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STANDING IN THE GAP

Have you ever had someone stand in the gap for you? Have you ever had someone step up to help you through a trial, a physical illness by bringing your family food, or sent you a card that you got on a particularly hard day and it brings you some joy in the midst of pain? I have many times. What am I talking about? I am talking about someone taking action to physically or spiritually stand in the gap of pain, in the gap of sin, in the gap of all the things the world wants to try to throw our way.

Let me tell you a few times that family and friends have stood in the gap for me and then we will think about some people in the Bible who stood in the gap for others.

My husband struggled with congestive heart failure for several years before his death. He started having to go into the hospital about every two weeks for them to “drain” this fluid that caused him to have problems breathing. His heart doctor felt like that if they replace his aortic value, it would help the fluid to stop flowing into his chest cavity. When he went in for the surgery, I never even let the thought cross my mind that he might not come out of the surgery alive. The day of the surgery, there were about twenty people with us the entire day. People brought food. Several throughout the day, took care of my little grandson, pushing him in his stroller down the hallways or sitting in the floor and playing with him. After about twelve hours the doctors called me back and said the surgery was a success, the valve was working properly but the fluid that had caused him so much aggravation, kept flowing within his chest, but they would continue to try to get it to stop. I remember going back to the family and friends and sitting down. I felt like I was going to vomit. One friend went and got me a cold wet towel. Another rubbed my back. Another held my hand. I asked if we could all pray holding hands. They stood in the gap of disbelief, physical pain and prayed for us. Finally, the doctors called us back and said his body just could not stand any more and he had passed away. I remember just sitting, staring at the wall. People were cleaning up our area and coming to me with hugs. I felt someone behind me embracing me in a strong warm hug. It felt like when you have a shawl and you are really cold and you wrap it tightly around your shoulders. I turned around to see who it was, but there was no one there. I feel God was letting me know I was going to be ok and He would be right there with me every step of the way. God steps into the gap of our hearts and calms those fears of the future and pain of loss.

Over the next week, friends and family were always with me, standing in the gap for me. My husbands work had just direct deposited his paycheck on Friday into our account. His surgery was on Monday. When they found out that he had passed away, they took that paycheck out of our account until my husband’s life insurance had come through. That meant, I did not have any money at all. There was so much to do and pay for. My oldest son stood in the gap. He was so amazing trying to take care of all the details. Friends came from everywhere to stand in the gap for me. I remember just sitting on the couch in disbelief and grief and a friend came in and sat at the kitchen table where my son was, and opened her checkbook and asked him what bills needed to be paid. A friend came in and started dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, doing the laundry. Another made calls for me, like to the company that had my husband’s oxygen equipment. Three women walked in the door and handed me a big wad of money. They said it was for the flowers for the funeral. I did not even have money for that. Food just kept coming in the door. We had to take some of it to a friend to put in her freezer. Another friend made the overhead for us that was shown at the funeral. A dear friend flew in to conduct the funeral. Friends made the trip a couple of hours to where my husband was to be buried, to be there for us. So many precious friends and church family stood in the gap for me. The gap of reality of immediate physical needs and emotional support. There are so many times I could tell you about, during the ten years before he passed away, that people stood in the gap, helping me to take one step in front of the other. That will be for another time. Thank you, God, for You and others standing in the gap for me and my family!

Let’s look at an example of someone from the Bible who stood in the gap for others. There is an amazing story of Nehemiah that I want us to look at. I recently went to a ladies retreat where I was their key note speaker and we talked about standing in the gap for each other as Christian sisters. One of the ladies in charge, gave me an article written by Christian Ditchfield that gives a really good summary of how the Israelites stood in the gap for each other in the book of Nehenuiah. I will quote part of that article here. “Standing in the gap is an expression that comes from a story in the book of Nehemiah. For years God’s people had been living in captivity and exile in Babylon, but at last the day came when they were allowed to return to their homeland. They faced enormous obstacles as they tried to re-establish their capital city, Jerusalem. The community was vulnerable to attack because their defenses were down, the city walls lay in ruins. Their enemies used fear and intimidation to try to discourage the people and keep them from rebuilding the walls. And for a while, the strategy worked. Discouragement and despair prevented them from rising up to once again be the people God meant for them to be. Then Nehemiah arrived on the scene. He told God’s people to keep their eyes on Him and ignore all the threats and accusations made by their enemies. He reminded the people of the value and significance of what they were fighting for. And he had them take turns literally standing in the gap-positioning themselves in the broken-down places, the holes in the wall, with their weapons drawn-while those beside them worked to repair and rebuild the protective barriers. The Bible tells us we all have an enemy-Satan-who tries to use fear, hopelessness, discouragement, and despair to subdue vulnerable believers today. But we can fend him off using the same strategy that worked for Nehemiah.” When Nehemiah’s brothers told him about the walls of Jerusalem being in ruins, he wept and prayed to God. Then, he went and encouraged the Israelites to refocus back on God and the fact that He would help them. Then the Israelites literally-physically stood in the gap for each other. This shows me that we first need to see the reality of the physical situation. We must remember to pray to God first, like Nehemiah did, before we try to do things ourselves. There are so many times in my life that I have tried to take care of a situation on my own, without praying to God first. When I did this, guess what I had to do anyway; I ended up having to pray to God to help me know what to do and usually get me out of the mess I had just made trying to fix it myself!

There are so many examples from the Bible of those who stood in the gap for others; Jonathan standing in the gap for his dear friend David: in Ezekiel God pleading for someone to stand in the gap for Him to stand up to sin: Moses stood in the gap many times for the Israelites. One more quick example of someone standing in the gap for us-for all generations in the future. The most important example; Jesus. At the beginning of time, Adam & Eve created a gap between good and evil. A gap between God and all humanity! Romans 5:6-8 tells us “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet for perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Christ died on the cross to stand in the gap between sin and our faithfulness. Christ’s blood poured from His body and filled all the gaps of sin that man created for himself. God gave His only Son to give the ultimate gift of the cross, to stand in the gap for us. Thank you, God!

So, how can we stand in the gap for each other. I shared a few times, when so many stood in the gap for me. But think about how YOU can stand in the gap for another. There are so many opportunities we come across every day. Maybe you are in the grocery line and an older person is having trouble figuring out how to swipe their card, (I am one of those older people!) Ask them if you can help them or help them get their groceries in their car. Maybe someone cuts you off while driving home from work-pray for them that they can slow down and have a better day. You know someone who is having a financial battle. Send them a gift card for gas for their car or to the grocery store. There are so many examples I could give here. We must learn how to stand in the gap for another, either physically or emotionally. If you do not feel you can physically stand in the gap for another, prayer is a powerful tool to stand in the gap in the middle of a person’s pain, a person’s physical need, a person’s cry for help.

Proverbs 18:24 says “A man who has friends must himself be friendly…”  We have to let others know that we are approachable. We have to get out there and shake hands before or after church. Go to someone you don’t know after church and talk to them. In order for us to have friends, we must put ourselves out there-get out of our comfort zone-and share ourselves with others. How else can we be a light to the world and share our faith? How else can we help stand in the gap for someone unless we have talked, smiled, gone out of our way for them. We need to become a SHERO! A warrior for Christ. A person who holds a another’s hand while going thru chemo. A person who takes food if someone had a baby, been ill or had a death in the family. A SHERO is one who listens, without judgment. A SHERO is one who leaves words of comfort on an answering machine of a person who is going through a rough time. A SHERO is one who sends a card or email to brighten another’s day. Even though SHERO is female: this applies to men who are heroes as well. Become a hero for God!

One more thought in conclusion. Have you ever thought that when we are hurting, that we should reach out to someone who we trust? We have to let others know in order for them to be able to be a SHERO for us. I have always said that I don’t know how to pray for someone unless they reach out to me. We need to get out of the comfort zone of keeping to ourselves and not sharing. We must reach out to a friend and not be so proud that we don’t want others to know we are struggling with a trial, a feeling, an illness or any other thing.

In conclusion, I will quote from the same article that I did above. “We’ve got to keep our own focus firmly on the God who loves us and strengthens us and protects us and defends us. We’ve got to tune out the lies of the enemy and tune in to the Spirit of Truth.  Then we take turns “standing in the gap” on behalf of our friends and family, our brothers and sisters in Christ. While they are doing the work they have to do in their own hearts and lives (in a sense rebuilding the wall)-or while they’re gathering the courage, maybe even regrouping after a tough battle-we pray for them, encourage them, affirm them, support them, shield them. In a spiritual sense, we’re standing between them and the enemy of their souls. The good news is that though the battle rages on, the winner has already been declared. The victory is ours in Christ Jesus! “for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

So, the next time you see someone in need physically or spiritually, get out of your comfort zone and Stand in the Gap for them. What an amazing opportunity God has given us of STANDING IN THE GAP for each other!

Till next time!                                     Keela

FOOTPRINTS

Seeing the footprints in the snow, put a chill through my bones. The footprints were not large but small. It could have been a dog, cat, racoon or even a skunk. Some animal had been right under my living room window, where I had been sitting, leaving behind footprints.

While eating supper with some friends, I was telling a story about my deceased husband and realized none of them had ever met him.  They had never been a part of the many aspects of his life.  He had been an elder, deacon, preacher, mailman & was respected as a Boy Scout leader and trainer.  The over 500 friends and family that came to his funeral was evidence that he had touched so many lives!  But a new generation had come into the church as adults and they did not know the man who was everything to me, who had been a part of my life for over 36 years! Were there footprints that he had left behind?

There is a popular Christian song that points to the fact that we should not leave a legacy behind when we die. That we, our name, should not be remembered but that Jesus should be who is remembered. I agree with the concept. We are to be the light into this dark world of sin proclaiming God’s love and not be trying to make a name for ourselves. But I also look at the Bible and all the characters God has given us, who we do remember their names: Moses-Noah-David-Jezebel-Judas. The first three names we remember as warriors for the Lord. The last two we think about the evil they did. Have you ever heard of a baby being named Jezebel or Judas? There are many characters of the Bible who have left amazing footprints that we should try to step into them and serve the Lord. But then there are several footprints that we do not want to follow because they were evil.

I have started thinking, the older I get, about myself and if I will leave a legacy to future generations!  Would people remember me or would I just become a faraway shadow with a headstone. There are parts of our physical bodies which live through the generations.  My grandfather had the most beautiful light blue eyes that just sparkled.  He has been gone now for many years, but when I look at my oldest son, I see my grandfather reflecting back through his sparkling blue eyes! My son has taken on those blue eyes down through the generations.  Who knows maybe one of these days one of my sons’ grandchildren or great-grandchildren will see him reflecting back through one of their beautiful eyes!  It makes us feel like we have not lost those who have gone on before us because they are reflected in our loved ones.  But is that really important?  Is it only about the physical or is it also about our spirituality reflecting to future generations? Are future generations, a hundred years from now, going to remember our names and that we had served the Lord? The scriptures are full of what we are to do for future generations to help them know and remember the Lord and remember our examples of faithfulness.  Psalm 102:18 says, talking about God’s law, “This will be written for the generations to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.”

     Psalm 76:1-4 reads: “Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  I will open my words in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”  These verses tell me that we are to be vocal about our love for the Lord.  Do my children and grandchildren see the Lord living in me or do I not practice what I preach?  Does my daily life reflect the light of the one and only God?  Does my speech show a person who does not like the bad jokes or the bad language spoken around me at work or on the TV?  We are not to hide who we truly are, but show our true selves to our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.  We must proclaim the Lord and His goodness to our family, so when our footprints disappear, God will be remembered and that He lived in and through us. 

       Let’s look at another scripture.  Judges 2:10 reads: “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”  This is talking about after Joshua died.  Joshua had been a grand leader, known throughout Israel.  The book of Joshua has a very quoted verse.  “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  What had gone wrong that future generations did not know Joshua and were not serving the Lord?  How could they forget what Joshua had done as a leader or how he had led his life?  Somewhere down the family chain, the Lord had not been talked about.  God had not become evident by the way they lived their lives.  God had been forgotten and the world had taken His place in their lives.  During Bible times, they did not have the written scripture so easily accessible to them as we do.  They only had word of mouth to proclaim God to their children and future generations.  We are so blessed to have the written word to help us visualize and know the great men and women who have gone before us. We can keep God “alive” through reading the scriptures to the next generation and through living our lives as a light to the world.  We can be like how Abel in Hebrews 11:4 is described. That scripture tells us that “though being dead, still speaks.”  Themen and women of the past are reminding us of their dedication for the Lord, through reading scripture and talking about past generations to those in the present and those yet to be born.

My mother passed away three years ago.  She lived her life loving her family and the Lord.  She had so many traditions, at the holidays, that my family has tried to keep going, but it is not really the same. So, we also have started new traditions. Traditions are a way of honoring the loved ones who have gone before us; a way to be reminded of their love for each of us still here on earth. Will those old traditions and the new ones I have started, be like footprints on future generations in their hearts?  My older grandchildren will have so many memories with their great-grandmother, my mother.  But my smaller grandchildren will not really remember her except through pictures.  How will her legacy live on?  The key is that we will talk about her and tell stories to future generations about her.  But shouldn’t this be the same with God? We need to tell the stories from the Bible of those men and women who lived for the Lord, so that future generations will know Him.

Is it important that people in the future know me, my husband or my mother?  Should it make me sad that this or future generations have never met my husband, or my mother?  What will people remember when I die?  Will they remember how I died?  What I owned materially or what job I worked?  Or will I be remembered by how I lived my life, my faith.  The importance is that God is alive for future generations through our examples, our faith and our talking about Him. Psalm 78:2-4 say “I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord. And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”   We need to be teaching our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren about God and His greatness. Maybe when one of them are surrounded by evil, one of our words, echoing through the winds of time, can be heard and they will turn to God for their strength and answers instead of to drugs, alcohol or any of the other evil that the world tries to make us believe is the answer. Have we shown our family that the one true answer is to surround yourself with Godly people and the words from past generations that tell us to love and serve only God, not the things of this world?  My purposes on this earth is not to make a name for myself but to proclaim God’s name so future generations will know Him.  It is all about God, not us!  God’s legacy is important, not mine! But our footprints need to be in the hearts of those we love and come in contact with everyday so that when we die, they will remember that we loved and served the Lord.

When my husband died, I went ahead and got a headstone that is for both of us. My daughter reminded me of a Bible verse, that I put on the stone, from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”   In the future, when someone bends down to read my old, wind-blown stone, what are they going to realize? Will they remember my name, the person I was to my friends and family? No, but they will read that scripture and know that my husband and I loved the Lord. The verse will speak through years to come, to future generations, giving hope that there is something after this life. That there is hope for their future, if they serve the Lord and we will be reunited with our loved ones in heaven! That verse is a footprint for generations to come.

Ask yourself, what am I doing in my life right now to leave a legacy about God to future generations!  It is not too late. You can start right now!  Future generations’ eternity depends on it! Are you leaving footprints behind?

                      Till next time!          Keela

ABOUT TIME

It’s about time everyone is saying. We have had a very snowy-icy winter this year. We are having a beautiful sunny day today! Not too hot and not too cold. Just right! I was able to take a walk today. I love getting outside and smelling spring reawakening, the birds singing, buds on the trees and the bushes giving us hope of spring once again. This is a beautiful season, but that is not what I want to center my thoughts on today.

I want to talk about time as it relates to our lives and actions. The years, days, hours, minutes and seconds that happen to us. We have so many new gadgets to help us spend less time in the kitchen. I love my microwave-don’t think I can live without it. But I am old enough to know that as a child, we did not have one, they were not invented yet, but we still survived! I am so glad we have dishwashers to help us with the dishes. When my mother was a child, she told a story about a time they had a lot of family over for a meal. There were not paper plates back then, so there were a lot of dishes that needed to be washed. You guessed it, my mother and her sister had to wash that mound of dishes! My mother’s sister talked her into filling the bathtub with soapy water and washing them there since there were so many. It still took time for them to do it this way, but they were so proud when they were done. When my grandmother came to check on their progress, she was surprised to see them finished. Then, she figured out where they had washed those dishes. Yep, they had to wash every one of those dishes again, but in the kitchen sink. There was a lot of time involved in that particular day washing dishes, but it is a moment in time she always remembered. When they were done, they probably said, it is about time!

I got an invite to my great-granddaughters first birthday! How can a whole year have gone by since she blessed our family? My new little grandbaby in Virginia is five months old. That blessed day seems like yesterday! This year will mark the tenth year that I have been a widow. This year my mother has been gone three years. How can that be? How can time go so quickly? Time marches on while we are going about our everyday lives. Let’s think for a few minutes about the fact that time slips away so quickly and what are we doing with that time.

Today, we have so many devices that we feel we need to be using and looking at all the time. We have so many shortcuts that we utilize. When it was Ash Wednesday, I saw on a church’s sign that they had drive-thru ashes. All the person had to do was drive up to the spot designated and get ashes and then drive away. I heard on the radio, of a church that had drive thru communion. Take a bite of the cracker, take a drink of the grape juice and be on their way! How often do you go out to eat or at your dinner table at home, and everyone is looking at their cell phones? People can sit at home and order food deliveries. We can also order our groceries on line and have them delivered. I find myself always texting instead of taking the time to talk to a person. We have technology now that we can send an email that has a birthday message in it or a note to someone who is sick letting them know we have been thinking about them. Someone at work, the other day, said that they figured that greeting cards would someday become obsolete. There are actually some stores who have decided to not stock as many. If we are saving time with the inventions and technology of today, why does it seem we are busier than ever before. Where is that time we are saving? What are we doing with that time? Are we feeding our minds with the negativity that technology can show us?

On the other hand, technology can be an amazing tool we can use to communicate with others and spread God’s love. When we had ice and snow, there were several church services cancelled.  I felt glad we had technology because I was able to watch a church service in another state, live. There is a time and place for technology and short cuts. I have a friend who has trouble writing anymore because of physical restrictions and she does a lot of emailing. That is amazing that she can correspond that way. Technology can help us still be in contact with others and that is great. I am so happy that I have the ability to see my Virginia little grandchildren and talk to them. On Christmas Eve, I have started a tradition of reading “The Night Before Christmas” to them and seeing their little faces listening. This last year, while reading about the part when he “threw up the sash,” my seven-year-old grandson, said “he threw up?” What joy it was to be able to spend that little nugget of time with them, laughing and interacting one on one!

The Bible tells us that our life is but a vapor. (James 4:14) Our life is so short compared to eternity. Some are blessed, like my grandmother, to live almost 100 years. But then there are those who make bad choices, using drugs or alcohol and end up in an accident that takes their life or another’s at a young age. A vapor is like when it is really cold outside and we breath out. That one breath is like our life going out into the air; referring to how quickly it disappears, not that our life has no meaning. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, is a very familiar Bible verse. It lists fourteen “times.” “A time to be born, a time to die…. A time to keep silence, a time to speak…A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.” (my dad would quote that last part when my husband and I were dating. Ha!)  These verses beautifully scan the life and different times that a person lives. It is a fact that we have these “times” in our lives. But what are we really doing with them?

Don’t let the use of our wonderful technology or the ease of doing things, take away from the time that we should be shining our light for others to see. We cannot stop connecting to people of this world. The Bible tells us that we are to spread the message of Jesus to others. How can we do this if we isolate ourselves and do not get out into the world? We cannot live in our little bubble of negativity that technology tries to feed us, but need to eat the morsel of positivity by physically interacting with others and sharing the love of God.

Think about how you spend your time today. I know that I can get on Facebook and before I know it an hour has gone by! Have you gotten lost in your cell phone and all it is trying to make you believe? Or have you taken a walk and prayed to God in thanksgiving for the beauty of this season? Have you actually talked to someone today? Have you made their day better by having seen and talked to you? Our lives are dwindling away every day, every minute, every second. Get away from what this world offers and get back to God who only offers you love, mercy and grace. When you do, your life will turn around to being more centered as the servant of God and you will gain peace from the busyness of this world.

Don’t you think it is “about time” to reach out to God and others instead of the things of this world that can pull you down. In the big scheme of things, we are here and known for such a short amount of time. Use your time wisely. Sit down and play a game with your children. Get up and go to church and interact with other people of God. Sit still from the busyness of this world, clear your head and refocus on what is truly important for your life and your soul.

So, don’t you think it is about time to come back to God? Center your heart on what really matters. Use the time you have on this earth wisely! Isn’t it about time!

Till next time!                                                Keela

S.T.R.E.S.S.

My heart was beating so fast! I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest! Years ago, I had to work two jobs. I was trying to get to my second job and the traffic was just not moving out of my way. I ended up getting there just a few minutes late. My co-workers were just glad I had made it safely. There are so many times life happenings can get us so stressed out! I remember, when my daughter was in grade school, she had fallen & broken her arm. Those few miles to get to the school were endless in my mind, as the stress built up inside me trying to reach my child who was badly hurt. I have recently been in the process of getting a ladies Bible class study published. It needs to be in my hands before a lady’s event coming up, where I am a vendor in a big arena, the first of next month. I have tried to return projects and answer my publisher in the quickest way possible. They know of my deadline and are working with me. But I feel stressed if I allow myself to think about it very long.

There are so many things in this life that can get us stressed out! Waiting for a loved one’s surgery to we be over, knowing that the next paycheck cannot pay all those past due bills pilling up, the piles of endless laundry & diaper changes loom in front of us or deadlines at work are quickly approaching. Some of the stress we feel can be caused by ourselves and sometimes by others. I feel the Bible is an amazing tool for us when we feel our heart beating really fast and we cannot seem to breathe. Let’s dissect the word stress and see how we can be reminded to take a step back and just breathe.

S. stands for SOLITUDE. In Matthew 14:22, Jesus was surrounded by multitudes of people. Can you imagine all the people trying to get to Jesus, just like when we go to a Royals game and the multitude of people who are all trying to leave at the same time? (Of course, the two examples have nothing to do with the other, except for the fact of so many people in the same place at the same time.) Jesus told his disciples to go on ahead of Him and He went up to a mountain by Himself to pray. Sometimes we just have to get away from all the busyness and all the people demanding our time, and refocus by praying and slowing down from our hectic pace of life. I, personally, like to sit out on my patio-look at God’s nature-pray and read from His word.

T. stands for TIME. Some days there just seems like there are not enough hours in the day. We get the kids off to school, work a long day and then return home to the routine of supper and helping kids with homework and getting them and you to bed in a timely manner. Then, we wake up the next morning to do it all over again. The key is to find time in the day to refocus on what is important in your life and be thankful for them. Maybe while driving into and home from, work you can pray to God, (with your eyes open of course!) Change your day to day routine attitude, to an attitude of gratitude! Jesus’ disciples thought He did not have time for the little children and wanted to send them away, in Mark 10:13-16. But Jesus saw the need for time with these little children and told the disciples that they needed to become as these little children, full of innocence and joy, to enter the kingdom of God.

R. is for RELAX and RELEASE. When I get home from an especially busy day of work, I have to sit on the couch, take a deep breath and release the day to God, hoping that I have done something for His glory that day. In 1 Peter 5:11, it tells us that we are to give God the glory. Sit and decompress from the business of your day-relax. Then, release to God the things that you do not feel you have accomplished that day. Make a list in your head, or in your journal, the things you feel that you have been able to do that day and give God the glory. End your day with positive thoughts not negative. It is a much better morning when we can wake up to positive thoughts!

E. is for ENERGIZE. I have to get enough rest and eat the right nutrients in order to feel my best. I have found that if I can take a walk every day, that I feel more energized. I take that time to pray for one member of my family or church family each day. When I lift them up in prayer during my exercise, I feel stronger both mentally and physically. We need to keep ourselves strong within and without in order to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. We need to become stronger by the knowledge that God is in control and will give us what we need when we need it. Isaiah 40:31, is one of my favorite verses of the Bible. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” I must realize that the true energizer is the Lord!

S, stands for SING. I am not a singer! Sure, I sing to the songs on the radio or hum when I am doing things around the house. But to sing where other people are is not one of my talents. (I always feel sorry for the person in front of me at church services.) But there is a way to keep your heart singing. Think of a song and sing in your heart. It will make your heart lighter and happier! The book of Psalm is full of amazing songs to help us in our journey here on the earth. Turn to the Old Testament book and read. It is full of examples of songs the people of God sang. Some of the songs in this book of the Bible are songs when the people of God, especially David, were going through trials. But it is also full of songs that were joyful and full of praise for what God had done for them and us. There are so many amazing “church” songs that we have been brought up singing, that can help us through a stressful day.

S. stands for SAVOR. Time goes by so quickly!  My great granddaughter will soon be 1 year old! (How can I actually say that I am a great grandmother? Where has the time gone when my granddaughter was this age!) My new grandbaby is showing so much personality, already at 4 months! I was just there to be with my daughter and family in January. My grandbaby has already changed in just a few short months! Don’t keep looking into the unknown future or back at the wisp of time called the past! Savor today! When we eat a good meal, we savor every bite, we are in that moment of time enjoying that tasty morsel. James 4:14 says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Savor each morsel of this moment in time!

How do we combat STRESS? We find solitude-alone time with God. Second, we use our TIME wisely and for the glory of God. Thirdly, we RELAX & RELEASE. Take a deep cleansing breath and release the day to God. The fourth one, is to ENERGIZE. Find strength in God to keep on keeping on! Fifth, SING. To sing is an action word. Singing helps keep our heart happy and helps us remember what is truly important. And sixth, is to SAVOR today. Right now, is the one moment in time that will never be with you again. How are you savoring your time?

The next time you feel your heart beating so fast because of a stressful situation, remember how we can combat that feeling of stress. Make that word stress into something for the glory of God. When you come to the end of your rope because of stress, which is trying to strangle you, let go and fall into the loving arms of Jesus!

Till next time.                                                    Keela

Anyone who knows me, realizes that I am all about Hallmark channel movies love stories & mysteries. They usually all have the same type of ending but it is so much fun to see how the characters get to that point. There was a particular 2018, based on a true story, movie called “A Godwink Christmas,” that I watched and loved this last Christmas. The character was minding her own business traveling and all of a sudden, a whole set of events led to a different outcome than she was focused on. Some were good but there were also some very difficult things that happened to her.

The movie starts out with the definition of Godwink: “an event or personal experience often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer.”  Wow, have you ever had times in your life when things have not gone as you expected and thru a series of events, your life ended up being for the best for you and your future? I have had several, but will share one with you today.

When my husband and I lost our home to foreclosure, my husband felt like all we could afford was a trailer. There are several nice areas in our home town that house trailers. Now, I want to say here, I have nothing against living in a trailer or the people who live in trailers. But I did not feel this was the best option for us as most of them have steps and my husband was not able to maneuver steps. I just did not feel that was the right option for us.  But anyway, he started looking up trailers for sale in our price range. He knew I had always dreamed of living by a lake or some type of body of water and he found one by a little pond in a nice trailer park. We went and looked at it, even had my parents come up and look at it. The living room had a bay window where I could “see” our Christmas tree sitting. One of the bedrooms floor was a bit “soft” but I knew my dad could fix anything and he could figure out something. I started getting excited! My husband called to make an offer on it only to find out it had been sold that morning to someone else. I was discouraged but my husband kept looking and found another one, in the same area and if you looked out one of the bedroom windows just right you could still see the pond. We went and looked at it. It had a fireplace in the living room and I started trying to “picture” us living there. It sat on a corner lot and had a ramp to get into the door. We decided, when we got home, to call the person who had it up for sale and make an offer. We went out the door opposite of the road and were walking around the side of the yard next to the road. We were headed to our car and a car stopped and a lady rolled down her window. She asked us if we were going to put an offer on this trailer. We told her yes and what she did and said next is what I consider a Godwink moment from my life. She said she was from out of town and she and her friend were there to visit a relative that lived in this park. She said she was the original owner of this trailer that had been moved to this lot about twenty years before. She said the man who was selling this trailer was a swindler and don’t believe anything he said. She said they always had trouble with the roof leaking, no matter how many times they had fixed it. Since the trailer did not have any other trailers behind it and it also sat on a hill facing the north, that every winter the pipes froze and burst causing them to spend a lot of money to repair them every year! She rolled up her window and drove away. My husband and I just stood there in disbelief, not saying a word, watching her drive away from us. We left never speaking about what had just happened and he immediately started looking at duplexes to rent. The one we found was really nice and on a corner lot so our grandkids could come over and run around in the yard. And the best part was, it had no stairs or steps to get in or out of the duplex. That is where we lived until my husband’s death about three years later.

What are the odds of all that happening to lead to what ended up being the best for our future? Originally loosing our home to foreclosure was good, even though I felt so defeated and sad at the time. After my husband’s death, I did not have to make costly repairs and go through the tedious process of selling it. Our yard was big there and when I was young, I could mow and take care of a big yard, but getting older I would not have been able to care for it. The same with a trailer. My kids and I would have had to fix it up and wait for it to sell before I could move. Renting a duplex, I was released from the contract. My kids could see that I needed to leave that duplex where so many sad things had happened. They started looking for me a home to buy, weeding out the ones that they knew were not good for me or I would not like. They settled on about four homes that were in the right price range. Each one of them decided on the one that they thought I would choose. But they agreed to not tell each other which one until I had made my decision.  I went with them to see the ones they had chosen. As soon as I walked into my present home, I felt at home. I did not have to take care of a big yard or worry about snow removal. I felt protected by my husband somehow. I felt like he would have been so happy that I found such a nice, safe home. The funny thing is, this was the one each one of my kids had thought I would like!

In the Hallmark movie, the main characters aunt, told her several things I want to share with you and some thoughts that came to my mind when I think of Godwink moments. She said sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith when the difficult times come (like losing my home to foreclosure, disappointments with giving bid on trailer and finally my husband’s death) or the big decisions that we don’t know what to do (like finding just the right home for me to move to after his death.) When difficult times come or difficult decisions have to be made, we have to see things in a different light-a different mindset. We need to reach up to God in prayer from the very beginning when we have something major happening in our lives. God does not speak to us out loud like He did to old testament characters like Moses from a burning bush or when he received the ten commandments. (Exodus 3 & Exodus 20) But God “winks” at us in our everyday happenings. We read the Bible and have it so embedding within our hearts when troubling times-decisions have to be made, that we can push away all the negativity and weed through the confusion. God gets our attention when we don’t understand why things are happening to us or when things don’t happen the way we think they should. God leads us to the right path-the path He has for our lives-the path that is the best one. The path we need to take in order to fulfill His purposes for us!

 Look back at your life and think how things have happened just in the right order, at the right time-the right moment (even though at the time it did not feel like it), but it was actually for the ultimate good for your life.

Psalm 18:28-30 reads “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

When your life does not go as you think it should or have planned, consider that God is “winking” at you and He is in control for your ultimate good. And next Christmas, look up “A Godwink Christmas.” You will be glad you did!

Till next time!                                                  Keela