Holding Pattern

Ever feel like you are in some sort of time warp, a holding pattern against your will? Usually best described as a funk. I have been praying and praying about this or that and I feel like there aren’t any answers coming my way, not a yes or a no, just nothing. I do know that it seems the longer I wait, the more stuff seems to be piling up against me. Waiting is so hard, I prefer the after, when you can look back and say yep, God had it under control the whole time. And, I know that time will come so why be antsy now and not just trust Him. I will be the first to admit, it is so hard to just let go and hand it over. Is it because I can’t physically see God working behind the scenes or is it because, although I believe in God, I doubt that he actually has this in His hands and am afraid I am left to deal with it alone.

It also never fails that when I am in total funk status that things happen around me to make realize that things could be a whole lot worse than they are and to keep believing in Him and things will get better. It is the holding pattern that can drive me crazy. I compare it to Bejeweled Blitz, most of us have played this game or a game like it, get 3 or more of the same in a row and those boxes explode and all new items fill the vacant space. There are times when I am focusing too hard on getting the huge smash and missing all the perfectly set up pairs just waiting for the switch to make them complete. Most of the time when I strictly focus on the huge knockout I never get it because I ignore all the potential moves that are visible but seem inadequate to the big payout. There are times when that game board is in total gridlock, nothing will budge, at least that is what I see. And then I see two little gems that can be switched out to make 3 in a row and then the gems that fill the empty slots can make some more disappear and now we’ve got a game. Other times the first move of the game will knock out a five in a row combo giving you a hyper ball which will get you even more points and those games are the most fun to play because you know you have a fighting chance at getting a great score and get excited to make more and more gems explode. The games that aren’t so fun to me are the ones where you have one lousy move to knock 3 whole boxes out and then 15 seconds before the next set of triple gems show themselves. Those games stink, make you want to give up and start fresh, for me anyway. You have to sit through the crap games to get to the good ones, the ones you want to play and eager to shine and outdo your last performance. I want all the games that are set up to win from the very beginning, less work that way, whoever made the pieces land in that order did all the work and yes I know it is a computer game but someone had to design the game and that someone put the various starting boards in the system.

God is always working, bringing new pieces in to replace ones that are no longer needed. I am trying to think of my life as one big game of blitz. Sometimes the board is going to practically clear itself and other times that first match is going to be downright pitiful but might open up the next move and the move after that and so on. I have to remember to never give up and keep clearing what can clear and eventually the board will turn in my favor, God’s plan all along.

1 comment July 15, 2009 daisygirl49

No More…..

What if we had no more tomorrows, no more time to procrastinate, no more time to waste, no more one days or some days, just no more. I don’t know about anyone else but if I counted all the wasted minutes, hours, days, weeks in my life it would be a sad, sad existence. I know I have spent a good amount of clicks of the clock on the computer just piddling time away, playing just one more game or searching for just one more inconsequential thing. I waste my time and then complain that I don’t have enough of it……kinda sounds silly when said aloud or put in writing. I make excuses for it too, well, it’s not like I have any earth shattering talents to show the world or any major masterpiece to finish before the unveiling so it is really a draw how I spend my time….

But, what if there was no more time? Have I done what I was put on this earth to do or did I just waste it all away, my existence as inconsequential as the last game of solitaire played. Did I reach anyone, did I touch anyone, did I do anything that made a difference or even mattered. These are hard questions when spoken as a monologue or even a dialogue. Did I live the best life I could, not the perfect life but the life that God intended me to live. Did I imitate and honor His Son to the best of my ability or did I look the other way more often than not. I think everyone wants to live the life that really mattered, I am not talking about fancy clothes and flawless looks, I am talking about really doing what was planted in their heart so long ago by the Creator. I have no idea where my journey might lead or even what path I am on or if I am making my own path, a path never ventured, a path unique to my footsteps. Will the steps be small or will they be leaps, will they be straight and narrow or will they dance to my own rhythm? I think these questions can best be answered after, in the calm of the last footstep. We can say we will follow our own path but I don’t think we really know if it was a ground breaking journey or if time had weathered away the footprints of someone long ago.

I don’t think it is important if we are making a fresh path in the world, I do think it is important that time is being used wisely. Are we using time to reach out, to help out, to listen, to reach for our dreams. I do not have a mind blowing educational resume. I have one high school diploma from a time when it was cool to use aerosol hair spray and a hair dryer to position your hair just the way you wanted, usually a good 3 inches from your scalp, needless to say, that diploma isn’t going to get me anywhere in this world, nada, nowhere, zilch. I went to a few colleges, took a few classes and then departed with nothing to show, my parents must be so proud. I have worked since I was 14 so working isn’t new to me, but doing something I love and making some money doing it would be a new threshold. I have the support and encouragement of a number of good friends and family and that may be all I need and of course God’s good graces and blessing me with something I don’t deserve. This year is half over and so far I have written more in these past six months than I ever have and have thoroughly enjoyed it! My journey, my dream, my passions are helping others and writing, I do believe we each have at least two passions, both fulfill your heart but one is just a bit more selfish than the other.

What is your passion? What were you put on this earth to do? And are you doing it?

Add comment June 28, 2009 daisygirl49

What a Fantastic Day!

Last Friday I went on a field trip to Science City with Megan’s class. I am going to be honest, I wasn’t all together thrilled and looking forward to going……I couldn’t help but wonder how many kids I would be responsible for that day. Science City isn’t incredibly huge but there are lots of nooks and crannies for a kid to be attracted and shoot out of sight in a nanosecond. The field trip is for the kids so I figured I would grin and bear it, make the most of it and know it would be over soon. Last fall I went on a field trip and was assigned 2 kids that were constantly taking off, so there was a reason for the less than thrilled to be doing this again attitude, but Meg really wanted me to go, nuff said.

I arrived in Meg’s classroom the morning of the big day. Who would be in my group? This was the only question running through my mind. The papers were being passed out with assigned groups, as I grasped the paper I looked down and thought there must be some mistake, though I hoped not……I only had my little girl in my group and it was no mistake. My whole mood changed at that moment, I was only responsible for half of the two I am usually responsible for in everyday life. Quality, fun time beckoned, one on one time in a child’s wonderland, now we’re talking. I did make sure that Meg didn’t want to hook up with another group so she could spend time with her friends and she declined, saying she just wanted it to be me and her, not only do mom’s crave one on one time, so do kids. She chose me over her friends, better savor this one. She held my hand when walking from exhibit to exhibit, pointing things out along the way, stopping to pose for pictures she knew meant the world to me, we were both truly content with just being together, we could have been anywhere, we were so in tune with each other that the day flew by. One exhibit was handing out little wooden airplanes and even in the midst of our day together, Meg took the time to think of her sister and picked up a plane to give her after school. We ate our lunch at a table for four but only needed space for two, we laughed and giggled and were both in awe of a little bitty girl that was toddling along with her grandpa, my little girl watching an actual little girl was bittersweet. The end of the day arrived way too quickly for both of us, trying to squeeze in one more thing before the appointed time to leave. As an added bonus for Meg we sat in the very back of the bus, way bouncy but the smile on her face and the laughter made it enjoyable.

I wonder if God craves one on one time with us? We are, afterall, His children.

1 comment May 6, 2009 daisygirl49

Opposites attract or distract?

Anyone out there have 2 kids? Anyone have 2 kids that are opposites? Not meaning one boy and one girl but opposite personalities and speeds at which tasks are accomplished. God has blessed me with 2 children that are night and day. Megan is my dawdler, my lollygagger, easily distracted and gets off course little girl. Shea is my goal oriented, doesn’t like to mess around, get things done, stay on track little girl. Needless to say, every morning my Shea is ready to walk out the door a good 15 minutes before Megan. One day Meg woke up 15 minutes earlier than Shea and started her morning routine and that one morning they were ready to go at the same time and as tuned in as Shea is, she had to say in the car that Meg has to get up early just to be on time. Now, I could easily use these 15 minutes to keep Meg on track or I could use these 15 minutes to have one on one time with Shea, I use to do the first option but now am shifting to the latter option. Meg is who she is and I could be standing right over her and she is still going to take her time and get off track but she will always accomplish the goal. Remember the family circus cartoons where Billy walks all through the neighborhood by leaving his front door and ending up in his own backyard, his original destination – that is Meg. Shea and I had a great conversation this morning while waiting, she was watching a robin out the front window and was commenting on how smart the robin was because it looked both ways before crossing the street and then said the robin flew into the trash can to which I replied, I thought you said it was smart and she said, “It is mom, it is looking for food and knew where to go”……

Although opposites in many ways, they are also similar in ways, they have the underlying characteristics that keep them being nice to each other, most of the time anyway. They are both caring, loving and want to help more often than not. Meg always wants to help someone and Shea, well, she is in the what do I get out of it stage of wanting to help others. Trying to curve that at a young age because I think we all know adults with that way of thinking and it is not an attractive trait to say the least and people like that never know the true feeling of joy you get from helping someone because God gave you the resources to do so, it is priceless!

Shea is my soccer girl, she loves to take the ball away from the other team, loves the competitiveness and wants to be the winner. Megan wants everyone to win and could care less about any sport, she loves acting and singing and being on stage, Shea would rather eat every vegetable known to man than get up on stage in front of anyone. Megan has always been a self entertainer, even in the early toddler years, she would sit for hours just playing with simple toys. Shea has always wanted to be entertained, what are we doing that is fun? Always looking for the excitement while Meg creates her joy. Opposites I tell you…….

My sister and I are also opposites in many ways and it is the underlying characteristics we share that keep us bonded. I think God gives us opposite children or opposite siblings so we can grow as people. Obviously as young siblings there probably won’t be much growth – the other child is way too frustrating to ever learn anything from and they don’t ever do anything the correct way so what could you possibly learn from them? Nothing. Wrong, I think as children and in that situation we are learning that people are inevitably going to be different than us and it is up to us to not see that as a bad thing. I think as adults we are surrounded by opposites so we can see it as an opportunity to see a different way of dealing with the same thing. A way that you might not have thought of yourself.

Although we have had many meltdown moments stemming from one girl not going fast enough or the other going too fast. I wouldn’t trade this for the world, I am growing as a person by taking in their different characteristics, at 34 I am learning that there are different ways of doing things and just because it isn’t how I would have done it, doesn’t mean it is wrong, just different.

1 comment May 6, 2009 daisygirl49

Only God can see through the train

How annoying, not only are you stopped by the train but it seems to be the never ending train, no matter how long you look for the end, it just doesn’t come when you want it to come. I was caught by one of these trains the other day in downtown Olathe and without anything else to do at the moment, I began observing and thinking, might as well try to make the most of it. I didn’t have anywhere pressing to be so why get all flustered and beside myself for no reason…..

The train was obviously going pretty slow so I just sat and just was. I focused on the space between the train cars. On the other side of the train was an intersection where traffic was running as normal. As each train car passed so did the scene behind the train, some cars were still in the picture but were now only half in view as where before I could see the whole car. Some cars would disappear completely, getting on with their day. Some cars waiting to turn never moved, they were in the same position with each passing train car. Other cars would be visible for one space and then completely gone as if they were only meant to be seen for one passing. You know me and my mind, this has to relate to something.

This is all we have, the glimpses or spaces between the train cars. God sees as if the train weren’t even there but we can only see what is visible in between the cars. A string of events that sometimes relate to one another and other times seem to not relate at all. Sometimes we get a few train cars that don’t have a load on them so we can catch a big glimpse at once and I think most of the time mistake these panoramic views as the final scene, and then here come the solid train cars again, the darkness if you will. We only see the full picture once the train has passed, we see how events connected to one another to make the picture as meant to be in God’s eyes and there is no mistaking that this is the final scene, it is a view that is our gift from God. Just when we get used to this scene……here comes another train, another series of events that can only be masterminded by I AM.

I also thought of it another way, the slower the train was going the more I could see on the other side, the faster the train was going – nothing, I couldn’t make out anything on the other side, couldn’t even see the other side. I think of it as the more in tune we are with God, the slower the train is going, we are able to make out more of the big picture, taking time to focus. The faster the train is going, the more out of tune we are with God, not being able to clearly see anything that is right in front of us, just a blur, that if you focus on long enough turns into motion sickness, going through the motion sickness. I think that if we are really in touch with our spirituality then we learn to wait for the breaks in between the train cars rather than staring at the side of the engine wondering why we can’t clearly see God’s plan for us. We have to be patient and wait for it.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Add comment May 6, 2009 daisygirl49

Perception or Deception

“I’m right!”“No, I’m right!” “Mom, tell her I am right!”

Sound familiar? All too familiar? I was driving the girls to school the other morning and Shea was talking about her fieldtrip next week to Kaleidoscope. She was saying how excited she is to see the glow in the dark wax, Meg took this opportunity to chime in and tell her she remembers the melted glow in the dark crayon from when she went last year. Shea was not pleased that Meg was chiming in on her thoughts and was less pleased that Meg was giving incorrect information. “It’s not melted crayon MEGAN, it is wax, if you don’t know what you are talking about then don’t say anything.” Insert first line here and then I had heard enough. I took a moment to tell them they are both right, which didn’t please Shea in the least because how can 2 people be right when using different words? Meg had a told you so look on her face. Thank Goodness it was time for them to get out of the car and have a fabulous day at school because at 8:15 in the morning I am not up for much bickering about things that just don’t matter, matter to me that is. Last thing I hear before Shea jumps out of the van is, “I don’t care what mom said, I am right!” Well, that was a few minutes of my life I will never get back.

I am obviously a few years wiser, I mean older than the girls so obviously I am going to have an increased amount of knowledge in my brain, I should anyway. I could without a doubt see that they were talking about the same thing but using different words, yet to each other the other was wrong and that was final.

I wonder if that is how God feels when He hears less than all knowing humans bickering back and forth about insignificant details. If He is saying, “You are both right or in some cases you are both wrong, but either way please stop bickering and try to see it through the other’s eyes or better yet, try to see it through My eyes.” I think all too often we are so firmly rooted in our thoughts, right or wrong, that we forget to take the time to really try to see it or hear it through other eyes and ears. I think so many times we take things out of the context they were meant and fiddle with them til we are offended and must prove the other wrong. Megan obviously didn’t mean to start an argument over the wording she used, she was just saying it how she remembered it, since she had already been to where Shea was going, she knew more detail and knew that indeed the wax was from the crayons that they melt right in front of you. Life is so, so short, reminders every so often that we only get this one time around. I wish we could all just enjoy the ride instead of focusing on the details that just don’t matter. Be Thankful for what we have been given: God will not entrust us with more until we have shown Him we can be trusted with and thankful for what has already been given to us. I think this applies to knowledge as well, if we are always looking to prove someone else wrong then we are not growing and not showing God we are worthy of more knowledge.

“Take sips of this pure wine being poured. Don’t mind that you’ve been given a dirty cup.” – Rumi

Add comment April 15, 2009 daisygirl49

When are you living life and when is your life living you?

How many of us are truly doing what we want to do in life? How many of us are taking steps to figure out what we want to do in life? How many of us are going through the motions of life and hope that there will always be a tomorrow so we may actually live for the first time in a great while.

Life is going by so quickly, before we know it the Christmas decorations will be needing to be displayed. Life is flying by, where does the time go? Is anything accomplished in the time that has passed or will be accomplished in the time to come? Ever wish you knew just how much time you have left on this earth? I know that would make me more productive, if I knew I only had a few years then I bet I would use my time more wisely, savor the small moments, truly live. As many of you have figured out by now, I am trying my hand at writing. I don’t know if it will ever “take me anywhere” or maybe I have already arrived and just don’t know it.

If I could dream and not fail….what powerful words, take out the if and you are allowing yourself to become. And to not fail, sometimes failure is achieved by unrealistic goals. If we lower our hurdles and raise them gradually, bound by bound, then they are suddenly not so unattainable. Could you imagine doing what you have been called to do? Some find their calling easily, others search for years and even decades, others never grasp it because they never bothered to look…..how sad, what if it was hiding under the next conversation you never bothered to have. God loves to use the domino effect, absolutely loves it. One little thing leads to another little bigger thing and then Whamo, you never saw it coming but so thankful you didn’t look the other way and miss it completely.

Shea came home from school the other day and was so excited. She couldn’t wait to tell me that some of the caterpillars had come out of their cocoons and they were now butterflies. Well, 2 of them had become butterflies and the rest were still working on it, except for one. Her attention focused on the one caterpillar/butterfly. The butterfly had started to emerge but didn’t come fully out of the cocoon and it still looked like it hadn’t fully turned so we decided it was half caterpillar and half butterfly, either a caterfly or a butterpillar, we had a good laugh about that one. A caterpillar with wings, the wings were present but useless because of the weight of the body. The butterpillar would attempt to fly but would keep bumping it’s butt on the ground and never get anywhere. You will be happy to know that the caterfly emerged the next day as a fully developed butterfly, no longer the mutant we had created it to be. Of course, this one got me thinking…..we all have the capability of becoming beautiful butterflies but instead choose to be caterpillars and lollygag on the ground when we could have wings that would take us to places we thought unattainable. Some of us choose to have wings and think about using them every once in a while, attempt take off, bump our butt and give up. I wonder if we made our wings stronger then we could successfully take off and only land on the ground by our choosing, knowing we are capable of soaring again. I believe this is what it is like when we find our calling, our true purpose, the reason we were created. We suddenly see the clear blue sky instead of the confining, dismal ground………………….Are you ready to spread your wings and soar?

Add comment April 9, 2009 daisygirl49

My inspiration, my determination, my motivation……

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I have shared with many of you that I am being more intentional about my writing. Writing for atleast 5 minutes a day. I would also like to share with you what I am focusing on while writing. On the corner of my shelf sits a stuffed animal, a pair of scissors with a ribbon tied on and a church newsletter, allow me to explain…..

The stuffed animal is, I believe, a leopard. Last week I was walking through Mardel and this cute little stuffed animal caught my eye, instinctively I picked it up and he was so soft, instinctively I also put it down, knowing I did not need one more thing to clutter up my house. But wait, something about that face, not the cutest but definitely a determined face. Not the most symmetrical head either, one ear on top of his head, one ear on the side but he was still so determined. Determined little eyes, looking right at you, focusing on you. Exactly what I needed to stay focused, when a cute little leopard is staring you down then you better follow through with what you set out to do.

The scissors are a new addition as well. On Monday night I had the privilege and honor of going to a funeral for a tremendous woman, a woman I never had the pleasure of knowing but could tell from the long ago but never forgotten stories that she was the kind of woman that really lived life. She was a woman who loved her arts and crafts, the scissors were a keepsake, a memento for the guests. I took a pair to always remember to live life, we only get this time around so we better make it worthwhile.

The ribbon tied around the scissors is a leftover ribbon we used for a ministry at our church called Love Wins. The focus of the ministry is to show God’s love to the unchurched so the ribbon is to remind me to always love. Love like there is no tomorrow because you never know when there won’t be a tomorrow.

And the newsletter, opened to the third page, the devotional…..the devotional written by a friend of the church and who might you ask is that friend? It is yours truly. My sister’s church printed one of my writings in their church newsletter. It is a very baby step but a step none the less. The newsletter arrived in the mail the very same day I brought my leopard home….coincidence? Yeah, probably. Or maybe not?

I am hoping to minister to people through my writing so of course God is always an inspiration and constant focus. Some of my snippets are just silly, some are random things that go through my head. Whatever the writing, I hope there is someone out there it is able to reach, even if it as just for a good laugh, sometimes a good chuckle is all we need.

My kids are also the inspiration for some of my writings, they keep me young but make me feel so aged. God usually uses my girls to present new writing ideas to me, new ways of seeing and new ways of thinking. New ways of believing and new ways of showing and sharing His love to others. I hope the girls can read my writings some day and see me as more than just their humdrum mom. I love you girls!

Scott will always be my rock, the one that has always and will always believe in me and for that I am forever grateful. I just hope I am as encouraging to him as he is to me. I try to tell him what I think he should do but he just won’t listen…..just kidding, I love you baby!

And many thanks to my cousin who encouraged me to pursue my dreams! We came together later in life but now will forever be. My sister and mom were my first encouragers many years ago and for that I am thankful, better late then never on my part and of course, I love you guys! And my many friends that are encouraging me, your support means the world to me.

I hope you enjoy reading my writing as much as I enjoy writing it! God Bless!

1 comment April 4, 2009 daisygirl49

The Simplicity of the Cross….

How simple it is….a cross, 2 lines going in opposite directions, should be easy enough to comprehend, 2 intersecting lines going in opposite directions, nothing more, nothing less…or is there? Is it possible for different perceptions of something so basic.

I was at the store today picking out 40 little wooden crosses. Some were light wood, some were darker shades, some were a mixture of two or three shades. Some were perfect pieces of wood with nice straight edges, the product of a power tool. Others seemed to have a homemade look to them, uneven stain, uneven ends, definitely not perfection. Well, I obviously wanted 40 of the perfect crosses, didn’t want to mess with digging through the less than perfect to find something that will have to do. I successfully found about 15 perfect crosses and then had to drudgingly settle for imperfection. Oh great, we are handing these crosses out to non believers, ugh, what are they going to think of our mismatched, non uniform crosses? Ok, I will budge on the non conformity of the crosses but, I will not budge on the design of the cross. From what I could tell, they had for some reason combined 2 different crosses in the same bin. The crosses I was purchasing all had to have an uninterrupted horizontal piece of wood, some had uninterrupted horizontal pieces and others had uninterrupted vertical pieces of wood, the uninterrupted vertical piece of wood made the cross look like it had arms, why they would make a cross like this is beyond me. Examining each cross before selecting it as okay enough to use as a token of my faith, okay enough to share with others, okay enough for others to see, okay for others to see as a part of me, okay enough for me to spend 10 cents on, okay enough…….. About 20 crosses into this endeavor, half way done, I guess you could say I was cross examining – lame joke, one particular cross, the front passed inspection but what if I flipped it over and the back had a big gash in it or had a big stain spot. I flipped the cross over and much to my surprise the texture was fine and no stain spots, good to go, but wait, it had the interrupted horizontal piece. I literally froze, time stood still and I slowly turned the cross back over, what the heck? This can’t be right? Can It? I quickly pulled one of the other preselected crosses out of the bag and it was the same way….this has to be a joke, right? You got it, and probably caught on way before I did, each cross was obviously 2 interlocking pieces of wood, so one of the sides is going to have the interrupted horizontal and the other is going to have the interrupted vertical. Seriously, something so simple and it took me going through and denying so many crosses, chalking them up to imperfection when the imperfection was in my eyes, my way of seeing it, my fault, not the cross. Then it really hit me, why am I trying to find perfection in such an imperfect thing, our Savior was crucified on a cross made out of an imperfect tree but what hung on the cross was perfection, the only perfect being to ever walk this earth. Does the imperfection lay in the cross or in the perception?

It took me 20 crosses to finally see what I had been missing………………..I think that is the way it is sometimes. We look at the cross and know what it symbolizes but when does it really hit us and sink in? When does it sink in that a human being was nailed to a tree because of our sin, not His sin, He had no sin. When does it really hit home that because of His pain and sacrifice we are free, when do we realize and comprehend the depths of sacrifice, this one act ceased God’s Wrath. Jesus was God, He could have gotten off the cross but instead stayed to pay our debt, we are free because of one Man, one God. How many crosses do we have to judge and see if they are up to our standards before we fully understand? Some of us may never fully understand, all of us have questions that may never be answered until that day, the day we hear the words we long for, “Well done child, so well done” and all questions will cease, knowing what we knew all along but were too human to grasp. God is watching and seeing who is perfect enough to enter into His Kingdom, oh wait, No, He isn’t, because He isn’t looking for the perfect, He is looking for the imperfect, the ones with the stains, the ones with the gashes, those are the ones He can turn over and make new again.

Add comment March 29, 2009 daisygirl49
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Starving…..

Nehemiah’s Prayer
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:
“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
I was cupbearer to the king.
I listened to a sermon today by Pastor Tony Evans based on this passage. It seemed as if he was only speaking to me, which I know is not true, on the other hand I think God puts you where you need to be to hear certain words. Words you need to hear, words that turn your day around, words that run so much deeper than maybe intended. I have been having an inner struggle like nothing I have had to endure, one of those inner struggles that causes you physical ailments, beginning mid day yesterday my heart just began racing, I was walking through price chopper and my left arm and hand just locked up for about 30 seconds, no shooting pain or anything but physical none the less. I am not saying these things for sympathy, I am just pointing out that what I was doing to myself was not healthy. I have handed this situation over to God half a dozen times but never upheld my end of the deal, once you hand it over to God then it is His and we are to be still and know he has it. I would not stop thinking about it and dwelling on it and letting it consume me. The title of Tony Evan’s sermon was Reclaiming Your Spiritual Authority – Fasting. He spoke of burdens and if you have to ask yourself whether or not something is a burden then it is not. He went on to explain that a burden is something you weep over, something that has you, something that you need the All Powerful to take from you to be able to lift it off of you, to be able to live again. He spoke of how when you fast and deny your body of something that is taking away from your prayer time then that is showing how you yearn for this burden to be taken from you in a way to where you can hand it over and weep no more. I decided earlier today to fast until breakfast tomorrow, I have not eaten today, I have spent the day focusing on not thinking about the inner struggle but instead focusing on things I CAN control, focusing on things that I CAN do and opportunities where I CAN help others. When helping others it is impossible to focus on ourselves. God Bless and I pray that anyone out there that is struggling with something is able to hand it over to our Loving Savior and know that one way or another everything will be good again and you will be able to laugh again, truly live and laugh again.

Add comment March 24, 2009 daisygirl49
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