Category: Hope/Healing

Journeys With God

Have you ever felt that tug, you know the one, where you felt like it was time to move on but you weren’t sure where you were supposed to go to? I know I have and when the tug starts I get a restlessness and I know that God is getting ready to do something in my life. I loved being in ministry, I had been in ministry for over ten years when I felt the restlessness. I was burned out and knew it was time for a change. It wasn’t long before God opened a door. We had been through cancer with my husband and in 2016 we had lost my mom to thyroid cancer. Looking back, I think God was preparing me for what would be a roller coaster of a ride. He opened a door for me to work at the same place as my husband. I worked there for about a year when another door opened and I went to work for a lab. God was preparing me for ministry once more. In 2019 I went back to work at the church I had previously worked at and it was such a blessing. I thought I would be working out the rest of my work days at the church. Little did I know that life would be changing once again. Because of all the construction taking place on the island where I worked, it was getting difficult to make the trip 6 days a week. What used to be a 30 minute drive was turning into a nightmare of not knowing how long it would take to get to work. I was getting restless for sure but like I stated earlier, I hadn’t planned on moving again.

You know how we only see a portion of the picture, while God sees the big picture and He knows what is up ahead. No wonder He tells us not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough of its own worries. God knew there was a time coming in which I would need to be closer to home, closer to reaching my husband in minutes and not 45 minutes to an hour or more. He opened a door. This time I was going back to work in the same place I had worked at before which was where my husband worked. Before I knew it, God opened my eyes to see why He had brought me back to a place I never thought I would work at again. At first my husband needed to have gall bladder surgery. Then after two years of not getting COVID, our whole family came down with it. Praise God we only had minor symptoms and we were able to quarantine together at home. The time was coming when my husband would need me to be seconds away as opposed to the long drive across the causeway.

My husband has graciously allowed me to share his story. You see, in the fall of 2022 my husband had a major meltdown at work and had to be hospitalized for a season. It was without a doubt one of the hardest times for not only him but for all of us. He was out of state and the only way to communicate was via snail mail and the occasional calls. I grew to dread the calls because honestly, they weren’t pleasant. He begged me to let him come home because the place he was at wasn’t quite what we thought it would be. We thought it was a faith based place and it was but it wasn’t. Yes, it was what he needed at the time but it was hard. I had to be the tough one and say “no” every time he asked me to bring him home. I received his letters out of the order he had written them but not out of the order God intended them to arrive. Twenty-one days and let me tell you they were a long twenty-one days.

Some of the letters reflected the negatives and others were a little more upbeat and hopeful. Whew the negative letters-well it definitely wasn’t my husband. He did meet some Christians there also needing to get help and they sort of hung out together when possible. There were church services on Wednesdays & Sunday afternoons and a few people did attend. On one such occasion my husband witnessed someone accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior. He witnessed another rededicating their life to Christ. He was able to share a Bible study and had someone asking him to teach them how to read the Bible. But still it was hard being apart.

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

Psalm 118:17

My husband’s life verse Psalm 118:17 –

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10b

My life verse Nehemiah 8:10b

“For where His joy is there my strength lies and my sorrows are no more. You can’t have sorrow when you have His joy for sorrow can’t exist next to His joy.“

Jean Marie

Maybe you have a similar story whether you or someone you know. I would encourage you not to give up. As a caregiver it is probably the hardest job in the world when it is someone you love. As the one who needs a caregiver, it is the hardest thing to let go and let someone else help you. Especially when you can still function on your own for the most part. There is help out there for you both whether through seeking professional assistance or through (and to me the best and most effective help) prayer warriors and your church family. Maybe you don’t have a church family or people to pray for you. I can say this if there is one person in your life who is a Christian, trust me, they are praying for you. I am a living testimony to that. I had family praying for me after I left home and I never knew it until years later after I reconnected with my faith.

Strength & Song

When you are tired, praise Him. When you are weak, praise Him. When you feel hopeless, praise Him. It is easy to praise the Lord, to give thanks to the Father when things are going well. When life hits a bump, or we feel tired and weak, sometimes we forget to turn to the Father, to praise Him for a new day or seeing us through that tough spot in our lives when all seems hopeless.

Was there a time in your life when it seemed as though everything was upside down and you weren’t so sure it would be right again? Or maybe you are going through something right now and it feels as though you’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Lord is your strength, sing a song of praise to the Father especially when you don’t feel like it. As you praise Him in the middle of the storm, He will lift you up. He will walk with you through it and give you the strength to endure. But here is the thing… sometimes you may not feel it until after the storm has passed and you are on the other side of it.

When life seems overwhelming and you think you can’t handle anymore, turn it over to the Father and sing a song of praise. Praise Him and honor Him and watch as He takes you through it to the other side. God bless! ❤

Abba, Your mercy and grace are new every morning. May we seek You out every day praising and honoring You. Help us to remember when trials come where our strength comes from and to turn toward You. Thank You for loving us and strengthening us to face today. Amen.

Happy Friday ~ The Ring

With love, Mom

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week. It has been an interesting week. I want to share something that happened to me this week. Once upon a time….(Kidding! So not writing a children’s book!😄)

Years ago, my mother received the opened heart shaped ring above. Not long after my son was born, during one of our visits home to see her, she asked if I like the ring. I said yes and she gave it to me. She said “You’re a mom now, I want you to have it.” I asked if she was sure and she said yes, so I accepted it and wore it for a few years. This week I decided to wear my “mom’s jewelry” things that she had given to me throughout the years. I put on my earrings, put on my “mom” ring, and off to work I went. The ring didn’t fit on my ring finger, but it did fit on my pinky finger albeit a tad loosely. I thought I’ll be careful and it should be alright.

Walking to the mailbox at church to send off some mail, walking through the church building, sitting at my desk working. I did all theses things and managed to keep my ring on. As I sat at my desk working, I didn’t give it a thought. It was later on when I went to wash my hands that I noticed it missing. I thought, NO, not my ring from my mother! I’ve had this ring for over 23 years! I retraced my steps, I went to the mailbox, walked through the building, checked my laptop bag, checked my purse, but all to no avail. It was gone. I had lost the ring. The whole time I was praying asking the Lord to help me find the ring. I backtrack again all the while praying and talking to the Lord. I’m telling Him that it wasn’t the ring itself, but it was the sentiment, it had come from my mom. I tell Him that I know I shouldn’t be worried about material things but…it was a gift from my mom. I ask if it were possible, could I find it. Then I’m saying “I know its stupid to worry about it, it’s just a ring, but my mom gave it to me, if it is possible can I please find it. Please show me.” So I retrace my steps once more, still no ring, so I start going through my laptop bag taking stuff out one at time. No ring. I go through my purse taking everything out, and there at the bottom tucked in a corner, lay my ring.

I started crying, thanking, and praising the Lord. And I sat in awe of the magnitude of finding my ring. It wasn’t the fact that I found it. But what it meant to find it. Of how much I am loved and because He cares so much, He showed me where to find it. I thought about what that meant to me to lose a ring that had sentimental value, to find it, and in that moment, I thought about how far Jesus goes to find His lost sheep. He doesn’t quit. He doesn’t say I give up. He keeps searching until He finds them.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

Luke 15:4

Jesus says in Matthew…

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 18:11

Have you had a similar experience where you asked the Lord to help you locate something and He has? How did it make you feel? I’d love to hear about your experience.

God bless and have a wonderful weekend.

The Traveler

A loving Father sent His Son to walk with us through the valleys.

As you travel down the path of life, have you ever looked back and wondered what you would change, if you could? I’m sure we’ve all at some point looked back and had regret whether big or small. We wished we could have done it differently, whatever the it in your life was that led to regret. Join me as we travel through time. A time when all seemed right with world that ended with regret and the journey back to right again. Our journeys are different yet the same.

Continue reading “The Traveler”

From Nightmare To Blessing

I personally believe ~ especially with COVID ~ that a patient should be allowed to have at least one person with them

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I have never been a big fan of hospitals. I’ve had my share of hospital stays and from what I can remember, for the most part they were survivable. 😅 Covid-19 only reinforced my dislike of hospitals. Not long ago my husband had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. While waiting to find out when he would have surgery, he became ill and had to be rushed to the ER. That same day he had found out when he was to have surgery. That same day our nightmare began.

While waiting for my husband to be called back, I was allowed to stay with him in the ER waiting area. He was shaking and sweating profusely and his blood pressure was fairly high. He had a difficult time trying to control the shaking, so I wrapped my arms around him hugging him in the hopes of easing the shakes, but to no avail. It would be two, almost three hours before he would be taken to the back and I would have to leave. Now I personally believe ~ especially with COVID ~ that a patient should be allowed to have at least one person with them at all times. There is nothing more lonely than having to face being in the hospital alone without someone being able to be a voice for you if you should need one. Nothing personal to those in the medical profession, however, there are some out there that simply don’t care.

After I left the ER, I started to wait in the car like others were doing. I waited about twenty minutes before I decided to go home since we lived nearby. Boy am I glad I did too. It would be hours later when I would hear from my husband asking me to bring him an overnight bag. He was being admitted to the hospital. So I did. He had been in the ER since early that morning and by the time I heard from him it was mid to late afternoon. It would be almost midnight before they would find a room for him. His experience that day and into the next would be a nightmare. I mean NIGHTMARE. The next day he was asking me to come pick him up before lunch. We still had no idea as to what was wrong with him and we had no idea that if he did go home, he wouldn’t have another episode. By late afternoon he was finally released and was at home resting. There had been little to no communication during his whole stay. The little bit that there had been, no one seemed to know what was going on and there was a lot of confusion taking place.

My husband was told to call his surgeon’s office and see about getting in for surgery the next week since he had been tested for covid. Praise the LORD for He is good! My husband’s surgery was set for August 4th. Again I was allowed to be with him while he waited to go back for surgery. The surgeon came by and explained what would take place and told me that once the procedure was done he would call and let me know how things went. He said it would be about an hour to an hour and a half before I would hear from him. True to his word, the doctor called and said that everything went well and that once they had my husband awake from the anesthesia I could call and talk to him. My husband had to stay overnight, but this time his experience was totally different than the ER experience. Compassion makes a difference.

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Psalm 86:15

The Bible talks about God’s compassion being gracious, longsuffering, overflowing with mercy and truth. When I examine the difference between my husband’s first overnight hospital stay and his second one, it reminds me of the difference between God’s love and compassion, and the enemy’s chaos and destruction. I can see how the enemy took the ER visit and attacked my husband. But I also see how God took that situation and used it for good. You see, my husband would have had to wait until 21st of August for surgery had this incident not happened.

Can you think of an incident that seemed like nothing good could come out of it only to be surprised when it did turn around for good? Isn’t our God so awesome? He takes our struggles, our pains, and our hurts and turns them around for good when we let him. God bless!💖🙏