I have been blessed with a beautiful friend and sister in Christ, her name is Susan Meier. Susan and I bonded easily and quickly because we share a similar struggle...we both have adult children with special needs. I call it a struggle because not every day is easy some days are long and difficult.
Susan was her daughter's caretaker, we both have had moments and days when we were just exhausted with what being a mom with a child with special needs means. We encouraged each other, we laughed together, and we carpooled to their special needs group together to lighten our loads. Susan was always willing to drive both ways when I was "too busy". She invited Billy over to watch movies, took him to lunch and loved him even on his most difficult days. And in the last year there were many of those days. I treasured this sweet, generous, compassionate lady more than I can say.
Almost exactly 8 weeks ago my sweet friend was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 brain cancer and today she has left this world and is at this moment dancing with Jesus, free from cancer, free from the pain it caused her the last few weeks.
Little did I know as I picked up Kristen for Days Journey (special needs group) last Friday it would be the last time, this side of Heaven I would see sweet Susan she was awake, bright eyed and beautiful sitting in her wheelchair.
I hugged her tightly and said the things I needed to say...she responded to me in the only way she could with a sweet, sweet smile. As I turned to leave I looked back and said "bye Susan" and with a huge smile she waved good-bye. That moment was a sweet gift and a precious memory I will cling to the rest of my days....especially on the days I drive up the driveway to pick up Kristen... I will be driving both ways, because life is much too short to be "too busy" for this sweet, sweet girl who has lost her very best friend, the one who loved her so well even on the most difficult days.
“O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!" Psalm 39:4
Monday, October 20, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Running to Peace
Christianity is not the answer to your best life now, it isn't going to make you rich or famous or popular but it is going to prune you and grow you into a beautiful masterpiece. We may not be able to "see" the masterpiece through the struggle as we fight our flesh and sin every day. But one day we will see the beautiful work of His hands, the reason for the struggles the reason for the disappoints and the reasons we had to suffer for just a little while.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Over the last few months I have found myself in a "storm". The reasons why I can only speculate. He has created in me a heart that wants to meet every need, to fight for what is "right", and give of my heart, time, money and energy as much as I am able. I want to say YES to every opportunity and every need that presents itself...I desperately want to live for so much more. I believe we owe that to The One that gave everything for us.
God is constantly at work in our lives. The Spirit is always speaking to us, guiding and directing our paths...if we listen. Most of the time it is easier not to listen...because many times listening means things are going to change. The Spirit isn't there to be ignored, to be pushed to the back of our minds, or to be rationalized away. When we are not heeding the warnings of our hearts then that can create in us an uneasy spirit, a spirit that has no peace.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
Peace is everything....peace means you are in His will for your life, you are exactly where He wants you. If you find yourself in a situation where there is no peace then that is not where you are supposed to be, remaining in that spot will mean disobedience. If it is not meant for YOU to be there...then someone else is supposed to be there and it is not you. So run....as fast as you can toward peace, because it is waiting for you on the other side of the storm.
Every door God opens does not necessarily mean we are to walk through it...or are we? Do we get these opportunities so God has the opportunity to speak to our hearts or to use a friend in our lives that will speak truth to us? Or is all of this just a time of pruning? I don't know....I may never know for sure...but I do know one thing; I am thankful I have beautiful friends in my life who are not afraid to speak truth to me, who seek peace in every situation and every decision.
I am even more thankful to my Heavenly Father who has not left me alone to walk this journey. He is at work in me every day, growing me into the person He wants me to be and some days that means pruning is necessary to move me into a new direction and, prayerfully, able to bear much fruit for His Kingdom. So, I am thankful for pruning even when it's painful...even when it's disappointing...even when I can't see what's on the "other side" of the storm because I know it is all for my good and His glory.
"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." John 16:12-13
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Over the last few months I have found myself in a "storm". The reasons why I can only speculate. He has created in me a heart that wants to meet every need, to fight for what is "right", and give of my heart, time, money and energy as much as I am able. I want to say YES to every opportunity and every need that presents itself...I desperately want to live for so much more. I believe we owe that to The One that gave everything for us.
God is constantly at work in our lives. The Spirit is always speaking to us, guiding and directing our paths...if we listen. Most of the time it is easier not to listen...because many times listening means things are going to change. The Spirit isn't there to be ignored, to be pushed to the back of our minds, or to be rationalized away. When we are not heeding the warnings of our hearts then that can create in us an uneasy spirit, a spirit that has no peace.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
Peace is everything....peace means you are in His will for your life, you are exactly where He wants you. If you find yourself in a situation where there is no peace then that is not where you are supposed to be, remaining in that spot will mean disobedience. If it is not meant for YOU to be there...then someone else is supposed to be there and it is not you. So run....as fast as you can toward peace, because it is waiting for you on the other side of the storm.
Every door God opens does not necessarily mean we are to walk through it...or are we? Do we get these opportunities so God has the opportunity to speak to our hearts or to use a friend in our lives that will speak truth to us? Or is all of this just a time of pruning? I don't know....I may never know for sure...but I do know one thing; I am thankful I have beautiful friends in my life who are not afraid to speak truth to me, who seek peace in every situation and every decision.
I am even more thankful to my Heavenly Father who has not left me alone to walk this journey. He is at work in me every day, growing me into the person He wants me to be and some days that means pruning is necessary to move me into a new direction and, prayerfully, able to bear much fruit for His Kingdom. So, I am thankful for pruning even when it's painful...even when it's disappointing...even when I can't see what's on the "other side" of the storm because I know it is all for my good and His glory.
"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." John 16:12-13
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Dying to this Life
As I look back over the last seven years of my life I can see the path God has had for me and my family so clearly. Seven years ago, Jesus saved me from myself. From the moment He saved me my life has changed, I'm not the same person, I have been made new. Somedays my mind drifts to my "old life", the way I use to think, see, and hear the world around me. To be totally honest, some days I miss that life. My flesh would love nothing more than to sit down in that same chair four years ago reading Radical and not hear what it was saying, be unreponsive to the words God used to change my direction. But that is my flesh, that is the weakness that remains in me.
At 50 I NEVER thought I would be a mother to 7 children ages 25yrs to 15 months. Four biological, one adopted, and two foster children is the craziness of our life. This is not the life I had planned. I had very different plans. I wanted to be retiring in a few years...going to the beach, enjoying life, all of my children grown and leaving the nest. God in His mercy and love for us revealed other plans...plans that would break my heart and fill my heart. As I look at our "littles" I feel incredibly blessed to be back here. My husband gets to experience childhood for the first time, and I get to experience it with new eyes and, I like to think, more wisdom.
In the moments of my life when I stop to "see it" I am overwhelmed with it's volume and with it's blessing! I'm exhausted and filled both at the same time! I have been given a beautiful gift to be a wife, a mother, to work in ministry full time at Sweet Sleep, and to serve on the Orphan Sunday Leadership Team. I have been allowed to serve the orphans that have captivated my heart. I didn't seek any of it, and I certainly didn't deserve it, just like our adoption of Joshua, God has put all of it in my path and it has been an incredible journey of faith, heartbreak at times and most of all love. He has opened my eyes to the vast needs around me and He has compeled me to act.
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26
I am grateful beyond words to share this journey with my husband and best friend, Steve. This journey God has set us on cannot be done alone, it would never work. This journey is motivated by love for each other and for the One who loves us most, our ultimate purpose is to please Him. Our prayer is that our life reflects the love He has for us.
There is such truth in God's word...to hear, to learn and to live. We can be transformed by it or we can choose to live the life we want, a life lived for ourselves and our desires. There are days when I wish Jesus would come quickly, but then He reminds me there is much work to be done. So we press on...even when it's hard, even when it's messy, even when we would rather just be sitting at the beach. Thank You Jesus...for salvation....for allowing us to die to ourselves so that one day we will live forever with You.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24
At 50 I NEVER thought I would be a mother to 7 children ages 25yrs to 15 months. Four biological, one adopted, and two foster children is the craziness of our life. This is not the life I had planned. I had very different plans. I wanted to be retiring in a few years...going to the beach, enjoying life, all of my children grown and leaving the nest. God in His mercy and love for us revealed other plans...plans that would break my heart and fill my heart. As I look at our "littles" I feel incredibly blessed to be back here. My husband gets to experience childhood for the first time, and I get to experience it with new eyes and, I like to think, more wisdom.
In the moments of my life when I stop to "see it" I am overwhelmed with it's volume and with it's blessing! I'm exhausted and filled both at the same time! I have been given a beautiful gift to be a wife, a mother, to work in ministry full time at Sweet Sleep, and to serve on the Orphan Sunday Leadership Team. I have been allowed to serve the orphans that have captivated my heart. I didn't seek any of it, and I certainly didn't deserve it, just like our adoption of Joshua, God has put all of it in my path and it has been an incredible journey of faith, heartbreak at times and most of all love. He has opened my eyes to the vast needs around me and He has compeled me to act.
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26
I am grateful beyond words to share this journey with my husband and best friend, Steve. This journey God has set us on cannot be done alone, it would never work. This journey is motivated by love for each other and for the One who loves us most, our ultimate purpose is to please Him. Our prayer is that our life reflects the love He has for us.
There is such truth in God's word...to hear, to learn and to live. We can be transformed by it or we can choose to live the life we want, a life lived for ourselves and our desires. There are days when I wish Jesus would come quickly, but then He reminds me there is much work to be done. So we press on...even when it's hard, even when it's messy, even when we would rather just be sitting at the beach. Thank You Jesus...for salvation....for allowing us to die to ourselves so that one day we will live forever with You.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24
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