Difficult Day....

     Today was a difficult day for me. We all know that all days will not be filled with sunshine and goodness but when a "rough" day comes along, it is still unexpected and it seems as if we have to travail our way through. God is faithful and His Arms are always open to us when we have our difficult days. He just wants us to run into them.

    This morning I left my home a few minutes later for work than I usually do. When I got on the main highway which is 30 seconds from my door, I noticed traffic backup. An accident had just happened across the street. I suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness and I began to cry and pray and cry out to God in words only He would understand, not sure what was going on within me. I felt His presence all around me and I ended in worship. 

    A few hours later my daughter I received a text telling me that the entire school was in grief because in that very accident a much loved classmate had gotten killed and several other students were taken to the hospital. A few minutes later she sent another text that a boy from another school that she knew had passed away from a freak accident that happened last week. She was overwhelmed and I was. Praying and texting her words of comfort I felt as if I understood why The Lord had me pray as I did earlier this morning. But, Just before lunch, I received a text from my sister that a very good friend of ours who had been dealing with illness was in critical condition and the family had been called in. How much more Lord? We all went to college together. It was the 6 of us. We had some awesome, wonderful times. We rode with each other to our hometowns. We laughed together, cried together, hung out together, had slumber parties. But, in recent years, had drifted apart only speaking every now and then or liking posts. I prayed, I cried, but I knew. My prayers then changed to comfort for the family, friends, loved ones. Even though I knew that THIS day, she would be in the presence of the Lord, it still did not stop my tears. The call of confirmation came on my way home from work. Still tears. Yes. Today was a difficult day. As I reached home and my daughters and I sat around the dinner table to discuss our day, I was mentally and emotionally drained BUT, STILL trusting in the one who knows what is best. I had no clue how much pain she was in. The agony she experienced. The sleepless nights. But, her Savior did and He called His baby home. To Peace. To a painless awesomeness with Him. So, I share that experience to anyone whose had their world rattled by death or grief that God is a comforter. He is our strength and His Words are true. He just wants us to come to Him with our pain. He is ready and waiting.  Even as I type and fill my ears and my heart with Words and songs of worship, I feel my strength or better yet, His strength come to me again and I pray the same for the family.

Lamentations 3:22-23King James Version (KJV)

22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

I THESSALONIANS 4: 13-18

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

17 then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

     

Don't You Care That We Perish?!

 I seem to remember writing a blog about this before or hearing a sermon about this or, it could just be a revelation that is resounding so LOUDLY with me that is just seems so familiar!  Read this scripture: (Mark 4:35-41)
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Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[d] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”  

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    Most of the time, we focus on the wind and the sea and Jesus saying "Peace Be Still" but have you noticed what the disciples said to him when they found the Savior sleeping when they were going through a storm? Lord! Don't you care that we perish? Sounds like they even had an attitude!  Doesn't that sound like us when we are in the midst of the storm and the Lord seems to be chilling? "Lord, Where are you?" "Lord, do you hear me?" "Are you there Lord?" "How much longer I have to go through this Lord!".."Don't you see that I'm dying here.....UGH!!!!" (yes, we can get that dramatic..well..I know I can). We even get offended and sometimes angry because it seems that Jesus is in the stern fast asleep while the waves of life are beating us down. But, TAKE HEART! Jesus wants us to just trust Him. There was a reason why He was asleep. Notice in this version of scripture, they called him "Teacher".  Even with Him sleeping during the storm I believe He was teaching them and us that you can still have peace and be at rest in your spirit when everything seems to be going wrong.  Additionally, He wanted them to use their faith. To stand up in the power and authority that He had given them and learn to rebuke the wind and rain themselves! if you look closer, not only did Jesus rebuke the storm, he seemed to rebuke the disciples! The tone of this scripture sounded like a teacher who passionately wanted His pupils to GET IT.  Basically saying "I'm on board. I got you but I want you to learn to use the power and authority that I've put within you. Why is it that you are still afraid?" I believe that during those times in over lives when Jesus "seems" far away, He really is right there waiting for us to stand up in Him and to take command of our situation with the power He has given to us. It is a lesson to help us to grow stronger in our faith and trust in Him.  So, the next time you feel like the wind and the rain of this life is beating you up...remember that Jesus is still on the ship with you...He just wants you to exercise your faith. 

A New Direction

    I was debating on whether to post this "vision" on my blog but...hey...why not. I guess I will because I seem to be getting so many confirmations. I was in church on Sunday and we were in praise and worship. I had my eyes closed. All of a sudden I saw a person walking down a road/ path and then make a right turn. I kept seeing this over and over and hearing "course change", "redirection".  I pondered on this.

I am on facebook and no..I don't believe everything everyone posts but I've seen so much confirmation to this one "vision" that I had that I know that God is up to something. My prayer for this and for you is that we don't miss ANYTHING God has for us in this season! PRAISE THE LORD!

Everything about you is getting ready to change. It's a new season and a new era and God is taking you in a different direction. Prepare to shift out of the old and into the new to possess what He has for you. It's your time and it's coming quickly. Isaiah 43:18-19

HIT THE RESET BUTTON!!

  This is to all my "busy" people out there.....! (imagine music playing in the background as I say this...) Have you ever been so busy that you can't keep up with yourself? Have you ever put your purse in the refrigerator? Put the eggs in the pantry? Put the salt and pepper shaker in the microwave? Put the ham or turkey you just made your sandwich with in the oven? LOL! These questions might sound crazy..but it's real! For a period in my life I was doing crazy stuff like that. We would find stuff in the strangest places. The kids would laugh at me. Matter of fact when they couldn't find something, they knew where to look! In the kitchen cabinets or the microwave! Funny but not funny!  My mind was all over the place, I was wide open and so busy( and at that time, stressed)  I could barely think straight. Are you walking around snapping at the kids, kicking the dog and find yourself absent minded as all outdoors?  Can't remember stuff. Matter of fact...where are the kids? LOL. TIME TO HIT THE RESET BUTTON. You TOO busy! Get somewhere and SIT DOWN.  Matter of fact....HAVE SEVERAL SEATS.
     I remembered that period of my life this week. It was NOTHING like it used to be ( I wasn't doing all that stuff in the 1st paragraph) but just enough to remind me that it's just time to get it together. It was time to reset.  I'm sure we all have this happen at one time or another. It seemed like the whole month of August was just BUSY. On the heels of that, the kids went back to school. There are orientations, paperwork and I was also dealing with some other personal issues that seemed to come one issue after the next. I had a wonderful labor day weekend but it was also BUSY. It was in the AM before I went to bed for several nights. WHEW. Wonderful for all you that hang like this, but I can't. Not anymore. I wasn't so much as stressed as TIRED. The stress I have learned to leave with God but my behind was TIRED. (the stress part is another blog post)
     Well, earlier this week I had senior night at my daughter's school. Work has been extremely busy and stressful and I was pooped.  As I sat in the auditorium listening to information about senior pictures, rings, classes, financial aid, colleges, meetings, MONEY, I just began to get really agitated. I was already tired and irritable and it felt as if my mind could not absorb anything else. I was shutting down and I knew it.  Ever been there? I wanted to get up and leave but that wouldn't have been right. I pressed to come. This meeting was so important so I just silently sat there and prayed.I  was fighting against snapping on my daughter b/c in my head, she was being irritating. It won't her. It was me. The only thing I heard was "You're tired. You need to SLEEP." Just shut it down. I had been running and I knew I had not had the proper rest and it was catching up with me. For days, all I kept hearing was "sleep". Simple, right? Some people find it hard. As I sat there in that auditorium, all I could think of was sleep and I determined when I got home, that would be "what's up". I wasn't doing ANYTHING but going to bed. I even shut my thoughts down.  It was time to hit the reset button. When I got home, I prepared for bed early and blissfully slept all night long. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and had a wonderful day. Things did not seem as "hard" to get accomplished and my mind was sharp.
     So, I said all that to say this. If you have a computer and that computer starts tripping, getting hung up, start acting "slow" or just stopped working all together, what do you do? We reboot, We reset, we SHUT IT DOWN. 95% of the time when we bring it back up, it's back to normal.  When God spoke the earth into existence, He even rested on the 7th day!  What makes us think we are any different? What are we pushing toward? What are we trying to do? What are we striving for?  What are we sacrificing in our lives for the sake of a goal? Yes. We are to work toward our goals but God gave us balance and  when we neglect our families, our bodies, our spiritual lives just to
" work" (whether it be at our jobs, our businesses, CHURCH, or anything we've made an idol), we are out of balance. I know about this because I did it for a long period in my life so, I knew the warning signs. Do you know the warning signs that it's time to hit your reset button? A fuse is no good BURNT OUT.

Sometimes You Gotta Dance!

     One day about two weeks ago...I had a pretty exhausting day at work. I remember coming home, putting my purse down, taking my shoes off and just started to dance. The girls had something on tv they were looking at and looked at me. (smile) Without hesitation, they turned to a Music Choice channel on cable and joined me. (well, it took some convincing for one of them ) We just let go. It was a fun moment. I was tired! What a workout! But, it was something about that dance and laughing with them that shook the day off. We did it again last week. These episodes are never planned...they just happen..LOL. It's really quite fun. Sometimes, we have to just DANCE. And, if we have kids, what better time or way to do it than with them? Sometimes we can be on the grind so much. So stiff. So tense. Work, home and all that stuff in between. We can be so serious and so busy that we just don't take time out to just BREATHE. Our kids see us. What are they learning? How to be a robot? How to be stressed? How to be overly serious all the time? When I began to dance, it was unexpected for me to do so but not strange to them. They know the serious mom but they also know the playful mom. (but, some of you will see me and judge me...(SMH)) LOL. But, seriously...when was the last time you just let go?  Children or not? I personally believe that our minds and bodies get programmed to act a certain way when certain situations come about..Next time...fake the devil out and just......

DANCE!!!

A Team Player - A Soaring Eagle

      This is another transparent moment...not many will understand what I'm saying but, I'm sure some will. Years ago it was told to me that I was a great cheerleader, but God wants me to "get in the game". Recently, those words came back to me with a mighty force. She commented on how I was always standing on the sidelines cheering everyone else on. How many of us do that? It's good to be the one that is always encouraging, motivating and pushing but....what are you doing? At some point, its your turn to "get in game", right? What else are you called to do? What else is required of you? I was told recently in spirit of love that if I was left to my own devices, I would be content to sit in the back and clear tables-not being seen or heard. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that unless YOU HAVE A VOICE THAT IS MEANT TO BE HEARD. I was told not to keep doing that..I'm not made for the background.  I might not know exactly what to say...BUT, SAY SOMETHING! LOL!! These words hit home and also bought back a memory of a sermon I heard years ago about Eagles & Chickens. Why in the world would an EAGLE with an 6 foot wing span be clucking on the ground with chickens when he was meant to SOAR in the clouds, above storms?  As I drove home from that conversation with a new fire in my soul, I realized that at some point, I had not only stopped "cheering". I had left the field! When did that happen?  I was literally sitting in the bleachers with the jersey on. How ODD is that?? The fact that you are on the team is obvious. Whose side you are on is obvious...everyone around you KNOWS you are on the team..but, why are you sitting up on the bleachers with everyone else watching the game? Trying to blend into the background when in reality, it's impossible. GOD WANTS YOU TO GET IN THE GAME. For some reason, this scripture came to me..14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  
      So, I pose a question...what's holding you back? What's keeping you out of the game?  Why are you trying to dim your light? With me, it was issues of life. Sometimes we can go through really tough things that sidetrack us or knock us down for a season...but, you can't stay there. Really, its impossible.. God will send people, situations and things to get you up and back on track..to stir your fire again. To begin your restoration process.  He wants to restore us and build us up, but we have to be willing to get out of our "self made" comfort zones that we may have built up around ourselves when times got hard.  Those shields and guards that were erected to protect yourself from further hurt and pain can't go back up into the air with you, eagle. You can't soar with weights. So, I challenge you through the power of God to shake them off. Don't let the trials and tribulations of this life hold you down eagle. Instead, let them become the wind beneath your wings and go higher....

Walk With Me

     Imagine yourself walking along a beach or along a soft, grassy path on a beautiful breezy day and all of a sudden, Jesus walks up beside you and takes your hand and says.....

     "Come. Take my hand. Walk with me. Talk with me. Trust me. Let me lead you on this life's journey. Stay in Step with me. That's it. Right foot..Left foot. No. Don't look down. You don't need to for I will order your steps. Just stay in tune with my heartbeat. If you hold my hand and stay in tune to my heartbeat you won't have to worry about being out of timing with me. Don't try to pull me along because you are rushing things and don't make me have to pull you along because you are lagging behind. And don't let go of my hand because I'll never let go of yours.  Just walk with me. Go with me. Still your heart and flow with me. Let's even swing hands! Let's enjoy each others company.  See, I hold time. I created time. As long as you hold hands with me and stay in tune to my heartbeat, you will never have to worry about getting there too late or too early. I will make sure you get where you need to be in this life at exactly the right time you need to be there. Just trust me and not your own understanding. Don't be distracted about what's going on around you or began to become encumbered with the things of this life. This will cause you to get off focus and your steps will falter and get out of sync with mine. You must trust me no matter what you see. Remember, Peter when he wanted to step out of the boat and come to me? As soon as he became distracted with the wind and the waves around him, he began to sink..but, he cried out to me and I was there.  I didn't leave Him and I won't leave you. I love you. Just hold my hand, walk with me. Trust me...."