By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
~~~
scripture friday.
are you a victim?
Well, sure you are.
Besides my faith, the one thing that has helped me not stay in a continual state of being a victim is knowing I am not alone.
Countless numbers of mothers have lost their children over the centuries. I think about the mothers who lost 2 and sometimes 3 sons during the Civil War. I think about the fatal diseases that took young lives. The accidents. The premature births.
There has been suffering since the beginning of time.
I wasn’t prepared. Mostly because life today is so different in many ways.
Or else we are busier than ever and don’t have much time to think about the what ifs.
Either way, things happen to other people, right?
And some parts of my faith made me feel insulated. After all, I prayed.
But then it happened on that warm, September afternoon. Death came to the door, knocked it down, and with it came the end of innocence.
We wonder where God is?
Well, where was he when sons bled to death on the fields of Gettysburg?
Where was he when cancer took one child and spared another?
Where was he when a mother labored for hours, only to hold a lifeless baby?
Where was he when my son decided to take his life?
All I know is God sees and he knows. He promises to comfort. He promises one day we will understand.
We have to see beyond here and now or we will be hopeless. Hope sees beyond here and now. And the God of all creation promises he will fix it and make it right. All tears will be wiped away. All sorrow will be turned to joy.
We have to wait. And waiting is very hard sometimes.
If I hate God for what he has allowed to happen, the rest of my life will be bitter misery. It does no good.
So I join with the multitudes since the beginning of time and say, though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.
And I will wait.
No longer a victim. But full of hope and expectation.
on Christianity.
Some people think Christianity is for the weak … a crutch.
If that’s the case, I am weak.
I’m not talking about a particular denomination or church.
I’m talking about Jesus Christ and him crucified. Period.
Until you find yourself in full desperation and devastation, you might think you don’t need God.
I don’t fully comprehend how, but I know that running to God is the best place to go when you’re hurting.
If you don’t want God because you blame him for your demise in the first place, you will be suffering even more.
Why not go to the One who sees and knows more than our finite minds understand?
Why not go to the One who knows how to fix things?
scripture friday.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God
and are called according to his purpose for them.
– The Bible
regret.
If we could just go back.
If we could have another chance.
If only we saw that coming.
Our shortcomings and weaknesses can teach us if we look at it that way. We can’t change what happened.
We are not perfect.
“To have regret is to be disappointed with yourself and your choices. Those who are wise, see their life like stepping stones across a great river. Everyone misses a stone from time to time. No one can cross the river without getting wet. Success is measured by your arrival on the other side, not on how muddy your shoes are. Regrets are only felt by those who do not understand life’s purpose. They become so disillusioned that they stand still in the river and do not take the next leap.” — Colleen Houck
Why Exercise is Good For Your Heart
” Emotional pain is the worst pain one can have, there is not an ointment, pill, or an injection that can reach deep enough to heal a broken heart. However, dwelling and negative thinking will only make that pain worse. Exercise is a distraction that can get you to stop thinking those negative thoughts.” – S.C. Rhyne
eternity.
As I was walking the other day, I looked up into the sky.
I felt such exhilaration and freedom!
Then I thought- seven-billion people live on a ball of rock covered with 2/3 of water, perfectly positioned to inhabit life, and surrounded with darkness in a space so large we wonder where its boundaries are.
Beyond the clouds is more than our finite minds can fathom. It’s understandable how we are focused on here and now because we are human. Our problems are many. There is great suffering in this life.
But in eternity, the answers are there.
My New Reality … Notice I Did Not Say New Normal
I have met some mothers in the blogging world who have lost their children. Some lost young children. Some lost older children.
It’s all the same.
Below is a link to a mother’s blog that articulated the pain that is so common among grieving mothers.
scripture friday.
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
– The Bible
flowers on the roadside.
No one plants flowers on the roadside.
Some grow in soggy marshes. Some in dry gravel.
They get stepped on, driven over, and exposed to toxic fumes.
Yet, they survive.
It is a portrayal of life.
There is ugliness in this world. And still, God paints on earth’s canvas.
He knows we will respond to the pain but his creation is a reminder of his presence.
It kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
when it hurts 