A PIECE OF MY HEART...carry me

When my children were little, they liked to be carried. Especially if they were afraid of  something. My daughter at age 2 did not like to get her feet wet. If the lawn was wet, she would look up to me with her hands outstretched asking me to pick her up and carry her. Once we got past the wet grass, she felt safe to get down on her own again.

I was thinking about that and how I often times need to be carried just like my children did. When things come across my way that seem difficult or scare me, I would like to just stretch my arms out and feel like someone is carrying me thru the bad stuff.

Truth be told, just like a parent who will pick up and carry their young children, our Heavenly Father does the same thing for His children. When I am sad, scared, disappointed, discouraged, unsure, apprehensive or just needing some direction, with each step God carries us.

Isaiah 46:4 - Even in your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

My children are grown now, and probably have outgrown me physically picking them up and carrying them. But just like us, they are never too old to be carried by God. His love will sustain us for all time. No matter what our age or circumstance. All we have to do is reach our hands out to Him and He will carry us thru.

Going thru a difficult time? Lift your eyes up and allow God to carry you thru!

LACED WITH GRACE...do over

Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE!

I have shared a devotion entitled "Do over" today. We all deserve second chances, but what exactly do we do with the "do overs" that we are given?

CLICK HERE to read todays devotion!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...what a friend!

This week I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the 3 Hebrews thrown into the fiery furnace. What is so remarkable to me about these three is the kindred spirit that obviously appeared between them. They seemed to be very close friends. They certainly supported one another. Look at how they stuck together when everyone else deserted them. When everyone else was bowing down to false gods, these three stuck together and weathered out the storm. Their dedication to one another could not be shaken, not even in the fiery furnace.

I don't know about you, but, I need to have some friends like this.
The godly kind that will stand with me in the testing of the waters. The kind of friends that will not be swayed by what the popular belief is, but the kind of friends that will stand upon the Word of God. The kind of friends that will stand up for what is right and the kind that will steer away from what is wrong. And the kind of friends that no matter how hot the fire gets, they stand by my side and don't turn on me.

Such a friend. If only we could find one!

It is really difficult to know really what your friends are made of. I have found that the friends that I deemed my closest, actually were not that close at all. The best way to find out what your friends are made of is go thru a difficult time. Now, I cannot think of too many people who set out to bring difficulties upon themselves just so they can find a true friend. But believe me, when trials and difficulties come, many friendships will fail the test. Friends will run away from the fire instead of go thru the fire with you.

But this shouldn't shock us. I know it does. But it shouldn't. After all, Jesus had alot of fair weathered friends. He had plenty of friends when he was dishing up the bread and fish. Plenty of food for everyone, and everyone wanted to be His friend. When He was healing and preaching love and compassion to everyone, everyone wanted to be close to Him and be His friend. But look at what happened when Jesus got arrested...where did His friends go? Many left His side as soon as the heat got turned up. They fled and some even turned on Him and accused Him.

A true friend will be loyal to the end. Have you found such a friend in your life yet? I have been so let down by friendships in my life. I have had friends turn on me and I even have had friends accuse me, but one friend that I can always count on and Who will be by my side no matter how hot the flames get is my friend Jesus.



He has never left me, and He will never forsake me. He doesn't disappoint me. He doesn't hurt me. He doesn't ever leave me. He is always at my side. Loving me, protecting me, guiding me, forgiving me and believing in me.

My, my, my...what a friend we have in Jesus!
The truest friend you will ever have. Today I am so thankful for His love and friendship. It is one of a kind. The kind that will outlast any blazing fire!

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

LYNN is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this month. We would love to hear what you are thankful for today. You can visit her site and link up your TT post HERE!

Don't forget the "I"!

Many times I have heard people tell others "Love ya!" and I, myself have done that. It seems to me that loving others may not be what it use to be. What ever happened to saying "I love you?" When someone takes the "I" out of it, it just doesn't seem to sound the same.

I John 4:16-17 (NLT)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

God never forgets the "I". It is evident in everything that I see as I look around. His creation speaks more than just a "love ya" gesture. Every intricate thought and design of the flowers, the animals, the sky, stars, moon and the oceans bellow "I LOVE YOU" to me from God.

When I think about God's love, I can easily compare it to the ocean.

Have you ever stood in the ocean as the raging tides came crashing in? I wonder what would happen if you would stand there and with all your might and power commanded the waves to stop?Most likely, the tide would still roll and the force of it would probably knock you down.

God's love is like the ocean because it is ever so consuming and cannot be controlled by humans. It is so powerful and so complete. Like the tide that goes in and then out, so is the love of God. We either find ourselves "in" love with Him or "out" of love with Him.

There is no in-between.

There is no partial commitment to God for us. We are either hot or cold. Obedient or disobedient. God is looking for some swimmers in His ocean of love, not just waders. Some of us are like little children who run out to the waves and then run right back in. We get our feet alittle bit wet and then have to dry them off.

God did not send His very best, His Son, to die for you and me for us to just be waders in the ocean of His love. His waves of grace says so much more than just "love ya"... with each splash of His Spirit, you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you".

As we dive into God's ocean of love, may we never forget the "I"!

A PIECE OF MY HEART... becoming the real me

Recently, I have been going thru alot of stuff that has caused me to do some real deep soul searching. I am trying to figure out who I really am. I know that I am a wife, a mom, a writer, a friend, a Christian...but what about really deep down.

 Who am I really?

Have you ever had someone speak less than positive things in your spirit? Maybe it was a put down, or name calling or possibly you have been judged inaccurately. For many of us who have experienced these things, when we hear it over and over, we start to believe it ourselves. Even if it is not an accurate assessment of who we really are.

I have found myself to be in a place that the enemy is whispering lies into my ear. He is trying to tell me that I am less than I am. He is using people whom I once respected and adored to speak negativity into my spirit. It is difficult sometimes to dismiss these voices that try to tell me I am something that I know that I am not.

But God says...

God says that I am so much more. He has made me what I am and He has made me for a purpose. People who have hurt me with their destructive words and behaviour cannot have the last word of whom I was created to be. They are not my Creator. They have no authority over me.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

I was not designed to be what others expected me to be, or even wanted me to be. I was created to be ALL that God desired for me to be. Many times I think I get lost in the process of "becoming". I get busy trying to meet the demands that all my roles come with, I get caught up in trying to be what others think I should be, and I get tricked in believing that I am not as worthy or as important as others. I wonder if the "real me" just doesn't get buried in the busyness of life and people pleasing efforts.

As I have looked inwardly, I have seen a bunch of mangled up emotions but at the same time I have seen sensitivity, creativity and a passion that has only grown with each and every trial and test. I know alot of women who are much stronger than me, more beautiful than me and have more experience than me, but God has shown me that He DID NOT create me to be like them. He didn't create me to be like you nor did He create you to be like me. He created each of us to be used in a unique way.

It is so easy to neglect who we really are because we get so busy trying to be who others want us to be...but when we do that, we risk closing off a place in our spirit where God's gifts and dreams are just waiting to be revealed.

So, how well do you know the real you?

Have you ever considered what God created you to do? When we surrender our unique personalities and passions to Him, He will lead and guide us to be all we can be for Him!

His voice is the voice we must listen to. Who says we are beautiful, strong and unique?...HE SAYS!

and this has been a piece of my heart today;

Miracle from the womb

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Sarah and Abraham to become parents while in their 90's?
I am nearly 50, and news of such sort would knock me off my rocker.

You know the story, both were in their 90's, God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that his wife, Sarah would be the mother of the child. When Sarah heard this, she laughed. (If that was me, I would laugh and cry at the same time!) But the result of God's promise to Abraham was a child named Isaac.

"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." Hebrews 11:11-12

If you have ever uttered the words. "I don't know how You are going to do it", then you have experienced faith. It was not Abraham or Sarah's "problem" to know the "how", it was God's. All Abraham and Sarah had to do was believe and trust.

No doubt, God performed a miracle in Sarah's womb. Even though I was much younger than Sarah, God also gave me a miracle in my womb over 26 years ago. After having my first son, I experienced some medical issues that down the road resulted in the doctor informing me that I would not be able to have more children. One of the options that the physician gave me was to go on fertilization drugs to see if that would rectify the problem. After months of analyzing the pros and con's, my husband and I decided to explore this option.

During the next couple months, I had a few appointments, at which time, the doctor would always start my visit off with running a pregnancy test. To my disappointment, the test results would always be negative. Finally, we came to the day that the fertilization drugs would begin. Prior to administering the drugs, my doctor ran one final pregnancy test.

 Negative. Again.

I will never forget the look on my doctors face after he had given me my exam. He scooted his chair back and with a perplexed look on his face, said to me, "You DO want more children, right?"

Alittle concerned of what his perplexity was about, I asked him what was wrong? He informed me that he didn't know how it was possible but I WAS pregnant. He didn't know how the pregnancy tests came back negative, because I wasn't alittle pregnant, I was alot pregnant...4 months pregnant to be exact!

"This is medically impossible." - He said to me and then he congratulated me.

5 months later a beautiful baby boy was born. Our miracle baby. Today, our miracle (Jeremy Paul) celebrates his 26th birthday. I went on to have 2 more babies after him. Every baby is a miracle, but when I say Jeremy is my "miracle baby", he truly is.

I don't know if you are in need of a miracle today, but if you are, here is the living proof that God is still in the miracle business!

(My miracle baby...all grown up!)

If He can do it for Sarah and for me, He can most definitely do it for you. I have several friends that yearn to have a baby, but have not received their miracle yet. To them and to you, I say "hang on, your miracle could be just around the corner."

Be faithful and know that what seems impossible to man is totally, completely and absolutely possible with God!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON.
I LOVE YOU AND THANK GOD FOR YOU!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...refreshment!

You know when you live in the south and the hot summer temperatures peak over 100 degrees, there is only one thing to do to cool down. Well OK, maybe 3. Sit in the nice cold air conditioning, take a dip in the pool or drink a tall iced cold glass of lemonade!

I get so parched in the heat. Some things just don't quench my thirst. Not a coke, not juice, not milk. But when I take a big drink of iced cold water or ice cold lemonade, I feel so refreshed.

Truth of it is, my spirit gets parched from time to time. When things get so busy at my house and I find it hard to spend time with God, my thirst for Him increases. Sometimes what I need to do is turn off the distractions, put my feet up and just quench my thirst with a big tall dose of His Spirit.

Now doesn't that sound refreshing?

1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Do not quench the Holy Spirit."

When we see the word "quench" in scripture, it means "suppress" or "extinguish". When we do not allow the fire of God to rise up in us, (the Holy Spirit) then we are taking a risk of quenching His Spirit in us, and without His Spirit, fresh and anew in us, it is difficult to fight off the heat of the enemy as he prowls around to deceive and destroy us.

Don't let the heat (devil) burn you up, instead, get you some refreshment....drink in some of God's Word and allow His Spirit to breathe freshness into your soul today.

LYNN is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY today. What is bringing praise and thanks to your heart today? Link up with us over HERE!