t remember ever singing it. (It did sound like a song I would like.)
Opal you inspire me. I often tell people that everyone needs an Opal in their life. Thank you!!
“I thought that number one would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. I thought I could do a lot on my own. I thought I could make it all alone. I thought of myself as a mighty big man, but I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.
Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. The mountains too high and the valleys to wide. Down on my knees I learn to stand, because I can’t even walk without you holding my hand.
I think that I’ll make Jesus my own. From now on when I’m troubled, on Him I’ll call. If I don’t trust Him, I’d be less than a man, ’cause I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.”
Thanks Tonya for finding the youtube clip. It is a great song!!
til next time
waiting is an action
Waiting…… You can tell a lot about someone by the way they wait. For a child, waiting can be most difficult. Some people never grow out of that and miss out on the art of waiting.
See for me waiting is an action verb.
While I waited for the ‘right’ man to come along I was living life.
When I was pregnant with twins, I was on bed rest for over three months. While I waited I used that time to paint them each a picture. It was a project of great love.
While I wait for my boys to phone home, I am continuing on in the journey of life.
While I wait for God to bring about the answer, I am letting my light shine where I am at.
We wait on little things also. While I wait for the laundry to get done, I am doing countless other things.
While I wait for hubby, I am writing this blog. It is way past lunch time (almost 4:00) so I could get antsy or I could do something constructive while I wait.
When I find myself stuck in a long line, I attempt small talk which many times leads to meaningful talk. God does have a way of putting us right where He wants us – if only we would take the opportunity. I have shared God’s love, peace, and grace with strangers while we were both waiting.
So is it any wonder than that I would absolutely love this song? While I’m waiting. In the movie the guy was waiting for things to change in his relationship with his wife. While he was waiting though, he was taking action.
Gone are the days when waiting brought with it boredom.
While I’m waiting I will serve You. While I’m waiting I will not faint. I am running the race even while I wait. I will worship while I’m waiting on You Lord.
So what do you do while you wait?
til next time
Repaint Jesus
Andrew had purchased a painting awhile back at a concert he went to. One of the things that Curt did while we were up at the cabin was build a frame for it. It is a huge-o painting.
It turned out exactly as Andrew had pictured. As you know that is not always the case. We can have an idea in our head but sometimes……
Here it is
I have to admit at first I wasn’t sure what I thought of it. Repaint Jesus?
Then the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.
Think about the last time you saw a picture of the crucifixion. I am pretty sure it did not display the true picture of the price that Jesus paid. The Bible tells us that Jesus was bloody and unrecognizable.
His love for us was so intense that He paid the highest price to set us free. It is not something to take for granted. It is life changing. When we really begin to understand that it cost Him everything, then we begin to repaint that picture in our head. The picture of His deep love for us.
I am reminded of that old song…… “How can I say thanks for the things He has done for me. Things so undeserved, yet He gave to prove His love for me… To God be the glory….”
Here is Andrew with his painting on the wall. Yes it is that big. I wish that I had pictures of Curt getting the nails on the wall. I was too busy holding on to his belt and keeping the chair from moving. (Andrew is leaning on the door to go downstairs)
Repaint Jesus. I’d love to hear what you think it means.
til next time
tears are a language God understands
“When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams and your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes, and you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fear, don’t let the faith your standing in seem to disappear. Praise the Lord” (Russ Taff)
When it is hard to put into words what I am feeling in my heart, I am grateful that God reads my heart. I don’t have to put it in words. Sometimes the best communication with God is tears. Tears are a language God understands.
til next time
About
Welcome to my fish bowl!
Things that matter to me are: God, family, friends, helping people, taking time to really live in the moment, and trying to slow down in a fast paced world.
To find out more click here.
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