Sunday, September 27, 2015

Prayer, Patience, and Perseverance

Happy fall kid with flowers and fruits
 | Autumn | 
Well, I'm finally back!!
(Barely, though)
I've had a new computer now for a week, as my old one went to the computer graveyard. But between finishing some major projects around the house and at work, and then catching the flu the past few days, I just wasn't able to write anything till today. (I'm still feeling a little under the weather, but at least I don't have a throbbing migraine or constantly feel like heaving!)

The past few weeks have continued to be a lesson of the three "P's" for me:
Prayer
Patience
and 
Perseverance
I have pursued God through prayer, even to the point of asking Him to surround my home with His angels and not let Satan have control.

I had waited patiently (and still am) for God's timing to answer my prayers. He has already answered one prayer...that my mom and I were re-united in a close relationship. The second prayer I have continued to pray was to be able to have the same with my father-in-law, who is very ill.

Perseverance has been a challenge for me, as I have been verbally attacked and falsely accused by different family members who are either jealous, full of hate, or mentally unable to know the truth from a lie. Yet, I have have persevered through some mentally difficult and emotionally draining moments.

The one thing I do know is that God has been with me through it all and I can trust Him to continue to provide all of my needs. He hears my prayers and sees my tears.
I am SO thankful for His presence and protection in my life!

If you are going or have recently gone through a trial, ask the Lord to give you the ability to pray, the patience for His timing to answer, and the perseverance to hang onto His promises when things get really tough.


(source)
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patienceand giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youf to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14)


And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.(Galatians 6:9) 

May you have a blessed week ahead
!

Winsome Autumn Blessings

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Computer on the Fritz


Hi, all!! 
Just wanted you to know, I'm still writing here on my blog, but my computer went ka-pooey on me last week. I'm writing from work, but wanted to let you know I won't be posting for at least a few more weeks. 
Until then, I'm wishing you all many blessings!!




Thursday, September 10, 2015

Asking Questions with 5 W's and 1 H.

Hi everyone…       
Another week has passed and yet I still feel at a loss for words to write on my blog page. I suppose I need to just let my thoughts and feelings flow and share the deeper pulse of my heart. Yet, even that seems so difficult for me to do.
I’m reminded of the writings and the devotions that Ann Voskamp has shared (some her own, some are guest writers) on her blog, “A Holy Experience”. God had shown me so much whenever I read her daily posts. I’ve noticed over the years that she often poses questions (using the 5W’s and 1H) in the titles of each post. Those questions form a theme for the meat of the writing. 

As summer quickly fades out and the fall season begins, I have been reflecting on not only what I have learned, but also what God is teaching me through some very difficult circumstances. Most of these lessons have been nothing short of excruciatingly difficult. Yet, as I have pulled through each of them, I come out renewed and so much wiser and stronger.


I noticed in Ann's blog, that the same has often taken place. I decided to share some lessons from some of her recent posts that I have also learned. 

Here are the questions posed:
When…without explanation, I was accused and rejected, I felt helpless and had no strength to defend myself. I had not been anchored in Christ's Word.
My spirit was crumbling, but deep down there was a vapor of strength. I cried to God, “Rescue me, I cannot rescue myself.”




What…do I do when I feel lost, alone, and am hurting?
There were times in my life when I was desperate for God’s presence. When I decided to spend more time in God’s presence He spoke to me.
  • ·       God yearns to spend quiet moments with us and help us grow more and more aware of His presence as we seek Him. He says, “When no one else seems to understand you, simply draw closer to Me.” He has made Himself completely accessible to you and is waiting for you to come to Him. So accept His invitation, enter in, allow yourself to be overwhelmed by God — and then declare His glorious being to the world (http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/08/your-invitation-to-exhale-all-the-stress/ )



Where…do I go when I have to make a decision? Where do I turn when the seasons of change in my life start taking place?
There were some days I needed wise words from an older, more experienced mentor. And some days I needed crazy laughter and long sunlight and to really just get outside and feel life and breathe… And there were days when change was painfully hard.
  • ·       I thank God that as I lift up my foot to step into the next season, He is graciously placing it down exactly where it should fall, knowing I can only experience the true goodness of one season — because of the others I have gone through.


Who… is my hope, my anchor, my strength?  Who do I give thanks to when I am tearing through what He has so graciously given me in this season of my life?
I’m very guilty of rushing about – from my house to work to my mom’s house, and back to my house again – and, all the while, my mind is racing, my blood pressure is rising and all I can think about is what’s next…And I forget that these days are gifts - Gifts given by a most gracious Father.
  • ·       We need to stop racing – and start resting, to take a break  – and just start listening, to stop worrying about what’s next and to be amazed by what’s right in front of us. Because His goodness, His grace and His glory – they’re all around. We just need to keep our eyes open and listen to a gentle beckoning : “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days;  let me know how fleeting my life is.  You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. But now, Lord, what do I look for?  My hope is in you.” (Ps. 39:4-7)




Why now, this moment in history, is the world  facing the worst crisis in decades?
I’ve heard and seen the heart-stopping stories. And I know that the Love of God, for such a time as now, will not be stopped.



How…should I feel about the people who strike a difficult cord in my life? How do I respond to those who broke my heart and those who have been my rock?
I obsessed over pushy demands, angry words, and hurtful threats. From our summer vacation to moving my son up north, I learned that summer’s gifts are not always what I expect – but it’s everything I need.




Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Things I've Learned This Summer

Well, September has arrived. For some reason, when I hear that it's September, I think that summer is officially over and Autumn has arrived. But the weather is still supposed to be in the upper 80's all week long, not typical for Autumn in northern Indiana.
Whether summer's over or not, it definitly has been  educational for me. Below are several quotes from well-known people that describe many of the life lessons I have learned this past summer. 
“I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.” ~ Martha Washington


I've learned that:
“Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us.” 


“If you obey God with your whole heart, you'll usually scare off the folks who want you to obey them.” 





“Overcomers are not perfect. They fail just like the rest of us, but they keep on getting up, keep on repenting, and keep on being willing to surrender themselves to Christ and letting Him, who is the only perfect One, work through them.” 



Good intentions and earnest effort are not enough. Only Jesus can make an otherwise futile life productive. ~ Chuck Swindoll, Pastor 





“The fact that you can still stand for God even when some people try to push you to fall, is a proof that you were not DRAGGED Up, but you were BROUGHT Up!” 
― 
Israelmore Ayivor



I’ve learned - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. ~Author Unknown

Thanks for stopping by!
God is showing me that, just like the change of the seasons, I am coming upon a new season of change in my life. 
So, stop back soon to see what new things I will be called by the Lord to do!!
This video seems to say it all!!





Linking up at these blog hops: