Just Nestle

"Don't wrestle, just nestle." Corrie Ten Boon

What a thought! What a picture of peace. Psalm 25:15 "My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net." Was David fighting the situation? His eyes were ever toward the Lord, not just at times. He knew God. He wrote Psalm 23. He knew God's provision for His every need. Yet now his feet were in a net, basically saying he was trapped and unable to remove himself out of his situation. YET his eyes were on the Lord.

I'm a bit feeling trapped with this leg of mine. Yesterday was MRI day at Outpatient, all afternoon. And now wait for results. Trapped?? Probably not, but wanting to move on with life. Just like the ducks by the lake in our back yard. Some waddle across the lawn, some limp, others fly across the lake. Those that waddle keep on going, and they get to the other side of the lake, maybe not as fast as those that fly, but they do arrive.

Encouraging, waddling, that's me. But I will arrive.

Have a great day, God bless you.

More Testing

More tests tomorrow. Trying to rule out infection. And then decide what can be done for the pain so I can wear my prosthesis. I do not have pain constantly until I wear the prosthesis. The swelling is gone, color good, but the phantom pain is much more severe than it had been.

I return to Habakkuk, "How long Lord?" David Jeremiah says it so well, "You can demand all the answers, neatly gift-wrapped. You can insist that God quickly resolve every trial and injustice in your life...or you can choose to lift up your eyes to the heavens, pour out your tears and grief and anger, and say in the very midst of them, "God I have no clue what this turmoil is all about or where it is leading, but this is my resolution: I will put my trust in You, and I will praise You with all of my heart, unconditionally!"

Where do you find yourself in your trials?

God bless you

Anxiety vs Joy

Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

What a powerful verse and promise!! David had much anxiety running from a mad king. He wasn't running for a day or two, but for years. He knew the throne was his, yet Saul kept him running. As I wrote last night, "Lord how long?" When will it end? Whatever your circumstance is...there hasn't been a light at the end of the tunnel for a long time. No end of the suffering, illness, rebellious child, death, loss of job, loss of home. The list goes on. Stress pull the strings tight. Anxiety, when will it end?!!

Maybe never. I don't know, you don't know. All I know tonight, is that this is my promise to claim. It is yours too. We can find joy in the midst of anxious moments (days, weeks, months, years). God wants to console us. He is so gentle, so patient. He has a plan.

So the question is, if hung in the balance—joy and anxiety—which would win in your life? It seems I've been forever trying to walk, to overcome the obstacles of the amputation. But I have seen those who have no legs. I have one. Thank you Lord for that one leg. Thank you Lord for tile floors and an office chair that has become my mode of "travel" in the house. Yes, you read it correctly. No wheel chair, only an office chair. :))

God bless you

Through the Eyes of a Child

Habakkuk 1:1-5 is an interesting few verses of feelings of a prophet. Sounds quite like you and me when our problems are surrounding us—Lord, How long? You aren't listening, evil is taking over. You just don't seems to care. You seem to be busy with other things.

As I listened to Pstr. Bob Coy preach on this today, I was encouraged that even though it seems at times that God isn't listening, I can know He is. He has a plan for my cries, but that plan is far beyond what I know and what I can imagine even if He would explain it to me. Sometimes the answer to my cries seem so long in coming, but also in a way that I would never have guessed.

Just like a 4 year old, Promise is going through a stage of thinking life revolves around her wishes and she should make her decisions, but of course they would be made through the eyes of a child and her understanding. That is how we are, we only see our situation through our eyes and our understanding. God sees the eternal side of me, and what it will take to get me there. He sees my situation in light of the future and not just the present.

Heaven is more than anything we can imagine, even if He told us. John saw heaven, and in the book of Revelation there wasn't words to say what it really was. The phrase "as like, like" etc. is often used.

Let the Lord hear your cries, contend with Him but let Him give the ultimate answer and know that it will be for our good and what is best for us for now.

Eternity...we couldn't believe all it is even if He told us.

God bless you

What concerns me?

Psalm 138:8 "The Lord perfects that which concerns me..."

Sitting at the desk, wondering what to share. My mind is blank, I feel empty and tired. So tired. It has been a busy week, and maybe more stressful than I thought. A friend changed her address to "heaven", doctor appointment, and a bone scan.

Then I read this verse...I can rest in Him. He will perfect that which concerns me. Maybe I am making concerns that aren't mine to have. Many times we stress ourselves on things that aren't our concerns at all. I desire to give my concerns to Him. He can perfect them. Make them into good, mourning into joy, sadness into dancing.

As we begin the weekend, let's turn our hearts to Him, worship Him, believe Him for the best He has for us, which may be suffering. But it is the best for us if that is what He chooses.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend

Pray without ceasing

I remember when I was much younger, wondering what that meant and how God expected me to pray all the time and yet get things my chores done. Many years later I learned that an attitude of prayer is what is needed.

I have told people that I have had many prayers answered while cleaning the shower. What better place...down on your knees, no one will bother you there, and you are alone.

I am truly grateful to serve a God that wants to hear from me. He is always "there". He knows my needs before I ask, but also knows my praises before I give them. Just like a mother...we know our children are thankful, but it is good to hear a "thank you" from them.

My prayer is for so many hurting, sad people. My prayer is for tomorrow...bone scan. I'll be so glad to have that behind me. Why does a bone scan seem like a mountain? Is it worse than a quake? Smile.

Time to lay me down to sleep. The Lord will keep me this night. And He keeps you.

God bless you.

Sing Praises

Psalm 30:11-12 "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

I think of Nehemiah, how his heart was broken when he heard the city of Jerusalem was under the rubble. Am I as broken when there is sinful rubble in my life? He went there, started a work and rebuilt the walls. Our lives are constantly cleaning rubble messes. We dig things out that have been buried under the rubble of sin, depression, rebellion. The list can go on and on.

Like Nehemiah, he confessed the sins of his people, we too must come to the throne of grace and confess our sins. Rubble dust is very dirty. It is a remembrance of what was. We must not allow the rubble of unconfessed sins to keep us from the Lord. After confession, we can remember the covenant of love and our redemption in His blood. Our mourning will turn to dancing and we will experience joy forever.

We will sing praises to our Lord, we cannot be silent, thanking the Lord forever for His work in our lives, out of the rubble forever.

More on a personal note—I have been unable to wear my prosthesis for many days. Although the doctor in the ER said I have cellulitis, the follow-up doctor disagreed. An x-ray didn't show any abnormalities, so now I'm scheduled for a bone scan. This is simply to confirm that there is no infection.

We are praying that a solution will be found so I can walk again.

God bless you.