"You Can Bear It!" Hold on....

The bible tells us that God will not put more on us than we can bear.  When we hear this, we may  want to challenge it,  See some trials we have been through has left us broken, hurt and even depressed, but if we really look around for bit, we may realize that we made it and we can look around and see that everyone has a burden of come kind.   

IT SEEMS LIKE TOO MUCH!

DEATH

A couple that has survived the death of their child.  They have been a light in the darkness every day since the journey began. They have encouraged, celebrated, cried, talked, shared and even helped others amid their pain.  They bore it well.

SICKNESS 

A woman I know who has dealt with sickness in her body for over 40 years.  She has been in hospitals five or more times a year, on way more medication than you can imagine.  In fact, she took so much that she knows how to regulate what they give her, suggest another prescription, and tell  her doctors what works best for them to prescribe.  Yet in all of that, she continued to reach out to others, she continued to help and pray- often seeing others receive answers when she was still waiting.  She bore it well.

DIVORCE

A person who survived divorce, they didn’t fight the process, but trusted God to be provider.  They kept a good relationship with their Ex to allow their kids to be free.  They continue to encourage people to work in their marriages although theirs is gone.  They worked to avoid a bitter heart and have learned to treat everyone involved well.  

SURVIVAL

A person who survived the difficulties of being looked over on their job.  They kept working and kept switching jobs as they tried to keep food on the table.  They never gave up on God, and they continued to attend services although they were hurting.  They have been faithful to their family, and work hard to keep the family intact.  God is still in the process of answering this prayer, and they are still praying and trusting God for better, with a smile. 

"There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which you are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." I Cor 10:13

YOU WEAR IT WELL!

We often think that the scripture means that we are happy about it, or it is an easy burden, or maybe even that some supernatural gift is given that helps us bear the pains of life; but none of that is true.  The truth is that it hurts, it is hard, we cry, we pray and we hope, but sometimes the burden does not get easier, it does not go away and we often have to live with residue of it.  The difference is in glorifying God as we bear it.  Yes, we continue to hope, we continue to pray and continue to trust God, even when it does not go the way we want.  Each of us have something, not everyone has the same thing and truthfully, if we looked around, we would NOT want to switch with others.  

This is an encouragement for you today, whatever your THING is, give God glory in it.  You never know who sees your strength when you don’t, who recognizes your faith when you think it is gone.  And we will  never know the glory that God receives when we keep pushing forward!  We still have a promise that our present suffering cannot be compared to the glory that shall be revealed!  Keep going, you got this!   

"A Filtered Life"

A filter is recognized as a device that removes impurities, particles or unwanted materials from something.  It is also a function used to alter the overall appearance of an image in a specific manner.   In today’s world, filters are great!  We love the fun we can have with them, the things we can eliminate with them and the overall changes that they can make in our lives.   We have found that some filters don’t just take away, they can also add things.  They can correct or add color, put a frame around you image, they can even add a face on top of your face.  Filters can be fun, but they can also be deceptive.

ROSE COLORED FILTERS

Without thinking about it, we can have filters on our eyes, on our ears and even in what we speak.  Our life and how we have been raised, how we think and what we believe are all filters that we view life through.  They are always in use even when we are unaware because they are such a part of us.  Because we don’t realize we have them on, we assume what we are seeing is always accurate or true.  That is where filters deceive us.  Not every man cheats, not every woman wants you for your money, not every person of color is criminal, not every Caucasian is racist.  Some things we think and feel because of where we came from, what we have experienced, and what we believe.  We all have filters. Because of these filters, we tend to treat people certain ways- but what if what we see is only part of the story? 

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."   

1 Corinthians 13:9 -12

OPEN TO ANOTHER LENS

The bible clearly reminds us that we only see in part, we understand in part often the part that we see and the part that we understand is not really God’s view.  As honest and open as we are, we will never understand everything that happens in life.  Difficulties with people, break ups in relationships, finances that do not measure up to what we know God has said is for us.  But if we can simply remember, God has got this in control!  No matter how uncontrolled it looks, the only way we can truly mess up His plan is to not trust Him and take it on ourselves to make it happen. People have never been our source, we are told not to lean on the arm of flesh.  The government is not reliable, and systems change.  The only thing we can do when things are not acting right, is to trust God.  Trust that He sees ALL OF THIS!  He knows ALL OF THIS!   And He promised to WORK ALL OF IT together for your good and His glory!   If we can’t get any other view, any moment of reassurance other than that, we are still good. 

NEW SIGHT

The question then is HOW?  How do I ignore what I see and trust God?  The first answer is don’t ignore what you see, just don't be moved by it!  Understand  that what you see, all of your filters are not always misleading you, they just show you how you will need to rely on God.  If what you see is people who are not honest in business, then what does that tell you?  Perhaps praying about who to work with, and understanding that you will need to work closely with them so that you are not taken advantage of. It doesn't mean go it alone because no one can be trusted with what God has given you, they may still be a gift - even with flaws.  

If you have things about yourself that you see and don’t like, don’t deny it work on what you can adjust, but understand the balance.  Everything- everyone God made is good!  How can we tell the one who made us that He messed up?  His lens says you are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made”!  

When you see people who do not seem like they are going anywhere in life, if they seem like a waste of space…. Remember- who’s lens are you looking through?  Obviously not God’s.  When we learn to YIELD our lens to His LENS, we will be able to deal with the things and people we see from day to day.  His lens tells us how to pray and what to pray for, so if anything you see today does not look like what God said it is supposed to look like, that is an area for prayer for you.  The fact that you see and recognize that something does not line up means you are gifted and called on to pray for it!  

We have been given power to not run away from things we see that bother us, but we are called to help change them through prayer.   

"The Nightmare of Uncertainty"

I woke from the dream not wanting to open my eyes.  For a moment I tried to figure out where I was and where that dream came from.  Was it the okra chips I ate the night before? Maybe it was the lack of eating that caused it? I couldn’t pin point the origin, but it was really troubling.  It has been a long time since I had a nightmare.  I typically sleep really good at night and on occasion if a dream seems bad, I literally will wake myself in the middle of the dream, pray, immediately go back to sleep and I will change it!  This has been a practice of mine for years, so bad dreams have better outcomes than this one- because I won't let them end bad.  

This dream was different and I couldn't fall back to sleep to change it.  It bothered me on a different level and I couldn’t figure out why.  After getting up with a little light on, I let my dog out, and rushed back to my room.  Normally I would walk through the house for a moment, check on my son, and even peer out the front window, but this dream had me rattled!  I didn't want to walk through my dark house, even with the light. I felt scared of what I would see, or for that matter... not see.     

THE DREAM

In this dream I was in a house with a group of people, we were trying to find some evil presence that was in there, but the problem was we couldn’t see it.  We couldn’t hear it and we only felt the presence and saw the evidence of it being there.  We stayed together as we looked at clues as to where it had been last, it felt that there was some loss in the dream, but we didn’t really come across any signs of it.  As we went from one dark room to the other we were getting more and more concerned and scared.  This went on for quite a bit of the dream, moving from one room to another, searching, seeing the results but never seeing the cause.  It was the longest bad dream I've ever had.  In most of the dreams that I change, something specific happens and I change it to the better, but this one had nothing specific happening, so the roaming continued until the end.  In the dream, I had inadvertently moved away from the group to follow a clue that I thought would bring us some closure,  and I found myself alone in a separate room with this entity!  I knew I was in trouble when I could see footprints in the carpet walking towards me.  Before I had a chance to run or scream, it picked me up- with arms that I couldn't see or feel,  and it flung me back and forth in the air.   Like most bad dreams… I screamed but no sound came out.  No one could hear my cry for help.  That is when I woke up. 

SEARCH FOR MEANING

I always pay attention to my dreams.  I don’t consider myself a dreamer, and would never try to get deep by interpreting them for others; but in the past I have been able to get a good understanding of my dreams, and on occasion the dreams of others.  This one was bothering me.  My house which is usually full of the presence of God and peace, suddenly felt scary.  The carpet in the dream looked much like the carpet I'd just replaced.  The house had people I didn’t know or recognize,  but there was a mutual connection with them.  There was a fear that gripped us when we moved from room to room. It reminded me of some plans I have been working on, and some other things that kept coming to my mind this week.  I pondered on the nightmare, it seemed to have little bits of reality with a lot of uncertainty... and that was when it hit me.

UNCERTAINTY

One of the darkest and most difficult opponents we will have in life is uncertainty.  It will always be there in one form or another, undetected and quiet.  It can linger for a long time and you can find yourself battling it day in and day out.  You will never be the only one fighting it because others will have the same issue.  That is reassuring because there seems to be safety in numbers.  But at any given moment, you can find yourself alone in a room full of uncertainty.  It will toss you back and forth, fill your heart and mind with fear and confusion,  and it will seem difficult to call for help.  But like any bad dream, once you understand what is going on, you can change the game.  Once you get a little meaning and realize what God has said about the thing that is causing the fear, you are instantly empowered! 

BATTLING UNCERTAINTY 

Once the dream became clear to me, I began a simple prayer, thanking God for His power, His presence, and His will being done in my life.  I let God know that I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but He does!  Just like moving from room to room, He is there with me and His presence overpowers any other.  His presence guarantees my safety, my provision and my peace.  I may be uncertain of a lot of things, but God's love for me and His promises are not uncertain.  God has promised to be there, to guide me and to direct my path, today again I trust Him to do it.

If you find yourself in a place of fear or uncertainty about tomorrow, take time to connect with God.  We will never know all of what is in the next room,around the next bend, and we are not guaranteed that others will be there with us.  But what we are guaranteed is that He will never leave us or forsake us, the steps of a good person are still ordered by God.  He won't lead you astray.   

Be excited about the changes you are embarking on.  Be assured that there will be scary moments, but there is a greater One who is in the room with you to guide you and direct you towards purpose!  With each turn, each new endeavor, trust that you are not alone.  Our faith is activated when we continue to walk from one place to another even though we are scared!  Know that God who is perfect LOVE is there, He will deal with our fear as we yield it to Him.   So don't be moved by uncertainty,  it will be there, but walk in what you are certain of... God is too!    

Continue to march, press forward and enjoy your journey!  

Parenting Requires a "Buy In"

I sometimes stop and think about my kids.  I have been blessed with 2 biological children, and 2 inherited ones.  Each has their own personality and their individual response to life. Although they were all raised under one roof, they didn’t always think the same nor did they desire the same things.  One of the hardest things to deal with as a parent is wondering what you did wrong or what you could have done differently when raising our kids.   However, sometimes I think we put too much on ourselves. We think that if our kids don’t follow the path that society chooses, we fail.  If they don’t honor God every day of their life, we failed.  If they decide to do something we would never condone, we failed.  At what point will you give yourself a little credit?  If your kids are still here, still alive and able to make their own decisions, you have done something worth celebrating.   Before we go too far in that direction though, let’s examine it further.

WE CAN ALL DO BETTER

I would never imply that a roof and food is enough for kids to be successful in this life.  We all know it takes much more than that.  Emotional support, spiritual encouragement, financial needs and educational components, are all part of it along with taking care of natural and physical needs.  We are all made differently, so emotional needs might seem difficult for parents to meet, or even the financial ones.  But when we recognize our shortcomings that is when we need to  lean on our village.  We need to utilize our church family, local community organizations and even our family to assist us.  As we see in the news today, every village often comes with problems.  The worst thing we can do is to isolate ourselves from people we feel push us too much, or to select people to keep or help with our kids when we are in a crunch and don’t take time to consider their issues, or our kid’s needs.  Being part of a church when you don’t feel like going is often good for your kids. It enables them to connect with other kids, or possible mentors who learn them and love them.   It still takes a village to raise a kid to be successful in this life.

IT’S NOT COMPLETELY UP TO YOU

One of the most eye-opening thoughts that I’ve had in regards to successful kids, is the fact that it is not all up to us as parents.  When we consider that our kids are not really ours, they are borrowed from the Lord according to scripture.  Which means, they need their connection with Him, they CHOOSE to hear what you teach, act on what is right and live out what their purpose is.   The BEST thing we did as parents was to allow our kids to have a genuine relationship with God, not ruled and pushed by us, but guided by us.  Yes, we were at church A LOT, but we were also the same at home and church so we didn’t have two different messages the kids had to decipher.  We openly talked about God and His direction in our life, His ways, His love.  We didn’t think that success meant our kids had to follow in our footsteps.  We did however teach them to work hard, be responsible, watch their connections and love God.  God has been good to us in that our kids are good.  They are not perfect, but they love God in their own way, they know He is ever-present and they treat people well. To be successful in this life success will always require a buy in.  We, just like our kids, have to be sold on the fact that success is for us too.  When we come to that place, we can then begin following through on the steps necessary to get there.  We choose friends, jobs and how we act differently when we really see ourselves as being successful.  Teach your children to buy in to their own lives, their own success.

THANK YOU!

I want to take a moment and thank my kids for being who they are.  Whether biological or inherited, you have been a blessing to me.  Your life, your love, your personalities, your honesty and who you are becoming is a really joy to me.  We did what we could, but you and God did the rest!  You listened, you prayed, you decided, you chose, and you continue to go forward in a way that is truly rewarding. I am beyond proud that I have never visited a jailhouse to pick you up, I have never had to rescue you from a drug house.  We had interesting drama, but nothing that hindered you from being the success you are today.   I love you all greatly and am so glad God allowed me to ‘borrow’ you from Him.  Our only goal was to return you to Him, ready! I am excited about what God will do in you next.  Thank you for buying in to your own success!  Parenting can be challenging and we couldn’t have done it without you.