AN ANSWER

I wish I could tell you, my faithful blog readers, that I always know the answer.  News flash--I don't.  I always have said that any answer to any problem, concern, or daily life choice is in the B-I-B-L-E.  Do I always find that answer the first time I look?  Uh, duh, no.  Either I don't look hard enough or the Lord wants to teach me the searching technique.

Either way, I was blessed this morning in my early devotion to find a much sought after answer.  One of my little Sunday School class munchkins gave me a devotion book for Christmas that I have really enjoyed.  It always lists about three scriptures of reference for that devotion.  This morning the second scripture came from Exodus.  I mean, really, how often do folks really read Exodus?

I have been searching for some good comforting peace about some surgery I have coming up.  This morning I found some in this scripture.  It was too good to not share.  Exodus.  Imagine.  The scripture is regarding Moses as he seeks.   Exodus 33: 12, 14, 17 reads like this:

"And Moses said unto the Lord, See, though sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me.  Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name: and thou hast also found grace in my sight,

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name."

Wow.  I love any of that scripture where it talks about grace and the Lord knowing me by name.  Grace.  Comfort.  Peace.

Consider that a while....

JUNE 21

Okay, so it's not "normal" for me to do two posts in one day.  I thought I would not acknowledge this date, June 21, but I just don't have it in me to let it go by without SOMETHING.  The Girl asked me this afternoon if I had forgotten what this day was and I had not, just tried to not mention.  But, oh well, I have to acknowledge.

June 21, 1991 was the day The Girl was diagnosed with Type I diabetes.  Yes, 26 years ago.  26!  In thinking of my earlier post today, I guess The Girl's story is a story worth telling.  And more than that, 26 years of living with a disease for which there is no cure is something to shout about with gratefulness.  Yes, years of tears and fears, but now days of joy and thankfulness.  And yes, still hope that a cure will be found in The Girl's lifetime.

So a shout out LOUD to The Girl for her success for living with this disease.  It's as The Pastor said just this past Sunday, the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.  So a shout out loud for her working to keep a control.  Let those times of not keeping control fall away from the thoughts and let's just celebrate the success!

To The Girl--we are so full of pride for you and all you have become--with or without diabetes.  Yay! 

EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE

Yep, for sure.  Everybody's got one.  Got what, you ask?  A story.  Everybody's got a story.  That story most likely has many chapters of various sorts.  This blog actually tells a few of my stories.  For example,  you may visit some of my chapters in "Prayers and Pianos" (10/15/13), "34 Years" (6/29/13),  "Pride" (3/20/12), and "Revival" (7/5/12).  There are more in this blog, these are just a few.  We all have stories that define us.

I've been going to several funerals lately, one last week and two coming up this week.  At the one last week, one of the vocal selections was a song titled "Thank You".  The song talks about dreaming of heaven and seeing folks there who offer thanks to you for "gifts" you had given to them while on earth.  Now I don't know how heaven is going to work and it really doesn't matter to me as long as I'm there with Jesus, you know?  I will say, though, that this song has always, every time I have heard it, really makes me ponder my own life and I wonder if I have REALLY given to the Lord all the times I should.  Of course the answer is a no.  Do any of us ever really give to the Lord all the times we should?  I find a bit of regret in my own life every time I hear the song while at the same time giving thanks for those who have given so very much to the Lord and to others.

That got me to thinking about my story.  I'm writing MY story every day that I live. Some chapters of my story are pretty, some are painful, some are happy, some are not so much happy.  Some chapters are filled with victories, some filled with defeats.  No matter my story tells, it is mine and I know that life can pour out some rough stuff and tears but I know also that there is joy that comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).  I have learned that though some times are hard, the joy in the journey remains.

I wanted to put out this blog post to offer some food for thought for you, my faithful readers, about your own story.  The grammar might not always be grammatically correct, the spelling might be off a bit, and maybe the handwriting or typing not top notch, but the story, oh the story, is so important.

One of the best sermons I have heard that I totally remember years and years later is one by a former pastor of mine.  His text was "This is MY story" and he proceeded to tell the story of his life--abbreviated of course as no one really wants long, long sermons.  😉 That day and every day I think of it since, I am blessed.   It made me think much about my own story.

One of my favorite gospel songs is "Blessed Assurance" and if you are familiar it goes "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine".  The chorus goes like this:

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

I encourage you, as I will do also, to keep on writing that story.  It needs to be read daily by others and used by you for encouragement.  So yes.....consider writing on......

HOLDING ON

The Grandbaby took her first steps last week.  Yes, two or three steps and that was all.  Yes, she can stand alone, rise from a floor sitting position without help, and even stand while waving her arms....but, no more steps alone.  She is insistent that someone hold her hands while she trots along.   It's is virtually impossible to pry her hands loose from mine.  She holds fast and strong.

A bit of her newfound temper showed itself the other day when The Great Aunt tried to entice her to walk her way alone.  The Grandbaby was having none of that.  She was even in the mindset of getting The Great Aunt's mind off of seeing her walk by giving huge hugs instead.  Oh, how quickly these little ones learn the "art"!

I'm often like The Grandbaby.  I often need hands to hold through the journey of life.  Hands that comfort, hands that guide, hands that just give support, or hands that love.  And just like all of our family is to The Sweet Grandbaby,  the Lord is right there ready to hold on tightly or catch me when I stumble while walking.  He stays THAT close, just like we do to The Grandbaby.

I am preparing for more surgery in a couple of weeks or so and have had quite a problem not dreading it.  Really, does anyone ever look forward to surgery?  I find that the Lord is helping me as I ask Him to by giving me these comforting thoughts of His presence and His control.  How blessed I am that I, like The Grandbaby, will have someone right there walking with me and holding my hand through my journey.  Yes, I know how to walk alone, but like The Grandbaby, I'd much rather hold hands while my feet move.

So I will hold on....you hold tightly, too!

TWO LITTLE WORDS

"What if".  Two little words that are a huge dish of food for thought.  "What if".  Of course my faithful blog readers will know that some life experience has prompted this thought with me.  And that would be the truth.

Last week The Husband and The Brother-in-Law took a fishing trip to Louisiana.  They were gone several days and had huge success fishing.  Here's a picture of only one day's successful catch.

No, I had no huge events while The Husband was away.  (I did say goodbye to my aunt as she moved up to glory before they left and her service was while they were gone.)   They arrived back home Sunday very early afternoon and the vacuum sealing began.  The Husband also brought back some bags of fresh shrimp so yes, we will be eating healthier for a while.  Blessed is the word that comes to mind.  The Husband put the fish in the garage freezer as it is the freezer we have that is oldest, biggest, and emptiest.  (Is emptiest a word?  Guess it is now.)

On Monday I got on my mind that I should make my Chicken Noodle Casserole and freeze it in two different pans for a couple of folks who were having surgery and could use it in the next week or so.  As I age, I'm trying to improve my organizational skills.  What if I became organized?  Wow.  A miracle in the making.  So I made the casseroles, cooled them, and packed them for the freezer.  I headed out toward the garage freezer to put them in and noticed some liquid red strawberry juice on the fish packs.  Insert big red flag here.  It seems the freezer was not freezing properly.  What if I had NOT done that good deed of making the casseroles to freeze?  Can you imagine the LOSS as I would not have known the freezer had become faulty.  My heart sank.  Granted some of the fish was hardening and it was all cold but those old colonoscopy popsicles in the door were mushy and some strawberries were beginning to thaw.  And yes, it was too late to go shopping for a freezer.  You might say why not call a repair man but the freezer was pretty old.  

As many of you know if you read regularly, one of my most used quotes is "No good deed goes unpunished" and I usually prove it's truth.  This time, however, I can say for sure that it's not always true.  Thankfully.

The Husband and I worked diligently to revamp the items in the carport freezer as well as the refrigerator freezer in the house enough to get the fish goods in there and frozen.  What a mess!   But, what if we hadn't found it?

I just get sick thinking of it.  Then I remember that feeling to make those casseroles which allowed me to know about the fault of the freezer and AVOID a loss.  Knowing me, I'm betting you think I think a higher power directed those thoughts?  Of course I do!  😊😊😊😊

I now have a new working cold freezer in the garage at a ridiculously cheap sale price so life is normal again.  Plus I had to do some cleaning out of the old to make room for the new so the freezers are better for the problem as well.

But those two little words....what if...can surely pack a punch.

What if I used every available minute in my day wisely?

What if I ALWAYS knew what I wanted to cook for dinner ahead of time?  (Another miracle that would be.)

What if my daily attitude was always positive?

What if I found the good in folks rather than the bad?  All the time.

What if I worry less?  Uh....

What if I dressed and looked really put together all the time?  I would be boring and uncomfortable.

What if I trusted the Lord more?  My life would be happier.

The list is endless.  And yes, as I type, my mind flies to other thoughts which I think will be more appropriate for other blog posts so I'll hold on to them.  Maybe I can remember them when I'm ready to write again.

So consider....until next time......