They are Just Too Far Gone! Why Even Pray?

2 Thessalonians 1:11 “So we keep on praying for you, asking God to enable you to live the life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

As a member of Al-Anon, and someone who has been to many speaker meetings in Alcoholics Anonymous, I have heard some pretty crazy stories of people who are, or were in complete darkness and chaos. Quite often when the speakers tell their stories they speak of one person who seemed to never give up on them.( It’s important to understand the difference between not giving up and drawing some healthy boundaries. God has not created us to be abused and stepped on, He loves us and we need to love ourselves and love others. Just as God allows us to go through tough times that are of our making, we need to let others go through them too. A lot is learned during those tough times, and often those times are the catapult that is needed to make some growth and changes.) When I have heard some of the stories, and think of my own experiences that have brought me to the rooms of Al-Anon, it cause me to reflect and wonder about just how far down into the pit of destruction a person can go, or how much hurt those watching must be going through. I also think of how, to some people it would appear that the individuals are beyond help, that marriages are beyond being saved, that children and parents will never have a healthy relationship. Some of the stories, tell of how as children they were raised to be lovers of Jesus, with good morals and integrity and yet they started on this journey that brought them out of the will of God’s call for their life. Satan had used his his ways to grab hold of them and was intent on keeping them there. Dragging them further and further in to his pit. (Satan uses deception as an effective tool, but occasionally he is bold and we just don’t see it. Hard alcohol is a called spirits and just what kind of spirit do you think it is?)

So Just what are we to do, when we encounter those who seem to be beyond help? That have traveled so far into darkness? We can pray. But why pray, they are just too far gone. When we pray we have God’s full attention. When we pray it’s not about who we are praying for that makes the difference, it is Who we are praying to that matters. We are praying to God who is in control of all things, that made the whole earth and every person in it. Don’t ever under estimate your prayers. Although He may not answer us the way we want, your prayers put His mighty hand to work. Our prayers connect us with His heart. They can bring the light to someone in the darkness. When you pray for protection God sends his angels. When you pray for comfort, His Spirit comes to comfort. Our repeated prayers for someone who seems so lost is not all about getting God to hear us, it’s also fuels us so we can keep believing for that person. Doing so will not only help that person, but when God answers it reminded us of His faithfulness. You just might be the person, that becomes the one person who never gave up hope on them and part of their story of getting out of the pit of destruction. you could be the one who encouraged them not to give up on their marriage, on their child or family member. You may not get the recognition here, but one day when you are living in eternity, you will see how your prayers affected and protected many lives. So keep on praying, never lose hope, keep believing and keep loving that person in your heart, even when your boundaries cause you to be away from them. Do not let your heart become hard towards them. It is your heart’s cries that open up God’s ears. So as the above scripture tells us keep on praying, asking for God to enable them to live the life worthy of his call. Pray that they will start to live the life that was God’s will for them and that He will give them the power to accomplish all the good He has for them.

Let’s Be Reasonable, Teachable and Open Minded

1 Samuel 25:17 “Now then, know this and consider what you should do, for evil is (already) planned against our master and against all his household, but he is such a worthless and wicked man that one can not speak reasonably to him”

Have you become so closed minded in an area of your life that you are not able to receive reason? Can people approach you and have a reasonable conversation with you? Are so determined about something that you have become “wicked” and unreasonable?

In the above passage, the man who was wicked and worthless was Nabal. King David had sent his men to him and asked for some food, but he refused them. One man who was Nabal’s servants spoke this passage to Abigail, Nabal’s wife. He knew that David’s men had been kind and protected them while they were watching the sheep, and that trouble was coming, (because Nabal had refused to share with David and his men). He also knew that he could not go and speak to Nabal and give him the warning and insight into why he should give food to David. If we look at Mark 4:25, it talks about having a teachable spirit. We should desire to have a teachable spirit.

We need to be open to reasonable conversations and be willing to learn, to take warning’s and then test the word out through God’s word. Nabal’s close mindedness caused him to die. Later on in the 1 Samuel 25 David started to allow his anger to seek revenge against Nabal, but Abigail was able to approach David. She spoke reasonably to him. She reminded of his godly character. David then decided to allow God to seek revenge on Nabal. David was spared form having a stain on his godly character because he was open to having a reasonable conversation. He was approachable, he was willing to learn and be corrected from Abigail, a women. Remember that women in David’s day women did not have the same authority or respect as they do today. His culture would have led him to dismiss anything that a women had to say.

Are you reasonable and open minded, having that teachable spirit alive in you? Are you approachable and willing to learn from someone who you or your culture deem not to be as knowledgeable as you? Right now, as we go through Covid 19 having a teachable spirit is vital to our mental and physical health. We need to be willing to learn. To gather information and use our God given wisdom and discernment to keep us healthy, safe and our economy prospering. Do not become so close minded, that you are not approachable. Not everything you hear will be right. But we can all learn a little something from everyone. I was once told when you hear something, take the meat that is good for you to eat and leave the bones. A pastor once told me that instead of becoming offended, first look at why you are offended, is it something you need to change, and don’t want to? Not all wisdom is understood right away, so you can put that knowledge on a shelf and when you are ready you can go back to it.

Let’s always try to be willing to learn form everyone and be approachable.

I Give Up, Just Leave Me Alone

Mathew 14:13 “When Jesus heard about John, He left there privately in a boat and went to a secluded place.But when the crowds heard of this they followed on foot from the cities.” Mathew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd,and felt (profound) compassion for them and healed their sick.”

I wonder what Jesus was saying to God on that boat. He was clearly upset about the death of John. He wanted to be alone, just Him and His father (God). I think that he would have been crying out to God, complaining about the people of this world. Complaining about the one’s who had just murdered His cousin John, who was someone who He loved. I think He may have been saying, I change my mind, I don’t want to do this mission anymore. I am DONE with helping and teaching them. I just want to be left alone, and go back home. But by the time He got back to the shore, He was refreshed and ready to carry on. His heart was strengthen and He had compassion for the people once again. He was ready for the mission!!

Have you ever been so upset by something in the world, seeing an injustice that hurts you? Hurt by the very people you are trying to help? Have you ever just raised up you hands and said that’s it I’m done? Have you ever just wanted to hop on a boat or plane, or maybe run to a drink or a drug, anything to just escape the feelings and the people? I have felt this way many times and in my life. For me, my way of escape in the past, was to self isolate and think negatively about myself and the world. I would become depressed, my body reacts to depression by causing my digestive disease to act up. Literally, my digestive issues can be my the cause of my death. But I have been learning to be more like Jesus. More like how I pictured Him on the boat.

I think when we are ready to give up, to run to our poor coping mechanisms, that instead we should all try to react like I believe Jesus did. By going and spending some time crying out to God, giving Him all of our complaints. Waiting for him to comfort us and renew our mind. Asking for God to allow our eyes to see people (including those who have hurt us) as He sees them. Then maybe we can have “profound compassion” for them and allow God to use us to perform miracles that bring the glory to Him. Just like Jesus healed the sick, we might be able to help heal people.

#beencouraged #dealingwithburnout #livingablessedlife

But I Wanted That!!!

1 Chronicles 22:7 “My son, I had wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God. David told him.”

King David wanted to build the temple. But God had told him that he could not build it. God said to David that it would be his son Solomon who would build the temple. Since God was not saying no to the temple, we know that it was something that was a blessing to God. But David was not the right person for the job, in God eyes. How does David react? If we go to verse 14, we get the answer. 14″I have worked hard to provide materials for building the Temple of the Lord.”

How do you react when you want something but it is not given to you? Something, that you believe your having would allow God to be glorified. In your mind, it would be a tool you could use to bring honor to God. Maybe it’s a promotion at work. Your thoughts are that if you had that promotion you could show your coworker’s how to handle leadership as a Christian would. The raise that you would get would result in an increase in your tithes. Or maybe what you want is to have an addition on your home. The addition would allow you to host more family activities, host a church group. Whatever it is that you want, just like David wanted. But the promotion is given to your friend, your neighbor gets the addition, whatever you wanted, you now see someone else you know getting it. When this happens we all get disappointed, just like I am confident David was. How do you handle that disappointment? Do allow it to fester and be the root of jealousy, and envy? Do you express excuses that attack the character of the either the one making the call of who gets it, or the person getting it. Do you start feeling sorry for your self, and begin a downward spiral, of a poor self image? Or can you be like David was? He accepted that even though it was what he wanted, he trusted that if God wanted him to have that job, he would have gotten it. So he did everything he could to help Solomon be successful. He came along side and helped him. Even when it was hard work to do that he did not stop. I wonder if part of that hard work was also getting his mind set right. God has a purpose and plan for your life. A plan that is good, for you. He knew you when you were being formed in your mothers womb, so He knows the areas of skills that you have. He knows what you are able to handle at this time. That promotion maybe yours down the road, that addition may come, but now is not the time. Or maybe He has something better for you. We can’t all be the ones who build the temple buildings, someone needs to be the singers, someone needs to be the cleaners, someone needs to work the media. All of these are just as important in God’s eyes. We are all called to different things at different times. When you want something and you are not given it, decide to do whatever you can to help the person to succeed. This shows God’s work in your character, that you trust His decision of who is the right person at this time. Your disappointment, may actually turn into your greatest blessing.

I am always here praying for you to have the blessed home and life you desire. Don’t give up, God’s got a good plan for you!

#dealingwithdisappointment #livingtheblessedlife, #bethebestyou #dailydevotionals

Being Content Through the Journey

Psalms 106:14 “but lusted intensely in the wilderness And tempted God(with their insistent desires) in the desert.”

Do you test God’s patience?, or do you praise and worship Him? Do you remember all that He has done for you or do you just change the list of what you want, (insistent desires)? Let’s look at today scripture Psalms 106:14, and reflect on the journey that the Israelites made. I bet that when the they were in Egypt as slaves, all they wanted was out of there, out of slavery and free. I am thinking that they would have been crying out to God something like this. I don’t care where or how, whatever it takes I am willing to do it, if it’s your plan to get me out of Egypt and free from being their slaves. Have you ever cried out something like that? Maybe for you the want is different, it might be this job, lose this weight, stop this poor habit, fix this relationship. You fill in the want. When we look back at the Israelites, almost immediately when they were on the journey they began to complain, and change their cries to God. They complained about the journey. They always wanted more? They wanted it all right away, they showed little trust that God would give them His promise to take them to the promise land and little thanks for getting them out of Egypt. Yes, the journey was hard, but God was showing them He was with them every step of the way. He was providing them with all that they needed daily. But they just kept on changing their prayers and complaining to ask for more, not showing any gratitude for the plan, which was an answer to their prayer to get out of Egypt. It’s really easy to be like that, isn’t it? We all want good health, we all want financial freedom. good relationships, yet when God gives us the plan and starts on the journey, how do we respond? Initially, we may be all gung ho, eating healthy and exercising, not spending where we do not need to be, showing kindness, putting in the work to achieve the goal. Following the plan that God has provided for us. But how long before we start complaining? Even when we are seeing results, like the Israelites did, when they were out of Egypt. How long before we want to give up and just go back to the old way, old place. The one we hated, were willing to do anything to change. How long before we start to test God with or unbelief in that He will fulfill His promise to achieve the goal and meet our needs daily as we walk it out? Do you remember to thank God for the journey or do you just go to the complaining cry? Do you trust Him throughout the journey or are you always looking for compromises, the easier softer way, the magic weight loss pill, divorce papers, leaving the friendship, get rich quick schemes, compromising your morals to achieve the end desire. We can chose to trust and praise, or complain and never be happy with small victories during the journey. One will bring us joy and victory the other will bring us depression and leave us stuck right where we are. The Israelites spent 40 yrs in the dessert.

Today, be encouraged, you can do it! (Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”) Trust God will give you all that you need,(Philippians 4:19 ‘and my God will supply all your needs”) and He will direct you the whole the time.(Proverbs 3:6 “in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”. In your times of weakness He is strong. ( 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is all you need.My power works best in weakness’) Praise Him for the plan, during the journey acknowledge all of the small victories and give Him thanks. Trust Him well you are getting to your goal.(your promised land)

If you would like me to add you to my daily prayers for God strengthen you well you are going through your journey please do so. I am always here routing for you!

#enjoythejourney #reachyourgoal #strengthinweakness #victoryisyours #beencouraged

Looking For Someone to Blame

1 Samuel 30:5 &6 “David’s two wives, Ahinoam, from Jazreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabol from Carmel, were among the captured. David was now in great danger because all of his men were bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord.“

All of men were in the situation, the home town was burned, their families taken captive they were all hurting, just as David was. But the men were looking for someone to blame. This looking for someone to blame left them still feeling weak and their plan of action to stone David would do nothing to bring the captured family members back. But not David “a man after God’s heart” He did not look for who to blame, he looked to God for strength and a way to get back what was taken. As we go through Covid-19 what are you spending your time doing? Are you focusing on who to blame? Are you sitting at home crying over what has been lost? Doing so, will not change anything for you except to make you more upset and weak. Which is a great opportunity for the enemy to come in, and sink you into his pit of hopelessness and despair, to feed anxieties,cause division and hatred and turn you against your neighbor, your friends and your leaders. Or are you going to God? Praying for Him to strengthen you, to strengthen our leaders and our country, asking for wisdom on how to regain what has been taken away by the enemy Covid 19? Have you taken stock of what has been lost? lost to you personally?(David lost his wives,his strength and his circle of friends, and was facing losing his life) stock of what has been taken from your community, (all of the town was burned) many of our business are closed, churches are closed, our economy is being shut down. Now that you have created your list, go and ask God for strength, and a way to restore it. What part does God want you to play in that restoration? To be confident that what you hear is from God remember the fruits of the Spirit, (Galatians 5:22&23 love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness, and self control) as God’s direction for you will always be in alignment with His word and glorify Him. Do not lose hope, as we know that God is in the business of restoring and His restoration is even better then was originally lost.

My prayer for you today, is that you stop looking for someone to blame, it changes nothing. That you would be compelled to pray and ask for wisdom and direction for you and your community, and our leaders. This is new territory for everyone, and decisions are needing to be made that none of us had to make before. Leaders in all differing places, government, churches, businesses are experiencing the same unknown. I hope that your desire would be to part of the change that shows His fruits to your family, friends and community. I will be praying for you!! If you ahve anything that you would like me to pray for an area that you are struggling with don’t hesitate to ask. I am always here routing for you to live the BLESSED LIFE YOU WANT!

#stoptheblame #bekind #covid19 #gettingbackwhatwaslost

YEAH FOR BBQ SEASON!

As I have said before I love warm and sunny weather. It ignites many of the things that I love to do, gardening, walking, bird watching and BBQing (ok, to be completely honest I mean eating bbq food)

One part of my blessed life is my husband. He is my fix it guy when I break it, a huge encourager, and an overall great husband. He is also the bbq guy. I love burgers as does he. But ever since I was pregnant with 1st born(my beautiful daughter) I can not stand the smell of burgers being cooked in the house. I know I am not alone in this, as when I went to get buns the other day a few of us women in the bun aisle, got talking about this and we all were in agreeance. Actually,oddly enough one women said that her aversion also started when she was pregnant? So I guess it’s a thing.

I also seen a meme the other day that said, something like yes my hubby made us dinner on the bbq. All I needed to do was prep the meat, make the salads, prepare the condiments and set the table and clean up. It’s so awesome when he makes me dinner. The meme did make me chuckle, but I truly am grateful that he does the bbqing and he is great at it. So today I am going to share the art of making a good bbqed burger. I will be getting direction from him on the actual bbq part.

• INGREDIENTS FOR 4 BURGER
• 1 lb of lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup of ground pork rinds they add a bit of fat, great flavor and help with keeping them together. They need to be finely ground . I use my KitchenAid Food Processor
• 1 to 2 tbs of Worcestershire
• 1Tbs of garlic(ok, let’s be honest garlic is something that no recipe should tell you how much to add, its a personal thing)
• a medium chopped small onion
• salt and pepper(to your taste)
• 1-2 tbs of beef broth(use some from the recipe on the previous blog)
• Spices to you liking. I use 1tsp of cumin, 1 tbs of parsley, 1tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cayenne(we like a bit of heat)
• 1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

Put all of your ingredients in a bowl and with your hands incorporate them all. Divide you meat into 4 equal sections. Make each into a ball, you want it to be firmly packed. Any air spots will cause your burgers to fall apart. Now flatted each ball into the size of burger you want. I do this be adding about 1″ to the size of the buns I am using. This allows for some shrinkage, and to still have your meat cover your entire bun. Speaking of buns I recently found a bun that we love, Demptsers Deluxe. The are the perfect size for bun to meat ratio and can handle a burger with lots of condiments. I then put them in the fridge to chill. (about at least 1/2 hr.) Hubby says that this helps them to not “puff up”” and makes it easier to put them on the grill.

BBQ INSTRUCTIONS:

• open lid, ignite bbq, close the lid, let it heat it up to at least 400 degrees
• open, scrape and clean the grill(I don’t recommend using a wire brush as there is a danger of bristles falling out and causing them to get lodged in your throat, but hubby says that he uses 1 and after using the wire brush he gives the grill a quick wipe with a cloth, being careful not to burn yourself or catch it on fire)
• put the patties on the grill and close the lid
• leave for at least 2-3 minutes this time prevents them from sticking, if the ware not sticking, and have a nice char mark,then give them a half turn to give a nice cross pattern
• we like our burger cook well, but still juicy, so he watches when the burgers are still pink on top but the edges are browning and he can see that from the sides that the insides are starting to cook, then he flips them. He only flips them 1 x and tries not to push them down. But if they are starting to ‘puff up” too much then he does flatten them.
• he does the same half turn as before once they are not sticking to grill.
• when they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. (E. coli is killed at 155 degrees hence why I say 160 degrees.) They are done.
• when almost done hubby let’s me know and I put some cheese on the buns and put them under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Now you are free to add you favorite condiments, and enjoy your burger. The condiment options are vast, some of our favorites beside the norm of ketchup, relish(we don’t like it) mustard(I don’t like it) is fried onions, homemade dill pickles and hot peppers, mayo,lettuce, tomato and hubby likes homemade sauerkraut. Let your imagination go her. If you like something don’t be afraid to add it.

If you have questions don’t hesitate to ask, or if there is something that you add to you burgers please let me know. I am always willing to learn something new.

YEAH FOR BBQ SEASON! #KitchenAidfoodprocessor, #bbqburgers, #Dempsterdeluxebuns,

I want to give my hubby a special thanks for his help in making this post, and for all the yummy food he creates on the BBQ.

Living Beyond Your Surroundings

2 Samuel 9:5 “Then King David sent word and had him brought from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.”

What does it mean to live beyond your surrounding? and how do you do it? Let’s look at the above scripture. It says that Kind David was sending for someone, that someone was Jonathon’s son, Mephilbosheth. Mephilbosheth was crippled, and living in Lo-debar. He had every reason in those times to be an underachiever. He was an orphan,his family inheritance of being the grandson of King Saul was gone, he was crippled in his legs, and in was living In Lo-debar. Lo-debar translated means without pasture. He was living in an agricultural society in a town that had no pastures. In other words he was living in the poor area. Just like it would have been easy for him to become comfortable with his surroundings, so can it be for us. In that comfort we form our thoughts and our actions. What you surround yourself with soon becomes your normal and acceptable. When we moved from suburbia to rural life, I was astonished by the quietness and nature all around us. I did not realize how much noise there was in our old neighborhood until I had experienced the quiet here. The beautiful colored bird that come to our feeders is incredible. Birds I had never seen in my entire life. They are here in such abundance that I must make an effort to remember not to become so accustom to them, that I lose seeing there beauty. If you lived in an area that was know for and you were surrounded by daily shootings, it would seem to you that, that was just the norm. If you grew up in a family that was poor, and everyone drank excessively, that would seem normal behavior. These things that seem normal and acceptable in our mind can set us up, to not reach for or believe for our God given inheritance’s and purpose and plan for our life. If we start to achieve better then those we are surrounded by, to go beyond the norm of our surroundings, we will likely come up against some opposition. Jesus did!! In John 1:46″ Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” I urge you not to let your surroundings, your normal prevent you from seeing yourself as God sees you, from reaching the plans and purposes He has for your life. Do not accept the limits placed on you by worldly circumstances to dictate who you are and what you are worth. Mephibosheth went from the pasture-less poor area to sitting at King David’s table. You can sit at the table of the King of Kings,(God) and expect all of your inheritance as His child. God has great plan for you. He loves you and wants to give you so much. He is giving you a great inheritance as His child. There is so much more for you outside of your norm. Open your mind, ignite your faith and accept that you are worthy. Yes there will be some work to get there. Mephibosheth still had to make the travel to the King’s palace. But just like God did for him, He will make a way for you, He will strengthen you. Believe in yourself, because God believes in you!! #reachforyourdreams, #livebeyondyoursurroundings, createyourbestyou,

Who Cares That I am Crying?

Psalm 56:8 “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.You have recorded each one in your book.” 56:9(b) ‘This I know: God is on my side!”

A year had passed since we moved to our rural home. When we made the move from suburbia to here, I was full of excitement. I loved our new home, the property and being surrounded by so much nature. The small town that was a few minutes away looked so inviting. Despite being such a small little area there are a significant number of churches, which was a factor in my decision to move here. My hubby and I were moving not knowing anyone, so I anticipated that church was were I would meet new friends. I was leaving all my friends, a great church family, where I was a leader, but knew that God had called me here. I had envisioned myself with a group of women, spending time studying Gods word, sharing our life, drinking coffee and eating yummy treats. We would go for nature walks, spend days on the nearby beach and find ways to bless to the community. I was excited to continue growing in my leadership skills and using the skills I had already. But reality was not that at all. Making new friends was hard. I had found a new church after a bit of church shopping but still making connections was so difficult. Rural life comes with many demands and people are busy; getting together usually comes with a bit more travelling then in suburbia. Winters are hard, despite the fact that the new area gets less snow, when there is less traffic and no buildings to stop the snow from blowing, roads are a little more difficult to travel. I admit that winter has always been a hard season for me. I love the sunshine and warmth of summer. But this time it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was laying on my living room floor, screaming and crying out to God. Tears were rolling down my face, I was asking God where were the friends, telling Him I need a circle of women. So many tears. I cried the tears that make you all puffy. I remember thinking no one even cares that I’m crying all these tears. Have you ever felt that way? That all the tears you have cried don’t even matter. Totally alone in your sorrow? That your tears are worthless?

Psalm 56:8 “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.You have recorded each one in your book.” These are David’s word’s when he had been captured by the Phillistines. David had spent much of his life running just to stay alive. David’s words remind us that God does care about our tears. That He is there, close enough to us to gather them in a bottle. (Interestingly in David’s time when someone passed people would bring jars called lachrymatory as part of the mourning process to the grave and collect their tears in, often these jars were buried with the deceased.) This verse shows that are tears matter, that God sees them and that they are precious to Him. That each tear drop we shed is recorded in His book. Not even 1 single little drop escapes from being caught by Him. That He is always there to comfort us. We know that some of David’s tears were the result of his not following God. But this scripture reminds us that no matter why we are crying God catches them all and cares. Because He cares about us, as verse 9 says “This I know God is on my side.” He is on your side. He will help you, He will comfort you. Your tears are worth alot to Him, the King of Kings. You matter!!

God heard my cries and collected my tears. I now have a great circle of friends. I have established and run a Women’s ministry in my church. I learned a lot about God during that time when I was feeling so isolated. I prayed more, read His word more, gained new understanding and our friendship was deepened. He used that time to equip me for the next chapter. God wants the same for you. Covid-19 has left many feeling isolated, sad, scared, with financial worries. Cry out to God, shed tears, He will catch them and hold them and you, as you are precious to Him. #covid19stress #crytogod #yourtearsmatter #yourenotalone

God is the Business of Restoration

Psalm 71:20 &21-” You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.” You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.”

Here I was once again, back in the hospital, Dr’s speaking words that amounted to my dying. It was not the 1st time that I heard them say this, actually years had passed in between. Years ago God had shown me that He was in control, that His power to heal me and give me life could over rule the Dr’s words of death. The 1st time He did this my life changed drastically,it did take time. My illness had taken away all the worldly titles that I believed gave me honor. Titles such as social worker,super single mom(able to all the things that I thought made me a great Mom), a good friend. But what I did not have then, was the title I had longed for my whole life, a loved daughter. My birth parents had placed me for adoption, my adopted parents divorced when I was 2 and my Father remarried and had not pursued a relationship with me. My Mom, was not capable of loving me, she had her own demons that prevented her giving that love to me. But at that ,when I was on me death bed I cried out to God, I did not know Him, and asked to either let me be saved or die. The suffering I was going through was too much to bare. God saved me, He showed me I was the daughter of the King of Kings. He had given me the honor of becoming His daughter. Over time He gave me the honor of being called wife to an amazing husband, a new set of friends who would be there to support me, and instead of social worker restored to disciple. But here I was again, in the hospital, in pain and suffering, feeling all that I had been restored was about to be gone. Doctor’s claiming I was I was not going to live much longer and there was nothing they could do. I was going through suffering and maybe losing all that I had.

Have you ever felt that way? That everything that you had, that you worked so hard for, that gave you honor was being taken away? Maybe for you it is not because of health like mine was. But it’s because of a divorce, or death of a loved one, the loss of your home,or as we go through Covid 19 it’s your job and income. Suffering in life is unavoidable. But we can look at the verses Psalm 71:20 &21 and put our faith in them. We can trust God to restore us to even greater.

That new hospitalization was 5 years ago. God saved me and restored my health. He also has given me new honor. Since then I have connected with my birth Mom and we have a great and loving relationship, I have become a leader in my church and started a new women’s ministry(S.E.W, Spiritually Empowered Women) I have given my testimony on 100 Huntley, and preached a sermon at a local church. I have made many new friendships. My restoration was even better then before.

Just like He did with me God can take our losses and our suffering and restore us and give us even greater then that which we feel we have lost. We are all equal in God’s eye He has no favorites. His power to restore and give you even greater is available to you. It does not matter how you got to the point of having lost it all, even if it’s from your own poor choices. Just cry out to Him,(if it’s your own sinning that has caused the losses, ask for forgiveness) and remind Him in your cries that His word says that He will restore you, lift you up from the depth of the earth and give you even greater honor. God is always in the business of restoration. #covid19 #dailydevotionals # overcomingtrials #bemore #difficultroadsleadtobeautifuldestinations #thebestisyettocome