Rejoice in the Lord

Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." That's a tough one. How are we supposed to rejoice in the Lord when our circumstances overwhelm us? When it's so dark, we can't see the way out? When we think they may swallow us up? 

In the midst of these storms, the Bible commands Christians to rejoice. Our joy is not based on our situation because that can change in an instant. Christians will always face trouble in this world, the loss of a job, financial difficulty, an unexpected move, or _____ (fill in the blank).

Trials are God's way of using our circumstances to improve our character. James 1:2-3 says, "My brethren  count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."

Believers are to consider trials opportunities for rejoicing because troubles are tools that refine us, cause us to draw closer to God, and lean on Him. Trials purify our faith, our patience, and our endurance. 

God is in control, even in the midst of a tornado. Don't let it destroy you, let God restore you. Give Him whatever is broken in your life and let him fit everything back together again. His glory shines through broken vessels, through people who endure by relying on Him. 

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

*photo credit: Google Images
*all verses from the NKJV 

What magnificent thing has God done for you when you thought all hope was lost? Did you find it difficult or easy to put your trust in Him? 

Trusting

Having faith, that quiet trust is sometimes hard, especially when He chooses to make us wait. We look at our circumstances and forget to keep our eyes on the Lord. 

Psalm 118:13-14 says, "You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."

Life does that sometimes, pushing us so hard that we fall, but deliverance always comes from the Lord. He is not only our helper, but our "strength and song." The God who delivered the Israelites by parting the Red Sea, the God who made the sun stand still (Joshua 10:13), the God who spoke the universe into being and named all the stars, is ready to deliver you. 

We can trust in His strength. Even when surrounded by impossible circumstances, Christians can proclaim that the Lord is on our side, "For with God, nothing will be impossible"~Luke 1:37. 

Mark 11:22 says, "Have faith in God." Don't give up when it gets hard, because often that's when He turns everything around. 

The Calendar Says it's Spring

Photo Credit: FreeFoto.com

It must be spring. At least the calendar says it is, so it must be true.  Today actually turned out warmer than the meteorologists had predicted. The afternoon high was 60° and partly sunny. That may still seem cold to some folks, but when you've survived a brutal winter with freezing temperatures, ice, and one snow storm after another, 60° feels pretty darn good. 

This afternoon, I sat in the sun while I listened to the birds sing and watched two squirrels chase each other from treetop to treetop, up and down a tree trunk, then across the grass. 

Spring is a time of new beginnings. Birds hatch from their eggs, all kinds of  animals introduce their newborn to the world, flowers sprout between blades of tender grass, and trees burst out with fresh leaves.

As I too anticipate new beginnings in my own life, I welcome the spring.

2013

Another year has come and gone. My wish for you as the calender rolls around is that the floodgates of heaven open and God shower his blessings on you—so many blessings, you won't know what to do with them all.

May He open doors, drop opportunities at your feet, give you good health, safety, and help you to prosper. 

May He grant you the desires of your heart, and may you grow ever closer to Him. 

That is my wish for you in 2013. 

God bless. 

Twenty-Three

As a friend of mine celebrated her 23rd birthday on Sunday, I'm reminded how excited I was when I turned that age. The numbers 2 and 3 are my favorite numbers, and I thought the two of them lumped together would be pretty cool. 

It has now been 23 years since I turned 23. Why does it seem like the last 23 years went by so much faster than the first 23 years? 

The Day the Cupcake Died

Hostess Cupcakes bring back good memories from my childhood. Sometimes my mom would pack these in my school lunch box, and even as an adult, I still loved them. 

Friday, Hostess announced they were closing all of their plants and 18,000+ people would lose their job. After work, I stopped at Walmart to try and find the last cupcake, even though I was seeing posts on Facebook about the shelves already being bare or replaced by competitor's brand. 

The first Walmart I stopped at only had those little doughnuts—donettes, I think they're called—both the powdered sugar and the chocolate kind. They did have cupcakes, but they were either orange or strawberry flavored, and I wanted the chocolate ones. 

A woman, somewhere in her late 20s to early 30s grabbed a bag of each kind of doughnut and said to me, "Is this all they have left?"

"Well, you know Hostess went out of business, right?"

"Yeah. I heard. That's so sad."

"That's the last doughnut you'll eat."

She gave me that deer in the headlights look and grabbed another bag. "I hadn't thought of that."

The second Walmart I stopped at only had two bags of chocolate donettes left and nothing else. 

So, I didn't get my cupcake.  The memories live on, but it would have been nice to have one, just one last time. 

Other companies make them but they are a horrible knock-off. I want my Hostess. Yes, they are full of ingredients that are bad for me, clog my arteries, and all that stuff. But they were yummy. And that's the point. 

Millie's Miracle

"Miracles never cease," my vet said today and shook my hand. 

Five weeks ago on August 29, Millie was diagnosed with Stage IV Chronic Renal Failure. Her blood work had levels elevated so far off-the-charts, my vet suggested putting her to sleep. He said if she were a human, she'd be on kidney dialyses. 

But I said I wanted to try some things first, and the first thing I did was pray. Then I asked advice of people who have dealt with this with their own cats, joined an Online support group for people whose cats have CRF, tried a different cat food with low phosphorus, switched from tap water to filtered water, and began administering fluids subcutaneously on a daily basis.  

I learned she will not eat cat food with a low phosphorus rating. Low phosphorus must mean low taste, so I just fed her what ever she will eat, but continued with everything else. 

We had a new blood panel done today, and her reading were in the normal range. 

My vet was pleased. 

I am pleased. 

Millie is pleased. 

And I'm praising God. He cares about the sparrows, and I know He cares about Millie too.