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RABBIT HOLE


 
The look on the face of the organizer of the ladies’ retreat, will be something I will always remember. Years ago, my mother and I went to an overnight ladies’ retreat where I was one of the speakers. My speech was not until the next day. I was so excited to share the story of my struggles in hopes to touch someone’s heart to know that there is hope, even in the worst times of our lives. By this time, I had published one of my books and asked the organizer if I could set up a card table to offer my book for sale. She said no. So, that was ok. My brother had helped me with an overhead presentation, which I was excited to share. At the time of my speech, I got up and thanked the ladies who had gotten the retreat together and we clapped for them. Then I shared with the audience of ladies, my message. Afterwards, I went back and sat down with my mother and friend. The organizer of the ladies’ retreat got up, looked straight at me and with that memorable look on her face, said “I guess we know who we will NOT ask back to the retreat next year.” I did not think much about it that day. But then a few days later, I wondered if she had been talking to me. I let it go and gave it to God. And forgave the lady for her words and the look on her face. What she said was true though, I was never asked back.
Fast forward, about ten years later. For some reason, I started thinking about that day and the look the lady gave me. I was not upset at her, but started questioning why she had looked and said what she did. By these many years later, I did not have the information of how to contact the organizer. I always want to improve my presentations, so I asked my friend who had met me there if she knew why the organizer would have been upset by what I said or did. She said the only thing she could think of was that I had the ladies clap, recognizing the hard work that it took to get the retreat together. She said the night before, the organizer had mentioned there was to be no clapping. Of course, if I would have remembered that, I would never have asked for applause.
I also, knew the lady who had recommended me and sent her a letter asking if she knew why the organizer would have looked and said what she had. She was kind enough to write back and said, yes, it was because of the clapping. Also, I had mentioned my book once while making a point and my speech did not have enough personal examples. She also said, that maybe I should take some speaking courses at the local community college to help with my nervousness.
I was not upset with her for mentioning those things, but rather what she said sent me down the rabbit hole of loss of confidence. For thirty- six years, every other year, I had spent hours getting ready, organizing, writing and speaking at, ladies’ events, with about a hundred in attendance, which lasted all day. I questioned all the speeches I had given, my ability or right to publish books, all the ladies’ classes in homes and at churches I had taught, the right to send out a blog, my organization skills and maybe all of those years of ladies’ days I had organized, were just a waste and not as well received as I had thought. Maybe, the ladies were thrilled that I had stopped. I have always thought that my God given purpose for my life was to share with other women, to help them through hard times in their lives by my speaking engagements, my blog and my books. God had allowed me to go through those rough years, so that I could give women hope. But maybe, I have just been fooling myself all these years.
Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole like I did? Down into the darkness with no end in sight-only negativity? Stomping on the values and purpose of your life and questioning the years of, what you perceived as God’s purpose, for your life? I, to a certain extent, have always been that way. When a negative comment is made to me, I don’t get upset but rather question my motives and the core of who I am and try to make improvements. This time, I wondered if I had wasted my time, money and effort on what I had done in the past. Disillusioning myself of all those years.
The reason I thought about that day, years ago, was that I wanted to know how to improve myself, to help me to be a better speaker, better Christian woman. But instead, I let myself listen to the darkness of the devil and I sank into that rabbit hole.  After having my rabbit hole of a pity party, I fought my way back to being the positive person that I try hard to be. I started thinking about all the times I had put myself out there and had positive responses. I remembered the time that I had given a speech and started having a coughing fit in the middle of it. Afterwards, a woman and her friend came up to me and told me that she had planned to commit suicide when she got home. But because of something I said in my speech, I gave her hope to keep on living. I knew, God had used me that day, even in my humanness, to give her encouragement that life is worth living. I remembered all the thank you cards, I have gotten through the years for the time and love I had poured into the ladies’ events, I had organized. I remembered a ladies’ event that I was the only speaker. I gave three speeches that day. They had created the entire day around what I was speaking on. The ladies praised and thanked me for coming and many sent cards. I thought of the ladies’ event where between 1000 to 1500 attend. I have been asked to be a vendor of my books in their arena. (Because of covid, events like these had been stopped but are slowly coming back.) I realized that I did not want to listen to anymore of the devils lies that sent me into the tailspin of darkness. I knew my rabbit hole of self-doubt was not how a Christian woman (especially of my age) should be living the rest of her life. I realized I needed to reach up to the light of God and pull myself back into His marvelous light.
I looked back on my life and the things I had done and instead of thinking of all of them as negative, I started thinking of them as positive. I remembered who God says that I am: chosen-redeemed-fearfully and wonderfully made-unique-victor instead of victim-valuable-one of a kind-accepted-daughter of the King. Nothing is more powerful than what we say to ourselves. If we hear enough negativity from yourself or others, you begin to believe it and succumb to the lies of the devil, who wants to keep you in a rabbit hole of darkness. You become a follower of the devil in the darkness instead of in God who is light!
You are asking yourself, why is she telling this story. Why put myself out there raw and fresh with doubts. It had taken me many years to build my self -confidence up to be able to put myself out there in the first place and then in a matter of minutes, I dug myself into that hole of lack of self-confidence. Did you recognize the word in that last sentence, that was wrong for a Christian woman to feel? That word is-SELF. It is not about MY abilities or how great of a job I do or do not do. It is about God and the confidence we get through Him and the faith that God will continue to be with us, if it is in His will for our purpose. I started praying and reading scripture.
Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God never puts inside your heart to do something and then not give you the ability or ways to achieve it. We are to have our trust and faith in God. I turned to my mothers’ favorite verse in the Bible. Ephesians 3:20-21. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” We cannot even begin to imagine what God can do thru us when we realize that He is in control and guides our steps, if we obey His laws. We have to have confidence that we, through God’s help, can do things we cannot even image doing! That is God confidence, not self-confidence.
Our confidence is built up through previous experience. Times when God has shown us the way and given us the words to accomplish according to our God given purpose. A confident person is merely a realist who understands his or her own ability, thru God. Proverbs 3:5-6, 26 reads “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths… For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:12 “…a door was opened to me by the Lord…” Paul’s confidence was not in himself. After all, Paul had killed Christians before he was called by the Lord. How could anyone believe him? The only way was that God would guide his steps, give him confidence and open doors for him, even though Paul had many discouragements (2 Corinthians 1:8).
So, what have I learned? The resurrection of Jesus provides the key throughout life that confidence is based not on OURSELVES or OUR abilities but on God who can raise the dead and give us the capacity to face adversity and our fears. Our confidence lies in the fact that God is God and if it is His will, it will happen. Our relationship with God hinges on the fact that one day, if we have been faithful, we will see God in heaven when our time on this earth is over. If I stayed in that rabbit hole, of lack of confidence, God could not work with and through me to fulfill His purpose for the rest of my life.
I am thankful for the feedback these ladies gave me. I reacted in the wrong way by falling into the dark hole of self-doubt. I will look into some college classes, even at the age of 66. I have learned to remember the requests by the organizer of ladies’ days and keep those out of my speech and actions. I am assured I have helped women walk closer to God through the years. They have told me, either by the physical or mental help I have given them that there is hope, even in the midst of adversity. I have helped them to: take one more step-live one more minute-remember they are a daughter of the one and only King-to have courage-help them to see with God, anything is possible.
Are there any opportunities out there for me to share my story either by getting up in front and sharing what I have gone through, share my thoughts in this blog or through the pages of another book? Only God knows. But I do have confidence in Him that if I am to share my story to others in the future, that God will open those doors for me. I just have to take the first step and have confidence that through God, all things are possible! He will give me the words and heart felt message that woman need to hear.
Rabbit holes! It is dark down there. It is painful down there. It makes you think things that are not true. Don’t stay down there or you will have let the devil win. Dig your way out. Don’t listen to the negativity that the devil feeds you and reach out and find God’s light! I did! Thank you, God!
Till next time!
                                                       Keela
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ROARING LION

ROARING LION

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober. Be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:6-11

That set of verses tells me the devil is on the prowl for who he can snare into his evil web of deceit and lies. He is moving and searching today.

The last few months, have shown us this in a huge tragic, painful, senseless way. Mass shootings at: a mall-a grocery store-at an elementary school-at a church-in a subway-a hospital. The number of mass shootings is climbing close to 300 since the first of this year. And there are so many other evil things that happen every day because of his deception. The war crimes of an evil leader who is trying to banish and bring a country to its knees, by senseless killings of women, children and the aged. This evil leader is hiding behind the weapons of war.

How can we possibly make sense of all this? The truth is-we can’t. In our country of the USA, our very forefathers and founders of our country built it on their faith in God. How could we have come so far from what was the glue that held our country together.

Why has God allowed these things to happen? I can honestly say, I have no idea! But what I do know is that God loves all of us and He even loves those who have made the choices and allowed the devil to come into their hearts and hold them captive into the belief that they are doing the right thing. But in reality, they are doing the devils work for him. Is this all a punishment to us, to our country? The only way it is a punishment is when people turn their backs on God and have let the devil take up residency in their hearts.

The devil can get into our hearts and minds so quickly, even at times we don’t realize it. There are times that I am praying and all of a sudden, I realize that I am thinking about what I need to get at the grocery store, instead of the words I am praying to God. The devil sees an opportunity, even a little window of time, and he devours our mind, taking our focus off God. 

We are told in Matthew 5:45 “…He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” So where is God in all this? The other day, I was helping some friends of our family, moving my dad’s furniture into his new assisted living apartment. The clouds threatened rain the entire time. We were so blessed to get his furniture in and out of the truck before it started to rain. When I finally left to head home, it was absolutely drenching rain. I was exhausted and just wanted to get home. Of course, I did not have my umbrella. On the way to my car, I got sopping wet! I think if someone could have squeezed me, I would have left quite a huge puddle. My wet hair was even dripping into my face. I started to grumble because I was so tired and wet. Have you ever gotten drenched like that? This verse in Matthew, tells me that even though I am trying to live my best life following God, I am still going to get “dumped on.” I am still going to be enticed by the devil to turn my life away from God, because he is always pacing, just waiting for a hard time in my life. He devours us even at the slightest hint that we are weak and enticed to turn our backs on God. When I realized that I was grumbling, I remembered that it had not rained when my dad’s things were being moved in and out. I instead thanked God! I even thanked God that I had been sweating and now the rain had cooled my body down.

Going back to the verse we started with, look at the words I have underlined in those verses and let’s see how we can fight our way from the devil and rather towards God.

  1. HUMBLE “the personal quality of being free from arrogance and pride” Psalm 10:4 “the wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God. God is in none of his thoughts.”  The person who is full of pride, relies on himself and his power instead of relying on God in every situation. The humble realize it is not all about themselves but rather all about God.
  2. CASTING “to throw forward, as the thoughts, with a view to some determined goal” 1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  This earthly world is hard, discouraging and painful. This earthly world has the devil walking back and forth, just waiting to ensnare us. But if we stop relying on our own solutions to the pain and cast our pain forward to God to handle for us, He will help us maneuver through the trials. We need to go to Him first instead of ourselves.
  3. SOBER “characterized by self-control, seriousness, sound moral judgment, in one’s right mind” Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” The devil is all about us loosing control of morality. He wants us to do the things that are morally wrong. Through the ages, the devil has worked the same way. Sure, there are new inventions. There is more media presence than ever before. The devil gets our eyes full of sin, and all morality goes out the window.
  4. VIGILANT “watchful, wide-awake, alert” Colossians 4:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”  One of these days God is going to have enough. He is going to come to get those who are obedient and faithful and take us to our final home with Him. We need to be ready. But He will also bring judgment upon those who have been all about self and disobedient.
  5. RESIST “to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat” James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When the devil throws temptation our way, he will have no choice but to go away, because we have become one of God’s warriors here on earth.
  6. STEADFAST “patient endurance, reliable, faithful, true to the end” Hebrews 6:19 “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” The verses before this tell us that God keeps His promises because He does not lie and God is all powerful. It is hard to be patient. Do you have trouble with that too? But if we are patient and faithful to the end of time or life, whichever comes first, God will take us home with Him to heaven.

Did you notice that all these words require an action on our part? We have to put on the armor of God (read Ephesians 6:10-20). The devil will always try to pull us away from the hope God has given us. He sent His Son to die on a cross for us who are sinners, to give us this hope. He is true to His promises. The devil has only promised us an eternity with him if we succumb to his lies.

So, what can we do? Is there any hope for us in this sinful world? Satan lies telling us one thing but our God tells us the truth.

Satan tells you; you are broken. God says you are healed.

Satan says you are a nobody. God says you are His child.

Satan says you have no hope. God says there is still an empty tomb.

Satan says you were a mistake. God says I made you in My image.

Satan says come with me to hell. God says follow me to eternal life.

Sometime, turn your Bible to Romans 12:9-21 and read how God wants us to live our lives. Some of the key words in those verses are: “love…serving…hospitality…bless and do not curse…do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The devil is not the only one who looks and is looking for us. I am also calmed by the verse in Psalm 53:2 that tells us that God is always watching over us, no matter what and we have to look for Him in every situation. “God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand who seek God.” God is also moving and searching.

In this time of history, we are seeing and feeling in our hearts all the horrible acts that sinful people have decided to do, because of their trust in evil. Don’t loose hope in our God. He is right beside those who sin has hurt, and holding their hands letting them know there is something much better that this life.

Don’t give into sin. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. Stay faithful. Stay away from the lies the devil tells you. God who does not lie has given us the promise of eternal life. I will close with one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 7:14. The key word in this scripture is “if.”

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Till next time.

                                       Keela

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OUR TEARS IN HIS BOTTLE

OUR TEARS IN HIS BOTTLE

OUR TEARS IN HIS BOTTLE

The tv screen suddenly became blurry, as tears ran down my cheeks. I was watching a Hallmark movie (of course). The main characters’ deceased mother had grown up in England. When she realized she was dying, she had given a friend a ticket to England, to give her daughter on a certain birthday. She wanted her daughter to see where she had grown up. She had grown up on a particular farm, which had become a bed and breakfast. She had set up with them to give the daughter a room there. The scene I was crying about was, the daughter was standing on a cliff overlooking the same land and sea that the mother had looked at so many years before. Of course, that would make some of us to cry, but there is a special reason this story hit me so hard.

I was born in England. My mother and I had talked so often about going to England and “walking” in the same shoes that she and dad had walked so many years ago. My dad was in the air force and was stationed there for four years. I was three when we came back, on an ocean liner, to America. So, I don’t have any memories of those years. How I have wished I would have been there long enough to talk with that English brogue! My mother left this earth six years ago. We never got that chance to go to England together. (Just typing that brought tears to my eyes and grief to my heart.)

So, what does grief have to do with that? Well, I started thinking that there are so many types of grief. The different types of grief make us feel differently about each one and we grieve differently. I am going to list some here and I am sure you could add more that have filled your heart with sadness. I have lost my grandparents, my husband, my mother, beloved pet and close friends. Each one of them have touched my sad heart in a different way. Each one of them brought pain in my heart. But because of the special type of relationship, I had with them, when I see, hear, touch or smell something, my senses bring thoughts of them specifically to my heart. For example: when I saw this particular movie, it moved me to tears and what I had lost without my mother. My husband loved Boy Scouts and was so involved with helping the boys with their goals; going so far as to train leaders and was scoutmaster of about one hundred boys. He was at camp with both of our boys and helped them to attain their Eagle rank. He was also a chaplain, at camp, after our boys had achieved that goal. Any time I hear about Boy Scouts, I think of him and how much time and love he had put into it and grieve for those boys who did not have a chance to be touched by him. I think you get the idea.

But have you ever thought that there are other ways we grieve, other than when a loved one passes away? Times when our heart breaks into a thousand pieces! I will list a few here, some that I have experienced, and see if any of them have made you feel like the pain is so great that it will break your heart. Grief over loss of: your job-your home to foreclosure-a special dream-your aging process losing your youth-sitting in a lonely nursing home realizing your children and grandchildren are living their lives without you-your physical health-grief of what could have been-child leaving home-a family member who has left the Lord-years that have been lost because of an addiction-a person’s confidence in themselves-realization of weight gain. And there are so many others I could list here. You have your own loss in your life that you grieve over.

Let me give an example of one of these types of loss’ that I have experienced. The other day I saw an older couple holding hands walking down my street. They were slow, of course, but even after all their years together, they still could walk together and hold hands. I will never have that. Seeing them brought that fact and grief back into my heart. The last ten years of my husbands’ life, were painful for him, physically and mentally and he changed.  During those years, he suffered a deep depression for two years, 24-7. He spent a lot of time in the hospital with congestive heart failure and other physical issues. I feel the pain in my heart for our daughter who was in her teenage years and he was not always there for her, to spend time with her, to go to her games or other activities. I am sure that is a grief she will always have in her heart. I became a widow at 54. My husband and my plans for our future, when he retired, was that we would get a camper and go all over the United States, as he preached to small congregations who could not afford a preacher. Those plans were crushed. That sends grief anew into my heart. He never got to do that and I could not be by his side as he spread the gospel.

The Bible speaks a lot about some of the different types of grief. Here are a few. Job said “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea…” (Job 6:1-3) “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.” (Proverbs 14:13) “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…” (Isaiah was talking about Jesus chapter 53:3) “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:6) “Jesus wept. Then the Jews said see how He loved him!” (when Lazarus died in John 11:35)

There are some who have so much pain in their hearts that they feel suicide is the only choice. Some whose hearts are so full of grief that they are stuck there, not able to find happiness in this world and not able to fulfill their God given purpose. I have a friend who is stuck in her past and she is constantly grieving over things that happened thirty years ago.

 I know that was a lot of negativities. So, let’s talk about how we can make it through those hard times. I am not saying it is not ok to grieve. Not at all. The verses above show that even our God, Lord and Savior grieved. People grieve in different ways. Don’t judge someone of how they are handling their grief. There is not a time limit on grief. What I am saying is when you are in those moments of grief, you need to realize that you still have a future-you still have a life that you need to shine your light for the Lord-how can you fulfill your God given purpose if you are stuck in your past. As time goes by, you will still have that grief in your heart, feeling that pain; but you will learn how to go forward into your future.

Wouldn’t it be amazing that when we had that overwhelming feeling of grief, that we could just flip a switch in our hearts to get away from that pain? Let me share how I have made it through those times when grief seems to overwhelm my life. I am not saying this is how you can get peace with your grief, but rather I am giving you an example of how I have found peace. I am saying that you CAN find peace once you have experienced grief. While watching that movie, my tears flowed. I tried to find a positive in that grief. My mother and dad took a lot of pictures from England. My mother put those pictures in a book and wrote under each one where it was and some of them, she shared my reaction to them. So, when and if, I get to experience my birthplace, I will have a small glimpse into what my mother saw and felt. When I see something about the Boy Scouts, that pain hits my heart, reminding me of my husband. I steer my mind to thoughts of him and that love he had for those boys and the many people, who he touched. After I saw that older couple walking holding hands, I turned to God’s word. I turned to passages that help me remember that, if I continue to serve Him, that I will see my husband, my mother and others who have left this earth, one day when I die. That gives me hope! I have also realized that when those debilitating times of grief come, that if I turn around and help someone in need, it helps that raw pain to lessen. Maybe you can help someone by, sending a card-calling a person who is older and needs a boost because they feel lonely and hopeless-making a meal and take to a struggling family. During my rough years when my husband was sick, a friend always sent me a gas card to help. So many things a person can do to help others. Also, it helps to talk to a close friend. Somehow just saying the grief out loud helps to start heal those feelings.

 Look up in your Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Those verses have helped me to realize part of my purpose on this earth. The grievous times I have suffered have helped me to be able to share my heartaches and pain to others showing there is hope in their future and in the Lord. To go on, putting one foot in front of the other. That is the reason for the two books I have published and hope to publish in the future, and thus the reason for this blog.

We were created by God and He gave us the human emotion of grief. That tells me that we will grieve. But it also makes me realize that God is good and He can help us to come out of that grief to be able to shine our lights for Him! God loves us so much. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle.” (Psalm 56:8)

Finally, I hope this helps someone. We all have had so many types of grief. Each person’s grief is different and in how they deal with those feelings. Although those pains of grief will visit us over and over, God will help you use those painful feelings for His glory and put our tears in His bottle of comfort!

Till next time!

                                             Keela

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WORDS

WORDS

WORDS

Happy Halloween! That is what a lady from work said to me. We were at my husband’s funeral right before October 31st.  She came through the line of family and when she got to me, she said she did not know what to say. So, she said happy Halloween. I could see my daughter out of the corner of my eye and I will never forget the look she gave the lady who said that to me.

Was that appropriate? What should she have said or maybe she should have just given me a hug and not said anything? Do words really matter? There is a saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” I have found that not to be true. Sometimes a person will say something that pierces my heart. I am sure that we, including myself, have said things that we shouldn’t have. Things that have hurt others. Things that “kinda fell out of our mouths” my mother use to say.  Maybe we did not realize that we had said something that hurt another.

I am going to list several scriptures here and I want you to answer those questions based on them. And I will tell you three times that words have been said about or to me.  

  1. James 3:1-12 “…For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body… Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things…the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell…It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God…My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” The job I retired from; I was a receptionist at an animal hospital. A man called to check on his pet, wanting to talk to the doctor, who happened to be in surgery with another pet. I told him she would call him back after she was done. He did not like that answer and started cussing at me. I was not looking forward to seeing him at the end of the day when he would come back to pick up his pet. But he called back and what he said will be something I will always remember and helped me to deal with other clients who were cranky. He said I was the first person that he talked to after he found out his wife had stage four cancer. He apologized. He did not have the right to cuss at me. His words were sinful. But we have to live in this world. After that when someone started cussing at me, I told them they should not talk to me in that way and I learned to hang up. (By the way, most clients never acted like this man did. I actually, through the years working there, became good friends with clients and was able to talk to help some who were going through the same type of trials I had gone through.)
  2. Ecclesiastes 10:20 “do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom. For a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.” 2 Thessalonians 3:11 “for we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.” When I was going through some of the trials in my life, my husband was not able to work. He had applied for disability retirement from the post office and while we were waiting for it to go through, the post office did not pay him at all. This was a period of seven months. The church was helping us financially. A dear friend came to me and said there was a rumor going around, that I was using some of the money, the church was giving us, to give to my daughter and her husband. That was absolutely not true! I asked my friend to tell whoever was spreading that, to “unspread” it! I did not ask who it was that was spreading that untruth, nor did I want to know. It hurt my heart that someone would say that about me. I have always been thankful for my friend who told me and asked me about that gossip.
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:7b “A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” The lady who told me happy halloween at my husband’s funeral, should have kept silence. The fact that she was there, told me that she cared but her mouth spoke when it should have kept silent.

Let’s look at some ways that the tongue (mouth) can be used for the good and I will tell you three ways the mouth has enriched my life.

  1. Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.” When my husband was so sick, I was working two jobs and at one point I was working three jobs. Thank the good Lord, I was younger back then! There were so many times I was so weary of all the stress and the busyness during that time. I remember going to church services, when I was so weary, and there always seemed to be a Christian sister or brother who knew exactly the right type of encouragement I needed. Either by what they said or sometimes, I just a needed hug. Thank you to all those who were there for me!
  2. This is the last words in the book of Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!” One of the ways I have been able to “stand” the trials I have gone thru, is to start thinking and speaking, all the goodness of my God. There have been so many times that all I could see was the negative in a situation. But when I started seeing the blessings in the situation, I could feel that negativity coming out of my heart! I could center my heart once again on the greatness of God and His promises! Thank you, God, that you will always be by my side and that one day I will be in heaven with You if I have obeyed and kept His laws.
  3. Psalm 125:2 “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.” This verse is talking about when the Israelites came back from Babylonian captivity. They were so thankful to the Lord and they laughed and sang. I wish I could sing well. Because of covid, our church met together with technology since we could not gather in person. I remember singing out loud. My sons dog raised his head up, turned his head, and got up and went into the other room. Even though I hurt dogs with my singing, I have always loved music. There are songs that have helped me through the emotions of my husband’s death and when my mother passed away. There are songs that just make me happy and able to uplift my spirit for the day. During those rough years, my daughter was in her teens. My older grandkids were small. I remember that they could uplift my spirit by words they said or activities they were in. Proverbs 17:22 says “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”’

So, what am I trying to say here? Words do matter! If you realize that you have said something you shouldn’t, talk to that person. Be sure to forgive yourself and start from today to pay more attention to what you say. Maybe, saying nothing is what a person needs. Be there for them and just listen or just be there by their side. Even though something makes you angry, hold your tongue. Don’t give yourself over to sin. But on the other hand, words can make a huge difference in a person’s life. Just look at the many people today, who were not encouraged as a child. They were made to feel they were of no value or not loved. Encourage others with your words. Let them see your light shining for the Lord!

Words! How are you using them? It will determine whether you go to heaven or hell one day when you die. Think about it! Words are important!

Till next time!

                                                  Keela

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THE EVENING AND THE MORNING

THE EVENING AND THE MORNING

While reading the creation story in Genesis 1, I noticed something I had not ever thought of before. Have you ever done that? Who knows how many times I have read, taught and illustrated that story to children through the years in their Bible classes? Then, after reading it again, all of a sudden you see something that you had not ever thought of? After each day of creation, God said six times, “So the evening and the morning were the first (second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth) day.” & “… on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”  What do you see in that phrase told six times? The phrase “…the evening and the morning…” I wondered why He starts with evening and the end of His day was the morning.

I have realized through the years of studying the Bible, that God had men write the words that are the Bible, for a reason. John 21:25 tells us “And there are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

Usually when I think about a day I think of daytime and then nighttime, the morning and then the evening. But God said “So the evening and the morning…”  It started me thinking about when we go through the trials on this earth. There have been so many times that I have been in a dark trial that seems to go on and on forever. I have prayed and prayed during those times but I stay in that darkness. I wonder, has God even heard my prayers? Has He forgotten me? Nothing is changing, day after day. Am I going to be stuck in this dark place forever?

The answer to those questions is: yes, God is hearing our prayers, and no, you will not be stuck in that darkness. 2Corinthians 5:7 tells us “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” It is hard to see in the darkness. I have stubbed my toe so many times on furniture that has been in the same place for years, when I am trying to walk in the dark. That is the same way with our walk with God. We have to keep our faith during those dark times. We cannot see an end to it but God uses that darkness to teach us. He starts with that darkness to bring about new things in our life, in the light. We need to remember that if God allowed us to be in this darkness of the world, He will get us out of it. 2Corinthians 4:17 says “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” If every part of our lives started in the light, we would have no purpose for our faith to depend on Him.

All we see is the darkness and the negativity in the middle of the situation. I forget at times to still be thankful in the midst of a struggle. We have the example of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25-34. They were in prison. In Bible times, the prisons were not like today. Instead of fingerprinting and taking a picture like is done today, they were beaten first. This passage says Paul and Silas feet were put in stocks. A stock was a wooden frame that secured a prisoner’s feet and hands. They were also put in the inner part of the prison. At midnight, they were singing and praying. They were praising God in the middle of this dark trial. I don’t know about you but I would not be in a mood to be singing. This was literally in the darkness, at midnight. I usually tend to wallow in my pain, try to fix a situation on my own and then I realize I have not talked to God about it. God did not leave them in this prison for long. God caused an earthquake to get those stocks off them, chains off all of the prisoners and opened the cell doors. The keeper of the prison started to kill himself. He knew if all of his prisoners were getting out of prison, that he would be killed for letting them escape. Instead, Paul told him to not kill himself. The guard dropped to his knees trembling, asking what he needed to do to be saved. He had also heard them praying and singing praises. Paul told him to believe in God. And then he and his household were baptized. God turned a dark situation into light. These men still had to go thru their dark trial. But they remembered to praise and thank God for His goodness in the middle of it. That is a part of our faith. Remember that God is working our trial for the best. God started this situation in the dark, just like He does in our trials. But the darkness was used to bring light to others.

Don’t go by your feelings about a situation but rather what you know through your faith. I can look back, now and see that God was right in the middle of those dark times with me. He was using it for my best future and to lead others to Him through my testimony. God is preparing you for the light. The dark makes us stronger, more confident. Maybe our darkness will help someone else. Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light! We become a light unto another. Just as the light from the moon, is a reflection of the sun, the light we give off to others, is a reflection of God’s Son.

2Peter 1:19 says, “…we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…” Study the scriptures. Those words are what God wanted us to hear and follow the examples of the characters of faith.

Light is coming. There has not been a time in my life that the literal sun did not come up. There is a popular song by Danny Gokey called “Haven’t Seen it Yet.” These are the words I want to leave with you.

Have you been praying and you still have no answers? Have you been pouring out your heart for so many years? Have you been hoping that things would have changed by now? Have you cried all the faith you have through so many tears? Don’t forget the things that He has done before and remember He can do it all once more. It’s like the brightest sunrise waiting on the other side of the darkest night. Don’t ever lose hope, hold on and believe.

I love those last two phrases. That is so true. It is so dark right before the sun slowly rises. And that sunrise is so beautiful and bright. We just have to hold onto God’s promises, believe and hope. When you are in that darkness, and we all will go through it, remember the sun will shine once again. Don’t stay in that darkness. We have to reach for God’s light. Remember to pray and praise God. He is the answer to changing that darkness into the brightest light!

Why did God say the “evening and the morning?” I am not sure. Maybe one of the answers to that, is in our lives on this earth we go through dark times. But morning, light is coming. It always has and always will. Hold onto God’s promises. He is the light!

1John 1:5-7 reads “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Till next time!

                                                        Keela