This is incredibly cool…and addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you! 🙂
I am, on balance, a fairly happy person.
I love the Lord, and I
love my life. I feel content in most circumstances. Even if I get
temporarily thrown off my usual stride, I can usually find my
equilibrium, so to speak, pretty quickly.
You see, I like peace. I like to feel peaceful. I dislike anxiety, fretfulness and worry.
So, I'm learning to focus on my Lord, and to allow His peace to fill me.
That is why I have been extremely frustrated with my self the past month or so.
I
have not felt very peaceful. I have been quite fretful. I have been
grouchy, cantankerous, and (I say it to my shame) a tad unforgiving
lately.
And I don't like being that way!
I have been unhappy with myself that I am feeling unhappy with others and with life in general.
Then, this morning, I was working with Isaac, listening to the music playing in his room, and I just burst into tears.
The song was about Heaven. I hear songs about Heaven several times every day. I don't usually break down over them.
This
song, however, was about our friends and loved ones who are already in
Heaven, how we miss them, and how happy we will be to see them again.
Then I remembered.
Gail.
I am still grieving over losing Gail.
Don't
get me wrong. I think about Gail every day – usually more than once a
day. I mostly think of things that I want to tell her — then I
remember that I can't. So, I move my thoughts on to something else, and
get on with my day.
But grief eventually needs its outlet, doesn't it?
I
can't keep just pushing it aside for other things, because that's where
the discontent comes from. That's why I'm so easily frustrated and
angered and why I hold on to those feelings longer than usual.
I've pushed aside the grieving to get on with my life, but the sadness just isn't disappearing.
So,
today, when I burst into tears, I should have just let those tears
continue until I was finished with the crying. As usual, I stopped them
so that I could go about my business.
I think the next time they
start, I'm just going to indulge them for a little while. Maybe some of
the anger, fretfulness, anxiety, unforgiveness with flow away with the
tears.
Yeah, so I remembered I'm still grieving. That's ok. I
think I will just give myself a little break today, and grieve for my
sweet friend who I am missing so very much.
Our God is such a
great God to create us to feel so many emotions, and then build into our
very bodies the outlet for those emotions: tears, laughter, and the
huge array in between the two.
I almost wonder that if I allow myself to cry, I will find that my laughter returns as well.
I just think it might.
Our God is an awesome God!
Today is mine and Doug's twenty-second wedding anniversary.
I told him yesterday that I felt like it had been twenty-two years of wedded bliss.
No lie!
We have lived through many things, but have always been happy together!
I think that our Heavenly Father gave me the greatest earthly gift ever when He brought us together.
I love you, Doug!
You are my favorite!
Alesha
I'm being featured on a blog today, and I just wanted to share:
Christian Artists Street Team on Etsy Blog
The CAST team is a group of Christians who have shops on Etsy. They have a blog that features the products of their members and also has wonderful devotional posts as well.
🙂
I have been drooling over one of these for the past year:
Now, I have the chance to win one, and so do you!
Go here: Keeper of the Home for your opportunity.
I think there must be days that I overlook some of God's mightiest
acts, simply because I am too busy managing my own affairs. I often
forget to look for God's hand at work.
There are, however, some days that I see his incredible works in
bold, vibrant, tangible ways…as I did yesterday:
After enduring a month of surgeries, anesthesia, medications, ER
visits, doctor's appointments, extreme pain and illness, our co-pastor's
wife, Mrs. C, was able to
attend our church services!
It was wonderful to see her, and hug her, and have her in our midst
again, but the joy I felt was more than that.
It was the tangible awareness that the great God of Heaven, Creator
of the universe, had heard – and answered – our prayers on her behalf.
It was an answer to prayer – a miracle – talking and walking around!
How exciting it was to be reminded that God uses us, somehow, to
accomplish His will.
We cannot all be pastors or teachers. Some of us can't get out to
visit the sick. We might not be great musicians. It may be difficult
for us to greet strangers. We may feel our greatest talent is that of
warming up our spot on the pew!
There is one thing, however, that we ALL can do, and that is to
PRAY!
Consider the following scenario:
Your pastor rises from his seat next Sunday, stands behind the
pulpit and announces YOUR name. He tells of a grave diagnosis or a
family crisis or a great need that has developed in your life. You hear
a gasp of shock followed by a murmur of sympathy as it sweeps the
congregation.
How would you want the audience to respond? Would you want them to
walk out of the sanctuary at the end of service, and forget about you
until service time next Sunday? Or would you want them to faithfully
call out your name to the Heavenly Father until the crisis was passed?
I know that I would want my church family to remember to pray for me
in my time of need.
We can all be faithful to pray for those who need a touch from God.
Even when we are overwhelmed with our own pain, we can pray for
others.
Sometimes, it is BECAUSE of our own suffering that we are made
more acutely aware of the distress of those around us.
Ask the Lord to lay someone on your heart this week. We cannot carry
everyone's burden, but we can be faithful to pray for one, especially
if the Lord burdens our heart with that need.
I know that your faith will grow as you see God work in the lives of
those for whom you are praying. It will encourage your own heart, and
build confidence in your God.
It will move your heart to praise and adoration as you see Him show
Himself mighty in your midst.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer
and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7
Obtaining Mercy 
