Another Changing of the Seasons

"My child, listen when your father corrects you.Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction."   

Proverbs 1:8

As spring ushers in, another changing of the seasons begins.  With the melodies of the songbirds, the sweet rays of the sun, and the cheerful spring breezes rippling through our open windows, there is another sign of the changing seasons of our lives.  As an exciting new chapter begins, another long but meaningful chapter ends.  The ending was so abrupt, so quick, and though we've worked many years toward this goal, it still came upon us unforseen.

This newest changing of the seasons in our lives, is a season in which we have witnessed our adult son step out even further from his childhood.  It is this season that crept up on us and hit us square in the face.  Over the last couple of years, we've seen glimpses of it's impending arrival.  But I certainly wasn't prepared for its complete and full arrival this week!  And especially not through a phone conversation with our son!  As I was speaking with him about an important decision he had to make, I was fully prepared to offer him my motherly advice of what I thought was best for him.  Instead, I became lost in conversation.  Without realizing it, I was no longer a mother speaking with her son, but one adult carrying on a mature conversation with another adult.  Though I never really got to give my maternal advice in the manner that I thought I should, we did share a very insightful and two-way conversation about his future and this important decision he was facing.  I was impressed by his wisdom and even more impressed by his enlightened comments on choices I had made in my life.  It was a very enjoyable conversation of which I long to have more of in the future.  It wasn't until I had hung up the phone that I fully realized that another changing of the seasons had just occurred.  Instantly, our little boy had grown up right before my 'eyes.'  He was an adult with drive, determination, and goals for his future.  And though he was not sure what choice to make, by the end of the conversation, I felt confident that this very adult, mature son of ours would make an informed choice - the decision he felt was best.

There's an old saying, "A mother's job is never done."  But I would beg to differ.  Although he will always be our son, he's not our little 'Strong Man' anymore.  And though I'll always be there for him, ready to offer support and advice, I now realize he has now completely taken the reigns of his life - he no longer needs me or his Dad to steer.  He knows that he is the one who must live with his decisions.  And since that conversation, he says he has now made a tentative decision that he is acting upon...pending the outcome of a key meeting and additional information that he's requested.  As his mother, I just want to jump in and help him make this decision.  However, it is not mine to make.  It's so hard for me to refrain from telling him what I think he should do.  Instead, his Dad and I will be there for him to bounce his thoughts and ideas off of,  counsel him, and help him look at the pros and cons, - while remaining as unbiased as possible.  Though we want what is best for him, what we think of as best and want him to do may not be what is truly best for him in the end.  This is where entrusting our children to the Lord comes into play - even our adult children.  None of his options are wrong - it's just a matter of him figuring out which one is the best fit for him.  This is something that he himself must be at peace about...for it is a choice that he must live with.  I know which choice his Dad and I are at peace about...I think he'll prayerfully arrive at this choice as well.

Trust your children to the Lord today.  He loves them far more than we do and has their best interest in mind! 

Lord, thank you for this son of ours, for raising him up in Your great love.  Thank you for the young man I now see before me, ready to be the man You created him to be.  We've been through some stuff, Lord, but I never doubted You for the outcome.  Thank you for helping us raise him up in Christ.  Lord, thank you for the fruit of our labor as parents who committed this child to you so many years ago.  May he go forth in this life, prepared and ready to chart his own course.  May he rely upon You and seek You daily in all that he does.  Help him as he makes this decision that will shape the future of his life, a future that he is ready to begin.  Help him as he grows in independence from his family - to make good and righteous decisions.  Protect him, give him wisdom, help him resist temptation and avoid sin.  Be with him always.  In Christ's Name!  Amen

In His Love, Cathy

A New Thing

"'But forget all that—

it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

For I am about to do something new.

See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

The wild animals in the fields will thank me,

the jackals and owls, too,

for giving them water in the desert.

Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland

so my chosen people can be refreshed.

I have made Israel for myself,

and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.

You have grown tired of me, O Israel!'"

Isaiah 43:18–22

'God plans to—longs to—bless his people, so that they may honor him. Mark carefully: It's about reltationship. He's not interested in people who simply "do the right thing." He wants people to honor him. You don't honor someone unless you have a relationship with them. Today, know that God has made you for himself; he longs to bless you—and accept this gift of relationship. Don't be afraid to ask for help; don't ever grow tired of the living God!'
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

I love it when God does something new!  Right now we are facing challenges and trials in our lives.  But I now see these as an opportunity for God to do a new thing...something that He hasn't done before in our lives.  For it is through the trials of this world that our faith is forged and our hearts are drawn ever closer to Him!  Troubles and trials are opportunities for growth.  We can see them as a refiners fire, melting us, driving out our impurities, and forging us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ!  And that, my friends, should be blessing enough! 

But our living God goes one step further...He not only wants to bless, He wants a real relationship with us!  He created each and every person for Himself!  Sadly, some reject Him, deny Him, and blaspheme Him.  How our Heavenly Father must hurt for those who refuse to seek Him.  But for those who do, how often do we take Him for granted, ignore Him, skip out on church, our daily prayers, worship, or reading His Word.  Yet, He still seeks - desiring a relationship with each and every one of us - standing ready if we'd just glance His way!  Sadly, it usually takes a crisis or problems to big for us to handle for us to truly turn to Him.    

And yet despite all the things that seem to go against us in the world, we are blessed by a magnificent, living God.  Our Lord blesses us far more than we know or recognize!  We can always go to Him in time of need.  Relinquish your pride, fall on your knees before Him, tell Him your troubles.  He stands ready to help and may already be doing - you just may not realize He is.  Sometimes we simply must go through the storm to get to the rainbow on the other side.  But He promises to be with us if we simply humble ourselves and seek Him.  I like how Diane ended her devotion...don't ever grow tired before the living God!  Count your blessings and thank Him. Honor Him daily.  Make time to work on your end of the relationship with Him.  And love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! 
I pray that whatever you are facing in life, good or bad, that You will look for God to do a new thing!  Honor Him

Grace and Peace!


In His Love, Cathy

The Thorn in My Side

"If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.


8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:6-10

The apostle Paul speaks of a thorn in his side.  Although it seems to have caused him much distress, he never mentions what the thorn is.  In addition, though Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed, God never did.  Instead, this thorn Paul suffered from put him in a position to receive something far better than relief from it's pain...it brought Paul into a position of weakness.  But isn't weakness bad?  From the world's perspective it is.  But not from a heavenly perspective.  This passage indicates Paul's thorn was a messenger from Satan, perhaps to prevent Paul's work for the Lord.  However, once again, what Satan planned for evil, God used for good. 

Paul's thorn brought him into weakness so that he could experience the full grace and power of God.  His weakness prevented him from relying upon his own abilities, which could lead to pride.  Instead, Paul's weakness left no room for doubt that his strength and help came from only one source...the Lord!  Based on this passage, I believe this thorn was something significant, something that was a huge hindrance to Paul in his ministry.  Quite possibly something that was a visible hindrance that others could see.  Yet, Paul doesn't mention what this thorn is.  Biblical scholars have speculated, but I'm not one to speculate on exactly what this thorn was.  I suspect the nature of the thorn wasn't mentioned because the thorn itself was not important for Paul to convey.  Based on this passage, I believe the important point Paul was making here is what God did as a result of the thorn, rather than focusing on what the thorn actually was.  Paul was declaring the power of God working in and through him to overcome the thorn.  His desire was to boast in what God was doing, not what "poor old Paul" was doing despite his thorn.  Paul was in a position to know that without God, Paul just wasn't happenin'.

Paul gave proper credit and glory where it is so rightfully and righteously due - to God!  His thorn was quite possible visible, earthly evidence to others that it was physically impossible for Paul to have done all that he did under his own power - thus pointing upward to a powerful Lord and Savior!  What a testimony!

Like Paul, we all have thorns that we struggle with.  My thorn has raised it's ugly head up again today.  It is a very bothersome thorn, one that just won't go away.  And you know what, after leaving my specialist's office today, I've come to the realization that my thorn and the complications related to it probably never will completely go away.  It will always threateningly hover over my life and I'll always have to deal with it's side effects.  So, I might as well accept that it could pop up at any moment.  My thorn, however, isn't visible - at least not to anyone who isn't a doctor - not yet anyway and hopefully not ever!  And just when life seems to be going great, complications of this thorn arises once again, reminding me of my own mortality - another reminder of just how precious and short life truly is.  And instead of my becoming frustrated as a result, I just need to keep on keeping on - relying on God to work through my weakness for HIS honor and glory!

To me, my thorn is just another opportunity to boast on our AMAZING and LOVING GOD!!!  So BRING IT!!!  HE is ready!  For,

Whom have I in heaven but you?

I desire you more than anything on earth.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

HE  IS MINE FOREVER.

Psalm 73: 25-26

And though my body has been attacked and riddled by the complications from this thorn, I am still SO WONDERFULLY MADE...by a loving, caring GOD...who knit me EXACTLY the way HE wanted me to be while I was in my mother's womb!  My life is playing out according to HIS perfect plan and purpose!  In HIM I place all of my trust!

In His Love, Cathy
(PS - I would like to be like Paul and not say what my thorn is, but I don't want people to think the cancer is back - it's not.  I'm just having complications as a result of no thyroid and being on such a high dosage of Synthroid.  So...in a nutshell, I may have early onset osteoperosis due to the synthroid. I'm scheduled for a dexa scan in a couple of weeks.  They said I was young (like) so they'd have to do an aggressive treatment (dislike)???  So, I guess retiring from children's ministry was a good thing...all that jumping around was breaking bones in my feet and toes and I didn't even know it!!! LOL!!!  Or maybe I broke them from kicking Scott?  To read my personal cancer testimony click on   http://bloggin4god.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-cancer-testimony.html )

God bless you, Friends!

But God...

"But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God ..."  Genesis 15:19a

These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God... Acts 7:9


My personal devotion reminded me today of one of the greatest promises we have as a Christian...that on the heels of EVERY trajedy and trial, there is VICTORY.  Every loss is turned into gain.  Every crisis is turned into good.  Pause a moment to reflect on your life.  As you do, you can see time and again God's working to take something meant for bad in your life and turned it to good.  Our challenge is to look ahead with equal conviction, believing that the same God who was faithful and brought us through trials in the past will do so again as we face the uncertainty of the future!

Absorb this truth.  Allow it to become the working principle of your life.  By doing so, you will never be at the mercy of circumstances for you know Who is with you - bringing victory in the end!  Because what follows every injustice, every trial, every loss .... is the "but God" moment.  God always has the last word! 

And according to my devotion this morning, "Christianity may or may not explain everything, but it most certainly transforms everything."

Go to BibleGateway.com.  Do a search for "but God" and see the many results you get.  Dig deeper and read the passages in context to get the full impact of these 'but God' moments.  The Bible is FILLED with many 'but God' events. 

And the biggest, "but God" even of all?  Jesus crucified!  Men (and Satan) crucified our Lord and Savior...meaning it for harm.  But God had the last word.  On the cross, in His last breath, Christ's words sealed the deal, "Father forgive them..."  Yes, He died that day - the darkest day in history.  But God raised Him on the THIRD DAY!  That is the ULTIMATE "But God" moment!  Hallelujah!

Though it is guaranteed we'll face trials and troubles, we can rest assured in the promise of 'but God'!

In His Love, Cathy

Less Than Perfect

Less than perfect,
    Yes, that is me,
When I lose my patience,
    or say something mean.

Less than perfect,
   Yes that is me,
When my pride overflows
    and I just want to be seen.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I yell at my husband
    over something so silly.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I hold huge grudges,
    and refuse to forgive.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I think the worst of others,
    and let my critical spirit win.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I become offended,
    over the least little thing.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I won't let go of something,
    Because I want to be in control.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I give into temptation,
    Instead of relying on His Strength.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I speak ill of my neighbor,
   no matter the reason why.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I say harsh words to my children,
    hurting them deep within.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me,
When I yet again overspend,
    on some stupid shopping spree!

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me. 
When I insist on my way
    over the perfect will of Him.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me.
When I mess up yet again,
    and beat myself down.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me.
When I am unforgiving and judgemental,
    and unwilling to love others as He did.

Less than perfect,
    Yes that is me.
When I look to the cross
    and see upon that tree...

One who is perfect
   who gave His life for me.
So, when I'm less than perfect,
    it's Him who sets me free
From condemnation and sin,
    His Blood has made me whole.   

I am less than perfect,
   but I know the One who is.
He resides within my heart,
   and is willing to forgive.

I may be less than perfect,
   but I pray that on this day,
His perfection shines through me,
   no matter what I do or say.

Less than perfect,
   Yes that is me.
But today I pray that others
   See Jesus Christ in me.
In His Love, Cathy

Disappointment

Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:10-11

For me, this has been a week filled with disappointments...  Yet again, I have learned that sometimes people will let you down or hurt you - even those you are close to.  Funny thing, is, my personal devotion yesterday touched on the very subject of disappointment.  Again, God beautifully orchestrating circumstances according to His wonderful timing. 

When others hurt or disappoint, we can ALWAYS count on God for understanding, unfailing love, and forgiveness. I'm comforted knowing this promise. He understands when others don't - or refuse to understand. He forgives when others criticize, complain, falsely judge, or gossip. He loves when others hate. He is there in time of need when others aren't. He is your company when others ignore you.  He is ALWAYS with us and, unlike people, will NEVER forsake us.  What an AWESOME and AMAZING GOD we serve!

So then, what should our response be?  To love others in SPITE of what they have done.  Why?

• Because Love covers a multitude of sin.  (1 Peter 4:8)
• Because if we hate, we are in darkness.  (1 John 2:9)
• Because love covers offenses, while hatred stirs of quarrels.  ( Proverbs 10:12)
• Because loving each other is the full expression of God's love in us.  (1 John 4:12)
• Because God said so. (John 13:34-35)

We are to also encourage one another.  How?

• By making everything you say kind and uplifting.  (Ephesians 4:29)
• By reminding others what God can do and wants to do through and for them.  (2 Chronicles 32:8)
• By complementing others for a job well done.  (2 Chronicles 30:22)
• By helping others keep a close relationship with God.  (1 Samuel 23:16)
• By sharing God's instruction and offer loving correction.  (Titus 1:9)
• By avoiding gossip, negative critcism, and guarding your tongue.  Gossip is erroneously judging others and speaking about others for things you know nothing of.  (Matthew 7:1)

Our words and actions should be edifying, designed to build up others.  Having a critical spirit or negative attitude has no room in godly relationships.  To overcome this tendancy and build others up requires us to be willing to forgive others as He does. To encourage others as He does. To be there for others in time of need.  To love others as He does.  To understand others without flippantly assuming anything.  And we are to do all of this IN SPITE OF whether they have done the same for us or not.

And when you are disappointed like I have been this week, remember, we can "Give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you."  Psalm 55:22

Grace and Peace, Friends!

In His Love, Cathy

Construction Zone

Working on revamping my blog layout.  Ran out of time - didn't finish.  Hopefully I'll have all of the links and other accessories up and running this weekend.

In His Love, Cathy

Thank You for the Birthday Wishes

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the many sweet Birthday wishes I received yesterday.  My heart was deeply touched by them. I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful family, friends, and students in my life. Who could ask for anything more?

God bless you on this day and throughout this week!  I hope I can be a blessing to each of you!  With all my love - and...
In His Love, Cathy

The Power of Positive Thanksgiving

"Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. "  1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

What is the antidote to a heavy heart?  Thankfulness. 

It's hard to be thankful when our world seems to be crashing down.  As our problems mount, we worry and stress.  Our attentions are turned to our circumstances, to our heartache, to our insurmountable problems.  We tend to hone in on ourselves, especially in tough times.  We assume a fetal position, our difficulties dominating our thoughts and piercing our very souls.  From this vantage, we hardly have the strength to do much else.  However, it is especially in times like these that our attention should be shifted from ourselves to our magnificent and awe inspiring God.  Thankfulness is the key to shifting our attention from 'me' to 'He.'

Paul says we are to be thankful in ALL circumstances - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We don't get to pick and choose when we should be thankful.  We are to be thankful ALWAYS.  There is power in thankfulness - in recognizing our awesome God and thanking Him for EVERYTHING He has done.  In being thankful, we allow the Holy Spirit to do His great work within our hearts.  I would even dare to say that when we find it hardest to be thankful, but do so anyway, is when the Holy Spirit does His greatest works in us.  Conversely, this passage seems to suggest that when we are not thankful in our circumstances, our lack of thanksgiving actually STIFLES the Holy Spirit within us!  Whoa!  I certainly never thought of it like this before!

Each day, make time to spend with the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving.  Thank Him for all of your blessings and in all of your circumstances.  Even if you are at rock bottom, you have a lot more to be thankful for than you know.  Examine your heart and your life, making a list of all that God has given.  And no matter the circumstance, we all can give thanks for what Jesus did on the cross for us. 

So cast off that 'poor me' attitude that flairs up in the midst of troubles.  Replace it with positive thanksgiving!  We have A LOT to be thankful for - for we who are in Christ are unshakable!

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.  Hebrews 12:28


In His Love, Cathy

Loving Like Jesus

"Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!

And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

"Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."  Luke 6:31-38

We must love like Jesus loves.  We must love both the loveable and the unloveable -both the saint and the sinner.  Besides, the only difference between a saint and a sinner is forgiveness.  If we love only the loveable, then we are no different than sinners.  No, we are to love others unconditionally just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does.  Though others may try to take advantage, we should have a higher perspective on the situation.

I am currently struggling with loving someone who is doing much harm in the lives of many people who are close to me.  This person's actions have disrupted a family.  There are children involved whose lives have been completely turned upside down due to this person's actions. HRS is now involved.  It's a very serious situation.  Yet, this person needs Christ more than any other person I know right now.  As much as I'd like to write the person off, I can't.  This is really tough for me because I'm emotionally tied to those involved.  All I really want to do is give the person a piece of my mind and watch them sink in their own sin.  However, I know this will accomplish nothing.  In addition, there are too many other lives that will suffer if this person suffers.  And even more importantly, despite what I think or how I feel about this person, God loves them just as much as He loves me!  The only remedy to the situation is for this person to be changed from the inside out. The only person I know who can perform such a miracle is Jesus Christ. I am determined to love this person right into the arms of Christ!  So I am choosing to love them and pray for them.

When people come to us for prayer or for help, they may not always be truthful and up front with us, especially non-believers. Their motivation may be rooted in greed, a need for attention, or to get as much out of us as they can.  But in other cases, they may have genuine needs.  Their lack of honesty may be because they are trying save face or they simply can't deal with the painful truth. As I told a friend today, our purpose is to love them as Jesus did, pray for them, and help without enabling them - taking them at face value at the moment. (Turn the other cheek, right?) That is not to say we should allow people to take advantage, just that they need Christ's love and we are to be the vessel in which His love is displayed.

Loving like Jesus is tough.  In some cases, we may just plain out not want to.  That's totally understandable.  However, God expects us to be more like Christ than the world - and loving others is a big part of it.  Otherwise, we are no better off than those who don't know Jesus.  Loving the unloveable isn't without it's difficulties.  It's no walk in the park.  Christ knew this and he indicated how we are to respond - with more love - doing good to them and never expecting anything in return!  And sometimes, the love we need to give will be tough love - loving without enabling.   That is the position that I and others are having to take in the situation I mentioned earlier. 

Just know that when the loving gets tough, the tough get to loving!  In Christ, it is possible to love the unloveable. 

In His Love, Cathy