Verses that Encourage Me

Our family has been through a lot of things this summer, and once we get a little more through it I'll blog on my summer long journey of faith.  It has also changed my prayer life some. Both my relationship with God and my prayer life drastically changed when I realized that God knows everything anyway and he'd rather hear our heartfelt prayers than praying how you think you are "supposed" to.  For example I sometimes pray out loud during our CR small group and I always start with the things I'm grateful for.  But a couple of weeks ago I was having a bad week and a bad day...so I started my prayer with "Dear God, I feel no gratitude right now, all I can see is the bleakness of things so before I ask for anything else I am asking that you fill my heart with gratitude." Went on and prayed for the requests of our group, etc.  The whole next week He reminded me how He cares and is faithful in all the little ways, little ways that I had overlooked while focusing and worrying on the big stuff.   Anyway, here are some verses that encouraged me greatly along the way. (NLT, 2nd version)

I Peter 4:12,13 "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through....instead, be very glad-for these trials make your partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world."  This verse reminds me that it is in the hard times that God can come through and show his power and I can have the joy of being a part of others seeing how God has provided for me through the trials.

Philippians 4:6, 7 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand."  I LOVE this one!

Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who give me strength."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

James 1:2-4 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."
The footnotes in my Life Recovery Bible say this about those verses: "Difficulties and temptations are facts of life for everyone, particularly those of us with a background of addiction, abuse or other dysfunction. We may be tempted to return to our destructive behaviors. As we face difficult times, though, our attitude can make all the difference. James tells us to be happy as we face difficulties and temptations. This is hardly a natural reaction to a painful situation. Seeing our trials as building blocks to God's work in our life, however, may help us change our negative attitude toward tough times. We can have joy during these trials because through them we learn patience, an essential ingredient for successful recovery."

John 16:33 "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."  Again I love the footnotes for this verse: "In this world, especially in recovery, we encounter 'many trials and sorrows,' many of them beyond our control. These can be endured with God's help. On the other hand, some of our suffering is self-inflicted and can be avoided. In such situations, God still offers us peace as we muster the courage to make needed changes in our life. God's forgiveness and loving acceptance can give us peace as we face all of our trials and sorrows. God's power can lead us through recovery; he has already overcome all the obstacles that stand in our way!"

2 Corinthians 1:3,4 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."

2 Corinthians 4:8, 9 "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed."

Matthew 6:25-34 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don't worry about these things, saying 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

I love Psalms, David is so honest in his questioning and doubts and worries, but in the midst of it he turns it into praise.  I can't even pick out all the Psalms that I read when discouraged....SO many of them.  I swear I believe that David was bipolar.  Just read his despair and depression in Psalm 88, then the next psalm (89) he is singing praises to the Lord.  He does this very often throughout the psalms.  In despair and questioning where God even is, then switching to thanking and praising God in the midst of it.  In Psalm 77 he even says he is too distressed to sleep and to even pray, then a few verses down he says "but then I recall all you have done O Lord" and switches to praising him.

Psalm 116:1-5 "I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'Please, Lord, save me!' How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!"
I like that is says he bends down to listen to us, especially at those times I feel my prayers aren't going past the ceiling.

Psalm 94:17-19 "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I am slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

Psalm 42:5, 8 "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my Savior and my God! (v. 8) But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life."

Psalm 27:13, 14 "Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."

Psalm 61:1-3 "O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me."

Seriously, it would take me forever to write down all the verses that David writes that show we can pray honestly to God and tell him how we really feel, yet at the same time continue to trust and believe that He will take care of us.

I hope that some of these verses encourage you as well.

The Brain is a Traitor

I have been playing around with some more writing lately and trying out other formats than what I typically write for this blog.  Was trying to decide if I wanted to create a new blog to put some of this stuff on but just decided since I already have this blog, I'd just use it.  So here is a poem I wrote the other day.

The Brain is a Traitor

The brain is a traitor,
Don't know what to trust.

Throughout the day the images come,
Fading and glittering like pixie dust

I hear the screech of the banshee call,
Only to realize it is just a band saw

The heart beats faster and faster
Breath comes in small gasps
Quick furtive glances behind me,
Assures that this too shall pass.

No one there, all is well
No one to see, nothing to tell.

The brain is a traitor,
Makes up all this weird stuff.
But on the outside I must keep it together,
Keep on looking strong and tough.

The brain is a traitor, don't know what to trust.

I Refuse

Listened to this song today and it just really struck a chord with me.  The words (below) are great, but the video really tells a story in itself as well.  It is worth 3 1/2 minutes to watch it.

I Refuse lyrics
Songwriters: Benjamin Glover;Joshua David Wilson

Sometimes I
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone's alright
When I know they're not

This world needs God
But it's easier to stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
Like nothing's wrong

But I refuse
'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of You, oh God

So, if You say move
It's time for me to follow through
And do what I was made to do
Show them who You are

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

To stand and watch the weary and lost
Cry out for help
I refuse to turn my back
And try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged
To wait another day, to die to myself
I refuse to make one more excuse

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse

To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

I refuse
I refuse

Renaissance Festival

Today, for Mother's Day weekend, I wanted for our whole family to do something together.  So off to the Renaissance Festival we headed.


From the moment we got to the gate we saw the king and queen and subjects, wenches, pirates, elves and all manner of people dressed up.  They called out to us in their accents, hawking their wares and games and playing their flutes and instruments.

We had a great time! My daughter and I rode this hand powered spinning ride, now if you think hand powered means slow, you would be wrong.  It hung by many ropes and they would wind it up tight and away we would go!  My son and husband explored the labyrinth and conquered it to live another day.  We watched acrobats and jugglers, the royal joust by the knights on their beautiful steeds, a birds of prey show and even some guys in a mud pit!  We munched on turkey legs and fried gator tail (though I'm not sure how gator tail fit the renaissance theme..lol)  My son threw shurikens (steel ninja throwing stars) and won some green beads, that he promptly placed around his sister's neck.  She gave him a hug in return, just seeing them interact like that with each other was worth the whole trip.  My son also shot some arrows in the archery section and my daughter bought a ear cuff from a guy wearing elf ears.

Most of the day we passed many, many people dressed in period costume, complete with "milady's" who beseeched us to come hither and tarry as they hawked their wares of yore. Yes, it took us back to another time.  But then there were the moments that they came out of character and would talk to each other or not realize we were around.

It made me think of another way that people dress up and act one way, even that is not how they really are.  How many people dress up in their "Sunday" clothes, dust off their swords (Bibles) and begin to speak "Christianese."  There in church with others watching, they speak the right words and wear the right clothes....yet when outside the church or when they don't think anyone is watching or listening, they revert to their everyday behavior. Not everyone is like that, just as at the festival some never came out of character, some Christians are the same on Sundays as they are the rest of the week.  Only they aren't trying to 'act' in character, but that is their true character.  That is how I strive to be.  I want to be a Christian ALL the time, not just at church activities.

So while today was full of family fun and games and being taken to another time period, it also reminded me that life is not pretend and that how I act should NOT be an 'act', but who I am.

The Hidden Things

Most of you moms and wives can probably relate to this on some level.  Your husband or kids don't like a certain food so you "hide" it into your cooking.  This works quite well as long as it remains "hidden."

For example I had some skim milk.  Now my kids and husband don't like skim milk, but I use it in my protein shakes.  I had a couple of gallons extra so was trying to figure out how to get them to drink it.  I ended up pouring half of it into their 2% jug of milk.  No one said anything, so each time their jug got halfway empty, I'd put more of the skim into it.  Eventually of course their milk was 100% skim, and no one said ONE word about it.  One morning I didn't catch the jug labeled 2% (that was actually skim) before the kids emptied it and threw it away.  So my son pulls out the only remaining jug that was labeled "skim."  He looked at it and looked at me and said, "Mom, how come you have skim, you know we don't drink that."  I couldn't tell him that for two weeks he had been drinking skim milk without it giving away my secret.  But it was amazing to me how they drank it fine, UNTIL they saw the label.

This has happened many times.  There have been times my husband has complimented me on dinner, only to later look in the trash can and see the empty cartons for low fat sour cream or reduced fat condensed soup and say, "I knew something tasted different about that!"

One lesson this teaches us is the power of suggestion.  By simply thinking that something was one way, they believed it was that way.  Kind of like the concept with PowerBands.  (see my blog entry on that)  Our minds are a powerful thing and the power of suggestion can be very strong.

The second lesson we can learn is hide all your empty containers when cooking with low fat, low sodium, low sugar, low anything foods.  LOL

More seriously though, we can learn how easily we can fall for the "hidden things" that are presented to us each day.  Things like lies wrapped in the guise of good intentions.  Satan knows we won't guzzle that watered down drink knowingly, but if he can put it in a better looking container, there is a much better chance we will "drink" it.  This is where the importance of knowing God's Word for yourself lies and in having friends that will help lovingly guide and point out those hidden things in our lives.  Sometimes it is hidden so well that it takes someone else pointing out the true contents to us.  Is that volunteer work really pride in disguise?  Does the fact that "everyone does it" make it right?  Is that prayer request gossip in disguise?  Is your excuse of needing some time to yourself really an excuse of wallowing in your own little pity party?

Think about this week, what things in your life might be hidden and put there in disguise, and you are unknowingly accepting it?

"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart." Matthew 7:15 (NLT)

Talk to Me

Our daughter has been having a hard time lately.  Something is going on with her and we can't quite figure it out.  But she hasn't been her normal, bubbly self.  She is avoiding eye contact and in general just seems unhappy.  Her dad and I sat her down outside on the patio last night to talk.  We talked to her a lot, she talked very little.  We sat and waited, we asked questions, finally we just gave her some paper and told her if she couldn't talk to us, maybe she could write and get out whatever was bothering her.

Why do we want her to talk to us? Is it just to hear her talk? To know that something was wrong? We already knew that.  So why? Because we CARE and LOVE her!  Unless she tells us what is bothering her, we can't help come up with a solution or ways to help alleviate the problem.

She finally admitted that there was some stuff going on, and came over and threw her arms around my neck and cried.  I cried with her.  It hurts me to see my kids hurt.  I just wish I could make it all go away and make life smooth and easy for them...

Today I was having a hard day.  Stuffing it all inside and basically feeling miserable.  And then it hit me, I was being just like my daughter.  I have a heavenly Father who is patiently waiting on me to pour my heart out to Him.  He won't force the issue, but waits on me to come to Him.  He cares for me in the same way I care for my daughter.  Does He want me to talk to Him because He doesn't already know what I'm dealing with?  No, it is because He loves me and wants me to turn to Him, and not just in the bad times, but all the time. 

How do I know He cares? His Word He gave us tells me:

"Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee:"  2 Kings 20:5

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

"For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears." Revelation 7:17 (NLT)

 

"He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." Psalm 91:4 (NKJV)

How do I know God is my Father?

 

 "So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26 (NLT)

 

And just as I want my children to do, what does God want me to do?

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you."  I Peter 5:7 (NLT)

So tonight, instead of having a pity party or trying to hide what I feel, I'm gonna run to my heavenly Father, pour my heart out to Him and ask Him to wipe my tears and take my worries.  

Thank you God!

More than Meets the Eye

I have to admit, I have been complaining some lately.  I have a personal trainer that I've worked with twice a week for nearly a year now.  She's been great, until January.  Up until that point I had been paying her weekly, in December I signed a six month contract and started paying on that up front.  That is when she started skipping sessions, either totally standing me up or texting me right before our session was supposed to start that she couldn't make it.  And when she did make it, she just kind of stood there, pointed out machines to do and really was not "there" at all.  This was frustrating because I can work out on machines on my own, didn't particularly care about paying someone to just stand there and watch.  I wanted a change of routine, I wanted to use free weights and I needed someone to motivate me. (I see a lot of 'me, me, me' going on here)

About three weeks ago she told me she was handing me off to another trainer due to scheduling conflicts and administrative duties.  That went well the past three weeks and just as I get into a good routine with him, he tells me he is going to another gym and I'm going back to my previous trainer.  This whole trainer thing was starting to frustrate me but now I'm locked into a contract.

So this morning, it is raining, still getting used to "springing" forward and "losing" that hour of sleep, I text my trainer to make sure she is actually going to be there.  She texts me back, yes.

We actually had a good workout and she changed it up some and was a little more back to her "you can do it!" motivating self.  When we finished we sat on a mat and was talking some and she asked me did I know what happened in January.  I told her no, I just know she recently took time off for administrative purposes.  Turns out her husband died the first week of January. (she is younger than me)  She said she had a hard time getting herself going, much less motivating people to work out.

Suddenly my whole attitude changed.  Instead of being upset with her, I immediately felt so bad for her.  I wished I had known.  But it just reinforced the whole idea of the fact that we don't always know what is going on in the personal lives of those around us.  We get snappy so easily; at that lady who has 12 things in the 10 and under lane, well maybe she has a sick kid in the car; at the person riding on our bumper, maybe they are anxiously on their way to the airport to see a loved one just returning from military service; at the person who just almost ran into your lane, who couldn't see for the tears in her eyes; and for me today, the unmotivated trainer who had just lost her husband.  Maybe instead of complaining, we would do better by praying for those people around us that are irritating us.  And for some of us, maybe we need to learn to open up more so that people will know what to pray for us about.  Had she just told me I would have spent the last month praying for her instead of being upset with her.  Not everything is how you see it, sometimes there is more than meets the eye.