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I Was Devastated

Life goes on

You know how life goes on each day without much thought.  We have our routine that we go through and often we don’t allow much to change those routines.

A good example is our dogs, they love to receive love from us.  They want our attention daily.  I know for me when I sit down there come one or two of the dogs to sit beside me on my chair.  It often doesn’t require a whole lot of time but I don’t have the time.

One dog, in particular, is a struggle.  Prince sheds a lot and if you don’t want to go off to work with your clothes full of hair you best keep your distance.  It has been difficult over time because I just love it when he comes up and sits on the back of my neck when I am sitting on the couch.  He keeps my neck warm and lays his chin on my shoulder with such love.

We eventually started to train him to not get on the furniture due to his shedding.  But he would often sneak, when no one was looking, to curl up on a chair or the couch.  And he loves it most if there is a piece of clothing he can lay on that belongs to one of us.  But if we see him we chase him off, wiping off the furniture or shaking a piece of clothing.

I remember that morning

There was one particular morning I found him laying on my coat.  I quickly chased him off and shook out my coat.  But I wish I would have picked him up and just hugged him.  We often chased him away due to his shedding hair.  And we do it without much of a thought.  Because we think today is not going to be any different than any other day.  And this day was no exception.

Every day when I come home from work all 4 of our dogs start barking.  I don’t even really think about it much anymore because it always happens.  So I did notice that only 2 dogs were barking.  When I came into the house there to the left of me, in the entrance to one of our bathrooms sat Cuddles, one of our other dogs.  He appeared to be leaning over like he was choking on something.  But as I came nearer to him I realized he was soaked.  He was trying to walk with his head laying on the floor.  At that point, I realized he was wounded and in major pain.  I didn’t know if his neck was broken or what exactly was wrong.

But then it hit me, where is Prince.  I frantically went to his little bed as I called his name but no Prince.  Then I rushed into the living room where he has another little bed but still no Prince.  I headed for my bedroom where I could look out the window and see the area where we have a fenced-in dog yard.

I was devastated

There lying on his side just before the steps, was Prince, his body had been torn open beyond repair, he was dead.  I was devastated, to say the least.  Grabbing my phone I called my husband crying and hysterical.  I was not sure what to do.

I knew I needed to deal with our dog Cuddles but was not sure how to approach the situation.  He was in such pain I couldn’t pick him up.  I was afraid to make whatever was wrong with him worse, especially if his neck or back was broken.  I am so amazed at how dogs are so intelligent.  Cuddles knew I was trying to help him.  So when I got a box that had low sides and told him I needed him to get into the box, he jumped right in.  I was able to carry him to the car so I could take him to the vet.

Thankful

I was grateful to find out that Cuddles did not have a broken neck or back.  He had several puncture wounds but they didn’t want to stitch them but allow them to drain.  The doctor gave him a muscle relaxer painkiller and an antibiotic for him to take.

Cuddles was in major pain and didn’t do a whole lot for a couple of days but he has recovered.  It did change him and he will never be the same but that is what life experience does to all of us.  Just like us, when injuries happen they change our lives.  Cuddles also lost a friend and you could see the pain in his eyes and the depression that came over him.

It made me think

It started me thinking about the verse that says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8.  He is seeking to destroy each one of us.  Satan has a goal in mind and it is not in your best interest.

How vigilant are we?  I know I can say for myself I am not as vigilant as I should be.  He can be so subtle.  I am sure that Prince wasn’t suspecting that he would die that day.  And when we start our day we don’t often don’t suspect that our spiritual walk will suffer that day when we feel too busy to take time with the Lord.  But without even seeing it coming our spiritual life is dead.

And the reality is that we can even be spending “time” with God and still be spiritually dead.  Has it just been a duty to spend that time or a routine that you know you should do?  Or are you having an intimate connection with God during that time?  We need to check ourselves and make sure we are connected and if not take the time to reevaluate our life and make changes.

Why me

Then there is another question.  How many people around us have been torn up spiritually by that roaring lion and need help?  But is that my responsibility?  Why does it have to be me?  How do I do it and what is the priority?

Thinking back on my situations with the dogs maybe there is an answer.  There was a dog torn, bleeding, and dead and there was a dog wounded and in much pain.  There was absolutely nothing I could do for the dog that was dead but bury him.  I couldn’t miraculously bring him back to life, only God can do that work.  As I saw it, the emergency at hand, was to take the one that was wounded to the person that could help him in his time of crisis.

I believe the same is true of those around us.  If there is someone that is wounded but still hanging on to a thread of life, it is a crisis and an emergency.  If you don’t deal with it immediately, spiritual death is imminent.   We need to go into immediate action and bring them to the Great Physician for spiritual healing.  It will take time for recovery just like it did for Cuddles.  We have to realize it will take much care, love, prayer, acceptance, and most importantly time, they can come around.  It may not even be in our lifetime but we know God is able and we trust His healing powers.

I remember

One person that was a real praying person in my life was my grandma.  And I remember how she prayed for her children, particularly one of her sons.  Many years after she had passed away her son, on his deathbed, gave his heart fully to God.  Each person has the power to choose and God can’t force anyone but as we continue to pray He will continue to work.

It brought me comfort to know that she prayed for all of us and how much faith and hope she had in God and His ability to answer her prayers.  And although she is resting in the grave until Jesus comes I believe God is continuing to honor her prayers for her family.  I believe prayer is the key to opening the storehouses of heaven.  In other words, God will pull out all the stops for the salvation of just one person.

But what about…

Now the question is what about Prince, the dead dog?  How can I apply this to someone dead spiritually?  Can they be brought back to life?  Well, for Prince my son made a special box for the burial, dug a hole, then we had a moment of prayer and buried him.

When it comes to death, spiritually speaking, it will take much prayer, love, compassion, acceptance, and time.  It takes the same formula as for the wounded that are hanging on spiritually by a thread.  Often it is the faults of others that have caused a person to be devoured by the roaring lion, Satan.  It is a time for reflection and making sure we are in alignment with God and His love.

What can we bury

Is there something we can bury when it comes to someone dead spiritually?  I believe there is more than one thing that needs to be buried.  Let’s start with self.  It is so easy to look at others and see the problems and we think we have the answers, “if they would just do this or that.”  Or maybe we think they need to change and we have the answers for them.  Let’s bury those thoughts right now.  We need to get back to thinking, “What would Jesus do?”  Yes, we have all heard this saying and it has become a saying without meaning.  But the answer is still there.

If we dig into the Word and study the life of Christ on earth, we will find how He treated people that had serious problems.  The people with serious problems, whether physical or spiritual were drawn to Jesus.  Are people with serious problems drawn to you?  This is a question we need to ask ourselves.  And by the way, the majority of the time the physical problems will go away when the emotional and spiritual issues are addressed.  We can see this process in the life of Christ and His ministry.  It takes much prayer, love, compassion, acceptance, and time.  It is God that does the work, we are just His instruments.  He is the one that knows the timing and what is fully needed for any particular person.

What else…

You may be asking the question, “Great but what else needs to be buried?”  Eventually, the person you’re praying for, loving, showing compassion to, and making them feel accepted through their struggle, will want to bury something.  There is something that has died that they will want to bury so that it doesn’t come back.

They have been torn and they have been bleeding and death has come to their spiritual lives.  But because of your prayers, love, compassion, and your smile of acceptance, they are ready to bury those things that have wounded them.  The things that have drained the last bit of life out of them, they are ready to let go of and let the love and blood of Christ fill their souls.  It is us allowing the power of Christ to work through us.

So many…

There are so many souls that are hurting, ready to end their life forever.  The numbers seem insurmountable but you can start right here.  There is someone within your sphere that is experiencing either just barely hanging on for dear life or is dead spiritually.  And being dead spiritually will eventually bring physical death sooner than we want to have it happen.

Let’s put our time into that soul that is closest to us.  Don’t worry about what others may say or think about your choices.  This can become the most important focus you have and others may not understand.  But there is One that does understand.  Let Him lead and guide you.

Much prayer is needed.  We need to be praying for God’s leading in our lives so that we can see the wounded and dying around us.  It is so easy to just go day to day without thought or notice, oblivious to those around us.  When we are told to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), there is a reason.  We need to have our thoughts so connected with God that at any moment we will be lifting up a prayer when needed.  And being connected is the only way we will hear God’s voice as He leads us.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You are always there for us and that You see all our hearts. Give us eyes that see people as You see people. As we go through our day, give us Your love to extend to those in need. Continue to prompt our hearts to stay connected with You so that we can reflect Your love.

Be with those that are hanging on by a thread or are dead spiritually. Surround them with Your Angels, protecting them from the devouring lion that seeks to destroy them. Protect us and guard us so that we don’t become a source of their discouragement but only reflect Your love. We know only You can read hearts but we sometimes forget and judge anyway.

Thank You for Your continual grace and mercy toward all.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep your eyes on Jesus and stay so connected that you reflect His love. Let’s not let another day go by letting someone slip away.

And if you are just hanging on by a thread or even feel totally “dead” reach out to someone that can help you through this difficult time.

I love you all!

What about you? Have you struggled at times where you have felt like you are hanging on by a thread? What helped you through your situation? Share in the comments. Are you going through hard times right now? Share your story so that we can be praying for you and there may be someone here reading that can relate to your story and be of help to you.

I am working on moving my blog over to another platform where I post blogs that cover every aspect whether spiritual, physical, or emotional health.  If you would like to continue getting these blogs please go and subscribe at Revitalizing Your Health

 

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“Today is Your Last Day!”

Your last day!

What if you were told that today was your last day to live?  What would become the most important things in your life?  Would you do things differently?  I think for most of us the answer would be “yes”.

I think we often get so caught up in our days that we forget how important we are to others and how important others are to us.  And when someone you know or even yourself goes through some hard times or facing death, it is a wake-up call.

An acquaintance

What has really gotten me thinking?  I have some dear friends who have a relative that I am acquainted with who has gone through a tragedy.  It was something so sudden that it was a shock.  This acquaintance could have died but after much time survived.  But still, it is going to be a long road to full recovery.

I’m sure that it has given the spouse a new perspective.  I don’t know them well so I don’t know what their family life is like.  But I do know that we all tend to get caught up in life and it is things like this that make us stop and question what are the most important things in life.

And what about the children?  How has this affected them?  When you realize that you may lose a parent your perspective of them suddenly changes.  You realize how much they mean to you and how much they have done for you.  Even if there have been mistakes made you start to realize you don’t want to lose them.

Perspective

I think tragedy suddenly makes a person’s perspective change.  What are the most important things in my life?  What can I change to make things better?  If this were my last day what would I really want to be doing?

Unfortunately, we all have to work and may not have the time with our spouse, children, parents, etc. that we really want to have.  But what can we do differently?  You can reprioritize your life.  Look at what is most important.  If you really look at your day you can probably find some time wasters.  Cut all the time wasters out.

Another thing that is so important is to take care of yourself.  You can’t be there for a parent, children, friends, etc. if you are not taking care of yourself.  Make sure you are living a B A L A N C E D life.  Bedtime, Aqua, Light, Air, Nutrition, Control, Exercise, and Dependence on God.  A lot of times we think we are only hurting ourselves when we fail to take care of us.  But that is far from the truth.  When we fail to take care of ourselves it affects all the people around us.  It may not seem like it at the time but when we become sick or even die it affects everyone we know.

Change

Just stop right now and be thankful for all those friends and loved ones you have around you. And then decide to make a change.  I would suggest you put your day before the Lord and ask Him to help you reprioritize.  Plug into place all the “must” things you have to do, like go to work, if you have a job outside the home.  And then prioritize all the rest of each day.  Make sure to include God in your decisions.

Dear Father,

Today I consecrate to You.  Help me not to calculate for the months and years ahead, I know these are not mine.  I know You have given me this day.  Focus my mind to see this day as if it was my last here on earth and to work during its hours for You.  I Lay all my plans before You to be carried out or given up as Your providence shall indicate.  Help me to accept Your plans instead of my own even though their acceptance requires the abandonment of cherished projects.  Through You, mold me more and more after Your divine example and give me the peace of God, which passeth all understanding keeping my heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender each day to God.  Give your family an extra hug today because you never know when it may be the last one.

Love you all!

What has happened in your life that has given you a wake-up call?  Share your experience below.

 

 

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“Trapped!!”

Trapped!

Have you ever felt trapped?  Maybe you feel trapped in an unhealthy marriage, friendship, family, or even your job.  What can make the difference?  We can’t always get out of situations that we are in but we can change how it feels.

I am reminded of something that just happened recently at my parents.  My mom called because a Bluebird had managed to make its way down their chimney into their stove.  Dad, who has a really bad shake, needed some help to get it out.  Mom is no help when it comes to things like this.  As a matter of fact, we told her to go outside while we did it.  She gets so freaked out.

My daughter (14) and I went over to help.  We took a plastic bag and taped it around the door and then opened the door with the bag.  We wanted to try to draw the bird into the bag.  But because the bag had to be black, in order to be big enough to go around the door, there was really no light to draw him.

So my daughter used the bag to go in and try to grab him.  The interesting part was that he did not try to fly all over to get away.  We thought that maybe he was injured or near death because he was not trying to get away.  It took a little bit because she could not see what she was doing, but she finally was able to get him.

Anticipation

We carefully closed the door and untapped the bag, closing it carefully in case the bird would get out of my daughter’s hand.  I was anticipating that we would have to maybe care for a bird that was injured or not well.

When we got outside and opened the bag and immediately he flew to the nearest tree.  As he flew out of the bag he started to sing.  Then he landed on a tree branch and sat there and sang and sang and sang.  We felt as if he was thanking us for helping him.  We realized that he had felt that we were trying to help him and that was why he cooperated with us.  And then to have him thank us with his singing was such a delight.

It made me long for heaven and the connection we will be able to have with the animals.  What it will be like to swim with the dolphins, pet and lay with the big lion, ride a horse without a saddle or reins, and even be able to have any bird sit on your finger or shoulder and sing and sing and sing.

Analogy

The trapped bird reminded me of how some of us feel trapped.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  It could be a debt hanging over your head, maybe you are trapped in yourself and can’t seem to reach out to others, but whatever, whenever, or where ever you feel trapped there is a solution.  Your situation may not change immediately but how you feel about it can.

Many times we are in the situations we are because of our own choices.  We may be in a bad marriage because we did not seek or even listen to the Lord or Godly counsel.  It also could be that we married before we gave our heart to the Lord and our spouse did not give their heart to God as we did.  Most of the time debt comes from our own bad choices and we have trapped ourselves in the “stove” of debt.  But even in our bad choices, there is a Helper.

When that bird went down the chimney she didn’t just happen to stumble in.  It has a special spark arrestor on the chimney so the bird would have had to actually go into it to fall down the chimney.  There are many times that we do the same thing.  We are walking along in life and we see a job, person, things that we feel we need or want and we don’t investigate thoroughly before we make the choice to dive in headfirst.  And then afterward, too late, we realize it was a big mistake, just like the bird realized too late.

There are other times that we are walking along and it is not something really obvious and we fall in.  But the solution for both is still the same.

I like to call it S U R R E N D E R

 

  • Start your day with God
  • Utter words in prayer
  • Read your Bible
  • Recite verses to memory
  • Encourage others
  • No criticizing words
  • Direct praise to God
  • End your day with God
  • Rest in God’s promises

 

The only way we can have success in our lives is to Start our day with God in Uttering words in prayer, Reading His Word, and Reciting His Word to memory.  When we have His Word in our hearts He can draw it to our memories in the day when we need encouragement or help with any temptation or decision.  Encouraging others always helps to get our minds off of ourselves.  And when we are speaking No words of criticism about people around us or even about ourselves, it draws us closer to God and away from that depressing feeling of being trapped.  It doesn’t help the other person or us when we criticize.  We should be Directing our praise to God each day for what He has done for us.  It may take some time for us to become grateful because we have been so negative but it can happen and what joy it brings.  Make sure to End your day with God.  Recite a verse you are memorizing and pray.  And then Rest in His promises.  If you do these things you will be able to sing a song of praise to God for His help of drawing you out of the “stove” (pit) of sin.

Excited

What I am most excited about is to be totally rescued from the “stove”.  Soon Jesus is coming to take us home, to take us out of this “stove” (world) of sin and sorrow.  When He comes and takes us to heaven that will be the ultimate joy.

I can just imagine myself singing as I ascend up to meet Him in the air, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which 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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

And then when I am actually in the city the joy will be so overwhelming I will burst out with singing praises to the One that has made it possible for me to be there.  I will sing my gratitude of praise to Jesus, “…. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” Revelation 5:12.   What a glorious day that will be.  And I don’t know about you but I don’t want the things of this world to destroy that moment.  I want to surrender all my life to Jesus.

Dear Father,

“Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

At the impulse of Thy love;

 

Take my feet, and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Always, only, for my King;

 

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold:

Not a mite would I withhold;

Not a mite would I withhold.

 

Take my will, and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

It shall be Thy royal throne.

 

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself, and I will be,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

Ever, only, all for Thee.”

— Frances Ridley Havergal

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today.  He will help make your path straight and bring you joy and peace no matter what situation you face.

Love you all.

Do you have a nature story you can tell?  I love to hear nature stories.  Share what you learned from your experience.

 

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“Who Are Your True Friends?”

Have you ever really wondered who your true friends are?

Maybe you even question whether you have a true friend?  True friends seem to be hard to come by these days.  Then the question would be, what is a true friend?

I remember, as a kid having what I thought was a true friend.  Then one day someone came to visit our home.  And then we went to the home of my best friend and her family.  After this person visiting had said something to my best friend, which to this day I don’t know what was said, our friendship was over.  It was like it never existed.  I am sure each of us has gone through similar situations.

I was reminded this past weekend how important friendships are.  Our family spent Thanksgiving with some great friends.  Friendships are a blessing and we don’t want to lose them.

A Friend

Friendships are either like a two-way street or they can be like a one-way.  I think friendships can start out as a two-way street.  Your both going opposite directions, one is following Christ and the other the world.  We have these friends all around us.  They may not be our best friends but we still call them our friends.

Two-way street

The question is, what brought the two of you together as friends?  I mean your goals are obviously not the same.  Hopefully, they see something in you that they are attracted to, Jesus. And hopefully, you have a love for people and want them to know about the love of Jesus.  I would caution you here to be careful.  We need to build a friendship with people to reach them for Christ but we need to be careful that we don’t let their friendship drag us in the opposite direction that we want to be going.  We need to love them where they are at and join them in activities that are not displeasing to God.  But we need to stay away from the things that we know will get us on a one-way street going the wrong direction.

One-way street

One thing about one-way streets is that there is more than one lane.  And the other thing about one-way streets is that you can be going in the wrong direction.  Spiritually speaking one way goes toward God and His ways and the other way goes against God and His ways.  The best kind of friend to have is one that is traveling the same direction you are, toward God.  Now there is still more than one lane.  We are all on a different journey.  The Lord is working with each one of us differently so we are not all going to be in the same lane (growth level) but our goals are the same, to reach heaven.

When we have a best friend going in the same direction we need to accept them where they are and love them and we always hope they do the same for us.  This doesn’t mean at times out of love we don’t go to them and share something that we see in them that may need improvement.  But when we do we need to make sure our motives are right and God is leading us.  I would hope that my best friends would do the same for me.  We need to pray for one another as well.  We can be so close as best friends when our goals are the same.

The Best Friend

There is One Friend that is the best.  He will always love us no matter what we do.  He longs for that mutual love.  No matter what direction we go He will always be there prompting us to a better way of life but He does not force.  He wants to spend time with us but He will not join in anything contrary to His Father’s will, He will not join us in our sin.  But he is still there waiting when we come back.  He is a friend that will always lead us in the right direction.  But we have to choose it.

Our earthly friends may disappoint us but Jesus will never disappoint us.  We may be disappointed in the direction that He leads us. At this point, we need to examine our hearts.  Do we really love and trust Him?  Trust is a part of friendship and our earthly friends may not always be trustworthy but Jesus always is.  He knows everything about us. And He knows us so well he knows what is best for us.

Dear Father,

Thank You for giving Your Son.  Thank You that He is the best friend that we can have. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Continue to prompt our hearts to be on the one-way street toward You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make a commitment to be on that one-way road toward heaven.  The way is narrow but there is room for everyone that wants to go there.  Praise God!

Love you all.

Do you have a best friend?  What makes them so special to you?