Lessons Learned From the Class of 2013 (Part 2)

When you have experienced a difficult year, the temptation is to cover yourself with camouflage in hopes the New Year cannot determine your whereabouts.  The truth is....that is not what you really want. Truly - HOPE does spring eternal.

Continuing on with Lessons Learned From The Class of 2013 (Part 2):

I have learned that I will NEVER stop praying for the healing of others up until the very last breath - whichever one comes first - theirs or mine.

I have learned that your hope, joy, peace can be built on none other than Christ alone.

I have learned to embrace the flawed parts of my life; body and soul.  For that is the sum total of what Christ deemed worthy to purchase with His life.

I have learned that facing my failures have not only become my credentials for ministry or the stepping stones to a different outcome for my future, but the pathway for deliverance (if heeded) for others. Jesus said those I have forgiven much - love me much and that is a fact!

Once you deal with the bitter - your capacity for the sweeter becomes enlarged.

I have learned that FEAR IS THE ULTIMATE LIAR, and offences keep you frozen in time.

I have come to terms with the fact that the "Word" is like a fire shut up in my bones!

Sadly, I have also learned that there are just some things that simply are NOT to be resurrected. There is rest in trusting God's ways are higher than our ways.

I have learned that being alone does not necessarily make you desperate or lonely.

I cherish my sense of humor as part of my heritage - along with the gray hair. The gray hair is proof positive that I survived another year. The sense of humor has served me well as a life preserver.

I have learned the true power of the blessing and covenant relationships.

I am thankful to discover that I can bring beauty and organization into chaos - I can perceive value in what others may deem worthless, broken or beyond repair.

Probably one of the biggest life lessons I have learned in this year's class...murmuring and complaining transforms the ground beneath you into quicksand.  It is then possible for you to lose your life stuck in one spot.

As I close...I was seeking the Lord as to how I should begin the New Year. Although, I had no one to kiss at the closing of the old year and the beginning of the new - I felt a surge of hope. I felt the Lord instructed me to stay up and turn on my front porch lights as if I were expecting a new friend.

HAPPY NEW YEAR & WELCOME 2014!

Spring Has Sprung...

I may not be able to remember what I had today for lunch, but I can remember what a little boy said to me in the 6th grade that still makes me giggle. "Spring has sprung, the grass has riz.  I wonder where them birdies is??" (Being from the South has its' perks) It has been a never ending Spring time rhyme that comes to visit each year when the buttercups start to peek out from the melting snow, and the worms are playing hide n’ seek with the Robins.

In my lifetime, I have never known life in general to be such a battlefield for myself, and those I love. We have just transitioned through the Easter Season.

For me, Spring is the continuation of the Resurrection Celebration….life blossoming in the deadest of places. Hope springs eternal.

HAPPY SPRING!

                         t-t-f-n- (ta-ta-for-now)

THE 'REALLY' NEW YEAR

As many of you know, as my husband’s health declined, I closed the door on my Blog and my studio. It is my goal to end 2012 in a manner that would honor his life and belief in my dream. So here I am in a new location, a widow… nevertheless...BUT GOD.
I find it virtually impossible to step into a ‘NEW’ Year without reviewing the slide show that has been taking place in my heart these last several days. I have prayed, and asked others to join me, as I have pondered what my future looks like.

It feels as though the huge eraser of life swept through and erased people and relationships I was not prepared to let go of. My reaction wasn’t pretty to say the least.

I believe if I were to make a list of all the changes and challenges that have transpired during 2012 it would be staggering. In addition, the other list that would be staggering is my personal list of miracles. Simply put, there are no less than a bazillion.

Things I formerly soooo took for granted as being rated normal or average, for me, became miracles. It is amazing how your view becomes altered from the bottom with your mouth stuffed to overflowing with humble pie.

I believe that it is an inherent characteristic of human nature to believe that somehow as you gossip, fret, cry, rant, rave, walk the floor, and pray over the losses and failures of others…you are exempt. You must not compare your victories, even more, your losses. This is the height of arrogance and pride. You don’t intentionally feel this way, it is just a fact.

The last Women’s Meeting (where I ministered)  the title of my message was, “Giants Have Relatives.” Little did I know the impact those words would have in my own life.

How many times have I prayed Psalm 23 for others, and just last week that was a portion of the prayer a woman of God prayed for me.

This has been a year of more than one hard decision, and more often than not, I felt like the Lone Ranger. If you know me at all, if after praying, I sense I have the leading of the Lord I will proceed with or without a fan club. The ones you begin with are rarely the ones you end with.

Jesus  life was the perfect example. I surmise that there were more of Jesus followers than recorded. Often it is written they followed from afar. I believe they were secret believers in total agreement of His ministry and choices. They just could not withstand the fire and peer pressure that surrounded His life. Although, I certainly am not comparing myself to Jesus, it is His model that gives me strength.

The sure thing I know about the upcoming year is the same thing I need to remember concerning however many years have been granted to me.

ta- ta -for - now 

I still have a dream that needs to be fulfilled!