Saturday, June 23, 2012
MOVING!!!
Thank y'all so much for faithfully following this blogspot blog over the past couple of years! Thus far, this blog has had over 4,000 page views!!! However, as all good things, this chapter has an ending. I am now moving to wordpress! http://reflectionsfrommysoul.wordpress.com/ You can follow this blog from there through e-mail and or if you also have that sort of blog! Looking forward to this next chapter in blogging... :)
Thursday, April 12, 2012
When everything falls apart...
When everything falls apart/ Your arms hold me together/When everything falls apart/You're the only hope for this heart/ When everything falls apart/ and my strength is gone/I find YOU mighty and strong/ You keep holding on/You keep holding on!
That is the chorus to 'Everything Falls' by FEE. This song has really helped me grieve these last few days and kept me strong because the words have such a powerful meaning. Every time I reflect on what I'm listening to, I just keep thanking God that I'm still alive, my family is ok, my friend isn't the one with cancer, I'm somehow being a blessing and still seeing God in the fog of everything going on, and most of all, I know who my true friends are! Thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer this week and always and has been a steady shoulder to lean on these last few years. You guys mean the world to me and I am so blessed to know you. My cousin was talking yesterday about how blessed she felt to know her true friends and be able to call them whenever she needed help, etc.; she said we were lucky to have as many fingers on one hand as true friends. I realized I had more true friends than fingers.
God has blessed me these past two weeks and I have seen His never failing, ever strong presence just as much as I and every one around me has experienced trials. The thing is, those trials didn't last and their lasting impression wasn't as strong as God's reliance and strength. That is what hit me today while I was jogging and listening to this song.
"I will never leave you nor forsake you..."
How is it possible to feel weighted down if we know-and I mean *really* realize and *know*- that God is with us in EVERYTHING. We are not alone no matter what is going on or no matter who is going through it with us.
"Be careful for nothing..."
God will never give us more than we can bear and sometimes when we can't bear it, it's because He doesn't want us to. We don't have to!! Give it to God.
"In everything....give thanks."
Today, I was feeling so down. We went to visit our cousins yesterday and I was focused on helping them. Today, the grief of everything hit me and I was so overwhelmed with emotion. In times like this, it is important to work through it and let it go. I did that but didn't feel better until the words "But hope is rising with the sun/rising with the sun/the storm will last for the night/ but You have overcome/You have overcome" came up for the 10th time (repeat ftw!). Then it hit me. Even though Uncle is gone, we're going to be alright. My immediate family is healthy. My dear friend's Grandma/guardian is very ill. This is really hard but it would be a ton harder were it my friend. It has been a looonnggg two weeks filled with a lot of pain and stress but it's almost over and I am not broken at all. I've been discouraged but so many friends have lifted us up in prayer and been there in this hard time! God has moved so close and I feel His strength; not in me but in Him, I can lean on Him. More than that, I can GIVE it all to Him and let Him carry both my burden and me.
Then I felt better. I felt peace and joy. Not because of my hardships, but because of what I had learned from them, because of the hope for the future, and because God was in charge. This storm may last for the night but when it's over, the damage may remain but the lasting effect won't be the storm; it will be what we held onto during.
If we hold onto ourselves or even others, we will be let down because there is nothing strong there in the face of a tornado. If we hold onto our possessions, they will also be blown away. God has calmed raging winds and seas, will He not be able to better care for us particularly if we choose to run into His open arms?
Yes, grieve!! Work through the pain or you will never be able to cope. But what is the lasting impression from this? What do you want to remember when you look back? What will you take away from it? That is what we must face when the storm is over, and be assured that it will ALWAYS end. Nothing lasts forever....except God. He is in the storm with you, hold on and you will weather it.
My cousin and I talked about the grieving process and one thing he said struck me: when it's over it's time to move on and remember yourself.
Yes, grieve...but remember the good left in life. Find the good. Find where God is and go there...He is always going to lead you to that light at the end of the tunnel.
When everything falls apart/Your arms hold me together
"....Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
~Joshua 1:9
That is the chorus to 'Everything Falls' by FEE. This song has really helped me grieve these last few days and kept me strong because the words have such a powerful meaning. Every time I reflect on what I'm listening to, I just keep thanking God that I'm still alive, my family is ok, my friend isn't the one with cancer, I'm somehow being a blessing and still seeing God in the fog of everything going on, and most of all, I know who my true friends are! Thank you to everyone who has lifted us up in prayer this week and always and has been a steady shoulder to lean on these last few years. You guys mean the world to me and I am so blessed to know you. My cousin was talking yesterday about how blessed she felt to know her true friends and be able to call them whenever she needed help, etc.; she said we were lucky to have as many fingers on one hand as true friends. I realized I had more true friends than fingers.
God has blessed me these past two weeks and I have seen His never failing, ever strong presence just as much as I and every one around me has experienced trials. The thing is, those trials didn't last and their lasting impression wasn't as strong as God's reliance and strength. That is what hit me today while I was jogging and listening to this song.
"I will never leave you nor forsake you..."
How is it possible to feel weighted down if we know-and I mean *really* realize and *know*- that God is with us in EVERYTHING. We are not alone no matter what is going on or no matter who is going through it with us.
"Be careful for nothing..."
God will never give us more than we can bear and sometimes when we can't bear it, it's because He doesn't want us to. We don't have to!! Give it to God.
"In everything....give thanks."
Today, I was feeling so down. We went to visit our cousins yesterday and I was focused on helping them. Today, the grief of everything hit me and I was so overwhelmed with emotion. In times like this, it is important to work through it and let it go. I did that but didn't feel better until the words "But hope is rising with the sun/rising with the sun/the storm will last for the night/ but You have overcome/You have overcome" came up for the 10th time (repeat ftw!). Then it hit me. Even though Uncle is gone, we're going to be alright. My immediate family is healthy. My dear friend's Grandma/guardian is very ill. This is really hard but it would be a ton harder were it my friend. It has been a looonnggg two weeks filled with a lot of pain and stress but it's almost over and I am not broken at all. I've been discouraged but so many friends have lifted us up in prayer and been there in this hard time! God has moved so close and I feel His strength; not in me but in Him, I can lean on Him. More than that, I can GIVE it all to Him and let Him carry both my burden and me.
Then I felt better. I felt peace and joy. Not because of my hardships, but because of what I had learned from them, because of the hope for the future, and because God was in charge. This storm may last for the night but when it's over, the damage may remain but the lasting effect won't be the storm; it will be what we held onto during.
If we hold onto ourselves or even others, we will be let down because there is nothing strong there in the face of a tornado. If we hold onto our possessions, they will also be blown away. God has calmed raging winds and seas, will He not be able to better care for us particularly if we choose to run into His open arms?
Yes, grieve!! Work through the pain or you will never be able to cope. But what is the lasting impression from this? What do you want to remember when you look back? What will you take away from it? That is what we must face when the storm is over, and be assured that it will ALWAYS end. Nothing lasts forever....except God. He is in the storm with you, hold on and you will weather it.
My cousin and I talked about the grieving process and one thing he said struck me: when it's over it's time to move on and remember yourself.
Yes, grieve...but remember the good left in life. Find the good. Find where God is and go there...He is always going to lead you to that light at the end of the tunnel.
When everything falls apart/Your arms hold me together
"....Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
~Joshua 1:9
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Resisting the tide
It comes and goes; this way and that, here and there. The foaming sea is a fickle beast capable of as much destruction as pleasure. It carries us but drowns those who are careless in its midst. It is all consuming. For those who play near, it is the source of all thoughts! We want to go deeper, swim farther out, and explore the beauty of its coral wreath! The thought of sharks and other dangerous beasts slip by us. Soon we are so far in that there is no escape...who will rescue us now?
The seemingly simple plight of fitting in has left even the strongest nailed to the coffin. We try this, then that; go here and there...we get pulled into the tide and sucked down into a whirlpool of danger before we realize what's happened. The world is a pretty place as is the ocean, the pleasures of this world and its escapes seem nice, peaceful, and inviting. How could we possibly see any danger through the murky water? How will we know if the water is shallow or deep?
We can't.
Our eyes do not have the capability of seeing so far ahead or down. There is only one way to know what path to take and which stairs to climb.
By trusting, praying, and relying on God!
" For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken."-Prov. 3:26
We question whether something is right or wrong and go with instinct or what we want to be the answer. But do we ask God what he wants us to do? Further-more, how often do we listen to and follow that answer once it is given to us?
If you have ever been in a position where right and wrong coincided, then you know what I'm talking about.
"But" you might think "It was upon me before I knew what was happening. I didn't have time to pray!"
We can't see!
We are essentially blind compared to God. He is our eyes so why not let Him guide the way and see for us. The path he chooses for us will always be the correct one! Perhaps it is even one we don't know about...
Now, if we are blind and likely to fall, wouldn't it be wisest to have Him be our guide before it is too late and we "don't have time to pray" because we are so far in? We are clearly going to stumble without a guide-all blind people do-and that stumble will bring us beneath the waves. "My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:22 So shall there be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble."-Prov 21-23
Though it may seem impossible to turn back once we are engulfed, God can reach in and pull us out if we simply ask: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8
This brings me to my point: Why allow ourselves to be pulled into the current and dragged down?
The world brings distractions and temptations. Fitting in is always a must. Etc. Etc.
Think about it though, when we have been praying and relying on God, we are listening to His voice and more willing to follow His directions. As He has already seen the dangers ahead and around us, He is warning us. As long as we are listening, we will hear it and not only know where to turn away but also have the strength to do it.
We may not always fit in but this is sometimes a good thing. Others don't have our guide and will swim and sink with the tide. But by resisting the tide, we are in fact rising above it...perhaps we can start our own standard and bring people up with us rather than being brought down by them.
Just a thought...
The seemingly simple plight of fitting in has left even the strongest nailed to the coffin. We try this, then that; go here and there...we get pulled into the tide and sucked down into a whirlpool of danger before we realize what's happened. The world is a pretty place as is the ocean, the pleasures of this world and its escapes seem nice, peaceful, and inviting. How could we possibly see any danger through the murky water? How will we know if the water is shallow or deep?
We can't.
Our eyes do not have the capability of seeing so far ahead or down. There is only one way to know what path to take and which stairs to climb.
By trusting, praying, and relying on God!
" For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken."-Prov. 3:26
We question whether something is right or wrong and go with instinct or what we want to be the answer. But do we ask God what he wants us to do? Further-more, how often do we listen to and follow that answer once it is given to us?
If you have ever been in a position where right and wrong coincided, then you know what I'm talking about.
"But" you might think "It was upon me before I knew what was happening. I didn't have time to pray!"
We can't see!
We are essentially blind compared to God. He is our eyes so why not let Him guide the way and see for us. The path he chooses for us will always be the correct one! Perhaps it is even one we don't know about...
Now, if we are blind and likely to fall, wouldn't it be wisest to have Him be our guide before it is too late and we "don't have time to pray" because we are so far in? We are clearly going to stumble without a guide-all blind people do-and that stumble will bring us beneath the waves. "My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:22 So shall there be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble."-Prov 21-23
Though it may seem impossible to turn back once we are engulfed, God can reach in and pull us out if we simply ask: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8
This brings me to my point: Why allow ourselves to be pulled into the current and dragged down?
The world brings distractions and temptations. Fitting in is always a must. Etc. Etc.
Think about it though, when we have been praying and relying on God, we are listening to His voice and more willing to follow His directions. As He has already seen the dangers ahead and around us, He is warning us. As long as we are listening, we will hear it and not only know where to turn away but also have the strength to do it.
We may not always fit in but this is sometimes a good thing. Others don't have our guide and will swim and sink with the tide. But by resisting the tide, we are in fact rising above it...perhaps we can start our own standard and bring people up with us rather than being brought down by them.
Just a thought...
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