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Recently I started having trouble with my knees. It came out of the blue. At first it was annoying but now it's become pure frustration.
It's made me think how easy it is to take certain things for granted. What used to be an automatic response such as standing up from a sitting position has become a well planned event.
It's also shown me how each part of our bodies were intricately designed to accomplish a purpose and when one part suffers, it affects all the rest.
So it is in life. Each one of us was created for a very specific reason and we were meant to work together to obtain the end result…a life well lived.
I've gone through seasons of life where I've tried to do it all myself and seasons where I've embraced the gifts of others and worked alongside them. The latter is where the load was lighter and my joy greater. There's wisdom in the verse that says:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9
Life happens. Our bodies fail. Disappointments come. Things can be out of our control. We can keep trying to do it all ourselves but we don't have to.
I don't know where this journey with my knees is going to take me but I know regardless that I can't let it define me. I have an important part to play and so do you. If you're feeling insignificant today, I encourage you to look around you and see how you can come alongside someone who could use the gift you have to offer. You were created for such a time as this.
It’s A New Day It’s been six months since my daughter and her family moved away. My daughter and I used to do so much together. Before she was married, we would go to craft shows, yard sales, out to eat and even go on vacations. After she had her daughters, things changed a little. Instead of vacations and craft shows, it was more like playgrounds and kid-friendly places. At first it didn’t hit me. I was busy flying back and forth visiting down south but now the dust has settled. The weather is getting nice and memories are flooding back. The grief of missing her has been rising to the surface. This week I drove by our favorite coffee shop. The shop is the downstairs of a big old house with a wrap-around porch. We would place our order and sit on one of the many rocking chairs as we enjoyed our coffee. When the girls were born, we would take them in their baby seats or strollers and bribe them with a corn muffin so we could enjoy the peace and quiet. I have many good memories of our times there, but every time I drove by, I felt a sadness deep in my soul and I couldn’t imagine ever going there without them. Today I was in the area and I made a last minute decision to stop. I pushed the memories from my mind as I ordered my coffee and found a rocking chair. I didn’t stay long but it was long enough. It made me realize that there’s a time to be sad but then you have to start living again. Will I forget all the good times? No, I’m thankful for the memories, but there comes a time when you have to push past the pain because you never know what’s waiting for you on the other side. I know this was only the beginning. I have many more places to go and things to do even if I do them alone. It’s not what I'd like, but I know life will go on if I take that first step. My prayer is this, “Lord, help me to remember that I am never alone and that you’re doing something new in my life. It’s never too late to change and You’re not done with me yet. Help me to see You at work in my life. Amen”
Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about! Ouch! How many of us heard those words growing up or said them to our own children? I'm pretty sure I said it to mine. Crying is prompted by an emotion. God made us to cry. Jesus cried. Could you imagine God the Father telling Him to stop? I rarely cried growing up even into adulthood. The only time I cried was when I was angry or someone died. I used to look at tears as a sign of weakness but no more. All of us were made to show emotion. There's a way to handle it for sure but stuffing them down inside is not one of them. That was how I handled it until I was around 50 and then the dam burst and I thought I would never stop. It shook me up pretty bad because I thought I was losing my mind but it was just the unleashing of decades of pent up hurt, resentment and anger. Now I can cry at the drop of a hat. My kids roll their eyes when they see the tears in mine. I can only imagine they don't know what to do with the new me. I've had to learn how to recognize my emotions and deal with them and most of all, not to be ashamed of my tears. There's definitely a time and a place to cry. If you're a parent, you know that the bulk of your tears will be over your children. Someone once said to me that “you're only as happy as your saddest child.” I poured my heart out before God weeping out of fear until one day, I read this verse. “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for your work shall be rewarded declares the Lord, and your children shall return from the land of the enemy.” Jeremiah 31:16 What that said to me was it was ok to cry but there's a time to stop, dry our eyes, lift them up and know that God's got this. He knows. He sees the situation and He will give us the strength to get through it. He'll make a way. So cry my friend. It's going to be ok.
I talk to God all day long. That's how I pray but today I was asked the question, why do I pray? I pray when I don’t know what to do. I’ve been a control freak my whole life. I don’t like the unknown. I like to know what I’m doing. I need a plan. Lately there have been many times that I’ve felt out of control. There are things I can’t fix or change so I pray until I can let it go. I pray when I want answers. Once again, wanting to have some kind of control. I've always felt if I had some kind of explanation, or understanding, I could deal with the circumstances better. I pray when my heart aches . My heart aches when I’m dealing with some kind of loss. It usually involves a relationship whether family or friend. I pray when I’m lonely. I’ve always been around people. I wouldn’t call myself an extrovert unless the situation calls for it, but I like being with others. I admire those who can go to a restaurant or to the movies and just enjoy themselves. That’s not me. I’m always aware of the empty seat beside me. There are many verses in the Bible where God tell us we’re never alone. Psalm 23 says He is by my side. Isaiah tells us not to be afraid because He is with us. So, trying to keep that in mind, I pray when I’m lonely. I pray when I need comfort. When my heart is aching, I need comfort. Talking to God brings me comfort. Sometimes all I need to is just sit quietly. Other times I vent it all out. I pray when I’m afraid. I hate to say it but this is probably 85% of my prayers. Most of the time, I have nothing to substantiate my fears other than a feeling but I’m sure you know that when you live by your feelings, you give them power. That’s never a good thing. I pray when others are suffering. This is a hard one because it involves all of of the above. I hate suffering. I want to fix things and make everything better but there are times there’s nothing I can do. But, I can pray. Why is it we think of prayer as our last resort? It should be the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night. We’re not talking to the air. Our words are not bouncing off the ceiling. They are being heard by God who is very much alive and loves us just as we are. As I looked at my answers, I realized it was pretty one sided. Prayer is communication and communication involves both sides getting the chance to talk. Prayer is not just about pleading or begging, it's about having an honest conversation with God. It's about letting ourselves let it all hang out and not being afraid, ashamed or guilty. He knows how we feel. He knows our hearts and He loves us no matter what. He wants our conversations to be two sided but in order to do that, we have to sit and listen. I can't even imagine how many times I've missed what He's had to say. To be honest, sometimes I'm afraid to hear what He has to say because my prayers haven't always been answered the way I had hoped. The Bible says that “the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.” That's how I want to pray. I have changes to make but in order to do that, I have to be willing to accept His answers even if they don't match my own…if not, I'm just wasting my breath. Father, may I pray in faith knowing I can trust You with the outcome and grow in the knowledge that You are good and Your love never grows cold. Amen