Jeremiah

The Old Testament is full of wisdom and encouragement for each of us. As I study John, I take a detour to Jeremiah, Isaiah, I and II Samuel, and other OT books. This week I spent some time in Jeremiah 31. Back in 2008, our single moms' class spent weeks looking at this promised-filled chapter. 

Do you know that God promises blessings even in a barren land? Our relationship to and blessings from our Lord are not - cannot - be tied to circumstances. He is an ever-present, ever-loving, pure God. He is available to us every second of every day. 

This week, I have been in the barren land because I chose to walk that direction. The Lord kept blessing me anyway:  *My debit card had been missing and so I retraced my steps and decided that the only place we hadn't looked was behind the driver's seat in the car. (Long story so I'll skip details.) Kevin found it, but later that night someone broke into the car looking for cash, etc. but,  my debit card was safely in my bedroom!  *Two days later, my CT Scan came back with no changes since March. What a blessing! Then, *one day later, an offer was made on my town house in Kent, WA. Wow! The Lord was working and blessing me even tho' there was no growth around me. 

Why? Because HE is God, faithful, loving, active, alive. 

Not based on my goodness or deeds 

but on His Holiness. 

Praise God!

Whining

Today, is a whining day for me. Sorry, but I am tired of feeling weak, fatigued, unable to do easy, normal actions. Yesterday, I slept through my nephew knocking on the door and then slept through him calling me on my cell phone. I wasn't even strong enough to sit outside for dinner with their two darling children. 

Wa-wa-wa! What do I know? I know that the Lord loves me more than I can understand. I know that He has plans for my life. I know that many other people have it way worse than me. I know that He is my Comforter. I know that I have many blessings in my life because of cancer. I know...

...Fix your thoughts on what is true,

And honorable,

And right,

And pure,

And lovely,

And admirable.

Think about things that are excellent

And worthy of praise.

Keep putting into practice all you

Learned and received from me...

Philippians 4:8 - 9.  NLT

Ok, so if I didn't have cancer with the fatigue, I wouldn't be in San Jose to see my nephew and his family, even for a short time. If I wasn't so fatigued, I wouldn't have slowed down enough to write, or to photograph God's creation. I wouldn't be able to spend this quality time with Kevin, Lu, and Ashley. I would not have seen how the Lord designed marriage to be. So, I'll try to change wa- wa-wa to WOW!

Nothing Like HIS Peace

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don't be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27 NLT

Last week was a week of growth for me. On Sunday, I was told of the potential health problems that my son would have. My first reaction was to pray and ask God to let me live and help Tim. "He needs his Mom." 

By Friday, God had worked me through to truth: when in trials, we need to depend on Him. Wow! My son needs God as He loves more than I can, knows what is best, has Tim's future in His hands, can guide, and give strength. It was an overwhelming sense of peace that came to me. I am not the one who my precious son needs. God is the One Who will surround, heal, guide, love Tim. 

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

Out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

And steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Psalm 40:1 - 3a. NLT

He is so loving, powerful, compassionate, wise, and ever-present. Give whatever is stealing your peace to Him. He will give you a gift that is incomprehensible.

What Good is That?

Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”

He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months,

we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up.

“There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish.

But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

John 6:5 - 9  NLT

As I'm studying the Gospel of John, new thoughts and applications come to mind.  The disciples had seen Jesus heal others. He had also turned water into wine. They had daily been with Him.  And yet...

I have His Word. There have been many miracles in my life. He has been a constant Source of strength. He has shown compassion and forgiveness. I choose to spend daily time with Him.  And yet...

You have access to His Word. Hopefully you have seen His hands in your life. You can choose to spend time with Him everyday.  And yet...

One week was especially rough, physically:  a pulled muscle, anemia, nausea, headache. Then in one day, I had a nosebleed that got on a white blouse of mine, bladder issues, ending with a rough bout of diarrhea. I became frustrated and asked "how much more?" After mentioning my frustration to my wise brother, I apologized for complaining.  "Complaining doesn't do any good. Sorry." "It would be frustrating..." (So, he knows that I need to vent at times.)  And yet... 

God went before me when I found out that India was not in the plans. He orchestrated (through a dear friend) getting my job back with full benefits. The Lord held me in His arms during the roughest parts of chemo.  He carried me through kidney and lung surgeries. He was with me March, 2011, when it appeared I'd had a stroke and lost my thinking abilities. He grieved with me when I had to give up teaching. He surrounded me when I moved to San Jose.  And yet...

My - Our relationship with Christ often goes to deeper levels of understanding. Just like the disciples, every step shows us His wisdom, compassion, and power. Just like these followers of Jesus, we have said, "We wouldn't have enough money..." And, "But what good is that...?"  Step by step. Day by day. Remember He is always working in us.



Always Working

"My Father is always working, And so am I." John 5:17. NLT
As I study John, one of my favorite books of the Bible, this verse stood out to me. It struck me about ten days ago and yet I didn't blog. Now I know why. This verse is a great reminder for those who lived through the horrors in Colorado and for all of us.

In context, the Jewish leaders were talking to Jesus about healing on the Sabbath. Jesus' reply was reminding us that the Father and Son are always working. God is good, loving, full of compassion, ever-present, merciful, listening, and our Comforter. No matter what is happening, we can talk to Him, question, grieve, cry, and later heal.
"MY FATHER IS ALWAYS WORKING, AND SO AM I."

Reality or Wishful Thinking

Reality: I use my walker to go outside and there will be strong days and weak days. Wishful Thinking: I still find myself thinking that I can do everything that I used to do.

As we age that becomes the experience of a lot of people. Are there times when you forget your limits? I definitely DO NOT mean to stop trying new recipes, a new skill, improving on a skill or talent. At this time I am referring to physical or even financial limitations.

A friend of mine was telling me a funny story of one thing that she had done which really embarrassed her. She has been waiting for me to tell her the foolish, embarrassing thing that I did. So, here it goes:

As I stated, to get around outside I need a walker. While sitting in bed, I think I can do anything...until I stand up. One day, a deal for a Razor Scooter was in my email and I thought, "I want to try that!" (Yes, laughing is allowed.) Well, I ordered a nice red and silver razor scooter. WHAT WAS I THINKING???!!! I can loose my balance just walking a few feet or turning around. Reality? Hardly.

The beautiful scooter is here and we haven't even taken it out of the box! Everyone has had a great laugh, but, I don't even know who can safely use it. It's too dangerous for me to give it to my nephews or nieces because I don't want them to get seriously hurt. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

What can I learn from this? Probably many things but two main points come to mind: laughing at myself is good - we all need to do some laughing; accept limits. My physical limits, and even financial limits, are real. There are skills which are gone, freedoms I've lost, and changes that we all need to make - one day at a time. Now, it is time to replace those losses with the gains in my life. Adjusting and adapting is part of being alive.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5 - 6 NLT

God is Good

After accepting that negative feelings are part of being human, I have moved forward. The past two days I have gone back to looking at the "half full glass". (Mine is really quite full!) Here is a list of the events and places I have experienced:

. Traveled to Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Columbia as a Campfire Girl - cruise ship

Flown to South Carolina to see my son graduate Boot Camp

Traveled many times by car to Wisconsin and Minnesota

Traveled by train from Seattle to St Paul, MN

Took a road trip with my siblings, two nieces, and a great niece

Have been to the Grand Canyon

Have been to Disneyland

Went to Florida as an evaluator of several schools

Lived in Minneapolis, Seattle, Kent, Eden, ID, and San Jose

Camped in most of western WA state parks

Explored southwestern WA, Oregon coast, Leavenworth, Victoria, Vancouver, Las Vegas,San Antonio, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco

Have been to 16 states and three countries

There is beauty in all places. As a child while traveling through Montana, Dad would point out the beauty all around us. As a child, it felt like a long, boring state. As an adult I found beauty of all kinds. Perspective! There will always be activities that we won't be able to do and places we cannot go. But, in life, we change expectations and activities according to the "I Cans". For me, the world of birds has broadened and I don't want that to stop.

Psalm 116:1, 5, 6 (NLT) I love the Lord because he hears my voice... How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!