Tag: sickness

Posted in Life Inspiration

Sunshine for a Rainy Day

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on Sunshine for a Rainy Day

reagan's sunshine

I don’t think a day goes by that I have not heard the “C” word. Cancer. A word that can bring even the mightiest warrior to their knees asking for mercy. It is no respecter of age, gender, or socioeconomic status. Saint and Sinner… it has claimed both.

As I listened to a devotion on Periscope this morning from a sister in Christ Jesus in Pennsylvania, she always closes her broadcast with prayer requests and prayer. There too the “C” word popped up. And as I listened to her sweet prayer she said something that sent my mind here… this place I’m at today. She asked God to heal those who He had created the blueprint for. The Creator. We just don’t give Him His just dues do we?

1 Peter 4:19

 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Them that suffer

I cannot say that I have not questioned God’s divine wisdom when it comes to the diagnosis of someone I love. Even someone I don’t know! I see on social media post after post of heartache and my heart breaks. I see images that almost rip my heart out of my chest and I weep and pray and ask God to heal them and sometimes He does… and sometimes He takes them home and I’m left to pray for a heartbroken family; and again I ask God why? Why must these people suffer? It doesn’t seem right.

And then I am confronted with the truth that I am not the judge of what is right, only the Creator of all has that privilege. God’s plan was never that man would suffer. He created us in perfect health, in a perfect place with a perfect plan and then along came sin.

So rather than blame God for the suffering, which is what the world tends to do, we skip past the fact that Satan brought all of this into the world when he wanted to play God. And the human race is still allowing him to play god, the only problem is God is good, Satan is not. And this suffering that is in the world has an agent, Satan himself.

Suffering His Will

So why then is it the will of God that we now suffer? I do not know. Everyone’s blueprint for life is laid out differently, except for the fact that everyone is born with a sin nature, even the most innocent of child has been born into sin. That is why the bible says it rains on the just and the unjust. Everyone’s life is designed to point them and those around them to the Creator and that perfect life that He will afford His children one day in Heaven. A time when we will look back on this tidbit of life in the scope of eternity and think… wow… so that’s why it happened.

Committing the keeping of our souls to Him in well doing

How do you do well when life is not well? How do you sit beside someone who is suffering and tell them that God loves them? You commit them to Christ and then start looking for the work He’s doing through them.

The countless times that I have watched a child of God suffer, and yet still find the strength to praise God, I have also watched the blueprint unfold before my eyes. As hard as it was there was purpose.

I have many friends suffering right now, but there is one little girl on my mind especially who has suffered again and again because of Juvenile Arthritis. Last weekend she went into crisis having to have multiple surgeries and my heart ached as I watched for updates by her mom. She came through and so did Christ. Because she didn’t get to go outside a merciful nurse brought her some window paints and let her paint on her hospital window. The image above is her artistry. And there it was even in her darkest hours she was sharing the love of Jesus.

Her mom is a child of God. She has committed her child to Christ as they go through these hard times. I pray and believe in the Creator that holds her blueprint in Heaven, that He can guide the doctors to a cure for her disease. But until that day He continues to use her for His glory. And one day she’ll look back on these rough days and God will show her the souls that she touched for Him.

Just hold on… God is faithful.

Glory!!!!

Please pray for the sunshine girl. Her name is Reagan.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

From the couch of purgatory

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on From the couch of purgatory

CHICK PURGATORY.

Let me first be clear to say that I do not believe in purgatory, but if I did, (and I don’t) I’m relatively sure that I just lived through it. For five days I lay lifeless on the couch. If I rallied for more than 30 minutes I would collapse back into  a slump, feeling pain in my body like I’ve never felt.

I felt the Psalmist’s anguish when he wrote in Psalm 88:14-15 “Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.”

That might be a little more dramatic than my bout with the flu, but it was close. My throbbing head would not allow me to use my eyes for anything that would require focus, such as the computer or Bible. My body ached to the point that I was a “point A (bed) to point B (couch)” kinda gal.  I was in too much pain to even listen to Satan!  I was just in limbo… i.e. purgatory. Waiting for God to come and fetch me out. I missed Church on Wednesday night which broke my heart because I missed being with the teens and the over all experience gave me a reason to get back in the saddle and ride for Jesus again this morning.

I need ramped up. Perhaps you do too! It doesn’t take the flu to get you away from God. Just everyday life can take its toll. It’s so easy to get lackadaisical about serving Christ when you’re in purgatory. We often count on someone else to “buy” us out by giving us an encouraging word or allowing us to live vicariously through their zealous service. A friend messaged me yesterday to say that they had 7 saved in their revival this week, that’s exciting stuff! But I played no part… I want my own trophies of grace to lay at the feet of Jesus. I want to tell somebody what my LORD did for me, and rev up their soul to be saved. I want to walk down that Roman’s Road of Salvation with a new friend in Christ and put a few new mile markers of my own in the dirt.

What about you Saint of God?

Revival fires start with just a little kindling. What are you doing today to ignite that fire? I have sat on the couch for 5 days in a heap of wet wood. Today’s my day and here’s the game plan. Meditate on Psalm 85:6-7 ~ Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

We have but to ask in sincerity and God is faithful to provide. My heart needs stirred, and so I’m asking.

Posted in Life Inspiration

To Sob, Sing or Believe?

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on To Sob, Sing or Believe?

question & meAfter about the 4th or perhaps 40th bad news post on Facebook this morning, my heart was overwhelmed. I was on the verge of either breaking out in tears or song, I knew I had to do something, so rather than explain myself to the rest of the office, I opted to do a quick blog. The page was full of God’s children from birth to retirement fighting battles. They were hurting, their family’s hearts were broken and worry consumed many of their minds and the why’s started coming upon me.

God why does that innocent little child have to suffer like that?

Why does that mommy have to go through that?

Why is it that that man of God, who wants to do nothing more than serve you, has to suffer so?

Why does that man who served our country have to suffer through the rejection of government accountability?

Good grief and o my goodness, that list of why’s went on and on!!

So I turned to the Word of God for reasoning as He is the only One who I know I can trust for answers and I found myself at a familiar passage of scripture:

John 14:1

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

I have to believe God’s got this heartache in His hand and under control… “But it would be way better if I had a reason Lord,” I continued to question God. So I read on until I came to verse 14 of chapter 14 to which it read “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

Woop… stop the record. “Anything?” But God, that’s not how it works. I’ve seen things not go as we ask, why is that in there? In my soul I heard… Go back and read it as I intended it.

Verses 12-13 prior to that read:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Twice it is said that He will do whatever we ask, but not once did it say “as we’d ask it.”

So that child that I asked God to heal, He will. That veteran that I ask God to assist, He will. That Preacher that needs healing and provision, He will provide for. But there’s something attached to that healing and provision, and that is “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” It’s the Son’s decision on how my request is answered, but it is for certain that God will get glory, and it will be well. That’s hard for us to understand when we’re witnessing the pain in this moment of time that way out there in eternity is reason to rejoice. I don’t have the answers… I want the problem fixed, and now would be a good time. But God’s word says I may have to wait, and in so waiting, glory!

If God fixed everything the way we want Him to, how much would we miss out on? And how much worse might things be.

I’ll trust God.