I recently read "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and would highly recommend it. I have some thoughts I want to write about, but I saw the following verse...and it seems to fit the moment, so I'm going with it.
Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
This was the verse of the day for www.Biblegateway.com today. (By the way, if you don't always find time to open the Bible, check it out. GREAT resource!)
This comes during a time over the past week that gas prices have continued to go up and down, wall street took a tumble, government bail-outs, and some movies coming out that are downright disgusting!
I'm thinking the above verses not only are just for us, but for the world. Wow, is there suffering! Lost jobs, lost loves, illnesses, hurricanes, etc. Knowing that we don't suffer in vain is a small comfort. I love the word perseverance. That is truly a gift God has given us as humans. We can all use a little more character and then we get HOPE. My current buzzword.
I urge you to look beyond your front door. There may be suffering in your life right now, don't be afraid to reach out and get help....also don't forget...God might be using YOU to be somebody else's help...and HOPE. Don't let suffering be in vain. Use the pain to help somebody else through their struggle. A lot of times just realizing you are not alone in this big world is a huge relief!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Finding level ground
Since the last post (figured I better post something and move that one further down the page!), we've had Labor Day and school has started. Time continues to go by too fast. There seems to be lots of "stuff" happening to lots of people. It's easy to lose ground and feel frustrated and confused, etc.
Bible Gateway had Psalm 143:10 as the verse of the day. I liked the "lead me on level ground". I could use a little level ground after the ups and downs of the past month(s). My/our issues aren't even that bad when compared to what some are going through. Some days it doesn't take much to make me feel far from God...which is my fault. He's there, but I need to remember to talk to Him and include Him in my plans....not going it on my own (which, honestly, I do a lot). I read a little further. It's a Psalm by David, as in King David. That man had a lot of issues especially for the time period he was in.
Psalm 143 (NIV) 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
So, how do we get to level ground? Put trust in God, request God to show us the way, hide ourselves in him, let God be our teacher and let the good Spirit lead. Will life always be easy? Unfortunately, never this side of heaven. Can we take things a little more in stride? We can try. The following verses come before those above. Sheds some clues on how to get to level ground.
Psalm 143 (NIV) 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
When we're feeling those bumps along the way, we remember and meditate on the ways God has done for us before....even when we didn't see the whole picture until we look back. We continue to praise God because our soul is thirsty and God is the everlasting drink.
I'm feeling like a rah rah cheerleader girl. I guess part of that is because it's easier to talk about depending on God when we're coming out of the darkness instead of being in the midst of it.
PS The word has been surrender, surgery definitely made me do more of that...including asking for help, which I'm not good at. The word for now? HOPE I heard it many times today!
Bible Gateway had Psalm 143:10 as the verse of the day. I liked the "lead me on level ground". I could use a little level ground after the ups and downs of the past month(s). My/our issues aren't even that bad when compared to what some are going through. Some days it doesn't take much to make me feel far from God...which is my fault. He's there, but I need to remember to talk to Him and include Him in my plans....not going it on my own (which, honestly, I do a lot). I read a little further. It's a Psalm by David, as in King David. That man had a lot of issues especially for the time period he was in.
Psalm 143 (NIV) 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
So, how do we get to level ground? Put trust in God, request God to show us the way, hide ourselves in him, let God be our teacher and let the good Spirit lead. Will life always be easy? Unfortunately, never this side of heaven. Can we take things a little more in stride? We can try. The following verses come before those above. Sheds some clues on how to get to level ground.
Psalm 143 (NIV) 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
When we're feeling those bumps along the way, we remember and meditate on the ways God has done for us before....even when we didn't see the whole picture until we look back. We continue to praise God because our soul is thirsty and God is the everlasting drink.
I'm feeling like a rah rah cheerleader girl. I guess part of that is because it's easier to talk about depending on God when we're coming out of the darkness instead of being in the midst of it.
PS The word has been surrender, surgery definitely made me do more of that...including asking for help, which I'm not good at. The word for now? HOPE I heard it many times today!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Bound up
Ok, let me warn you ahead of time that part of this will be gross and very personal. In fact, I have been arguing within myself since at least yesterday to even write anything about this. AND my husband has the right to laugh at me because I got mad at him for sharing some of this info earlier.
I am normally a VERY personal person. I hold things in (literally, no pun intended)....until when something pushes me over the edge....every emotion pours out. Stay with me....I have a point(s). Not sure on the verse yet, but I'll find one before I'm done. Peaked your interest now, didn't I?
First, a piece of medical advice, which will lead to the (in my humble...or not so humble opinion) the gross part. If you have surgery and are put on pain medications, there are side effects. Duh! However, who reads the small print they put in those litle papers? The print needs a magnifying glass and they have to list EVERY test, etc. that's been done on it. BORING and time consuming. I figure if the side effect is bad enough they'll tell me. Yeah.
Well, apparently, one of the side effects of pain meds is constipation (hence, the title Bound up....for those of you with foresight, you can see where I'm heading with this, can't you?). SO, I have my surgery July 31. Days pass, I feel yucky, I sleep a lot, and all of a sudden, it's a few weeks into August. I think nothing of the fact that I've been getting grumpier OR the fact that I have now not gone #2 (in kid's terms) for I don't even know how long. This is not terribly unusual for me, but in this case, I finally noticed!
As personal as I am, I finally ask my sister the nurse who gave me the above info and should be taking additional "products" to take care of that issue. You can also be sure I mentioned it at my first dr's appointment after surgery! SO, the "issue" finally resolves, I feel better...no further details necessary. I now know the reason for the "cleansing products" that commercials claim to make you feel so much better. OK, for those of you who have kept up with me, this ends the gross part! :)
I started joking with friends about a term I've heard before "emotionally constipated". I've always laughed, but I can see how this is true. When we hold in emotions that we should be letting out, we're mentally bound up. I've been doing that to myself for a long time. Time to work on letting some of that out as well.
OK, so I'm looking up some verses for bound. There are many references to how Christ was bound up to be led away to the cross. Not quite what I'm going for here, but worth thinking about.
The one I think I like the best is this:
Hebrews 6:16-18 (New Living Translation)
16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
And this:
Ezekiel 34:3-5 (New Living Translation)
3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal.
OK, it's a leap, but how true are those? I personally now like to think of bound as a promise. In Hebrews, God gave us a promise, we can have hope. In Ezekiel, we are told to take care of those who are lost. Have you been "bound up" in sharing your faith with someone else?
When I first typed in bound in the search on Biblegateway.com, most of the words that came up were "boundary". This is making me think that the lack of boundries can lead to being bound up. (Believe me here I am preaching to myself!)
I need to get to sleep. I don't even know if this will help anybody. But it feels good to get it out (no pun intended). Work on boundaries, mental and physical. Either way, you'll feel better! :)
I am normally a VERY personal person. I hold things in (literally, no pun intended)....until when something pushes me over the edge....every emotion pours out. Stay with me....I have a point(s). Not sure on the verse yet, but I'll find one before I'm done. Peaked your interest now, didn't I?
First, a piece of medical advice, which will lead to the (in my humble...or not so humble opinion) the gross part. If you have surgery and are put on pain medications, there are side effects. Duh! However, who reads the small print they put in those litle papers? The print needs a magnifying glass and they have to list EVERY test, etc. that's been done on it. BORING and time consuming. I figure if the side effect is bad enough they'll tell me. Yeah.
Well, apparently, one of the side effects of pain meds is constipation (hence, the title Bound up....for those of you with foresight, you can see where I'm heading with this, can't you?). SO, I have my surgery July 31. Days pass, I feel yucky, I sleep a lot, and all of a sudden, it's a few weeks into August. I think nothing of the fact that I've been getting grumpier OR the fact that I have now not gone #2 (in kid's terms) for I don't even know how long. This is not terribly unusual for me, but in this case, I finally noticed!
As personal as I am, I finally ask my sister the nurse who gave me the above info and should be taking additional "products" to take care of that issue. You can also be sure I mentioned it at my first dr's appointment after surgery! SO, the "issue" finally resolves, I feel better...no further details necessary. I now know the reason for the "cleansing products" that commercials claim to make you feel so much better. OK, for those of you who have kept up with me, this ends the gross part! :)
I started joking with friends about a term I've heard before "emotionally constipated". I've always laughed, but I can see how this is true. When we hold in emotions that we should be letting out, we're mentally bound up. I've been doing that to myself for a long time. Time to work on letting some of that out as well.
OK, so I'm looking up some verses for bound. There are many references to how Christ was bound up to be led away to the cross. Not quite what I'm going for here, but worth thinking about.
The one I think I like the best is this:
Hebrews 6:16-18 (New Living Translation)
16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
And this:
Ezekiel 34:3-5 (New Living Translation)
3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal.
OK, it's a leap, but how true are those? I personally now like to think of bound as a promise. In Hebrews, God gave us a promise, we can have hope. In Ezekiel, we are told to take care of those who are lost. Have you been "bound up" in sharing your faith with someone else?
When I first typed in bound in the search on Biblegateway.com, most of the words that came up were "boundary". This is making me think that the lack of boundries can lead to being bound up. (Believe me here I am preaching to myself!)
I need to get to sleep. I don't even know if this will help anybody. But it feels good to get it out (no pun intended). Work on boundaries, mental and physical. Either way, you'll feel better! :)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Night/Early AM thoughts
I admit I like nighttime for the fact that it is quiet (most of the time) and it feels like it's MY time....I don't feel like I need to be depended on or needed.....for real or just in my own head to FEEL important. BUT nighttime is also the time that I try to get quiet....and sometimes that's scary because that's when I can feel those little (and sometimes not so little) God nudges.
I have felt REALLY emotional lately. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the pills I'm on for pain. The fact that I sleep during the day and stay up at night, but the world runs on day time so I feel at least 3 steps behind always isn't helping either.
Overall, I cannot complain. My surgery went well. It's been over 2 weeks already. I have another appointment with an x-ray and the dr. on the 29th. So far, I'm not able to drive because of the soft collar I need to wear to keep my neck stabilized. It's like when the power went out. I forget how grateful I need to be when I can just gather the kids, get in the car and go. And not worry about lifting too much weight or scheduling rides. I have taken a lot for granted and I think that's why I'm feeling emotional too.
When I've done a better job at reading devotionals or the Bible, I continue to be amazed when I read JUST what I need for the time I need it. God is good at providing when we take the time to show up!
So, a few minutes ago, I looked at Bible Gateway and the verse pretty much covered what I'm feeling like:
It's Psalm 42. The one that starts out with "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after you." (OK, not the Bible quote, but you get the point)
Verse 8 (NIV) 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Pretty much covered the night and day thing. I've also been feeling really down about the whole world situation. Sure, there are individual groups trying to make a world difference, but as a whole world, we need some serious work!
Then I kept reading:
9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Isn't it awesome that God knows we will not always be happy campers? So, I will keep putting my hope where it belongs. I will answer that God is alive and well and continues to watch over us. Our enemies WILL BE defeated. There will be a day when we will all know that we are not forgotten and we do not need to mourn.
HOPEFULLY yours. K.
I have felt REALLY emotional lately. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the pills I'm on for pain. The fact that I sleep during the day and stay up at night, but the world runs on day time so I feel at least 3 steps behind always isn't helping either.
Overall, I cannot complain. My surgery went well. It's been over 2 weeks already. I have another appointment with an x-ray and the dr. on the 29th. So far, I'm not able to drive because of the soft collar I need to wear to keep my neck stabilized. It's like when the power went out. I forget how grateful I need to be when I can just gather the kids, get in the car and go. And not worry about lifting too much weight or scheduling rides. I have taken a lot for granted and I think that's why I'm feeling emotional too.
When I've done a better job at reading devotionals or the Bible, I continue to be amazed when I read JUST what I need for the time I need it. God is good at providing when we take the time to show up!
So, a few minutes ago, I looked at Bible Gateway and the verse pretty much covered what I'm feeling like:
It's Psalm 42. The one that starts out with "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after you." (OK, not the Bible quote, but you get the point)
Verse 8 (NIV) 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Pretty much covered the night and day thing. I've also been feeling really down about the whole world situation. Sure, there are individual groups trying to make a world difference, but as a whole world, we need some serious work!
Then I kept reading:
9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Isn't it awesome that God knows we will not always be happy campers? So, I will keep putting my hope where it belongs. I will answer that God is alive and well and continues to watch over us. Our enemies WILL BE defeated. There will be a day when we will all know that we are not forgotten and we do not need to mourn.
HOPEFULLY yours. K.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Why Not Me?
Philippians 4 : 12 (MSG) I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
Did you ever notice that we are quick to ask "Why me?" when things are not going well or we feel overwhelmed? Our family has had a lot of junk going on lately....I will refer to them as joy-stealers, and tomorrow I go in for surgery on my neck. Fear is fighting hard to take over....but.... as the above verse states I will be content (happy) in my circumstances....not for them, but IN them I will choose joy because I am not walking alone.
When things are going wonderfully without the bumps of joy stealers, I rarely ask why me.
So whether perceived good or bad, I will begin to ask myself "why not me?" Sometimes we are asked to walk through things we would not choose, but God trusts us enough and/or has a bigger picture in mind of what He wants accomplished. May people see how we handle our circumstances and see God through us.
As someone mentioned to me recently, sometimes we need to be laying down to look up. Very profound!
Matthew 5: 14, 16 (NIV) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I saw this a few days ago and it made quite an impact on me. Thought I'd share. If you have a few minutes, definitely worth a watch.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8616c1559ab4221b3910
Did you ever notice that we are quick to ask "Why me?" when things are not going well or we feel overwhelmed? Our family has had a lot of junk going on lately....I will refer to them as joy-stealers, and tomorrow I go in for surgery on my neck. Fear is fighting hard to take over....but.... as the above verse states I will be content (happy) in my circumstances....not for them, but IN them I will choose joy because I am not walking alone.
When things are going wonderfully without the bumps of joy stealers, I rarely ask why me.
So whether perceived good or bad, I will begin to ask myself "why not me?" Sometimes we are asked to walk through things we would not choose, but God trusts us enough and/or has a bigger picture in mind of what He wants accomplished. May people see how we handle our circumstances and see God through us.
As someone mentioned to me recently, sometimes we need to be laying down to look up. Very profound!
Matthew 5: 14, 16 (NIV) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I saw this a few days ago and it made quite an impact on me. Thought I'd share. If you have a few minutes, definitely worth a watch.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8616c1559ab4221b3910
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