Do We Stand Alone?

     So often I hear people say they have been through such an ordeal, and they were all alone.  Honestly, I have a hard time with that concept, alone.  It really is a choice we all have.  We can choose to let others into our life and share with them our ordeal, or we can choose to walk alone and be miserable. The way I see it, there is strength in numbers.  When we allow others into our life, and we share our personal struggles with them, they can stand along side of us, and hold us up, help us get through this ordeal, and come out the other side in victory. I'd much rather have a solid support system rather than face defeat all alone. 

     There is a verse in Hebrews that encourages us in this.

Hebrews 12:1- Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

That's right, we are surrounded, if we so choose. Another version says we are "compassed about". The actual Greek word for this is PEIKEIMENAI- which means completely encircled by something stacked high on every side.

Imagine that, if we so choose, we can be supported by others as they completely encompass us, protecting us, encouraging us, and giving us strength. I absolutely love this!

     As I have written previously in the blogs, I have dealt with my illness for over 40 years. I always knew the importance of having a support structure in place.  I needed my family, close friends, and my Church family to stand around me. I did not have enough strength to go through it alone.  Even though I have faith and trust and hope in our Lord Jesus, I still needed the support system. That works along with our faith.

     The verse above tells us to run that race with endurance. I fully intend to do so all the days of my life. I have always tried to do so and I wont stop now. And I need you all to help me.  

     You all can also have the same support system in place.  You never have to walk through anything alone. You don't have to pretend to be super strong all by yourself.  That is a false concept.  We don't have to be the strongest person on earth who can do it all by yourself-no help needed. Guess what? We ALL need help. 

     So when you are hit with another crisis, remember, you do not have to pretend to be strong, you don't have to go into hibernation so no one else would know. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, or ashamed of. Our Lord God put these concepts in place because He knows we are weak without Him and without our support team.

No matter what you are facing, there is a way for us to run our race with endurance and have victory at the finish line. From someone who knows, I can tell you it makes a huge difference. 

You never have to stand alone! You are genuinely loved! 

I pray you are encouraged as you read this. 

Blessings,

Kathy

     

Is there a time to be "inflexible "?

I think most of us would agree, we've always been told to be flexible.  And for the most part that is true, be flexible.  But I'm writing this time about when we should be inflexible.  
There is a verse in the Bible that tells us when to stand firm. Hold your place.  Wait for it. 
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. - Hebrews 10:23
Yes, hold fast, hang on to your hope and faith with all the strength you can find.  You see, Jesus promises us a life of eternity with Him.  He does not waver from that promise.  Never! And all of the other promises He has told us about in the Bible.  
You may say, "what would you know?"  "How can you believe that with all you go through"? Or " You don't know my situation"?  
No I don't. But I do know my situation, and how every time I need Jesus to touch me, or do a miracle, or help me endure what I need to, He has!  Yes, He has! 
I confess, there are times I get weary. Actually right now is one of those times.  I have dealt with health issues since I was a teen. That was the beginning of my spinal cord damage, which is still progressing. It was 5 years ago I was diagnosed with the leukemia.  This latest bout of illness has me tired, not feeling the strongest physically. But I cannot afford to lose my faith in Jesus. He has saved my life many times. I have endured surgeries that had never been done before, I have surprised the doctors over and over.  What does that have to do with my faith and Jesus? EVERYTHING! 
You see being strong isn't always physical, it is emotional, spiritual, mentally. I determined many years ago that I would always fight with all I had to remain in faith and the hope in Jesus. There is no way I would say forget it. This is when we need to be inflexible.  Stand firm in our faith.  Jesus stood firm when He died on that cross for you and me. 
So whatever you are going through, remember the promises we have from Jesus.  Remember, this is not time to give up or waver from faith. Reach down inside with all you have and pull up that faith and hope. Stand firm and wait for it. 
I have stood firm for over 40 years, knowing my need will be met when I need it most. I may have to wait for my total healing a bit longer.  I will, in faith, I will stand firm on those promises.  Hope will not disappoint you. 

We are Christians, therefore nothing bad should happen!

The majority of my life I have faced health problems.  I have also seen many loved ones pass away.  I've seen hardships happen to "good" people.   And so on. During those times you often hear things like "the devil was after him", or "he/she never seemed to have a peaceful life", or"he/she must not have done what God wanted them to do". 

Well I have to say I disagree with all of those scenarios.  The last few weeks have been difficult for me, physically and emotionally.  I am still recuperating from the last hospital stay.  Then last Friday I had a couple of surgeries. One planned, the other a surprise.  These have knocked me for a loop. I cannot seem to find any energy. With that said, do I think God has deserted me, or the devil is to blame, or any other rediculous scenario one might come up with. ABSOLUTELY NOT! 

First of all, my Lord Jesus loves us more than anything.  So much so that He gave His own life for us. Next is even if we do fail at something, God does not hold a grudge over us. He loves us and helps us find a way to succeed. Even if we mess up and know we didn't do what God had asked of us, we can move on, because God loves us and forgives us. 

So let's go back to my health.  Oh no, not again.  Oh no, another trip to hospital.  And so on. Why God?  I don't ask that. I instead thank Him for being with me. I have that faith to know deep in my heart God will give my doctors wisdom. And He will give me wisdom. 

Why do I have to endure so much pain?  That is the result of my body not functioning properly. It isn't God's fault. Why doesn't he heal me? I don't know. But what I do know is God will be glorified in me. And others can be saved, healed, helped because of my faith and trust in Jesus. 

I want you all to know, you can be victorious, healed, or not.  But that does not have to get in your way of your relationship with Jesus. He can use anything for good. And He will. So lean on Jesus. Talk to Him daily. Take time for Him everyday. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

Happy Mother's Day (Men you can read this also)

As a Mom, Mother's Day is the most special day there is.  It truly honors all the Mom's.  Whether we are good at being a Mom or not, you still deserve to be honored. Being a Mom is the most rewarding accomplishment of my life. I am so very thankful the Lord gave me the privilege of having an amazing son. Words cannot describe the feeling inside that being a Mom gives you.
   With that said, Mother's Day can be a wonderful, joyful day.  Or it can be a sad day longing to give your Mom that one more hug. This is the first Mother's Day without my Mom.  She passed away in October.  Even though Mom's mind was lost most of the time from Alzheimer's, she was still my Mom.  She did not realize most of the time that I was her daughter, or that she even had children. They were difficult moments of sadness.  Yet I still had my Mom, and could hug her and tell her how much I loved her.  They were difficult years, especially on Mother's Day.  You see, my Mom and I did very special things together, and for each other.  Planting flowers, going to lunch, shopping, or having tea and playing scrabble.  When the Alzheimer's took over we no longer could share those moments.  But I could still hug her.  They were the sad moments of Mother's Day.
   Now, we have a choice, are we going to dwell in those sad memories or focus on the happy memories.  I choose the happy times.  The lunches, the flowers, tea, or just being together.  And then the most happiest of all thoughts for me, being a Mom.  My son is now an adult, married, and eager to start a family of their own.  And then my Mother's Day gets even better, I can be a grandma.
   You may be someone who could not have children. You can still be that very special Mom to someone who needs it.  There are so many young women these days that did not have that influence of a Mom in their life.  There is so much wisdom we can pass along to those younger women regardless if you had your own children or not. I would encourage you, don't feel left out on this special day. You are very important to someone out there. And I am sure she can use any wisdom you may have for her.
   I believe that God made us ladies with something special in our hearts. Something that gives us a special bond as a Mom.  We all have struggles, we all have our stories, we all have our disappointments, and we ALL have the ability to love that child (no matter what age they are) like no one else can.
   So this Mother's Day I encourage you all to dwell in your happy place, your happy thoughts. Treat your Mom that much more special, and if you are like me and your Mom is no longer here, thank God for all the wonderful years you had together.
   And as a Mom, thank God for the privilege He has given us to be a Mom. I would not trade that for anything in the world.  I love my son more and more each day, and am so proud of him.  I love my daughter-in-law as my daughter.  There is room in our hearts to love and love more.
   It is an honor given us from our Father in Heaven.
Ephesians 6:2 Honor your Father and Mother, which is the first commandment.