REDEMPTION in HIS RAIN

April 22, 2013 By 10 Comments

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Ahh….. rain….. I so love the sound of it.  We don’t get much of it here in Colorado, so I relish it when it falls to earth.  Water in general means many different things to people.

Water can quench a thirst, it is used in baptism, and JESUS used it for a miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.  Jesus washed HIS disciples’ feet with water and HE walked on it as well.

Water is used in the Old Testament as a symbol of purification in ritual cleansing. 

GOD has provided water to us as a necessity for life.  In general, I think we take water for granted even though we could not live without it.

But there is that familiar expression that “when it rains it pours” and this wording is all about our difficulties in life, and how all of it is compounded when one trial happens on top of another!  Are you in this familiar place?

I see some friends battling with physical issues, questioning GOD and HIS plan, and asking why.

I see others living with burdens I cannot imagine, some financial and some concerning family, and through it all saying they will trust.

These difficult trials cause us to ponder: why me? why them?

And just like the rain that inevitably falls after a long hot drought, GOD’S love falls and washes over us like spring GRACE…. just when we need it…. just when we are at our limit.  And just like we need water to survive, so we need GOD’S living water to sustain us whenever life’s trials rain upon us.

I certainly don’t have all the answers as to why bad things happen to good people…. I just know we are all broken…. it is the world seeping into our souls and making us dirty in all sorts of ways.  Because of our sins, we have “…forsaken GOD, the spring of living water, and have dug our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

JEREMIAH 2:13

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What does this say about us?  It says that when life rains on us, we cannot go it alone even though we try.  We try hard to fix situations,  and then soon realize that our going it alone only muddies the water.  We need to draw deep from GOD’S well of salvation and let HIS living water wash over us, like rain on a fresh spring morning!  Only the grace of GOD can be poured out abundantly on us in our situations if we hold fast to our faith in HIM. 

The next time it rains or you see water in a beautiful peaceful setting…. remember HIS redemption for you.  Water is all around us every day…. may we never take it for granted, and may we always remember its life-giving purpose for us.

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ISAIAH 12: 2 “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

 

 

Filed Under: Battles, Spiritual, Thought for Today Tagged With: , , , 10 Comments

Can’t get away?

April 5, 2013 By 3 Comments

If you’re like me, sometimes you just need an escape. A time set apart especially for some time away. A chance to recharge. A retreat.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word retreat?

For me, a retreat includes time away. Either by myself or with others to recharge. When I think retreat, I think out of town. I think rest. I think relaxation. I think worship. I think quiet time. I think sleep. 

Stolen from my sister's trip to Florida

Stolen from my sister’s trip to Florida

If retreat means the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy, then this means that I do not have to go out of town. It doesn’t even mean that I would have to leave my house. To retreat, simply means to withdraw.

When physical withdrawal isn’t an option, we can still withdraw within our selves. We can mentally withdraw. We can emotionally withdraw. We can spiritually withdraw. We can build this practice into our lives. We can do this consistently. Without breaking the bank. Without spending a dime. All it takes is discipline.

We can set out a specific time, day, and place to simply get away. To retreat into the arms of our God. To retreat into His Word. To retreat into surrender.

To retreat, is to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. Many times in Scripture we’re given the example of retreating to be alone. Sometimes he did so by himself. Sometimes he did so with a close group of friends.

  • …He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place… Matthew 14:13
  • In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Mark 1:35
  • …”Come away by yourselves to a secluded place”… …went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. Mark 6:31-2
  • …Jesus left and went to a secluded place… Luke 4:42
  • …withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. John 6:15
  • And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray… Luke 22:41

So, what would it look like for you to retreat? Maybe you need a daily “retreat” to refresh and recharge. Maybe it’s weekly. Perhaps monthly. However often it is needed, I want to encourage you to just do it.

Even if it seems impossible. Try. Set apart an hour, a half hour, 15 minutes. Whatever you can. Say a quick prayer. Journal. Take a deep breath. Stare at His creation. Whatever it takes. Make the time to reconnect. Find a way to retreat.

Even if only momentarily.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual Tagged With: , , 3 Comments

Update from the Battle Lines

March 21, 2013 By 6 Comments

Earlier this year, I declared war on Fibromyalgia and I said I would keep you updated. To be honest, I feel a little bad using such strong words against my condition. Fibromyalgia is not the enemy. In fact, it is more of a friend. How could I call it anything less when it has brought me so close to God?

Nevertheless, my fibro-friend needs to lighten up a bit and learn to work with me a little better.

Would you like to know how it’s going?

Well, slow. That’s to be expected. You want to ease fibro into new things. If you sneak up and surprise it, you’ll regret it.

When I think back, I felt best when I was taking care of myself nutritionally. Quality vitamins are important for a body. That is where I started.Step One: Vitamins & Supplements

I spent lots of time researching what might be the best supplements for my physical and mental needs. Here are some needs I considered:

  • Energy
  • Muscle recovery
  • Joint health
  • Immunity
  • Brain function
  • Digestive health

I looked online and considered some of the well-known, more expensive nutritional supplements. After comparing prices, ingredients and reviews, I decided to go with what I could find at GNC. They had everything I was looking for with good quality, but a better price.

I began feeling a difference within a few days. I felt great within a couple weeks.  So, I knew it was time to take on something new.

This is when trouble usually comes. When I am feeling great, I believe I can do anything. Then my body tells me otherwise. So, I have to be careful.

My something “new” was to become more consistent with exercise. A fibromyalgic body should do half the work and have twice the rest. I once read that the best way to introduce exercise is to add one segment at a time over a long period. That means that you begin with posture. Once you feel confident that you have a strong posture, you can move on to stretching. After about a week of that, you can add a warm-up to your routine and then low-impact exercise a week later, and so on. It sounds like a good plan, but it is one I have never succeeded in. It is too boring and too long of a process. I have never felt like I was accomplishing anything with that plan.

This time, I decided to build up time of exercise. I started with a very short five minute routine I found on youtube with the plan of adding five to ten minutes a month, up to an hour. Even that plan sounds slow, but it is important to give a sensitive system time to adjust and strengthen.

Once I got to ten minutes, I was feeling pretty good about myself and also, a little impatient. (That’s my biggest problem in this process.) So, one day after a workout, I invited my neighbor to go for a walk. Our walks are long and leisurely, but still are a lot for me. I did not take into account that I also needed to go shopping that day and that I would be teaching ten children in Bible class that night. Oops. That set me back quite a bit. In fact, it knocked me out of commission for a few days.

Lesson learned? Be thankful for feeling good and be content for where I am.  Also, think ahead. I may feel good now, but what does the rest of the day have in store? (That should be an automatic question for most fibro-warriors.)

Now it is March and I am still feeling pretty good. Of course, I have a long way to go. More changes are to come. In fact, I am in the process of changing my diet now. I look forward to telling you more about that next time!

 

 

Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Filed Under: Accountability, Battles, Goals, Physical Tagged With: , , , 6 Comments

THE REDEEMING RACE

February 22, 2013 By 4 Comments

 

Sometimes I feel as if I am in a rat race… when I am out and about and all of humanity is rushing around me, I tend to rush too.  But what are we all rushing towards?  And why?  It would appear to someone as if we are all in a race together to see who finishes first!  Who gets married first… which one of us buys our first house… who has their first child… and it goes on and on.

As GOD’S wisdom seeps into our souls, however, we begin to understand that all of the rushing, and achievements, and attaining stuff is really a waste of time overall. The only true, pure and right goal in our lives is living for our GOD and finishing the race strong with HIM!   

Ecclesiastes 4: 4 says: “Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor.  This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

All this racing around does not make us happy…. it is as if we are chasing after the wind.

I don’t know about you, but I often feel the world pressing against me, and I tend to press back with my private time with my GOD.  HE has me on HIS path anyway…. HE is in control…. I take comfort in letting HIM drive the car, so to speak!  When I do, HE takes me through beautiful fields, with blooming flowers and blessings.  HE also drives skillfully through those valleys and carefully up mountaintops. 

If I am caught up in the continuous rat race around me, then I miss looking out the window!

I have realized that in my day, I must STOP…. STOP to feel and know of HIS presence. This takes a conscious effort until it becomes a habit.   Some days are more difficult than others to do this, but even in that, HE gives me perseverance in HIS grace.  And I do believe this whole business of perseverance is the hardest thing to deal with as a Christian.

How many of us, in our hearts, just want to give up?  It is easy to say persevere, but how do we do that?

So many of my friends are going through their days against great difficulty…. but continuing to move forward towards that finish line where CHRIST awaits us is our daily perseverance in a life filled with HIS grace and mercy. 

We cannot persevere alone…. we are just not made that way!  And HE gives us just enough light for the day we are on…. if we peer ahead, we peer into darkness.  So this one day at a time existence and living in the present is how we persevere!

Sometimes I feel as if I will never make it through a day…. do you?  And then, before I realize it, the day is done, and I have survived it.  I call those “marathon” days.  Those are the days where I need to hang on to HIS presence with all my might.  Let’s not forget…. HE never lets us go!  We are the ones who forget to reach for our Savior!

Isn’t it wonderful then, that in this race, and in our days, we are REDEEMED?  CHRIST’S blood is our redemption, and because HE died for us on that tree…. we will finish the race strong and loved by HIM.

HEBREWS 12: 1 “…. let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Battles, Goals, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 4 Comments

Uncovering an Idol

February 20, 2013 By 11 Comments

Two years ago I went to a “wellness check.” To mine and my husband’s surprise, there was a discovery. Very high cholesterol.

It would take me another full year before I was willing to admit I needed to make changes.
In a heart-to-heart with my doctor last September, I accepted that even though high cholesterol alone doesn’t mean I will develop heart disease over the next 10 years, it does mean I don’t want to wait another 10 years to address the issue.

The immediate diagnosis: get “heart healthy.”

  • Quit smoking for good.
  • Exercise regularly, emphasis on cardio.
  • Eat real food, way less processed food.
  • Lose the excess weight and keep it off.

I started tackling the list. The current results?

  • Jan celebrates my 4th consecutive month of not smoking.
  • Exercised regularly..until November. Cardio is anything but regular.
  • Ate much better..until November. I crash landed into the “cycle.”
  • Gained back all of the weight I’d lost since August.

The cycle: I have food addictions. When I feel blah, I stuff. When depressed, I stuff. When agitated, I stuff. Sometimes, even when I’m happy, I stuff. Not eat until satisfied–push past the point of satisfied, past the point of comfort, to a stuffed, uncomfortable, sometimes miserable bloat. Then, I feel the other “S” word, shame. Shame I’ve done what I’m not supposed to do. Shame I’m not taking better care of my body, or my heart. Inside of that shame I hunker down, giving up exercise, better food choices, and the physical health of my heart.

Fast forward to these last two weeks, where in prayer with the Lord I have come to a convicting realization.

The cycle of emotional stuffing followed by shame,
also covers my heart spiritually with a heavy covering, weighing it down.
What’s worse, my food addiction is more than just a food addiction.

You shall have no other gods before me. ~Exodus 20:3 (ESV)

When I turn to food before God for praise and thanks,
When I turn to food for comfort over feeling failure before going to God,
When I turn to food to find joy, instead of to my Savior Jesus,
I am making food an idol.

I’m realizing my heart health is both a very real physical, and very real spiritual matter. I need to protect my heart spiritually, and I need to care for my heart physically. “What do I need to change first, and what do I need to change most?” is a question I’ve been taught through discipleship to ask myself. And the answer for me this week has been painfully clear.

I have to give up these food addictions first,
in order to reach the “most” of my health
physically and spiritually.

photo c4136b52-4225-406d-8271-4750f8edcf3d_zps4877a55d.jpg

My “one word” this year is “Redeemed.” I believe, I know, Christ can redeem me from my addictions. He’s already done miraculous work overcoming my nicotine addiction, and this year is the year I need to give Him my emotional battle with food.

I’m using this month to battle my food addiction head on. I’m using it as a time to really take my heart before the Lord spiritually, before turning to food. To take my joys, my sorrows, my failures, and my hopes to Him first instead of food.
To strip away the layers of bondage my heart has been caught up in for years, and breathe in the true freedom He offers. To get my heart the spiritual strength and healing I need, so I can care for my heart physically.

Are there any addictions or idols blocking your heart to spiritual and physical growth and/or healing? If so, I hope you’ll join me this month in bringing them before the Lord so He can take away any weights, that our hearts can beat with the freedom of His enduring Love, and we can care for our hearts physically, giving that glory to Him.

In Love & Faith,
RaZella

Filed Under: Battles, One Word, Physical, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , , , 11 Comments

A Broken Heart

February 15, 2013 By 8 Comments

I remember parts of the day like it was yesterday, and it has been 18 ½ years.

I remember what I was wearing.

I remember that it was an early summer day with beautiful weather.

I remember trying to hold it together.  Again.  I was not going to break down!

I WAS. NOT.

We were supposed to attend the retirement party of a very good friend.  I wanted to go, but I didn’t see how I could stop crying.

“Everything is OK.”   I kept repeating this to myself over and over.  “It will be fine.”

But it wasn’t.  And it wasn’t going to be.

At least not without some help.

It had been two years since we had buried her.  Two years since dear friends carried her tiny casket out of the chapel.  Two years since I sat at her grave on a sunny June day, with friends gathered around, and felt like my life was over.

I had to get through this…I HAD to.

I had been reading passages on grief.  I was clinging to 1Peter 5:7 and Matthew 11:28.  I had been trying to pray.  I had been asking the Lord to help me with my grief.  I was functioning, but only on the outside.  I went through the motions every day.

And on that day, 18 ½ years ago, I collapsed in my kitchen.  I slid to the floor in a crying, sobbing, withering mess.

I couldn’t do this.  I could not continue pretending that I was fine.  That I was OK.  I couldn’t function.  I couldn’t even stand.  This was NOT working.  I felt like I was at the bottom of a deep hole.  A VERY deep hole and I had NO IDEA how to get out.

My husband called a doctor friend who suggested some ways to get through the rest of the weekend and gave him the name of a doctor he thought could help us and told us we should call him on Monday.

I made an appointment with one of the doctors and it was like I had been given a gift.

The doctor assured me that my grieving cycle was normal.  He told me I was not alone.  Many people get depressed.

He encouraged me to write a letter to my daughter.  He encouraged me to talk about my feelings.  He listened to me and he listened to my husband and me together.  He gave me steps to help me climb out of the dark hole.  And he helped me to learn the signs of depression and what some of my triggers were.   He equipped me to recognize when I might be slipping into that hole again.

Slowly I began to feel better.  Slowly I began to reclaim my life.  I was climbing out of the hole and I felt like I could begin to see the sunshine.

I was going to be OK.

I have shared about Amy on my blog. But I have only shared portions of the story.  I have not shared this dark part.  You might ask why I am choosing to share this part of my story here on Must Love God.  Our theme for February is heart health.  After much prayer about what to write and what direction to take my post, it became clear that the Lord wanted me to share this part of my story.

I was depressed because my heart was broken.  I needed to learn how to deal with my broken heart so that I could move forward with my life.  I had a wonderful husband and a young son…my life wasn’t over!

Yes, I had endured heart ache and pain, but I had much to live for.

A broken heart – no matter what the cause – is not a reason to crawl in a hole and give up.  It is a reason to seek professional help when necessary and learn that there is life on the other side of the darkness.

 

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Loss, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 8 Comments

How’s Your Heart?

February 13, 2013 By 6 Comments

How’s Your Heart?

 

Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible.  Any time I’m afraid, discouraged, worn down or facing a battle, that’s where I run.  The Psalms are so full of raw emotion – nothing held back, nothing prettied up, just life with all its ups and downs. And most of all, with God’s unrelenting love.

I started leafing through Psalms recently, looking specifically for things about the heart, and a couple of verses really stood out to me:

Psalm 19:14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 62:8  Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

This month, there will be a lot of focus on heart disease and physical health.  It takes hard work to keep your physical heart healthy – but it’s even harder to keep your spiritual heart healthy.  These verses get right to the root of keeping your heart and mind focused on God.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD…

One of the first signs that I’m not spending enough time with God is when my heart and mind start to wander.  I find emotions like envy and bitterness trying to take a foothold in my heart.  My mind gets restless and I find it hard to focus.  When I feel the symptoms coming on, I can look at my quiet times and see that they are absent or at a minimum.

When I’m not putting God first in my life, I pay the price.  Life takes a toll sometimes, and the only way to combat that is to keep my focus on God.  Take some time this week to evaluate your quiet times and make sure you’re guarding your heart by spending time in Bible study and prayer.

Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

People would probably think I’m either crazy or a heretic if they could hear some of my conversations with God.  I take the “pour out your heart” advice seriously.  Some days I pour out joy – but a lot of days I pour out my stress, my heartaches, and my questions.  I’ve learned that keeping it all bottled up inside only makes things worse, and nobody’s a better listener than God.  He’s more than big enough to handle my questions, my doubts, and my fears – and He always gives me just what I need.

During your prayer time this week, open up to God.  Pour out your heart.  Tell Him everything, good and bad.  You might be surprised at His loving response.

Take time to care for your heart – you’ll find that the effort has a huge payoff!

 

(Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Battles, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 6 Comments

Your Heart’s Armor

February 11, 2013 By 45 Comments

The Word _ Simplystriving

Sun’s rays warmed the nape of my neck as I lingered long. My journal and Bible now lay closed on my lap as I traced the edges of the worn, emerald leather binding. I have a nicer looking Bible, but this one I’ve carried around since my 16th birthday, suits me.

As I was reflecting on how long I’ve poured into this One, I heard it. My neckline tingled as I sat up in alert. For I knew right away, I was in the presence of The King.

“Guard your heart, child.”

That was all my heart heard. I sat as long as I could, hoping for more details. When I rose to go about my day, I still had no idea what was to come or what I needed to stay clear of.

But I knew how much He loved me. That He cared enough to warn me of whatever was headed my way. And I spent the rest of the morning praising and thanking Him for who He is…

I would find out later that afternoon.

With one phone call, the doctor confirmed what I already knew. And as I sat down, trying to determine if I should call my husband or break the news when he was home, verses started percolating. One after another, they rose to the surface like I had rehearsed this moment. Each perfectly timed. Supporting another. Soothing the hurt inside…

It was then I recalled what He had told me that morning…

Friends, I think I may have stumbled onto the best armor for our hearts yet:
Hiding His Words. Right in our very marrow.

 

The Wellspring of Truth is where we should draw our comfort from. We can drink it in and just know…the big thing we’re facing, the one we can’t see around — He can. And He’s got it covered.

There’s no denying its validity. Even the enemy cowers under its strength. And to harbor its words in our hearts…friends…what can penetrate that?

Make no mistake, I still went through the hard. I still said goodbye to another baby. But everything that I hold true is still the same. My circumstances may change, but my ultimate reality never does.

  • God never changes. He is the only constant in this tipped, spinning wild world. (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8)
  • God loves me relentlessly. In fact, so does His Son. (John 3:16)
  • Jesus has paid for my ransom.
  • He considers me His child. I’m His. (John 1:12)
  • And He has promised to come get me. (John 14:1-4)
  • In the meantime, He’s assured me He will walk the very path He’s asked me to walk. (Matthew 28:20)

Friends, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. And that’s enough for me.

 

How about you? Do you savor His Words in your heart? How do you guard your wellspring of life? I’d love to hear.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Loss, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , 45 Comments

Lifestyle Changes

February 4, 2013 By 2 Comments

Last month I wrote on a new diagnosis that my hubs had received.
On January 1st we started Whole30. Basically, Paleo on steroids.

I’ve done great….except for the cheating. I have been using ‘real’ creamer in my coffee, and we had a total bust weekend where we threw caution to the wind and ate what we wanted.

Hubs and I have done Body for Life. On their system you get a cheat day. Well. Let me tell you. My body was NOT HAPPY! My, ahem, plumbing specifically.

This Whole30 is going to be our new way of eating. Paleo actually. We may do Whole30 once in a while to reset if needed.

The positives outweigh the negatives. I’ve had more energy. I’ve had less bloating. I lost 8 pounds in a month with hardly any exercise. Think of how well I could have done if I had worked out too!

I am here to encourage you! You will NOT regret doing Whole30!

 

Filed Under: Battles, Goals, Physical, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments

Instinct

February 1, 2013 By 5 Comments

When someone says something harsh about us. When there’s an attack (real or perceived) on our beliefs, values or rights. When we feel betrayed by someone. When we are faced with trials. When justice isn’t served. When we’re unfairly fired. When plans fall through. When discouragement, anger, frustration, irritation, or countless other negative feelings settle in.

What does our instinct tell us to do?

Instinct can be defined as a behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level.

So when something happens, what does our instinct lead us to do? Do we react out of the flesh side of ourselves, or from our spiritual side? Do we allow anger, bitterness, and hate to bombard us, or are we able to meet these situations with love, grace and a prayerful attitude?

The answers to these questions are crucial. For we are told that “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matt 12:34b) This means that the way we react without thinking gives us a deeper truth–the truth into what our hearts are consumed with.

This doesn’t mean that we’ll respond correctly every time. Even if we’re growing in our relationship with Christ, continually sacrificing so that our priorities will remain in the proper order, and looking for ways to honor Him in all we do…we still won’t always respond the way we know we should. The way we so eagerly want to respond.

Even if we don’t choose the best way to react, each time that we choose the better option we take a step toward the best option becoming a habit. With every better step, we make progress.

So how can we begin to make progress toward our instinct resulting in the best reaction?

  • We memorize scripture (Psalm 119:11)
  • We meditate on positive influences (i.e. music, tv, internet interactions, etc)
  • We continuously pray for it (1 Thess 5:17)
  • We think before we speak (WWJD anyone?)
  • We respond in only ways we wish others would respond to us (Luke 6:31)

If we are faithful to do all these things, I believe that little by little our instincts will align with His instincts. When this happens, we can be confident that our heart is healthy. After all, our end goal is to be so completely and utterly captivated, engulfed, and captured by Him that those who look at us no longer see us, but Him.

That is the place I know each of us here is striving to be.

Won’t you join us?

Filed Under: Balance, Battles, Revolution, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 5 Comments
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