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“Is She Going to Make It?”

Anxious!

Have you ever had something occur in your life and you get really anxious over it?  I am sure you have.  We all have events that take place that gets us anxious.  There are things that take place where we need some answers but we don’t know what the answer is and we aren’t sure where to get it.

I recall an event in my life that led me to this anxious feeling.  As far as how old I was I am not really sure but I think I was around 14 or 15.  At that time my dad was traveling on the road for his work.  So he would leave on Monday and then arrive back home on Friday.  We lived in an old farmhouse that was built back in the 1800s.  I loved that house.  We had two little ponds with several apple trees around them.  When we moved into the place we acquired a male and female goose and also one male duck and two female ducks.  They were lots of fun, most of the time.

Devastated!

One morning when my dad was out of town, I went out to feed the animals.  One of the ducks never arrived for the feeding time.  I grew concerned and went looking for her.  I found her in the second pond.  She was out in the middle, soaking wet.  As you know when you see a duck, soaking wet you know that there is a problem.  I don’t rightly remember how I even was able to get her but I finally got her.

As I picked her up I saw that she had a big hole in the back of her neck.  It was around the size of a silver dollar.  I could see the tubes that run through the throat.  She also had received damage to her body and her oil glans.  Things did not look good for her.

Let her go.

My mom was trying to figure out how we could put her to sleep.  I was not in favor of having her put to sleep.  I am an animal lover and I will do whatever it takes to save an animal if I possibly can.  So I said to my mom that I wanted to talk to dad.

For those of you that are younger it is hard for you to believe but cellphones were not a thing then.  And because my dad was on the road we could not readily get a hold of him.  He called us each day, morning and evening.  I can’t remember for sure but it seems the time to talk to him had passed.

I can’t readily remember how we got a hold of him.  But it seems that we had to call the main office.  He called into the office more than once a day at times and then, of course, when he got the message he would have to use a payphone.  He finally called us and I was so grateful.  When it came to animals my dad has the same heart I do.  And the reality is that God has the same concern for His creatures.  He sees when the Sparrow falls!  He loves the creatures that He has created.  My dad told me to call a vet and see what they suggested.

What?

Remember no Internet.  I had to grab a phone book and start looking in the yellow pages.  When I dialed the first vet I was shocked at the response from the receptionist.  She started laughing.  There was no sympathy or concern.  She let me know that they didn’t treat ducks.  I got the same response from one or two more vets.  At that point, I felt discouraged but unwilling to give up.

I finally got a sympathetic receptionist and doctor.  They let me know what cream I could get to put around the edges of the hole as well as her body.  It would take some work putting it on, keeping her warm, and getting her dry.  I did have concerns about her oil glans but the vet assured me that he felt they should heal without a problem if I just followed the directions.  There was still a little question but it was so worth trying.

Preparing

Some of the memories have gone from me, but my mom must have taken me in somewhere so we could get what we needed and get started with the treatment.  We also were able to find a large box to put in the house to place her in.  Somehow we put some heat in the box to help get her warm and try to get her dry.  You wouldn’t think it would be that difficult to get her dry but it was not easy.  It was amazing to be able to learn what those glans do to protect them.  And realizing how the oils coming from the glans keep the water from soaking in and sheds the water was so fascinating.

…Stomach

It did require a strong stomach in order to treat the duck.  I did not really want to do it before or right after eating.  As I recall my mom did not want to do it at all.  We had bought this cream and the vet said to take it and smear it around the opening of the hole.  It amazes me that the hole was not bloody.  So it was not to terribly difficult to smear it on.  I did wear gloves to do it though.

Now when it came to her back and wing area it was bloody.  It wasn’t massive amounts though, thankfully.  I can’t remember for sure but I think I used the same cream on them as well.  If I am remembering correctly it was a process that I did more than once a day.  The poor baby was so scared but seemed to know that I was helping her.  She allowed me to do what I needed to do without any complaint.

Healing

I don’t remember how long it took but her glans started to heal and the oils started to work again.  There was a question as to how long or if the glans would heal.  When we took her out to the pond for a test run I was so grateful that she did not get all soaked again.

It took quite a while for the hole to heal and fill in again.  But it finally did.  It amazes me at the healing power that God has put within our bodies and the bodies of an animal if we give it the right conditions.  God has made everything with amazing wonder.  And as I study more and more about our bodies I am even more amazed.  We definitely did not get here by chance.  All of creation was designed with such amazing intricacy it is impossible to be put together by chance.  We serve such an amazing God.

Thinking…

I started thinking about this experience a few days ago and it made me think of our lives in relation to God.  To most of those around us, we may look like an impossibility.  Our lives are full of holes and so many wounds that they may think for us to be made whole again is out of the question and fully impossible.  How can all those wounds be healed?  How can there be any hope?  I mean they are soaked in sin.  They are bleeding and fearful, which is covered with anger.

They don’t reach out to someone for help because of their fear of rejection.  So you try to find someone that can reach out to them.  Everyone you turn to laughs at you.  “You have got to be kidding me, you really think there is hope for them?  We don’t work on those kinds.”

But then you finally find Someone (the right Vet) that gives you some help in knowing where to turn.  He tells you about this amazing Salve that can help to heal the wounds.  There is no guarantee that the wounds will be healed because there is a factor that can keep those wounds from healing.

Choice…

The most amazing salve that can help heal the wounds of the most wounded soul is God’s Word.  There are a couple of factors that can stop the healing.  First, it has to be applied with prayer.  Because the healing is brought about by the power of the Word as it is applied through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And the second factor is the power of choice.  The person that is wounded has the choice to be helped or not.  Some people reject help.  They are so used to going through life with holes in their heart and with bloody wounds that they feel uncomfortable being out of their “comfort zone”.

They also need to be surrounded by those that are allowing the Word to work in their own lives.  People who have allowed the Word to so pray their lives that they have a warmth that will draw and warm those who are cold.  Assembling ourselves together with others helps to keep all of us warm.  It is like a lump of coal, if you take it out of the fire it will become cold.  Or if you take a cold piece of coal and lay it in a fire it will start to warm and glow like all the others.  Again it is still a choice.  You can’t force someone to join in and be close to those that can warm him or her.  But we can continue to love and to draw them.

Faith

It does require us to have a strong “stomach” (Faith).  Reaching out to people that are wounded requires a faith that will withstand the wounds that may lash out at us.  Wounded people can be full of so much anger that they lash out at those that even love them.  But on the same token we can be so turned off by the way they portray themselves because of their wounds that we may not want to even be around them.

By faith, we need to claim the promises of God and know that the “Salve” (Prayer & the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit) will accomplish the healing.  It may take longer than we think but we need to continue to be consistent.

The healing may take time and may not happen depending on their choice but never give up.  If the duck had fought me and resisted she would have never lived.  The same is true as we work with wounded people.  But we should never give up.  Even if they will not accept anything we can pray for them.

Also, remember as people surround us that there are those that we don’t even realize are wounded.  So we need to be sure that as we interact with those around us that we are much in prayer.  We need to be as Jesus was when He was here on earth.  The method that Christ used on those around Him is how we should treat all around us.  It is His method that will when the heart of each person.  Remember it is not about us and what we think it is about Christ and what He thinks. As you look at people see Christ hanging on the cross for them.  Love them with a Christ-like love that only He can give as we surrender self to Him.

Healing

Healing can take time.  But the most amazing thing is that it will happen and they can be the most amazing people when their wounds are healed.  They become stronger than they have ever been as they cling to the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to wash them clean.

Maybe you who are reading this are the wounded one.  Let people love you.  Read God’s Word and claim the promises that He has for you.  Spend time in prayer pleading for God’s blessing.  Do not let Him go until He has blessed you.  There may be those around you that will hurt you, even those who claim to be Christians.  But don’t get discouraged because no matter what people think God loves you with an everlasting love.

Dear Father,

I ask for Your wisdom, as a Christian.  Help me reflect You to others.  I pray that each of us will see the value to work with others as Christ worked.  Help us to set self aside and only see You.  And allow You to work through our lives.

Lord, I also pray for those who are wounded.  I prayer that You will wrap reaches arms around them and that they will feel those loving arms.  Forgive us if we have wounded a hurting and fragile person.  Keep us focused on You and the love that You would have us spread to these hurting ones.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to draw close to Jesus; He is the healer and reach out to those around you.

Love you all!

Do you have an experience to share about how God has helped in your healing process?  Or maybe it has been a person who has helped you?  Comment below about your experience.

If you are hurting and have no one around you to reach out to, reach out here.

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“What happened to the House?!!”

Things…

This seems to be a topic I keep coming back to but I think it is so important.  We take so many things for granted every day.  We live as if life will always be the same.  You never know when life can change forever.  We need to be grateful to God each day for what we do have.

Beginning…

Many years ago when my husband and I got married we had our dreams.  We started by buying the property.  We could not afford much so we placed an old mobile home on the property and lived hauling water for 2 years.  Our dream was to live in a mobile home for a small amount of time and then build a house.

As the years passed and the children were coming, we did not have the room we needed.  We only had a single wide 2-bedroom mobile home and the one-bedroom we have always referred to as the postage stamp room.

I remember having two kids in a bunk bed in the postage stamp room.  We had a baby in our room and a toddler bed in the living room under the overhanging counter from the kitchen.

Addition…

We finally built on an addition so we had more room.  We designed it in such a way that we could pull away the mobile home and build our house.  The design included an area for taking care of my parents when needed.  This has been the master bedroom, office, music room, etc. But we are coming up to our 30th year of marriage and we do not foresee a house coming into the picture any time soon.

There have been many changes over the years.  In 1995 we put a new kitchen in our old mobile home.  Since my husband is a cabinetmaker and we have our own business it seemed logical.

I don’t even remember the year but we qualified for assistance in making the mobile home better insulated.  They came and replaced all our mobile home windows to really nice windows.  And they sealed up the bottom of the mobile home with more insulation.  It made such a difference in the winter.  One year we remodeled the bathroom, which made such a difference.  We even had a solid surface countertop, leftovers from a cabinet job we did.

Then we remodeled the back bedroom furred out the walls a little and put in more insulation.  I am not kidding when I say, when we pulled the paneling away there were areas that were just paneling space and outside metal, no insulation.  This mobile home was built in the ’60s and they saved money on insulation, Lol!  And another year we remodeled the postage stamp room and made it just a little smaller so it could get better insulation.

Difficulties!

I remember when we first moved the mobile home up to our 10 acres.  We had no clue the amount of snow we would get.  It was a mild winter and we actually moved it on the property in the winter.  And into the snow belt non-the less.

We discovered very quickly the next year that mobile homes, especially old ones, do not hold up to the snow load.  So needless to say our roof was damaged.  Our ceiling started sagging with the water load and we would put holes in the ceiling so the water could drain out.  It also did damage to the roof’s structure.  So we had to build a roof over the top.

But then…

Even though we have had difficulties it has been a roof over us and kept us warm.  It has not been our dream and we still dream of having a house someday but at least we have a place to call our own to live in.  Too many times we are not grateful for what we have and we are always looking on the other side of the fence because we think it is greener.

But then a few weeks ago the reality really hit me how much I appreciate my home even though it isn’t my dream.  We almost lost our house.

We were all gone except one of my sons.  He was working in our cabinet shop and came into the house for something.  He smelt electrical and was going around the house to see where it was coming from but he could not figure it out.  As he was standing in the kitchen, suddenly flames started coming up from behind the gas range.  Thankfully he was able to grab the extinguisher and put the fire out.  But if he hadn’t been in the house it would have been gone.

Grateful

We tend to go through life taking everything for granted.  The thought of gratefulness each day that we have a house to come home to doesn’t really cross our minds.  We don’t think about the fact that we made it to and from work, school, shopping, etc., safely.  It just seems that most of the time we take it all for granted.

A lot of us may even pray before we leave our home asking for safety but do we send up a prayer of thanksgiving when we arrive home safely.  Maybe I am the only one that forgets to be grateful but I have a feeling that is not the case.  We get so caught up in everyday life we take life for granted.

Christians

As Christians, we should always be grateful.  We should understand the sovereignty of God and the life that He sustains us with every day.  I think we often use Him as a puppet.  We expect Him to provide and do in our lives what we expect and how we think our lives should go.

Then when things come along in life that is unexpected it is harder to keep our faith.  But the reality is we need to be so close to God that when those things come it makes our faith in Him stronger.  Because we trust Him so implicitly we can go on with joy in our hearts even in sorrow.

Jesus is our example!  “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2.

Christ

I believe the Father’s presence surrounded Christ when He was here on earth and that nothing was allowed but that infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world.  This was actually Christ’s source of strength. And it can be the same for us.  When we are imbued with the Spirit of Christ we abide in Christ.  So every blow that is aimed at us falls on our wonderful Savior, who surrounds us with His presence.  Everything that comes to us comes from Christ.  The most wonderful thing is that Christ is our defense.  And even greater NOTHING can touch us except by our Lord and Savior’s permission.  We have this wonderful promise that He has given us, “All things” that are permitted “work together for good to them that love God” Romans 8:28.

We can be so grateful for the promises that God has given us to cling to.  And also for His Word that we have available to us at this time.  We need to treasure it.  We never know when we may not have the privilege of having the Word.  But we can hide it in our hearts and minds so we will always have it with us, no one can take that away from us.

Dear Father,

Your love abounds and is beyond our comprehension.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.  You are always there for us for which I am grateful.  Remind me each day, Lord, that without You sustaining my life and I would not be here.  I need You to remind me that You care even when the sparrow falls.  So how much more You care for me when I fail or have any difficulties.

Remind me of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air and how You take care of them and they don’t worry as I do.  I can claim the promises You have given me that You will take care of me.  You will give me a way of escape in time of temptation.  In the time of crisis, You will work all things together for my good and the good of those around me.  I am forgetful, Lord, so I am asking You to do whatever it takes to help me remember.  Prompt me and guide me with Your presence.  Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer for not only myself but for each one of us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Don’t take life for granted!  Be grateful each day!  And give all your worries and trials to Him.

Love you all!

What evidence has God given you that He cares?  It doesn’t matter how big or small I would love to hear your story.

 

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“She’s Gone!!”

Life!

As humans, we tend to get so involved with our lives and what is going on around us that we take it for granted.  We leave for work or school each day just planning to come home to our family.  We don’t expect or even think about coming home and someone is missing.  I am not meaning that we should live in fear but I do think we need to take every day more seriously.  Every day we need to be grateful.

There is a family that lost their daughter recently.  They have been fighting for her life for several months.  I am sure their lives were going on as normal every day.  They may have even taken life for granted, I don’t know.  But then one day they woke up and life changed.  Suddenly house, money, work, etc., no longer meant very much to them.  All they wanted to do is save their daughter’s life.  They spent all their money and time finding ways to save her life because she meant more than anything else.

Now she is….

It is true that they made all this effort and now she is gone.  But they do not need to have regrets because they did all they could.  They sacrificed so much but it was so worth every effort.  They may feel regrets, which are only natural, but for all of us looking on we can see differently.

The pain they feel now is not explainable.  The emptiness will be difficult and the ache so real.  They need to be surrounded by love because even though the battle is over for their daughter it is not over for them.  There will be many days of sadness.

I never met this girl personally.  But through watching Facebook post I could see she loved the Lord.  She had Jesus in her heart.  She had the most important thing that anyone can have, faith and trust in her Saviour.  This is something that every Christian parent prays to see in his or her children.

Hope

As Christians, there is a hope that we have.  The pain is still enormous!  The emptiness remains real!  But I cannot imagine what it would have been like when I lost my daughter if I had not had hope.  Here are some verses that became a real promise for me.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  

For this, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

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 4:13-16

There are several songs that have blessed my heart over the years.  But there is one that sticks out.  It is a very powerful song and every time I sing it the chills it brings to me is amazing.  We have hope!

“We have this hope that burns within our heart,

Hope in the coming of the Lord.

We have this faith that Christ alone imparts,

Faith in the promise of His Word.

We believe the time is here,

When the nations far and near

Shall awake, and shout and sing

Hallelujah Christ is King!

We have this hope that burns within our hearts,

Hope in the coming of the Lord.”

—Wayne Hooper—

I believe the coming of the Lord is sooner than most of us realize.  The things of this world are falling apart rapidly.  The time is near and I am looking forward to being reunited with those I love, especially my daughter.

Time is…

Life can change in a moment and time is precious.  We tend to take time, life, people, etc., for granted.  Just remember we never know when we wake up what could happen that could change our lives forever. Keep your family and friends close.  Don’t take any time or people for granted.  You never know when today may be your last and you are leaving behind those you love.   Just love, love, love all around you.  Yes, it is more painful when they are gone but then you can live with no regrets.  You know that you loved them and showed it daily.

Giving all

This family that lost their daughter has given all to save her life.  And it has been worth every moment they have had with her.  They loved her so much that the temporal things of this earth meant nothing.  How much do you love those around you?  There is more than one way to lose a loved one.  Remember the things of this earth are not as important as those we love.

It also makes me think and ask the question how much do I love Jesus.  I should love Him more than anyone or anything.  What am I willing to give up for Him?  He should be more important than anything in life.  He is the One that brings true happiness even in the midst of the worst circumstances.  Give all to Him today and cling to His promises as you go through each day.  Just like these parents were willing to give all to save their daughter’s life we should be willing to give all to save our lives.  So that we can be with Jesus, the One who gave all that we may live for eternity.

Dear Father,

I pray for comfort for the family who lost their daughter.  You are the only One that can bring real comfort.  There may be others that read this that may be suffering, bring comfort to them also.  May all of us cling to the promises that You have in Your Word.  We long for the day when You shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.  Lord, we long for this quickly but we trust You with the timing.  I know You long to have as many as possible come to You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Draw close to the One that gave all for you so that you can live eternally.  Also, stay close to those you love.  You never know when it will be the last day of either one of you.

Love you all!

From your life experiences, what encouragement can you give this family who is suffering from their loss?  Please write below.

Note to my readers:  Even though their daughter is gone the money they have put out has been overwhelming.  If you can at all possible help them financially pay these medical expenses please donate at this link. Help this family

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“Fear for the Future!”

Fear!

How often do you think about the future?  Do you have fears about what may happen next?  It seems that there are so many that fear more and more each day.  They see the things that are happening about them and they just can’t help but fear.

It is a fearful world in which we live without a doubt.  And we know it is way worse than we even know or can even imagine.  The atrocities that happen each day are beyond our knowledge and comprehension.  But we fear what we do know and what we don’t know.

There are people everyday that commit suicide because they fear and cannot handle the things that are happening around them.  But fear has a big part to play.  Fear that they cannot financially make it, fear for the future because a spouse, child, parent, someone they dearly love died, fear of being hurt again or killed, fear of failure and I could go on and on.  The fear is real and it is an overwhelming cloud that some can’t shake.

Failure…

I think for a lot of people the fear of failure drives them.  Every day they get up just to prove to the world and themselves that they are worth something.  Everywhere they turn they see or hear something that leads them to believe that they are not worth anything.

When you were a child you may have heard it said by your parents, schoolmates, or even friends.  They said things negative about you.  Some may have been joking and not even realizing how much it hurt.  Others did it to just hurt you or maybe make them feel better about themselves.  The idea is that you want to prove to the world that you are worth something and that you are better than they think.

Media…

Then there is the bombardment of media.  And it doesn’t matter whether you are a guy or a gal you need to look like the people seen on TV, Magazines, or billboards to be popular.  A lot of people try to imagine themselves looking like some actor, actress, or some popular singer.  There is this “ideal” look that becomes the “best” look and all you want to do is look like them.

The truth is that a lot of those people that you think you want to look or be like are the most miserable people.  Remember they are acting but inside they are dying.  And then we hear on the news that one of them committed suicide.  We should never look at someone’s life and think they have it better than we do.  We don’t know what is really going on in their mind and life.

The answer

Is the answer to fear simple?  I believe the answer to fear is simple but not easy.  You may be asking how can it be simple but not easy?  The answer is trusting and surrendering, which is simple but a lot easier said than done.  We are people that want to be in control of everything around us.  And to give that control to Someone else is the hardest thing to do.

Having trust in God and surrendering everything to Him is the answer that will bring peace and happiness.  It doesn’t mean all the troubles in our lives and what is happening around us will go away.  But what it does mean is we can have a life of peace and meaning.  God cares so much for us as well as those around us. We can’t even comprehend it.

Besides trusting God and surrendering, cut the negative out of your life.  Don’t listen to the news or read news magazines or newspapers.  Don’t spend time with those who are doomsayers.  Or make you feel you are worthless.  The devil doesn’t care where he traps us all he cares about is diverting us from the real goal in this life.  Instead, spend that time doing things that bring life to the soul.  Spend time in God’s Word and in prayer.  Pray for not only yourself but for those around you.  You can uplift the souls of others to the One who loves them.  Encourage them directing their thoughts to the One that can give them peace.

We can…

We can have peace in the midst of all the stormy blasts around us. Even though we may think we don’t “look” perfect, God dwelling in the heart is the greatest beauty.   It may not change the circumstances but life will be filled with joy even through the storm.  When we make Jesus our Captain we can weather any storm without fear, knowing that He is in full control.  And then He will shine through us making us the most beautiful people.  And then we bring the truth of peace and joy to others.

Dear Father,

We live in such a wicked world.  People are dying for lack of knowledge about the peace and joy that they can have.  Even as Christians, many times, we are lacking the joy and peace that we could have if we would stay focused on what You would have us do.  Continue to draw our hearts and minds back to You.  Help us to stay focused on the good and right so that we can shine for You and draw others to You.  Because it is only You that can give us true joy and peace.  And You are the only One that can bring us through the other side victorious.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender to the only One that you can trust today.  And let Him have full control.  Spend time out in nature.  I believe it to be God’s second book and we can be revived.

Love you all.

Has there been a time in your life that you have feared something, yet, when you put your trust in God, He gave you peace?  I would love to hear your story.  Share below.

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“The Machine is Down Again?!!!”

Disaster!

Have you ever felt as if everything is against you?  Things don’t go well at home, school, work, etc.  It seems like every step you make fails in some way.  And of course, your stress level is through the roof.

The stress has seemed to build in the last week and a half at my work.  It has caused stress for all involved.  I run a digital machine at a print shop.  One day a little over a week ago I made, what I thought was a routine call for a repair.  It wasn’t a big problem I was having with the print quality but it needed fixing.  The repairman came out the next day “fixed” the problem and we were good to go.  At least we thought it was fixed.

The next day…

The next day the problem started again.  The shop foreman had told me to go ahead and put in a call near the end of the day forgetting the fact that the next day was the end of the month.  We are always pushing as much out as possible the last day.  When digital is down it brings a real problem in getting through the work.

This time when the guy came for repairs he brought a helper and they got into the machine and replaced a lot of parts along with cleaning the machine.  In the process of taking out one of the rollers, which has a small long bulb that runs through it for heat, he broke the bulb.  No big deal right?  Wrong!!  They did not have another one to replace it.  So they had to order the part from back east.  It should be in the next day around 10 am and then they would have to come in and finish the work.  This was around 12 am so for me that meant time off.  So I went home early and didn’t come back in until around 11 am the next day.  Things got back together and I was finally able to print again.

Or was it?

I did start printing and the guy stuck around for a little while to see if things were going to go well.  It seemed good so off he went.  I started to notice that there was some kind of debris coming out with the paper when I was printing.  It was a concern to me.  Then I notice another problem.  There were some marks being made on the paper as well.  I opened up the machine to see if there was anything that I could see and all this debris was coming out of the machine.  By this time it was near the end of the day again.  So again I put in another call to service.

The next day the repair guy came right away in the morning.  He opened up the machine and started to take some things apart.  As he took things apart debris just fell out.  He was amazed that the machine had not thrown an error code.  Something had happened and it had totally shredded a belt.

He got everything cleaned up and got things running.  He stuck around for a while and noticed that there was another problem.  The machine was not heating up right.  And it was leaving a rub mark on the prints as well.  He figured out what the problem was but he had no parts for it.  It was Friday by now and he would order the parts and then be back on Monday around 10:30 am.  In the meantime, I could only run a certain weight paper because the heat wasn’t working for the more heavy paper.

Monday…

On Monday I waited and went into work around 10 am.  There had been some other lightweight jobs that had come in so I started printing them.  My boss came to let me know the repair guy called and the parts he had ordered were not going to arrive from back east that day as they were supposed to.  He was driving to another location, which was a 4-hour round trip drive to pick up the part.  So he arrived at about 12 pm.

The unusual thing is that the heating problem had gone away and we couldn’t see the rub mark anymore.  So he was afraid to even touch the machine since it seemed to be working now.  We didn’t know why but it was.  He stuck around for a few jobs and everything seemed to be fine.  So he finally left.  He wasn’t gone long when I notice the rub mark again.  It was only in a certain area so I could only run certain things that it did not show up on, how frustrating.

By this time we decided to wait until the end of the day to call it in so I could get as much printing done as possible being we had so much downtime.  I tried to put in a request on the computer after 5 pm so that a repair guy would contact us in the morning.  The repair guy had not closed out the last repair so it would not let me put in a new one.  I had his phone number so I texted him.  He said how sorry he was about the digital print not being fix and that he would come first thing in the morning.

Tuesday…

When he got there it did not take him long to see that there was a roller that needed replacing.  It had just been replaced last week but with all the debris from the belt that shredded it probably did damage to it.  He was concerned because that was the roller that the other repair guy had been trying to fix when he broke the bulb that ran through the center.  The new repair guy planned to be very careful.  The way that it is put together is not the best.  He proceeded to remove the roller but yes he broke the bulb.  Afterward, he let me know that it was not a big deal because the other repair guy had ordered two when he ordered.  He said, “I will just go pick it up from him and be back in about 20 minutes.”

When he arrived back I was working in the back in the bindery.  We were all discussing what would happen if he broke the second and last one.  Within seconds the guy came back and told me when he opened the box the bulb was broken in 3 pieces.  The choices were to order another one, which would arrive the next day around 10 am.  Or he could take a 4 hour round trip to the different location, where he had gone the day before and get the part there.  Of course, we asked him to drive and get it.  We needed our machine up and running.

Home…

The repair guy headed off for his 4-hour trip while I went home for a few hours.  The frustration I felt was unspeakable.  Financially we could not afford for me to lose hours and I had lost so many already.  I knew that I needed to quit thinking about it and just make the best of my time doing things that needed to be done at home.  It actually felt good to be home and I do miss it a great deal.

Soon the time came for me to head back to work.  The repair guy was there and things went quickly.  When I started printing the repair guy stuck around for another 30 minutes just to be sure that things were going to run well.  Then he left.

More problems…

He hadn’t been gone 30 minutes when I noticed another problem.  My foreman said let’s try to get through as much printing as we can before we call in again.  So I waited another few hours until the end of the day.

He came the next morning and fixed the problem.  And we were off and running again for a few hours.  It is Friday now and we are now waiting until Monday for another part.  Another repair guy did a temp fix that we know could quick working at any time.  Every time I pushed the print button I prayed it would work and I made it through the day on the temporary fix.  The question is when is this going to be over?  I don’t know!  It has been frustrating.  I have lost money, my boss has lost money and it has affected 3 other guys also in lack of hours.  And it has affected our customers and gives the potential for losing customers.

Learning…

But with all these problems what can I learn.  Because we all go through trials every day, right?  We can always learn things in all our everyday experiences.  God wants to teach us things.  The number one thing He wants to teach us is to trust Him.  He is beside us to guide us through all circumstances.  We just need to reach out to Him.  I am planning on a miracle.  Because even though I made less money I want to see how He is going to bless that money to fulfilled the needs that it provides.

Another lesson that came to me in this experience is that the digital machine is a lot like us.  The machine is fairly new, maybe a year and a half old.  And it reminds me of when a person decides to give their heart to the Lord.  You may or may not have grown up in a Christian home.  But you have to come to a point in your life where you surrender and give your heart to God.  And you become a new creation, just like a brand new digital machine.

But then…

Everything seems to be going well with our brand new walk with God.  We are having victories and we are on fire for God.  But as time goes by we tend to get distracted.  The devil makes sure it happens.  Things in our life start to breakdown.  It starts out small, just a “little print” quality.  Maybe we fail to spend the quality time we need one day.  We realize we need to get back connected so we seek out the Repair Man.  God is always there to help repair our lives and the great thing; we don’t have to wait because He is too busy.  We make things right with God and go on our way.

But the next day something comes up unexpectedly and your time with God is cut short again.  Believe me, the devil will make sure there are distractions if we are not intentional.  We get a little stitch of time with God but not what it should be.  And sometimes it goes into days, weeks, and even months that our quality time is diminished.

Major repair…

Before we know it we have become so spiritually wore out that we need major repairs.  The great thing about God is that when we let Him He repairs everything the first time.  But a lot of times what happens is that we don’t allow Him to get in and do the repairs before we allow life to take over again and get in the way of spending that quality time.  And every time we do that the need for repairs become more major.  The outcome can be different for everyone depending on how long we keep letting things go and not allowing God to fully repair us.

God is the only one that can do the major repairs that we need.  But we have to make a total and complete surrender to Him and allow Him to do it.  And we have to commit to spending the quality time with Him.  Believe me, I am speaking to myself as I write this.  It is so easy to get distracted.  And God also gives us so many opportunities to connect with Him throughout the day.

Time…

We need to have that special time each morning where we spend time in prayer and study of God’s Word.  And if we don’t initially schedule it in it won’t happen.  Besides our scheduled time, we should take advantage of every opportunity to connect with God.

For those of us who drive to work, we can be praying during those times.  Praying out loud can keep us focused.  This is a great time to pray about those things that are really on your heart for yourself, family, friends, etc.  It is a great way to keep yourself on track with keeping connected with God and keep your sanity while driving with “crazy” people on the road.  You can also be listening to God’s Word while you are traveling.  Some may be able to listen to God’s Word while they are working depending on where you work and what you are doing.  I actually have that opportunity at work and I love it.

Dear Father,

We live in such a crazy busy world.  Forgive us for not making you the priority that we should. I want to surrender my time to You and make sure that my time is used wisely.  I pray for the problems with my machine at work and for those that may be having troubles at their work.  Help us to reach out to You more and be a witness to Your power.  Thank You for the lessons that You teach us through the trials.  And I am praising Your name to see how You are going to stretch my paycheck this pay period.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today.  Be intentional about your time with Him.

Love you all!

What trial has come into your life that you have learned some lessons from?  I would love to hear it.  Please share below.

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“Is There Power in Our Thoughts?”

Power!

Is there power in our thoughts?  And if there is power in our thoughts how powerful are our thoughts?  I am not an expert in this matter by any means but over the years I have learned different things.  I have also learned from my own experiences.  Our thoughts can play a major part in whether we are sick or well, happy or sad, a winner or a loser, successful or a failure, etc.

I have told the story before about how one day I couldn’t breathe.  My husband told me later that I had started to turn blue.  This was due to some physical issues I was dealing with at the time.  I am still not immune to having this happen even today.  So what made the difference in how it plays out today versus then.  It all has to do with my thoughts.  Believe me when you can’t breathe you go into panic mode and your thoughts are not thinking anything pleasant.

At that moment…

When I couldn’t breathe and I was in the panic mode my husband came beside me and calmly helped me work through it.  I don’t remember what he said at the time but it calmed me and helped me get my breath.  When I had another occurrence sometime later it was at that moment I realized the power of my thoughts.  I realized that if I didn’t think about the fact that I couldn’t breathe but focused my thoughts on breathing, and realizing no matter how I felt I was getting air, I was able to get passed the difficulty.  At that moment I took control of my thoughts and every time I have had this breathing issue since that time I keep my thoughts focused.  I even was able to help my father-in-law multiple times when he could not breathe due to his congestive heart failure.

So how powerful…

So how powerful really are our thoughts.  Some say that our thoughts make up 75-95% of physical and emotional issues others say nine-tenths.  The bottom line is that our thoughts play a big roll in our health, whether emotionally or physically.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 7:23a.

It is so important not to allow how we feel to control how we think.  Now, this a lot easier said than done.  We have all been there.  We wake up feeling a little down, angry, discouraged, sick, etc. and we follow how we feel.  But we should not follow how we feel because it will destroy our day.

Moral Character

For me, I believe that our thoughts and our feelings make up our moral character.  How our thoughts go our feelings go and therefore we respond in kind.  If someone does something to us or someone we love, we may feel angry about it.  And there may be a good reason.  Maybe your kid got bullied at school or you were falsely accused of something you did not do, etc.

The Bible says, “Be ye angry, and sin not.”  And I think a lot of us stop there.  But we need to keep reading.  “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” Ephesians 4:26.  So when something initially happens we may be angry and for a good reason but we should not allow that anger to stay with us, otherwise, it becomes sin.  And it has an effect on our behavior, besides destroying our health.  This may be so difficult if you are living with an abusive spouse, parent, child, boss, friend, etc.  But it is imperative that we do this if we want to have our characters prepared for heaven.  If there is abuse involved we may need to physically separate ourselves from it.

Anger never affects the other person it only effects us.  Worry doesn’t help the situation or the person you may be worried about, it only effects you.  As we continue to dwell upon the negative we will have a negative response.  But if we dwell upon the positive we will have positive responses and it will transform our lives.

…Our health

Not only does the thoughts affect us negatively or positively emotionally but the same is true for our health.  Unfortunately, we live in a world of sin and death.  We are bombarded each day with things that can affect our health.  And if we have done all we can to keep the laws of health we may still get some sickness.  But our thoughts can play a roll and we can choose to control our thoughts.

I have seen and heard stories of people that have destroyed their health by their thoughts or gotten better by their thoughts.  When you are sick with something simple like a cold do you wallow in self-pity?  Or do you keep a positive outlook?  Those that keep a positive outlook get well sooner than those who do not.  Two people may be both doing the same things to get well but they are thinking different thoughts and there will be a different outcome.

Believe me, we all have been there.  When things are not going well it is easy to get discouraged and not be able to look on the positive side of things.  So I am not saying that this is an easy task.  But I believe it is possible with the help of our Saviour.  And the truth is that even if they don’t get well and end up dying they have lived a happier life.

I believe…

I believe that the Father’s presence encircled Christ, and nothing happened to Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world.  This was Christ source of comfort.  I believe that this can be the same for us.  If we are choosing to walk with Christ we will be filled with Christ through the Holy Spirit.  The blow (crisis, health issue, trial, etc.) that is aimed at us falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds us with His presence.  Whatever comes to us comes from Christ.  We have no need to resist all the blows, Christ is our defense.  Nothing can touch us except Christ gives permission.  And we know His promise which says,  “All things,” which He permits to happen, will “work together for good to them that love God.”  Romans 8:28

The key is to be abiding in Him.  We can’t be doing our own thing that is going against God’s laws whether they are health or civil laws and expect His blessing.  But if we are fully surrendered to Him everything that comes to us is for the purpose to refine us as gold that has been tried in the fire.  He wants us to see our need and come to Him and lay all our burdens upon Him and allow Him to carry us through.  And in the process, our characters are being refined.  This is not easy but it all boils down to trusting God.  How much trust do we have?

The Red Sea…

I think of the children of Israel when they were at the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was behind them.  Have you ever felt that there was a trial or crisis before you that was as insurmountable as what the children of Israel faced?  I sure have.  Even as I write I am in the midst of a crisis.  I don’t just write this only for you but it helps me to see what I need to be doing during the time of crisis and how I need to trust God.

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day:  for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.  The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” Exodus 14:13-14.  I love these verses.  This is a promise that as I am surrendered to the Lord He is there to fight my battles for me.  I need to follow His direction and trust Him through every circumstance.

This goes back to our thoughts.  We need to keep our thoughts on the promises of God.  And as we do this our feelings will fall into place, which will form a character that reflects Christ.  If we allow our feelings to be at the forefront they will be controlling our thoughts and our characters will be reflecting self.  A life of self is miserable for ourselves and those around us.  We need to keep things in the right order and God is the one that can help us do it.  He is the one that will part the sea.

Dear Father,

We need You so desperately!  We struggle with trusting You through every circumstance.  Lead us to Your promises as we see You.  We lay our plans and our circumstances before You asking You to take them and lead us through on the dry ground.  You have never promised to take the “sea” away but You have promised to walk us through the mist of the “sea” on dry ground.  You have promised to never leave us or forsake us.  We cling to those promises today.  Help us to keep our thoughts in tune with You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender your thoughts to Christ today.  Your thoughts are so powerful!

Love you all!

Have you seen the power of thought and how it affected you?  I would love to hear your story.  Share below.

 

 

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“Please, I Want to be With You Even if It Kills me!!”

Please!

Have you ever wanted to do whatever it took to be with someone?  You knew the hardships that it would take but it did not matter because you loved them.  The love was so deep that the difficulties seemed small in comparison.

Then there is the other side where you have put all the effort into being with that person that you love.  You finally were able to be with them and then they reject you.  It is hard for you to believe that this is happening but it is.  The agony that you feel is beyond words.  It seems to them that it just takes too much effort on their part to accept you so they leave you to suffer with no thought what you have done for them.

Our Dog

We have a wonderful golden retriever that we got in 2006.  He has been the joy of our family’s lives.  Rascal loves everyone he meets, on the most part.  He has recognized two bad people that have come to our home in the almost 13 years we have had him.  Rascal is a protector of his family and he has an unconditional love that is beyond words.

He has had many trials in his life.  He was backed over accidentally when he was sleeping in our driveway, which broke his back.  After much agonizing pain and surgery, he was put back together.  I wouldn’t say he was normal but he repaired well.  I remember how much pain he was in and how he couldn’t walk.  He slept on our living room floor.  I remember sleeping beside him and how he would nudge me to be comforted.

Then I remember the time that he had a tumor the size of a soccer ball in his tummy.  It turned out to be a big blood clot and not cancerous.  But he had to have surgery again.  And then he had cancer in a toe, which they removed.  Despite all these things he loves his family and wants to be with them.

Walking

One of the things that he has always loved to do is go walking and hiking with whoever will take him.  He gets so excited!  He recognizes the signs when someone is getting ready to go for a walk.  Even in the summertime when you are not grabbing a coat, he knows.  He knows when you’re putting your shoes on to go to work or to go walking.

Rascal has gone hiking up our mountain with us, taken mile hikes or even several mile hikes.  He doesn’t seem to care as long as he can go with us.  If we were going somewhere and the van door was open we would be sure to have an extra passenger. And getting him back out of the vehicle when he was not allowed to go was tough.  He just wanted to be with us no matter what.

But because of age and all the things he has been through walking has become more difficult.  He still gets excited like a puppy.  And he will still head out on a walk with you but often turns around and goes home after a short time.

But not today

But this day was different.  The whole family, excluding one, was home and headed out on a walk.  As we walked down the private road he was coming with us.  But when we started up the side of the mountain he stayed down on the road and just wondered farther down the road.

We were visiting and taking our dear time getting up the hill to a landing before going farther up the mountain.  Once we got to the landing we stood and talked and played a little with the snow.  As we started up the mountain again we saw Rascal laying in the snow on the other side of the landing.  We realized what he had done is gone to the end of the private road and headed up the neighbor’s driveway.  Once he got to the private drive that headed to the landing area he hiked up near to the area where we were.  The problem was is this driveway had not been plowed so there were several feet of snow.  He was only going down into the snow probably 6-12” but it still made for a hard hike.

He couldn’t walk

By the time we found him, he could no longer walk.  His back legs were done for and he could not even get up.  We thought if he rested for a little bit that maybe he could walk but he still could not.  So two of my sons each took turns carrying him down the mountain the way that we came up, while I ran back to the house to get a sled.

He has never liked to ride in the sled but when we brought the sled and sat it next to him he immediately started crawling into it.  He realized his need and realized we were trying to help him.  We brought him back to our house and dumped him on the living room floor because he couldn’t even bring himself to get out of the sled.  He lay there for several hours before he finally tried to get up.

Life will never be the same for him.  But what amazes me is his perseverance.  He loves his family so much that he wanted to be with them and he was willing to do whatever it took to be with us, no matter what the cost, even if it killed him.

It made me think

How much do I really want to be with God?  How much do I really love Him?  The reality is that if I really love Him I will want to be with Him all the time.  I will go where He wants me to go.  And whatever He asks me to do I will do it.  I will do everything no matter the cost.  No matter how rough the road and the trials that may come my way I will continue to go toward God not away from Him.  Just like our dog Rascal kept pulling himself up the hill I will continue to persevere in my walk with God.  I won’t give up when the way gets hard, no matter what pain may come.

But even though I will not give up and keep persevering I will not try to do it on my own.  I may feel at times that I am on my own but I trust His promise that He will never leave me or forsake me.  Rascal has had his share of BIG “trials” that he could not have made it through if we had not carried him and guided him.  When he was run over we had to carry him from the house to outside several times a day so he could go the bathroom.  It was hard for him because he wanted to do things on his own but we could not let him.  And even though he really couldn’t he would want to try but we had to stop him so he would not get more damage.

To me, that sounds so much like us.  We don’t want to give up we want to do things on our own even though it is going to cause us damage.  There is a difference between Rascal and us.  God does not force us to allow Him to carry us through as we forced Rascal.  So we go ahead and do things on our own and cause more damage to our lives.  And here is the crazy part.  A lot of times when things don’t turn out and we go through more pain we blame God.  We can learn a lot of lessons from God’s creation.

I want to come to the point that I want to follow God and stay close to Him even if it kills me.  And the reality is that is where we need to be. How many people have died because they stood true to God?  We need to come to the point that He is all that matters in life.  He is our all in all.  Does that mean life will be smooth and easy? No!  But He will carry us just like we carried Rascal.  And just like Rascal did not resist we need to allow the Lord to carry us and not resist.   The most wonderful thing is no matter what has happened in life when you come to God for help He does not reject you.  Nothing is ever too bad for God.  He loves you more than you or I can even imagine.

Dear Father,

I believe we have such a short time left on this earth and we need you more than ever.  Please bring us through whatever it takes to help us trust You and allow You to carry us through the tough times.  We need to have a heart for You and we need You to help us even to have that heart.  Take our stony hearts and give us a heart of flesh.  I want to thank and praise You for what You are going to accomplish in our lives.  Thank You for always being there and never rejecting us when we reach out to you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make the decision today to stay connected with God even if it kills you.

Love you all.

Have you had a time in your life where you knew God carried you through?  I would love to hear your story.  Share it below.

For those that were looking for the next in the series that I have been writing, it is still coming. After having the experience shared in this blog this last week it was on my heart to share so I have.  Stay tuned for the next in the series of “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function” not only physically but also spiritually.

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“It is Too Late!!!”

To Late!

What is the feeling you get when you realize that you are too late?  Maybe there are some things that you are late for that don’t really bother you, like being late to church or to an appointment.  But there are other things that you may have a sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you did not make it, like your flight or maybe being late to work when you know it could mean you lose your job.

We are human and we can disappoint people many times because we are late or forget different things.  Maybe we forget an anniversary, birthday, or some special occasion.  Or maybe we miss or are late to a funeral, wedding, or something that means a lot to someone if we are there.  What would it be like if you are a bride or groom and you are late for your wedding?  There could be a lot of feelings like fear and anger.

What about God?

So what about God is He ever late?  In human thinking, I think we would all say at times, yes.  But when we go through a situation and we are able to look back most of the time we can see His leading and know that He is always right on time.

We have been in business for ourselves for close to 30 years in our area and it has not been the greatest since 2008.  After that time, we were not surviving and ended up in a lot of credit card debt.  For the last couple of years, we have not had money to pay our taxes so we have had to do an extension.

I finally went to work outside the home to try to help and we also started another business.  For our 2016 tax year, we had to extend and we filed in October of 2017.  We had some money we could send when we filed but we did not have the full amount.  We kept praying and asking for jobs with our new business because we knew if we just got one good job we could pay our taxes.  But it did not come.  Then one day we finally got a job.  It would be enough to pay our taxes but then there is a waiting game because we get paid from insurance companies.  God had it all under control because the check came like a day or two before the IRS bill.

God hurry up!

Have you ever felt frustrated with God about His timing?  I have been there multiple times and I know He is trying to teach me to trust Him.  And because I am failing He keeps bringing me around to the same trial again.  He wants me to trust Him no matter what happens.

Our taxes for 2017 were no different.  We had to extend and actually file in October.  I kept thinking I don’t have to worry because God has this, He will supply it when I need it.  But the time kept going by and no job to cover the taxes.  We filed in October of this year and were not even able to send money with the filing.  So we waited for the bill and the fine that would result.

And praise the Lord again we got a big job that would pay our taxes but there was a hitch.  The insurance company was not paying as quickly.  They were taking their time.  We had not received the tax bill yet but I knew it would be coming soon.  I started to get anxious and frustrated.  I failed to trust.

Soon the tax bill came and still no check.  I was like “Lord, why?”  My husband would call the company.  The person that writes the check is out of the office.  Or the most famous line of insurance company’s is “We are dropping it in the mail today.”  And then you call them a week later and they just dropped it in the mail yesterday.

I was rather fit to be tied at this point.  Knowing that a double fine was going to be happening if we did not get this check in the mail.  Yes, the check finally came.  It was going to be late so I tried to pay online but could not get it to work so we did second-day air to try and get it there on time and paid extra for it to happen.  Of course, it did not happen.  So it was late and yes we got more of a fine.

What is God trying to teach me?

So I start to question, what does God want to teach me through this whole experience.  I know that He wants me to trust Him through each circumstance.  A big thing that I am realizing is it is all His money.  If He wants to “waste” money on fines then it is really His business.

What I do is I start to look at all the things that I could use the money for, the bills that I could pay off so that we are closer to being out of debt, etc.  But God has other plans.  He wants to refine my character.  My money, time, family, debt, etc. all belong to Him and I need to let Him work out the details.  We have been following a plan to become debt free and I need to just give everything to Him and allow Him to keep it instead of continually taking it back.  The thing is that He always comes through.  It may seem late to me but His timing is never late.

I am sure I am not the only one that struggles with these issues.  I encourage you to trust Him fully.  And I can attest that God always comes through.  “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6, 7

Dear Father,

I know that You want to teach us to trust You.  Please forgive us where we have failed.  Give us the courage and strength to lay all in Your hands and to leave it there.  Thank You for Your love and patience with us.  Your love is way beyond our comprehension and we struggle with understanding it.  But we thank You for it.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today.  He loves you and wants the best for you.

Love you all.

Do you have an experience that you can look back and see the hand of God, even though when you were going through it you could not?  I would love you to share your experience below.