Tag Archive | God

Why I Celebrate Each and Every Birthday I Have…

Feb6

TODAY, FEBRUARY 6th I BECAME A 53 YEAR OLD WOMAN…

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Think I’m insane to post my age?  Perhaps you’d rather put less candles on your cake instead of another one?  Not me!  Let me explain why I celebrate each birthday with joy…

I could give you scripture such as:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23

Or a quote such as:

With age comes wisdom.

We’ve heard these and others before.  Nope, not why I celebrate each and every year…

In 2001 I was diagnosed with a serious heart ‘defect’.  I was just 41 at the time.  Imagine living till 41 and not knowing your ticker has never worked properly?  In fact, it never pumped my blood correctly and my oxygen never performed the job it was supposed to.  How could I not know this?  How was I able to be an active kid and teenager? What about my children that I gave birth to- how did I survive this?  These are all mysteries to me.  However, I know the One who created me, including my custom made heart.  I knew He had a reason.

In 2001 I was given the option of a very risky repair (open heart) or risk no action and live perhaps another 10 years- most of which would be unhealthy since my heart health would continue to decline.  After much prayer, education and consultations, I chose the surgery.  I wanted to continue to be wife, mother and a future grandmom!  I wanted to experience more life.  A risky surgery was the ONLY way this could happen.  I now bear the most beautiful seven inch mark of courage which reminds me of the day my heart was held in my surgeon’s hands, the day God entered into an operating room with me.  This was the most amazing ‘show and tell’ experience.  The doctor was amazed and so were others in the operating room.  This is the day everyone knew what David spoke of in Psalm 139- For I am fearfully and wonderfully made!  They had never seen a heart like mine.  Just like you, I was hand created by the same One who created this amazing universe.  

Since that surgery in 2001 I have had one more repair- last May.  Once again, the impossible was made possible because God permitted it.  After the surgery was finished my surgeon told me that I have the most unique heart he’s ever seen.  He told me he repaired something that he thought was impossible to repair.  Of course, I instantly thought…’with God, ALL things are possible!’

How am I today?  I am a new woman.  Oxygen is flowing properly, heart is beating perfectly, energy levels are above what they’ve ever been my entire life…even as a child.

Why do I celebrate?  I celebrate because the One who created me is the very same One who sustains me.  Every day I run up and down multiple staircases thanking God each time.  I’m not out of breath and am rejoicing for the great opportunity to reach new heights in serving Him.  My entire world has opened up to me.  I AM HEALTHY and NOTHING is holding me back from a full life!  I do not take life for granted.  Without these amazing healings I think where I might be today.  Without the original surgery, I’m reminded I would be with my Creator in my forever home.

I look forward to my forever home, I have a child and some grandbabies, grandparents and inlaws…and a very good friend…already there.  I look forward to seeing what Paul wrote about in Revelation 4- streets of gold…  I look forward to hearing ‘well done, good and faithful servant’.  I look forward to that day but I don’t want to miss a single opportunity He has for me here on this beautiful earth as I seek to serve Him daily.

I celebrate because I know each day is a gift.  We are not promised tomorrow to be able to jump up out of bed and go about our normal day.  Each birthday we receive a birthday gift from our Creator.  We receive the breath of life.

Today I choose to celebrate with some of my great friends for lunch and then with my husband and son for dinner.  Yes, today is going to be a great day to celebrate my 53rd birthday.  This will be an incredible year!  Thank you Lord for this very special gift!

Now, I think I’ll start my celebration by using the stairs!  

 

Today Is a New Day!

Jun18

God’s compassions are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!

It’s early and I am watching the day unfold.  The darkness becomes light right before my eyes and I am reminded today is a new day.  The choice is up to me- will I embrace this new day or live in the past of yesterday?

The past has some very good memories- as a teen I accepted Christ, meeting the man who would become my husband, and the birth of our children and grandchildren.  Yes, the past has many warm memories!

However, if I am totally honest, my past includes some events I would prefer to not remember- childhood abuses  by two older boys, feelings of being lost in a big world, some bad choices I’d made, the loss of one of our children and the loss of several grandchildren.  Yes, my past has many harsh memories.

As a woman of God I must decide if I believe in a loving merciful compassionate God and His Word found in the Bible.  I am immediately reminded of His promise in Lamentations 3:19-24 – I have hope!

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.  I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therfore I will wait for him.”

His compassion IS new every morning.  Will I miss out on them because I am dwelling in the pain of my past?  Embracing God’s promises doesn’t magically erase the painful memories of my past.  Accepting and embracing God’s compassion toward me helps me to remember the blessings, have hope for today while not letting my past pain rule who I am today.  I AM a woman of God and I choose to exchange the pain of my past darkness to become God’s light as He unfolds His love, mercy and compassion on me today.

I encourage you to spend time with Him today, accept his compassion toward you and know today is a new day!  Here is a worship song by Don Moen called Thank You Lord to help you start today fresh in Christ…

Are You Like a Duck?

Jun11

Look closely…the leader is in the front and the others are following his every move!

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”  Psalm 119:32

I hear the gentle lapping of the water and as I gaze around me, admiring God’s beauty, at a distance I see something beautiful that catches my eye- a family of ducks swimming across the water.  They didn’t stray from one another, instead they faithfully stayed close to each other.  They were surrounded by a large body of water, they could have gone all over on this peaceful morning and yet, they chose to cling tightly to each other.  I realized we can learn a valuable lesson from these faithful ducks.  I asked myself a question- “Who and what do I cling to?”

It’s often easy to be a Sunday or Holiday believer, but what about all the other days each and every year?  On those days when life is sweet I give God praise.  Do I also praise Him when I walk through the pain life often brings?  The daily struggles that come my way? This family of ducks follow their leader everywhere, staying close together.  If the leader turns, so do they.  In fact, they follow their leader’s every move.  I am once again challenged:  Do I stay closely connected to God in this same way?  Attentive to His every Word?  When He says “Go!”, do I go?  When He says “Stay!”, do I stay?  When He says “Serve!”, do I serve?  When He says, “Be still my child.” do I sit patiently waiting and basking in His love?  It is a challenging thought for me.  What about you?  I want to be like this family of ducks!  I want to be closely aware of the Leader of the family of God.  I want to follow my leader’s every move.  Therein lies the challenge…as a daughter of the King of Kings- am I attentive and willing to stay closely connected to my God?

Here is today’s worship song by Chris Tomlin- I think this says it all.  Is this the cry of my heart?  I want it to be…do you?

I Want to Live Out My Purpose…Just Like Grass!

Jun8

Here I sit in the stillness of the morning.  My senses have become alert…

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.  Zephaniah 3:17

The grass on the dunes sway with a rythm as they dance to the music God plays on the wind.  Oh, to be like this grass.  To live free, fully abandoned for You.  To hear the songs You sing over me and to let myself embrace the beautiful movement of it all.

These grasses do not worry what today holds for them, let alone tomorrow.  They are living out their purpose for this very moment.  They are planted where You want them to be and their dance is comforting and encouraging to me .  I sit here, amazed – before an audience of One.

Father, teach  me to seek you daily, recognizing I am before you, before an audience of One each time I am before You during my quiet time.  I want to dance to Your song that You created specifically for me.  I want to spend each day planted where You want me to be and serve the purpose You created for me.

Is this your desire too?  Then a great place to start is worship.  Enjoy and be encouraged by this beautiful worship song as you stand before an audience of One today.