The Discipline of Waiting!!!

     Well the past 2 weeks has been a very tough for me and that is why that I have not written anything but I am back and ready to write again. This month I have had a tough time waiting on things and God and it is amazing to know that even if I think the time is up God is always there to say not just yet wait on me.  I read this the other day and I wanted to share it with you.

     Is there a harder discipline than that of waiting, especially when one’s desires seem as wild and uncontrollable as a prairie fire? Without real trust in who God is-trust in his never-failing love and wisdom, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Is He a good God? Will He give what is best? If the answer is yes to both questions, it follows that He will withhold many things that look attractive to us. It is His mercy to withhold them. Shall we accuse Him of failure to get ” His act ” together or shall we echo the psalmist’s word, ” I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord ” (Ps. 27:13-14 NIV).
     If we imagine that happiness is to be found by furious pursuit, we will end up in a rage at the unsatisfying results. If, on the other hand, we set ourselves to pursue the wise and loving and holy will of our Heavenly Father, we will find that happiness comes – quietly, in unexpected ways, and surprisingly often, as the by-product of sacrifice.
Waiting is a form of suffering – the difficulty of self-restraint, the anguish of unfulfilled longing, the bewilderment of unanswered prayer, flesh and heart failing, soul breaking. These are indeed tribulations, and tribulation is the curriculum if we are to learn patience. We want answers now, right now, but we are required at times to walk in darkness.
     ” My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him ” (Ps. 62:5) In Him alone lie our security, our confidence, our trust. A spirit of restlessness and resistance can never wait, but one who believes he is loved with an everlasting love and knows that underneath are the everlasting arms will find strength and peace. God is in the Waiting.

Elisabeth Elliot

Missing Russ

    On January 22, 1997 is a day that I will never forget I woke up and got ready to go to school I was in the 9th grade and while I was at lunch I got a phone call from my mom saying that my cousin Russ at the age of 17 went to be with Lord. We knew that our time with Russ was getting shorter Russ battled heart problems all of his 17 years of life and he lived longer then the doctors throught he would so every moment was special in our eyes.  Russ taught me so much in his 17 years as he knew that his life was very short he didn’t let that stop him and as I live my life i am encouraged by that everyday. Russ was not able to go to school very much so instead Russ went to the movies everyday he loved going and of course everybody there knew him by name. We called Russ the movie critic of the family because when we wanted to know about a movie Russ would tell us yes go see it or no don’t go see it.

    Russ’s faith in God was amazing with all that he was going through Russ knew that God was in control of it and even in his last days here on earth Russ was still witnessing to his friends and a couple of them accepted Christ and that right there is what it is all about until the very end we need to do the same share Christ with everyone.  We need to take up our cross daily and live the way Russ did because we never now when are time is up. I read this the other day and it reminded me of Russ “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”

    Like I said Russ loved movies but he also loved comic books he had sooo many of them. Russ loved to do jokes on all of us Russ would go to the store and find crazy stuff to pull on us Russ was full of laughter and joy. I truly miss him and I wonder if he had lived what he would have become in oct he would have turned 30 with his twin brother Rob which I am very close to. During the last few months that Russ lived he planned his funeral everything he did himself from a slideshow, to what music he wanted, to writting an amazing letter to his family it was a funeral that I will never forget.

    On January 22 I am going to be  a little sad because I miss Russ but I am going to rejoice because I know were he is and I also know that one day I will see him again. Knowing that Russ is no longer in pain and he is healed gives me peace, joy, happiness and that is what gets me through each day. So if you are mourning someone close to you may you find comfort in the arms of the Lord and remember that you have not lost that person if you know that they are a christian because you know where they are.

 

” That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have ebtrusted to him for that day. ” 2 Timothy 1:12

Here I Am God!!!

   In the bible it says that God doesn’t give us more then we can handle well I believe that I hit the limit this past week. As you already know in my other posts my friends mean the world to me and I am always there for them and I never leave them hanging if I can help it. Well these past few days some of my friends have broken me like the words from the song Broken from Lifehouse says ” I am still here waiting though I still have my doubts I’m falling apart, Im barely breathing with a broken heart that is still beating in the pain there is healing.”  That is the way I am feeling right now i am falling apart with pain because I just really don’t want to go back to the way people treated me in the past I felt like I was finally getting away from that but this past week it came back with people not wanting to hangout with me others taking advantage of me and trust me it is not a fun place to be.

    I am tired of always being the one who writes and calls first to see how my friends are doing but they don’t write or call to see how I am doing until I make the move first so I have decided to step back because all that I have done I deserve to be treated better then that so I am going to see who my true friends really are. I am finally ready to get out of this storm because the waves are just really crashing on me and I need to be strong enough to fight the storm and stop letting it get the best of me I am better then that.  So God here I am laying this at your feet and giving it to you because you are the only one that can get me through this I know that it is not going to be easy but my faith in you is all I need. God please reveal my true friends to me because you know how much I love them..

 

” The Lord Is My Helper; I Will Not Be Afraid. What Can Man Do To Me?” Hebrews 13:6 

Prayer is Powerful!!!

 

Best Prayer I Have Heard In   A Long Time…  

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.  

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.  

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares .

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.  

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the  greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.  Matt 5:44

Weapons of the Word!!!

       Two spiritual weapons are available to us they are Praise and Prayer. Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be genuine heart praise, not just lip service or a method being tried to see if it works. Also, praise and prayer both involve the Word. We praise God according to His Word and His goodness.  Prayer is relationship with the Godhead. It is coming and asking for help or talking to God about something that bothers us.

    If you want to have an effective prayer life, develop a good personal relationship with the Father. Know that He loves you, that He is full of mercy, that He will help you. Get to know Jesus. He is your Friend. He died for you. Get to know the Holy Spirit. He is with you all the time as your Helper let Him help you. Learn to fill your prayers with the Word of God. God’s Word and our need is the basis on which we come to Him. 

From the Book “Battlefield of the Mind” By: Joyce Meyer

   

 If you abide in My word hold fast to my teachings and live in accordance with them, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will ser you Free. John 8:31,32

God’s Gift

      When someone gives you a gift you are so thankful and overwhelmed with their kindness that they show you. Well that is the way I feel everytime I am around the gift that God gave me my amazing friends and it is a gift that I thank God for everyday. When I was in middle school and high school I didn’t have many friends that I did things with most of the kids would just use me and they liked to party and I didn’t do those things my relationship with God was and is very important to me.  My advice is just be true to yourself and stand for what you believe in and it is ok to not do what everybody else is doing because in the end God will bless you like he did for me.

    When I graduated from high school I prayed that God would bring me some friends that would love me for me and would be there for me like friends are suppose to be my prayers were answered my friends mean soo much to me they are  the ones that get me through each day the love they show me is amazing the understand of my situation, the kindness they show me, and the encouragement they give me shows me how much God loves me and that is amazing. When I get a phone call, a text, or even when one of them writes to me on facebook, or myspace it just overwhelmes me because for just a minute I was on their minds and it takes me back everytime.

    The blessing of friends is a gift that comes from God and only him and we need to take care of that gift with kindness, understanding, love because if you don’t take care of it we are showing God that we don’t deserve the gift.  Everytime I get to spend time with my friends I cherish each moment that God gives me with them. There are a few of my friends that when I call they are always there in a heartbeat my friend Peggy is the one person that got me out of my shell before her I was a quiet person scared to try new things but because of her I try new things now it is amazing we have some great memories she now lives in Seattle so I don’t get to see her very much but when I do we have a great time. God works in funny ways about 5 months ago I found Mandi that I went to high school with on facebook and we started hanging out again and we have become really great friends we do fun things together go to the movies, go eat and of course go shopping and each time brings of course interesting situations. 

  Well God wasn’t done with giving me friends when I was in high school the boys were not very nice. I prayed that God would bring me guy friends that would love me for me and would what to hangout with me and be there for me when I needed them. God blessed me and I can’t believe how he did I can’t ask for better guy friends then the ones that he gave me. My friend Randy what can I say he was one of the first guy’s that looked passed my handicap and looked right at me and that right there is a gift. Randy challenges me all the time when we talk he makes me think about things differently and that is always good when someone can do that Randy also disciples me and I have grown closer to God because have that. Well my friend Slater he is one crazy guy he makes me laugh and gets my mind off of the stuff that is going on for a few hours. I don’t get to see him very much now that he is in Odessa coaching P.E.  Slater is great christian guy who stands for what he believes in that is what makes us friends. Well I have soo many more friends that have changed my life  but there is not enough space to write lol. God is great and loving God and I love each one of my friends they mean so much to me that I don’t really know what I would do if I didn’t have them in my life.

     ” Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father.” Proverbs 27:10

Scaling Adversity

      Well Scaling Adversity is what I have to deal with everyday of my life you see I have what is called Cerebral Palsy it affects my right side of my body I praise God that I have a mild cause. When I was 8 months old the doctors told my parents that I would never walk or talk well God had other plans for me and I thank him everyday that he did. Through the adversity that I have been through it has made me a stronger person. My relationship with God is what has gotten me through the tough days and what could be better then that knowing that God is always there to pick you up and hold you in his loving arms what an amazing feeling. 

      Having Cerebral Palsy has given me also great days like playing basketball in school I played from 7th grade to 12th grade by the grace of God I got through it . What was amazing was little girls and even boys would come to me and ask how do you do it and then I could show them and also tell them that it is only God that can do it through me. People would always tell me that I would not be able to go to college or live by myself and like I said earlier God had other plans I went to South Plains College and I graduated in 2005 and I also live by myself and drive I even work for a great place Mcdougal Compaines so I guess you can say that those doctors who told my parents that I would never walk or talk were so wrong.  Well in my next blog I will tell you more about what else God has done in my life and what he is doing in my life I will leave you with this bible verse that God gave me

“Do Not Consider His Appearance Or His Height, For I Have Rejected Him. The Lord Does Not Look At The Things Man Looks At. Man Looks At The Outward Appearance, But The Lord Looks At The Heart.”  1st Samuel 16:7