DESPERATE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--DESPERATE

Five minutes to free write about it

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This week's prompt is such an apt description of what's going on in the world. My heart feels weighed down by the headlines, and in the face of what so many are enduring, the things I've been fretting over these past few months put me to shame.  What do I really know of despair? 

Never have I felt the kind of desperation that would lead someone to cling to the wing of an airplane about to take off, or jump out the window of a flaming tower.  Those two incidents, though years apart, were both triggered by a terror I've never been subjected to. 

As I pray for the people in Afghanistan and Haiti, I feel both grateful and a little guilty for the freedoms I enjoy in my secluded little neck of the woods--freedom to worship, a safe place to live, abundant food to eat, clean water to drink, access to medical care, a vehicle to get around in. Let me never take these blessings for granted.

LESSONS THE LORD HAS TAUGHT ME

This post was written for Five Minute Friday. 

Word prompt--TEACH

Five minutes to free write about it.

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This week's prompt led me on a trip down memory lane, and to be honest, I did not pay attention to the clock as I flipped through the pages of a tabbed notebook started many, many years ago to record what God was doing in my life. So many reminders of His grace, His faithfulness, and the unexpected ways He came through for me when I faced issues that seemed insurmountable at the time. 

I learned much about His grace the day I lost control of my car on a patch of black ice. There was no traffic to collide with as we skidded and spun from one side of the highway to the other, miraculously coming to a screeching halt right before crashing through the barrier.

An extraordinary view of the blazing sun shining through black clouds like a huge ball of fire, in the midst of a rainstorm, gave me a glimpse of God's power and majesty. 

A returned e-mail to a friend that another friend was supposed to forward to her, but who forgot to do so until several months later, finally reached its destination at a time when the friend I was trying to reach was going through major changes and considering becoming a missionary. She called me the day before a missions conference banquet was to be hosted by my church, and accepted my invitation to attend. Coincidence? I think not. To me, it was a lesson in trusting God's timing. His time is always the right time.

My financial issues were what led me to the LORD, and over and over again He has been faithful to provide for all of my needs. The section in my notebook labeled "Jehovah Jireh, My Provider" is probably the one with the most testimonies in it. Not all are about dire needs being met, however. Some are accounts of how God showed me He cares about even the smallest details of my life. Those small miracles meant so much to me.

One of them happened many years ago (when meals cost a lot less than they do today). I was visiting my pregnant daughter while her husband had to be away for a few days. Finances were tight, and as I went for a walk along the narrow stretch of beach that bordered the property they lived on, I wished I had enough money to take her out to eat. It was just a fleeting thought, but as it crossed my mind, a $10 bill came floating across the water towards me.

Another time I drove to an appointment, not realizing that the building was in a metered area. I didn't have any change with me, and got out of the car to ponder what to do. As I opened the door I caught sight of a quarter lying at the bottom of a deep puddle. Just what I needed to feed the meter.

And then there was the God wink just to make me smile--finding a quarter in the middle of a cabbage. 

On several occasions the Lord has helped me do things I would never have thought possible  without a real live person to show me how. Like the time I was creating a handmade gift and wasn't sure how to proceed. I called several friends to ask for help, but none of them were home. It was a time sensitive project, and not knowing what else to do, I prayed about it and then got really still. The Lord guided me through the process by putting thoughts in my mind, even leading me to find a program "by chance" on my computer that did things I never knew could be done, and probably couldn't have replicated if I tried.

Some of the most important lessons the Lord taught me took place during my recovery from a near death experience while hooked up to a ventilator, with acute heart failure and double pneumonia. Not only did He reveal Himself as Jehovah Rapha, healer of my physical body and emotions, but He also taught me about love, friendship, and the power of intercessory prayer. None of these lessons are recorded in my notebook because I wrote a book about them instead. It is entitled Oil of Myrrh. If you would like to read it, you can download a free PDF by clicking on this link. 

ACCOUNTABLE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday. 

Word prompt--ACCOUNTABLE

Five minutes to free write about it.

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One day I will be accountable to God for what I have done with the time and talents He gave me. 

My mind is full of regrets over poor choices made and squandered opportunities. I think of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:10-14, identifying with the tax collector who would not look up, but beat his breast and asked God to have mercy upon him, a sinner. 

And then I think of the words in Psalm 139:16--All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be--which reminds me that we are all Divine originals, created by God for a special purpose. The fact that I am still here means He is not done with me yet, and He has me exactly where I need to be for this particular moment in His plan.

God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). My self worth is not determined by how other people see me, or by my perceived successes or failures. God does not measure success in numbers. If I reach that one person He intended for me to reach, bring hope to that one discouraged heart, or lead that one soul out of darkness to the foot of the Cross, my purpose will have been accomplished.

The very things I feel most remorseful about are the very things that led me to Jesus. Had it been otherwise, would I ever have felt a need for His saving grace? Perhaps success and fulfilled dreams would have led to a life spent chasing after the things this world has to offer instead of those that have eternal value--a greater tragedy by far.

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Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org

GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday. 

Word prompt--FROM

Five minutes to free write about it.

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Wish I could remember which Livestream I heard these encouraging words on so that I could credit the pastor who uttered them. His message provided just the reminder I needed to lift me out of my funk.

This world is not our home. We will face trials and tribulations as we travel from where we are to where God wants us to be. However, He has promised to be with us, and is just as present in the journey as in the destination.

When the going gets rough, instead of feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, we need to lift up our eyes to the One our help comes from, and remember that He is in control.

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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is

the strength of my heart and my portion

forever. -- (Psalm 73:26 ESV)

...from everlasting to everlasting you are

God. -- (Psalm 90:1 ESV)

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where

does my help come? My help comes from

the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

. . . The LORD will keep your going out

and your coming in from this time forth

and evermore. -- (Psalm 121:1-2,8 ESV)

When you pass through the waters, I will

be with you; and through the rivers, they

shall not overwhelm you; when you walk

through fire you shall not be burned, and

the flame shall not consume you.

(Isaiah 43:2 ESV)

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when

I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness,

the LORD will be a light to me.

(Micah 7:8)