SLEEP LIKE A BABY

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety". (Psalm 4:8)

Is there anything more beautiful than a sleeping baby? Some of my favorite photos are those of my grandchildren who have fallen asleep in unusual positions.

We have photos of them slumped over on a toy or a book in the playpen… or sitting up in their baby bed… or riding down the road in their car seat... or in the shopping cart while shopping... while sound asleep.

There is nothing more peaceful than the face of a sleeping child… unaware of any danger or worrisome thoughts that could prevent sleep… secure enough to let down all defenses and rest… safe in their parents care.

What about those of us who are children of the Father God? Do we put our full trust in our Father… and in His ability to keep us safe and protected from the worries and fears of the world?

”I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me" (Psalm 3:5).

It is in realizing that God alone can protect us, can meet all our needs, and keep us safe under all circumstances that we can cease from our struggles to work out our lives on our own terms. It is in trusting Him that we find the security and peace which often eludes us.

Knowing that I am in God’s care… and that HE loves me with a never-ending love provides me with the security for which I am looking in every area of my life. He will protect… and He will provide.

For those of us who are accustomed to taking care of ourselves, turning control over to the Lord can be very difficult… but very “freeing”.

Time and again, the Lord has proven His faithfulness and His dependability. He will never let us down or fail us. We must be willing to "let go"...

and let Him "be God".

When our trust is fully resting in the Lord, we can lie down and “sleep like a baby”… knowing that God is our refuge… our strength… our stronghold… our defender… and a “very present help in times of trouble”.

"Leaning on the everlasting arms.... safe and secure from all alarms...

Leaning on His everlasting Arms!"

THE MENDER OF BROKEN HEARTS

Our God is a master designer... with a limitless imagination and infinite means. He made each and every one of His children by His unique design.

God uses His children in different ways to accomplish His will on the earth. Each of us have been given diverse personalities and varied skills... each according to God's plan for that life.

All Believers are called to be witnesses for the Lord... "ministers of His grace"... to tell others about the changes in our lives since we received Jesus as our Savior. Because we are all special in our own way, we witness in different ways as well.

Some of us may be talented preachers or teachers of God's Word. Others may be called to drive an ill person to a doctor’s appointment or to the grocery store. Some may minister by cooking a meal or offering to wash a load of clothes for someone who can’t manage it on their own. Some are called to be prayer warriors in intercession or, like my friend, to win countless souls to Jesus, face to face. Others might be encouragers... or be used musically in worship. Each of us are ministers for the Lord to others… in our own divinely appointed way.

I have a dear friend who is an amazing soul winner. He is a zealous Believer who uses his daily activities as opportunities to discover the "soul condition" of those with whom he comes in contact.

My friend went to visit someone in a jail. While he was waiting to be taken back to visitation, he sat down by a little girl in the lobby. Before he was called back to see the prisoner, he led this young lady to the Lord. I greatly admire his boldness... but not all of us are "wired" to minister in the same way.

The Lord has allowed me to witness for Him and to minister His grace to others by being an encourager... and by sharing my life experiences.

When I meet someone who is hurting, I try to find something in my life that has similarities to the problem they are facing. I try to be "open" about how the Lord has worked in my life. I share with them how God has blessed me and answered my prayers... how the Lord has proven Himself faithful... time and aagain... the manner in which the Lord used the situation to teach me something... and to draw me closer to Himself.

I am not a gifted speaker. I failed most oral book reports in high school because I could not stand before a classroom of my peers and speak. Only a handful of times in my 53 years have I spoken in front of a group... and then my voice shook and my knees knocked.

For many years, a group of ladies in my church who had a desire for deeper study about God and His Word would select a Bible study that was deisgned to last for 10-13 weeks. We met one night weekly to view the video, review the written lessons, and share what we had "gleaned" from our daily study.

It is in this small group setting... or "one on one" that I am most comfortable... and the most vocal about the tests and trials of being a Believer. During these studies, I have been able to share my personal life experiences, illustrating the way God used them to show me where I was lacking, to encourage, correct and strengthen me, and to bring me closer to Him.

Several times over the last 33+ years, my husband and I have grown a bit "distant". Because I have never considered divorce an option available to me, I sought the Lord, asking Him for restoration for our marriage. God did indeed bring back into focus the commitments we had made to each other... and to God so long ago. Today I can share with other ladies that there is hope for every wounded, struggling couple when they turn to Him for help.

I can empathize with a child who has lost their parent. My Momma has been gone for five years now. Losing her was a life altering experience for which I was not prepared. Having grown up as an only child in a single parent environment my entire life, we were very close. I guess I thought she would live forever... but once again, the Lord has faithful to give me strength, and bring me through the pain, the loss, and the overwhelming grief. He has proven that "He is enough".

In April 2006, after many years of searching, the Lord reconnected me with the daughter I gave up for adoption when I was 17. The course of events that brought us together was nothing short of miraculous, confirming to me once again that God has a plan for my life and that all things come together in His timing. The Lord knew when it was "the appointed time" to let us find each other, meeting after 35 years apart.

I understand the feelings of the young girl who finds herself pregnant, is perhaps an outcast in her own family or circle of friends, and has to make serious decisions about her life and the life of her unborn child. I have been there... and I can assure you... without a doubt... that God "works all things together for good..." according to His will.

I can comprehend the feelings of someone who is facing serious health issues. God healed my heart of multiple blockages that were diagnosed by two separate nuclear scans, each test being done with a different isotope.

After completing my heart cath., the cardiologist said that he had no explanation for the results. He stated that in the twenty-five years of his practice, he had never seen someone with so many blockages on a nuclear scan be found with NO blockages when he did their heart catheterization. The Lord has shown Himself to be my Healer... and He will heal others as well.

Sharing my life with others... being "transparent" about the times I have "missed the mark" and failed... and sharing how God "redeemed" each of those situations... bringing something good from each one... are some of the ways I witness for the Lord.

Because I know that all my sins are forgiven... past, present, and future... I feel free to share my mistakes with others... as the Lord leads me. I am willing to be open about my own "frailties and foibles "... so that the name of Jesus is lifted up as the Answer to all of life's problems.

No matter what situation we are facing today, God can and will make a way. He is our Redeemer... our Comforter... our Healer... our Supplier.... and so much more. He will be everything to us that we will allow Him to be.

The Lord takes the "broken pieces" of a life... and restores it to wholeness. There is nothing that He can't and won't overcome when we are willing to submit ourselves to Him, and seek His counsel for direction. It is when we take the "I'd rather do it myself" attitude that we cause problems to drag out and take that much longer to be resolved. The sooner we turn to Jesus for answers, the sooner the solutions will come... albeit in His time.

Give it all to Jesus. Wounded hearts, shattered dreams, and impossible situations are His specialty! The Lord can take the mistakes we make... and use them to instruct us in living this life in His perfect will. We only have to be willing to "leave the 'driving' to Him"!

In my life, God has proved Himself to be the "Mender of Broken Hearts"... both figuratively and physically! He healed my "broken" (clogged) heart... and he has healed my wounded emotions and damaged spirit.

Give Him all the pieces of your life, and stand back in awe as He "fashions it" into something new and beautiful.

Nothing is impossible with God.

PRAISE AND GLORY TO GOD!!!!

When faced with the tedium and longevity of a chronic illness, disability, or disorder, life can go on in a painful condition for such a long time that one doesn't always stop to recognize and give thanks for a good day when it comes.

After many months of headaches which can immobilize me and send me to bed for days at a time... the discomfort of side effects from prescription medications, and the fatigue and chronic neuralgia associated with other conditions, I awoke three mornings last week feeling like a different person.

To be honest, it felt unusual. I was amazed. My head didn't throb. There was no "buzz-ing" sound in my head, my pain level was manageable, and the internal chills weren't there, leaving me feeling almost "normal". I walked in the front door at work and told the first person I saw that I felt good. It had been a while since I had been able to do that, and I enjoyed it.

(There was no explanation. I had no particular changes in medications, diet, or lifestyle. This was a gift of "wellness"... "out of the blue"... straight from the Lord, the "giver of life".)

On top of my body feeling well, my mind was clear, focused, and I felt energized. Within those three days, I was able to complete more work than I had been able to accomplish in the previous month. I felt so good that I went from task to task. I did several monthly jobs ahead of time, plus catching up on all the little things that had slipped by me. Maybe I did a bit too much.

**Alas, by the time Friday arrived, the pain was back... the fatigue had returned, and the focus was gone... but I had been gifted with three perfect days ... the best I had in a long time. What a blessing! I had intended to blog during those days and thank the Lord for them ... but I didn't.

**So now... the purpose of this blog is to praise God that He is with me EVERY DAY. He truly blessed me with three days of ease, strength, focus, and comfort. They were very fruitful days.

I felt accomplished because of my amount of work done during that time... but I also desire to praise God because He is with me all the other days. He is with me on the days when I can't make it out of bed. He is with me when I am forced to take the "heavy duty"meds and sleep for several days at a time.

He gives me the strength that enables me to crawl out of bed, go to work, and do as much as I can... even when I am weak and in pain. God is faithful. He has proven himself faithful time and again... day after day... year after year... and so my faith grows.

**The Lord never promised us a problem-free or pain-free life... but He promised that He would always be with us.

**He has promised to send us a comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who comes along side us to comfort, lead, guide, and teach us.

**The Lord promised to strengthen us when we are weak. All we have to do is turn to Him in our weakness and find strength in Him.

**It helps me to remember that He does indeed have a plan for me. Even if I can't see how the days of my life fit in with His "big plan", I have put my trust completely in Him. I know that He has my best interest at heart... NO MATTER WHAT... as He has with All His Children. Thus... I can safely put myself in His hands, confident of His love, grace, and mercy.

"I CAN do ALL THINGS through Jesus Christ who strengths me."

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord... for He is greatly to be praised."

I praise Him for the Good days... and I praise Him for the "less good"ones.... because He walks me through each day, and never leaves me to struggle through in my own strength. He uses the more difficult days to draw me closer to Him, and to teach me to trust Him more.

Thank you, Lord Jesus!

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Today was day two of the migraine that had kept me at home and in bed... with curtains drawn. As I lay in bed with the blankets pulled over my head, a multitude of thoughts swirled through my head.

I thought of all the different tasks waiting for me at work... the things I should have been there doing. I thought about my house and the things that needed cleaning and straightening. From time to time, I could quiet my mind enough to sleep... and then I would wake up again to "chase rabbits" in my thoughts.

The thought "rose like a bubble" to the top and "popped"... about the blog I wrote yesterday... the one concerning the "disquietude" I felt in my heart and in my spirit concerning the current affairs of our country... and the impact the recent election could have on our future.

It was then that I realized that I was looking at the situation in the "natural". I wasn't looking at the condition of our country through eyes that recognized that God is in control. I wasn't looking through "eyes of faith".

Nothing has happened that caught God unaware. Nothing took Him by surprise. The Lord knew what would be going on today before the United States was even formed into a country... and long before that.

That doesn't mean that life in this country won't be different from what we have known in the past. That doesn't mean that we won't have to make adjustments in our lives that we have never imagined. It does mean we have an intercessor who is always in the presence of God, interceding for us.

No matter how bleak things may look... no matter what we hear on the news or read on the internet... we have to remember that our God does indeed have a plan for us... remember that He alone is in control... and remember He is our Hope for the Future.

If God is FOR us... who can be against us.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

I believe that today begins a changed life for many of us. Our Christian President left office today and a new presidency began.

I hope and pray that our new president will bring good things for our country. I hope that he will do all he can to restore morality, justice, and equality to all the people.

During the presidential election, I felt a "disquietude" (is that a word) in my spirit that has not gone away... but has only worsened over time.

I don't want to sound like some kind of "doom's day prophet"... but... I believe we all need to pray fervently for the new President to hear from God almighty. We need to ask God to lead and guide him in every step he takes and every decision he makes.

We need to draw closer to the Lord ourselves because this new season feels like a "time of change" for sure... and I'm not sure that change will come in the way that many are expecting.

It is time for God's people to look up.... to God ... for guidance..... and to look inward... to examine heart and mind.... to set priorities and get in tune with the Lord.

Lord, forgive us all where we fall short and help us meet the challenges that face us today.

An Interview With Grand Nana Lou

Questions from Mama's aMusings...

1.What is your favorite scripture? Proverbs 3:5,6

2. What is your favorite color M&M? Red

3. Who has been the most influential person in your life? My Mother

4. Where do you see yourself in ten years? Right where I am, doing the same things I'm doing now.

5. If you were in a movie, what actress/actor would play you? Susan Sarandon... It's the eyes.

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

I can remember a time long ago when life moved at a much slower pace. Neighbors actually knew each other… and were a part of each others’ lives.

All the neighborhood children would gather in the vacant lot beside my house where we could play our game of choice. Sometimes it would be baseball, football, or cowboys and Indians. Sometimes we would just play hide-and-seek.

Most of the moms kept an eye on the “brood”… and each of the kids ran home for supper when our individual “Mom” shouted our name.

If an illness, a job lay-off, an accident, or a death occurred in the neighborhood, there would be phone calls, visits, food brought in, and offers of assistance of all kinds. These people all reached out to each other and took the time to minister to one another. They shared what they had… even if it wasn’t a lot… back in the days of no air conditioners, microwave ovens, or fast food.

Ten years ago, I fell and broke my ankle as we prepared to take my daughter to the hospital to give birth to my granddaughter. Friends, family and church family were faithful to call, come by, and do all they could to meet our needs. My church has always been faithful to care for their own. All churches don’t share that habit.

In 1998, life had become much busier and the world more complex than the one I had known as a child… yet somehow these busy, two career families still found a way to reach out and be “the hand of Christ” extended to my family.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear ye one another's burdens”… - Sympathize with, and assist each other, in all your weaknesses, difficulties, tests, grievances, trials....“and so fulfill the law of Christ”. - The law of Christ is the law of love: something our Lord heartily recommends. Love is the thing He makes the distinguishing mark of one who is His disciples.

Today… ten years later… I am witness to others in need… going through trial after trial… going without notice. Has life become such a hurried thing that the “body of Christ” has stopped reaching out to those with whom they share pews on a regular basis? Do physical and emotional needs go ignored?

Sometimes all that is needed is a phone call from someone who cares. Just a word of kindness when one has reach the “end of their rope” can help them “tie a knot and hang on”.

There are families who are hurting… and in need of an encouraging word… who hear nothing from those who are supposed to be their “brothers and sisters in Christ”. They face tests and difficulties without notice... from pastor or layperson alike.

*** “Lord, When did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison, and go visit You ?”

The Lord will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother of mine, you did for Me.’” Matt. 25:37-40

Likewise... whatever we didn't do for the least of these... we didn't do for him as well.


May God open our eyes to the needs around us... and lead us each to “bear our neighbor's burdens” as He sees fit.