Trust
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
O, God, help me to trust you completely
and do not lean on your own understanding
I confess I have been; please forgive me
In all your ways acknowledge Him
Help me, God, to always credit You
and He will make your paths straight.
Show me your good and straight path for me
Do not be wise in your own way.
Forgive me when I consider myself "wise," but am without you.
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil
Help me to know an turn away from anything not of You
It will be healing to your body
God, release me from frustration, exhaustion, moodiness, worries, aches...
and refreshment to your bones.
Refresh me, Lord, body, mind, and spirit.
Amen
(From Proverbs 3 NIV)
Recently I heard a message about the note that Mary and Martha sent to Jesus (as recorded in John 11) to let Him know that Lazarus was very sick. Their note read, "Lord, the one you love is sick." The pastor pointed out that John also referred to himself five times in his gospel as "the one Jesus loved." Most of us would feel very awkward about referring to ourselves in that manner. We believe that God loves us, but we think of it more in terms of God loves the whole world, which includes me. I wouldn't feel awkward if someone referred to me as "the one that Paul (my husband) loves." In reality, the God of the universe loves me even more than my husband does. I truly am "the one that Jesus loves." How might it change the way I lived my life, if I really let that truth seep to my deepest core?
Last night I read a post on Facebook from someone that I know who saw a man digging through trash cans looking for food. The thing that upset her more than seeing the man was that there were people standing nearby taking pictures and video of him and making fun of him. She lamented that she had no money with her to buy him something to eat so that for at least one day he would know that someone cared about him, and she was outraged that someone would mock him. She was right; any one of us could be in that position in a heartbeat. Her post broke my heart for the man, but also for those making fun of his plight. They desperately need a revelation of God's heartbeat for them. We all do. When that happens people will reach out and lift up those in need rather than stepping over them, or kicking them when they are down. When we serve and love on those who can give nothing in return, we are serving and loving on Him.
About
8 years ago my family and I were planning to move to
sunny Florida from West Virginia. My husband was retiring from the coal
mines after 30
years. At that
time, I was a stay at home mom but had a degree. Paul asked
me, "if you need to get a job in FL, what
would you like to do"? I thought and said, "I would like to work in an
office, perhaps for a doctor". I
received a position as, help around the office from our chiropractor
& friend across the state line in PA, about 25 minutes away. I then
quickly went to the front desk position. I had received the training
needed for my
resume as desired, and another person was hired.
Several months later I was called back, to work the
front desk again. Then some months later, I was given
the office managers position. I trained
the next person to take over my position as the time came to move to
Florida. Then 4 years later the doors in Florida closed, and we moved
back to West Virginia, as Paul's mom had given us her home. She had moved
into Paul's sister's home, because she needed
constant care. Three months later Paul's mother died, on Paul's
birthday. We were grateful to God, for the time we were given to spend
with her before her passing.
Later, during Vacation Bible School here in WV, the pastor told us to write on a
piece of paper names of those we would like to see come to Christ. God
brought to mind my former chiropractor employer and his wife. The very
next
week, I was called by that employers office. They asked if I could
fill in, while the front desk person Mary, had hip surgery. I graciously
accepted as a temporary position. Mary came back
to work and I was home again. I knew I was suppose to be there because I
had
the opportunity to witness the entire time.
Less then a year
later, I was called again, this time to see if I would like the office
manager position. We prayed and I accepted on a temporary basis. This
quickly
turned into my current, permanent position. I only work 2 days a week
and may bill
from home an other day.
At one point, I felt God tugging at my heart, so I took out that piece
of paper from VBS, that I kept. I
showed it to my boss. I told him of VBS and that God had put me there
for a reason. He was in awe and agreed it was a divine appointment. I am
still praying for he and his wife, God isn't done yet.
A song in the works....
"I had it all planned out inside my head
How I wanted my perfect life to be
A perfect house, perfect yard, perfect kids
A man who would be crazy over me"
"But the roof leaks
And the floor creaks
The kids fight all the time
The yard's a mess
I'm feeling stressed
Not what I had in mind
This is not my perfect life"
Although things don't always turn out the way that we imagine them or plan them out in our mind, God definitely has a plan and a purpose for our life. The Bible says that we can make our plans, but it is God who directs and determines our steps. So just because we do not appear to have it all together by the world's standards does not mean that we are not in the exact place where God would have us....surrounded by the people that He has hand-picked to be a part of this amazing journey called life.
As the song progresses it speaks of the moment of realization that what we may see as a disaster is really God's perfect plan unfolding all around us.
"Breathe in, breathe out
This is not how I thought
It'd all turn out
But I realize
My perfect life's unfolding
Right before my eyes"........
Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." (NAS)
Getting my attention is easy, grab a baby. The Little Couple never interested me. They seemed like normal people who are short. Recently they adopted a baby, and now they have my interest. Ok, Will has my interest. He's so cute. Watching this family explode into existence is fascinating, and my heart is strained trying to take it in. Babies are always a good thing.
Small things aren't always so great. "Don't sweat the small stuff," is the old saying, but sometimes the small stuff grows. You think you've got it under control, and it grows another arm. At the moment friends are battling slow monsters that everyday you expect to conquer and everyday you find a new level of pain, a new mark for the growth chart.
The worst thing during those moments is that I can't stop it or fix it. Most of the time, I can only sit there with them it seems. It's easy to sit by the phone waiting to hear about a baby's birth. It's terrible to wait for news of a death, a surgery, a bankruptcy, a loss. Love comes with both experiences guaranteed. Love creates lots of small stuff.
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| Image from:http://au.reachout.com/~/media/Images/Articles%201/man_whispering_into_another_mans_ear.ashx?mw=280 |
Limited
To the heavy
world whispering
Ugly words on my shoulder:
I cannot be
what you want
I can only
be me
So…Limited
There are no
guarantees
Health
disappears in an instant
My fingers
cannot keep it from slipping away
Pain rules
many days, familiar Tyrant
Making the
most of Good days
Still leaves
me Lacking
I cannot
Plan, nor Count On myself
I am not an
Income Machine
So you make
me feel Useless
I have given
my life Freely
For mine was
also a gift
My children
are thankful, maybe others,
But you turn
up your nose and say,
“Foolish.
Stupid. Lazy. Poor. All your fault.”
Dare I turn
and reply, “Selfish!” to what you wanted,
Me to live
only for me, to earn your “Respect?”
I chose the
path to which I was Called
I followed
the Will of the Unlimited
Shut your
mouth and get out of my mind!
Every time
there is a problem,
Do not spew
your nonsense and make me
Rue my very Life! I am not perfect,
But I still
belong to the Unlimited
And will
listen to His call
As I stumble
and reach for His Vision
I will do
what He makes Possible
For He will
take me Past my Obstacles
Limited only
by His Will for me
And there is
nothing you can do to stop Him
It is my youngest daughter's third birthday today. I find that I am so pleased and proud to be her mother. She is amazing. However, when birthdays, well any gift giving situation comes up, I consider again what is ...needed. My daughters between them have ELEVEN, (11), LaLaLoopsy dolls.
AND THEY WANT MORE
There is a word that has been stretched beyond the limits of my understanding. This word implies a basic human survival necessity. The word implies that if we didn't have the item in question, we would die. This word is NEED. Several uses have my mind spinning.
"I need a new purse mine is out of style."
"I need new luggage mine is bulky and large."
"I need some new jewelry."
"I need an espresso from an expensive coffee chain."
"I need to buy designer clothes to match my husband's career."
I'm not saying I haven't said these things, I'm just saying I'm starting to hear myself now. I'm starting to listen to myself. I sound entitled. I sound like my daughters and their quest to have as many LaLaLoopsy's as appear on the TV show. I sound....spoiled.
The Lord has been convicting me to let go of the this world. He's been asking me to think about others more and my petty wants less. New and nice things are not wrong to want or to have. But we must have the right attitude. I NEED to start seeing thing with right eyes. "It would be nice, but not necessary, to have...." and "I want but do not need a....." should start to dominate my speech.
My goal is to start thinking much more about the basic human needs of those that do not have them met MUCH MORE, and my own wants MUCH LESS. This is what I NEED to do.
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