We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday at Fellowship church and before we ate our meal, we separated into small groups, shared communion and each took a turn to say what we were most thankful for this year. How could I possibly say all that I am thankful for this year in just one sentence??? No, that’s just not possible for me, so I had to carry that one over to my blog. So here goes….
To me, this is not just Thanksgiving Day, it has been a Thanksgiving YEAR, filled with blessings of great multitudes. I am extremely thankful that I did not have to go on dialysis, take insulin shots or have another transplant this year as the doctors predicted I would. I am even more thankful for my eyesight that has been restored and my new found independence because of it. I am thankful for my loving family and all of the wonderful new friends that God has placed in my life this year. I am thankful for a job that I love and that my boss has moved my office from downtown Baton Rouge to just 2 miles from my house. (Which reminds me that I am also thankful that gas is now $1.87 a gallon and not $4.00!)
During the past few months, I often find myself daydreaming or lying awake in bed continuously thanking God for all of my blessings this year. He is so awesome! I am in such awe of how much my life has changed from just one year ago. It took so much of my energy to drag myself to work each day. Always sick and exhausted, I barely managed to make it through the work week then spent all weekend in bed recovering, just to start it all over again on Monday. My mom had to drive me everywhere I went and help me to do all of the physical things I needed to do. Wow! What a year of transformation it has been! I was able to travel to France, I have moved into my new home, my eyesight has been restored, I can drive myself to work and to the store, carry my own groceries, clean my own house and I now spend my Sunday mornings at bible study and church rather than in bed sick. I feel great both physically and spiritually and for the first time in years, I feel like I am alive again. I just want to freeze this year in time so that I can enjoy it forever!
Of course, I am thankful for all of these wonderful blessings that God has so graciously bestowed upon me but I am also thankful for the trials that I have experienced to get to this point. By going through the trials, I have learned so many lessons I could not have learned any other way. It has taught me to appreciate the little things in life, to know the importance of always saying I love you to the ones you care about, to deepen great relationships and to repair the broken ones. But, most importantly, it has brought me to my knees and made me discover who our God really is. THAT is what has made the biggest impact in my life. No matter what the future brings, I know that He is in control and will be by my side to strengthen me and carry me through.
Thank you God for so perfectly planning my life and being in control!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Its all about hope and encouragement
I am so blessed to have an amazing testimony of God’s healing grace. It has been on my heart for a long time to write my story down on paper so that I can share it with others. As with a lot of things in life, I keep procrastinating on this, thinking I will write it all down when I have more time. My dear friend Ronda has recently reminded me that I NEED to do this soon and stop putting it off. She always manages to encourage me to do the things I keep saying I am going to do but never make the time. Reading a good book, starting a bible study, baptism, joining a lifegroup...the list goes on… I always love a good challenge and she has certainly managed to challenge me spiritually. She gives me so much hope and encouragement.
As I sit to write this testimony, I am reminded of the obstacle that always seems to hinder my progress – Guilt. I always seem to question why has God blessed me so much when there are many who were not as sick as I who have not made it this far. Would anybody who is so sick and is suffering really want to hear my story?
As I was sitting in my office today contemplating over what to write and where to possibly begin, the regional president of our bank walked in as he had come to our branch for a visit. We began to talk about his wife who is battling stage 4 cancer and is really ill. As I listened to him talk of the dreadful diagnosis and of her poor condition, my heart sank deep into my chest. I could see deep sadness in his eyes as he talked of her situation. But despite the bleak diagnosis, he talked of their faith and the hope they had that she would recover. What could I possibly say to him? Yes, I had experienced my share of bad diagnosis and suffering but never on such as level as his wife. I gave him a hug and wished him my best and all I could think of was to tell him the story of my recent miracle of restored vision. As I told the story I am thinking to myself, I must sound so stupid telling this story to a man whose wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. How could it possibly compare?? I must have sounded so cheesy.
Contrary to my belief, he was so excited for me. He thanked me for sharing my story and told me that was just what he needed to hear that day. He said, “You give me hope and encouragement.” Wow!! I was so humbled to hear that. After he left, I told the story to my coworker and the guilt that I felt as I asked what could I have possibly done to deserve God’s amazing grace? The truth is, nothing. There is nothing I could ever possibly do to deserve His mercy and grace. It is simply His gift to me.
She told me to read her devotional for that day and I was blown away as I knew God was talking directly to me…
THIS IS A TIME OF ABUNDANCE in your life. Enjoy your blessings. Your cup runneth over with blessings. After ploddig uphill for many weeks, you are now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine.. I want you to enjoy to the full this time of ease and refreshment. I delight in providing it for you.
Sometimes my children hesitate to receive My good gifts with open hands. Feelings of false guilt creep in, telling them they don’t deserve to be so richly blessed. This is nonsense thinking, because no one deserves anything from me. My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it’s about believing and receiving.
When a child of Mine balks at accepting My gifts, I am deeply grieved. When you receive My abundant blessings with a grateful heart, I rejoice. My pleasure in receiving flow together in joyous harmony.
Wow, I needed to hear that! I know now that my healing is a special gift from God that He truly wants me to have and I will praise him forever! My prayer is that God can speak through me to write the best testimony to glorify His name and give others hope and encouragement.
As I sit to write this testimony, I am reminded of the obstacle that always seems to hinder my progress – Guilt. I always seem to question why has God blessed me so much when there are many who were not as sick as I who have not made it this far. Would anybody who is so sick and is suffering really want to hear my story?
As I was sitting in my office today contemplating over what to write and where to possibly begin, the regional president of our bank walked in as he had come to our branch for a visit. We began to talk about his wife who is battling stage 4 cancer and is really ill. As I listened to him talk of the dreadful diagnosis and of her poor condition, my heart sank deep into my chest. I could see deep sadness in his eyes as he talked of her situation. But despite the bleak diagnosis, he talked of their faith and the hope they had that she would recover. What could I possibly say to him? Yes, I had experienced my share of bad diagnosis and suffering but never on such as level as his wife. I gave him a hug and wished him my best and all I could think of was to tell him the story of my recent miracle of restored vision. As I told the story I am thinking to myself, I must sound so stupid telling this story to a man whose wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. How could it possibly compare?? I must have sounded so cheesy.
Contrary to my belief, he was so excited for me. He thanked me for sharing my story and told me that was just what he needed to hear that day. He said, “You give me hope and encouragement.” Wow!! I was so humbled to hear that. After he left, I told the story to my coworker and the guilt that I felt as I asked what could I have possibly done to deserve God’s amazing grace? The truth is, nothing. There is nothing I could ever possibly do to deserve His mercy and grace. It is simply His gift to me.
She told me to read her devotional for that day and I was blown away as I knew God was talking directly to me…
THIS IS A TIME OF ABUNDANCE in your life. Enjoy your blessings. Your cup runneth over with blessings. After ploddig uphill for many weeks, you are now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine.. I want you to enjoy to the full this time of ease and refreshment. I delight in providing it for you.
Sometimes my children hesitate to receive My good gifts with open hands. Feelings of false guilt creep in, telling them they don’t deserve to be so richly blessed. This is nonsense thinking, because no one deserves anything from me. My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it’s about believing and receiving.
When a child of Mine balks at accepting My gifts, I am deeply grieved. When you receive My abundant blessings with a grateful heart, I rejoice. My pleasure in receiving flow together in joyous harmony.
Wow, I needed to hear that! I know now that my healing is a special gift from God that He truly wants me to have and I will praise him forever! My prayer is that God can speak through me to write the best testimony to glorify His name and give others hope and encouragement.
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