Life’s ups and downs!
Sometimes do you ask if the roller coaster ride will ever stop? Maybe you’re like me where you’ve gone through so much in the past few years that you find yourself almost begging, please make it stop! I was hesitant at first to share this particular blog, as I am just going to be real and transparent with my emotions. However, my hope is that it will help someone to know that the Lord is with us, through the good and the bad times!
I am not one who lives in the past, however, I do know that what the Lord has done for us in the past, He will do again when we need him NOW! Below is a blog that I actually had written two years ago in April! I was going through some of my blogs and come across this one and decided to share it again as it is a story of victory and triumph regardless of all the horrible things that happened! I have found that God is the same in the best of times and through the worst of times! My hope again is that you will always find encouragement, whether you’ve made it to the other side of a trial or especially if you are presently going through an on slot of trails and trouble!
Blog from April 2012 Life’s Roller Coaster Ride!
I’ve honestly had one of those months, to where one minute, My stomach is up in my throat and I am swallowing hard to keep everything down, and the next minute I am screaming with my hands raised and full of cheers! So I have had to learn how to deal with all of the ups and downs, to keep it on an even keel so to speak. I personally know nothing else to do but to keep my eyes on the One who is gazing at me. When I turn my eyes upward and look full into the glorious face of the One who loves me regardless if I am having a good day or bad, I know that I can truly do all things.
This month started out so blessed for me, had great opportunities with my latest book to do several book signings which were good, and then BAM! Here the enemy came parading in like he owned the place. The enemy (Satan) dressed in an innocent looking outfit that landed my baby son down on all fours and knocked my whole family for a loop. My son was “accidentally knocked down” and suffered a broken leg. He is now sporting a dark blue cast from his foot to his thigh! Stomach up in my throat! As a Momma, nothing hurts you quiet so much as seeing your child be hurt, whether on purpose or by accident, you want to swoop down like some kind of wild, mad bird and pluck out the very eyes of the enemy! So, okay, we got my son all cast up and endured the first couple of nights of his pain until finally things modified a bit. He is adjusting to crutches, a little wheelchair the whole works.
He broke his leg on a Sunday, by Tuesday we’re breathing pretty easy working out all of the strange kinks that come with having a child broken. I began banging away on the computer to try to catch up on some writing, when BAM ! Here came my oldest son running into my room, screaming hysterically saying” Mom I cut my hand really bad!” Huge lump in my throat, need to breathe but just go into first aid Mom mode! I drag my son to the sink as his hand is bleeding profusely and I plunge his hand under the faucet to rinse off the blood so as to see if I honestly could see how bad it was cut. The blood kept coming and by this time he is nervously shaking all over and I am trying to console him, but at the same time asking the Lord, what in the world was I going to do as I have one son in a full leg cast and another bleeding! Do I call an ambulance or try to drag him myself to the hospital for stitches, when the most profound thing come flying out of my son’s mouth! “Lord, help me please!”
Suddenly like someone had slapped me back into reality, because truly the Lord is the most real thing I know, I got into agreement with my son. I just remember saying Lord your word says and took off on his words to me! Immediately, my Lord performed a miracle! My son’s hand or actually it turned out to be his finger immediately stopped bleeding and his finger had a thin scab instantly cover the cut! Yes I know that this sounds incredible, but I am telling the truth. He went from blood dripping down his arm and off his elbow, to scab on the finger instantly! Yay! We came down the roller coaster track with our arms raised high and screaming cheers to the One who knows how to take good care of us, especially in our times of desperation! As a mother, I felt desperate to get my child help and to remain calm which obviously at first I was failing miserably at doing, but then Thank GOD! Some of the training that we’ve been training our child with kicked in for him and Voila! GOD truly is an on time GOD that heard a cry from his little child!
Okay, so after all of that was over, we are clipping along pretty good beginning to really enjoy the ride as we are going into the next week! It was a beautiful Monday morning, the sun was shining and I had just talked with a friend on the telephone and tried to encourage them as they were going through some things that only GOD could help them with. I had no more hung up the phone, and rose up from my kitchen table when I heard something horrible. All of a sudden something happened that still makes me quake to think about. A huge tree, probably about 30 feet came crashing down on the roof of our side porch, on our RV and on my truck which was parked right in front of our house. I ran quickly to my children as they felt the entire house being shaken and heard the crash of the tree. They of course were terrified and so was I as we did not know if this was the only tree that was going to fall as we live in a jungle of sorts. Trees are everywhere. I never knew whether to get out of the house or to stay in it. I tried to calm us all down, and ran to call my husband and told him what has just happened. He dropped everything at his job and immediately began his trip home. I guess I had just hang up on him so abruptly without telling him that we were okay that the enemy played with his mind on his 9 mile trip that I’m sure seemed a horrific long journey. As he travelled, my husband kept trying to call us but his cell phone would not allow him to call. Before he had gotten home the tree shifted and again the sounds of crashing and a terrifying vibration rattled the whole house! It was a horrible experience that I would not wish upon anyone with the exception that we were all safe!
The tree was perfectly healthy and green, just very tall and we had been having winds for the past few days, so I suppose that just the constant twisting and turning of it was what made it fall, that and the fact that the enemy wanted to use it to try to place a spirit of fear in me and my children. We couldn’t deny the power of the Lord as we seen how the tree was practically laid down to prevent as much damage as possible. We could keep looking at the situation and say if it had not been for the RV it would have fallen directly into the kitchen area, if it had not been for the porch roof, again it would have destroyed the rest of the house etc. But what we knew for sure, was that if it had not been for the hand and the protection of GOD it could have been a disaster that I personally do not want to think about.
So the point of this whole blog this week, is to simply say this: Bad things happen to good people all of the time. It is how we let them affect us and how we respond to them that will count. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” is a quote that definitely applies here. I know that what the enemy meant for evil, my GOD, my Daddy has turned for my good! I will set my face like a flint and know that regardless of the ride that I am on in life, that My Daddy is ultimately the conductor! He knows all of the twist and turns, all the thrills and times that my stomach is going to catch in my throat, but through it all, He is with me and so I raise my arms and let out a cheer and praise Him with my whole heart! GOD is always a good GOD!
He Loves Me and He Always Will!
While sitting out on my porch sipping my morning cup of coffee and listening to the birds sing their beautiful little songs, I was just rejoicing that it had warmed up enough to sit out there without freezing. Even though there was still a chill in the air, the aroma of some of the blooms from the Pear trees rode the gentle breezes and brought a smile to my face. I thought about how some of the simplest things are what pleases me the most. I was noticing some small little daisies growing wild and was thinking about the little game that we use to play with the daisy petals. Have you ever pulled the petals off of a daisy and played the game “He loves me, He loves me not?”
One day not long ago when I was sitting outside enjoying myself, my children came running outside and grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me inside. They were obviously so excited to show me something. Anyway, I didn’t want to burst their little bubble so I followed in anticipation as to what they wanted me to see. They lead me into my bedroom where they had cleared an area that I kept pretty cluttered with books etc and had made a nice little seating area for me to enjoy. They knew what I liked and so they arranged some of my favorite things around this little area. I was so surprised and just extremely overwhelmed that my boys wanted to show me how much they loved me by doing something so special.
As I thought about how much they wanted to bless me and please me, I thought about how that I could possibly be pleasing to others. Without trying to be preachy or too corny, the best way I know is to simply let the love of our Father God show through me. I hope this blog is one of those little ways! As I pour my heart into what I feel the Lord would have me to write today, it is simply that He loves you. He cares about every concern that you may have today, whether it is small or huge!
(KJV) Psalm 138:8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
It doesn’t matter to Him what you do, or do not do. You are a beautiful work of his hand! He chose to love you. You can’t pull petals off of His daisy and ever find one that says “He loves me not!” You can’t earn his love! He just lavishes it upon you freely every day. You might be saying “Hey lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about? My life is in the dumps right now! How could anyone possibly love me when I am like this?” I would say to you, that you’re the very one he wanted to speak to today, “I love you with an everlasting love, even when you think you are unlovable!” He says.
(KJV)3: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
One of the greatest things that I found about the love of God is that he purposely came for those who didn’t have their acts together! There are days when my life is just out of control and I am very unlovely in my behavior, but I have found that I have a place to run to! I run to my Father, His arms are always open. His arms are safe and they feel wonderful! His love is inexhaustible Will you just fall back into his loving arms and let him love you today? I hope that you will! As you tear the petals off of your daisy today, all you will ever hear Him say, “I love you and always will, I love you and always will!”
Walking on the Water!
“Come, Walk on the Water with me!”
Have you ever noticed that when good things start happening to you that others will gather around and cheer and celebrate? But, how many of them stick around when you are going through struggle? Isn’t it amazing that many times the people who you thought would celebrate with you suddenly disappear. Well, friend this is the time that you have to learn to encourage yourself. Yes it is great to have cheerleaders to cheer you on, and I thank God I actually have a few sincere cheerleaders, however, more times than not, the cheerleaders are nowhere to be found or heard. Then what do you do? This is when you must learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord. You must learn how to be your own cheerleader and to throw your own pep rally!
David had to encourage himself in the Lord and dance his own dance, shout his own cheers and rejoice even when others were not to be found. I have been there many times it seems. Not that there were not people who I could confide in, but sometimes I had places to walk in my journey that I feel I’ve had to walk by myself. How else do you learn the Lord’s voice and know his leading. I found it is just the nature of people sometimes to jump on board the ship when they can go with you, but the moment you cross over into a place that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable to them, they abandon the ship in a quick hurry! When this happens, I know that the enemy will come immediately and try to convince you that you’ve missed GOD. He lies to you by telling you that you should just quit and do what everyone else is doing. He tells you that you’re too radical and that no one understands you. This is where you have to make a choice. You either, decide to take a stand, set your face like a flint, and say to yourself and to the enemy of your soul, though none go with me, I’M GOING! Or….You may listen to the lie and give up and go back to the familiar and to the crowd.
Matthew 14: 28-“Lord if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus
30. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
The Lord never intended for us to stay in the boat with the crowd. Frankly, He doesn’t want us to be crowd pleaser either! He intended for us to walk on the water and step out into the deep things of GOD. I refuse to stay in the boat and go through the motions of “acting like a Christian.” No, I may be out here at times by myself in a place that’s unfamiliar but this is where life is. This is what makes it exciting to be a Christian! This is also where I learn who the Lord is and how he wants to direct me and use me. I may even began to sink , as Peter did, when I get out of the boat, but I’ll get out again and again until I don’t sink and the water is solid under my feet. There may be those who are laughing at me, just like I am sure the other disciples who stayed in the boat laughed at Silly Peter, but which of them got to stare into the gaze of the Master and have Him to stretch out his hands to them? Only Peter got to have that experience while the others sat in the boat! Yes some may call me radical but I long to see the Lord’s gaze and have Him to reach for me and bid me to come! I want to be brave and get out of the boat, even if I have no supporters in the boat to cheer me… I will say to the Lord, “I’m coming Lord, I’m coming!
I write this blog today to cheer you! Come on you can do it! Whatever the Lord is asking you to do; He is extending his hand to you and saying “Come trust me!” He will never let you sink! Although Peter may have taken his eyes off Jesus for a brief moment, notice that the in Matt. 14:30 Peter was only beginning to sink when the Lord saved him….Be encouraged, He will not let you sink either, go for it! I would rather get out of the boat and try then to sit in the boat and always wonder if I could have done something differently!
Can you guess what kind of bird this is? Below are several hints:
Have you had enough hints to guess the type of bird? If you guessed the Cardinal you are correct. I wanted to put this little homely looking bird up as a visual lesson, because all too many times we look on the outside of a thing and judge it before we even know what is on the inside. While looking at this little gray mass of feathers with its little pump knot, it is hard to believe how something so unattractive could become something so beautiful! This bird in my opinion is one of the most brilliant and beautiful birds. When it comes to my birdfeeder or sets in a blooming dogwood tree, my breath catches in my throat for a second because it is so exquisitely gorgeous! When it sings its song, I have to stop and think about the many songs that the Lord gave his creatures to sing his praise!
I know that when people look at me, they may not see beauty, but please don’t judge me yet! God is not finished with me. Like this little bird, I may not be the most attractive thing, but what the Lord is making me into is breathtakingly beautiful! You may say, “well that is a very conceited thing to say!” But I say unto you, I am on the Potter’s wheel, I am being made into his image and his image is indeed perfect and beautiful! You too are on His wheel!
7.Jeremiah (KJV) 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
8.Jeremiah 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
9.Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
6.Isaiah 64:8 (KJV) But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
We all have our flaws and according to the scripture we are made to be marred in the Potter’s hand! Why? I think we all have flaws so that we will not be judged by others! This truth puts us all in the same boat if you will! We all have need of the Perfect One Jesus! If we find out whom we are in Him and that we are made in His image and began walking in that calling or purpose, we are just like these gorgeous Cardinals. Our life becomes a song of praise to the Master! So don’t judge me yet! God’s not through with me! I am spinning on the wheel being made into another vessel that will hold His glory!
I hope that the next time you see a beautiful Cardinal or hear its song of praise to the Master that you will realize that you are a precious vessel of clay in the Potter’s hand and that regardless of what you are going through, that you are valuable. You’re his greatest creation created in His image! You are being changed from faith to faith and from glory to glory!
The Father’s Good Pleasure!
Luke 12:32 (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
As I write this, I was thinking about the past few weeks and how the Lord has just blessed my family beyond anything that we really asked him to. I also thought about people who are still waiting for their promise to come. Sometimes when it seems the Lord is passing out to everyone but to them, something just sort of rises up in them and mumbles, “Wait a minute, why am I not getting blessed? They are asking the Lord, “When is my season going to come?” I know about those questions because I’ve been there, and I have asked them myself. The one thing I’ve really learned, however, is that it is all available to me and has always been available. I don’t want to get upset because others are getting theirs and totally miss mine because I’m off pouting somewhere. My Pastor calls a pouting mentality an orphan spirit. If I am a child of God then all that He has is mine! I’ve learned to rejoice with others, because I know that the same blessings are available to me!
When the prodigal son left the Father’s house to go and “live it up and waste what his Daddy gave him” He had to come to a place of realization. He had to realize that regardless of what he did or didn’t do the Father’s love was enough and that he could go home to the blessing. His older brother, however, was upset that the Father would just welcome the prodigal son back home and throw him a party, kill the fatted calf, put a ring on his finger, give him His best robe…Why? The older brother didn’t realize that all of it had been available to him all along. The eldest brother could have lived in a perpetual party, but he let envy and bitterness rob him from receiving the blessing of the Father. How sad it will be that many Christians will get to heaven and only then find out what was made available to them while they lived upon the earth, but they never received it because of envy and jealously.
When Jesus bled and died, He said “It is finished!” So everything is available to us, but not all things are entrusted to us right away. Like the prodigal son had to go through some character building lessons, so do we. My son would love to have a mustang car, he is only 13. Do you think I will give him a mustang car now? NO WAY….Why? Because he is a child and he is not mature enough to handle a mustang…Many Christians are still childish and they are not mature enough to handle all that they want from the Lord. As the above scripture states, Luke 12:32 (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. The Father is not withholding from you, but maybe he is protecting you long enough for you to build up a strong character, that whatever you want from him will not destroy you, but will benefit you!
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