It's a given (UPDATED WITH SCRIPTURE)

Back here in my bedroom,

feeling sorry for myself,
lonely, alone and blue,

as if the whole world is passing me by.
Allowing myself,
in pity
to give in to the random thoughts
running, screaming through my head,
hauntingly
beating me bloody, pulpy,

till the cows come home,
as we say in the south;
unceasingly telling me that I will soon be dead.

Morose, I know, but that's how it is

when  you're in constant pain,
chronic pain,

dealing with it every single arduous day,

every minute,
ever second the same.
Not exaggerating.

Will things ever change?

If my life now is to be given a chance, 

I need to chase these blues away,

and I know the only way to do so is to turn to what I truly believe.

I know God has chosen me,

I know He has a plan,

I know He hasn't given up on me yet
as others have,

as I have.

But my life is not yet over,

I'm still here, 
albeit a ghost,

and I know I need to change these thoughts

if I am to make the most

out of what I have been given,
what I have been told
and shown,

what God has given me.

These struggles that I deal with daily are just a shadow

of eternity.

So if the evil one wants to mess with my mind,
too bad,

he can stop right now,

because I have not yet finished my job, this race

that  my sweet Jesus has allowed.

If one word of what I am writing

can touch just one lonely soul

then I can rest my head on my pillow
in peace,
 and know that I am doing a good work

despite everything I have to battle.

I refuse to give in,

I refuse to let anyone else but my sweet Jesus win.

And I have read the end of the book,

I've cheated a little bit, as I am want to do,
so

I know that in the end

it's a given.
WE WIN!

1 John 3:11 - For this is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another.

Psalm 1:1-3 - Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night,  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.

A MUSTARD SEED (UPDATED WITH TITLE, SCRIPTURE AND PICTURE)

Forgive me Lord
for my unbelief,

for not being as sustainable as a mustard seed,

for questioning you're
wanting,
desiring
to take care of me,

for doubting that you'll provide
in this economy.

Please help me to remember
that you are in control

no matter
the circumstances
or
what I'm feeling
in my heart,
in my mind,
in my body
and in my soul.

PROVERBS 3:5-6

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.  IN ALL YOUR WAYS

SUBMIT TO HIM,

AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.

Brave Bunny Gets a Little Sick

BRAVE BUNNY

GETS A LITTLE SICK

Brave Bunny was feeling kind of funny,

and not funny in the usual way,

where you wanted to run and play silly tricks on your 50 sisters and 60 brothers, or was it the other way around?  Brave Bunny only knew that there were 110,

 all of them,

not to mention his aunts and his uncles and his mom and dad and grandparents,

all living together in their warm bunny home.

No, this time Brave Bunny didn't feel like laughing when he told his mom and his dad that he felt a little funny.

He just felt like jumping on Grandma's soft lap and asking her to take all of the funny feelings away.

After a while of Brave Bunny feeling funny in a quite unusual way,

His mom and his dad thought it best to send him straight to bed.

And then when the next morning Brave Bunny was feeling even more funny,

His mom and his dad took him in their little bunny car to go see the bunny doctor.

And that scared Brave Bunny because doctors scared him cuz all they wanted to do

was treat him like a big old pin cushion with all their little pinches that were much more than a little, they were a lot,

especially the shots,
but then they would give Brave Bunny lots of ice cream and lollipops.

But Brave Bunny was in a place where there were other hurting bunnies, too, so along with all the lollipops and ice cream, it really wasn't such a bad place cuz his mommy and daddy were always there, looking at him so lovingly, a wish that Brave Bunny had wished for years.

And Farmer Harvey had already told Brave Bunny a long time ago that His Lord Jesus was in control and was always near, so he had nothing to fear.

.

Please don't take Christ out of Christmas

Christmas shouldn't be a race for the vain,
seeing who can give the biggest gift that will probably put a strain on your wallet.
Christmas should be about the biggest gift of all that was given to everyone for free,
for eternity.
You want to give someone something special for this time of year,
then find someone that needs their tears wiped away because they don't have anyone
in their lives with which to celebrate this special night.
Feed food to the homeless,
give small gifts to the children who may have a broken home.
And be grateful for the little things you have and pass it on.

NOT SORRY TO SAY THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY (UPDATED WITH TITLE AND SCRIPTURE)

I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU,

(I ALWAYS AM),

IT'S NOT IN YOUR HAIR

OR THE PRETTY CLOTHES YOU WEAR.

IT'S DEEP IN YOUR HEART

AND YOUR SOUL.

AND IT'S FREE.

IT'S CALLED
ETERNITY.

AND THE ONLY WAY

IS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

HE IS THE WAY, 

THE TRUTH

AND THE LIFE.

I AM QUOTING SCRIPTURE HERE,

IN CASE YOU WEREN'T AWARE.

ALL I ASK

IS THAT YOU OPEN YOUR HEART

AND LET JESUS IN.

HE WILL HEAL YOU FROM WITHIN.

COME TO HIM AS YOU ARE.

YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE FOR HIM,

HE WILL CHANGE YOU.
HE WILL PICK UP THE BROKEN PIECES
AND MAKE YOU WHOLE AGAIN,
MAYBE EVEN FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN YOUR SHORT LIFE.

JOHN 14:6,
JESUS ANSWERED, "I AM THE WAY
AND THE TRUTH
AND THE LIFE.
NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT
THROUGH ME.

SHORT BUT SWEET (UPDATED WITH TITLE AND SCRIPTURE)

YOU HAVE TO STAY

IN HIS WORD

EVERY DAY

PRAY

PRAY

PRAY

AND LET US NOT FORGET

OUR FELLOWSHIP,

FOR THAT IS IMPORTANT TOO.
THEN LET US NOT FORGET

TO PRAISE OUR LORD,

THEN PRAISE HIM SOME MORE,

BEFORE THE ROCKS CRY OUT.

FOR WE WERE CREATED TO PRAISE 
OUR LORD.

HEBREWS 5:16-18

REJOICE ALWAYS,

PRAY CONTINUALLY,

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES;

FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL

FOR YOU

IN CHRIST JESUS.

Wisdom

Ain't no free lunch

THE STORM (UPDATED WITH PICTURE AND SCRIPTURE)

I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL
FOR ALL OF THE BLESSINGS
GOD HAS SENT MY WAY
AND THE OTHER ONES THAT I AM SURE TO COME.
HOWEVER,
RATHER,
I FIND MYSELF
SURROUNDED
BY A STORM OF DARK BLUE TEARS,
AND AS THE FIRST TEAR DROPS,
COLLECTED INTO A BOTTLE BY MY LORD, 
OF COURSE,
IT SEEMS TO CLEANSE MY SOUL
SOMEHOW.
AND THAT
DARK
DARK
CLOUD
THAT DECIDED TO PERSISTENTLY 
FOLLOW ME AROUND
OVER MY LITTLE HEAD
FINALLY DISAPPEARS,
JUST MIRACULOUSLY GOES AWAY
ALMOST AS IF IT HAD NEVER EVEN BEEN THERE.
THEN THE RAINBOW APPEARS,
ALWAYS REMINDING ME
OF GOD'S PROMISES
AND THAT HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE
RIGHT BY MY SIDE,
SOMETIMES EVEN CARRYING ME.
GOD HAS BEEN RIGHT THERE,
HOLDING MY HAND
EVEN ALL OF THE TIMES
I UNSUCCESSFULLY
TRIED
TO RUN AND HIDE
ANYWHERE I COULD FIND.
BUT HERE I AM,
STILL STANDING,
FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING,
UPON THE ROCK,
ROOTS PLANTED DEEPLY
JUST IN CASE THAT STORM DECIDES
ON ITS OWN TO RETURN
WITHOUT ANY WARNING.
AND EVEN THO THE WAVES COME AND GO,
HERE I SHALL FIRMLY STAND
UNTIL I AM CALLED HOME.

1 JOHN 5:5

WHO IS IT THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD?

ONLY THE ONE WHO BELIEVES

THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD.

TICK TOCK (UPDATED WITH TITLE, PICTURE & SCRIPTURE)

HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE YOU TO FORGIVE ME

FOR YOU BEING STRUCK DOWN AT THE TENDER AGE OF TWO?
WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?
TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE HOSPITAL?
I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT, YOU KNOW,
IF IT HAD MEANT GETTING SOME ATTENTION FROM YOU, JUST FOR A SECOND OR TWO.
SELFISH, BUT TRUE

JUST GIVE ME SOME IDEA,

SOME KIND OF CLUE,

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

BECAUSE, YOU SEE, I'M TIRED OF BEING KICKED AROUND  FOR SOMETHING I DID NOT

DO.

AND I'M SORRY YOU FEEL THIS WAY.

IT SEEMS AS IF I'VE ASKED YOU A MILLION TIMES,

AND FROM MY VIEW IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S EASIER FOR YOU TO FIND FAULT WITH THE PRESENT THAN  WITH THE PAST,

ALWAYS ENJOYING YOUR LITTLE LAUGH,
THEN USING ME AND STABBING ME IN THE BACK.

WELL, HERE'S A LAUGH FOR YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS -. 
I'M STUCK IN A WHEELCHAIR NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE TIME.

BUT THIS LAUGH IS ON YOU,  BECAUSE I AM TRULY HAPPY AND LOVED 
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE.
AND I AM FORGIVEN.

WE MAY NEVER BE BEST FRIENDS,
BUT GOD'S PRECIOUS LOVE IS FORGIVENESS,
AND, DESPITE OF HOW I WEAR MY HEART ON MY SLEEVE,
I AM AS GOD MADE ME,
OPEN AND FREE.
AND WHAT A JOY IT IS IS TO BE FREE,
KNOWING THAT ALL THIS TIME HE HAS BEEN WATCHING OVER YOU AND ME.
JUST TAKE A MINUTE AND THINK ABOUT THAT
I PRAY THAT YOU, TOO, CAN, JUST THIS ONCE, PUT YOUR PRIDE ASIDE 
AND BE 
 HAPPY AND FREE.
AFTER ALL, WE DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TIME.

JAMES 4:14

WHY, YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT WILL  HAPPEN TOMORROW.  WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? YOU ARE A MIST THAT APPEARS FOR A LITTLE WHILE

AND THEN VANISHES.

A Perverse Man Stirs Up Dissension, and A Gossip Separates Close Friends (Proverbs 16:28)

.

1. Definition of perverse (adj)

   Bing Dictionary
   • per·verse
   • [ pər vúrss ]
1. inexplicably irrational: contrary to what is regarded as normal or reasonable, often for reasons that seem unaccountable or self-defeating
2. stubbornly unreasonable: deliberately and doggedly behaving in a way that seems contrary to good sense or your own best interests
3. cranky: cranky or peevish

Definition of dissension (n)

Bing Dictionary

• dis·sen·sion
 
• [ di sénshən ]
 

1. disagreement: disagreement or difference of opinion, especially when leading to open conflict

Synonyms: opposition · disagreement · dissent · discord · rebellion · conflict

Doesn't sound like a very happy person, does it, especially if they are secretly wanting to do these things to their best friend.  The word jealousy comes to mind, which can lead to the end of man kind.  Didn't it lead to the end of Eden?

I have a confession to make - I am a gossip.
I won't even buy gossip magazines at the check-out stands anymore, and I used to buy them religiously, if you'll pardon the pun.

A certain someone in my family would gather at the Sunday dinner table with another, bursting with gossip about another certain someone in the family.  Woops! Now I've gone and done it again!.  But this is how I was brought up, believing that gossiping was an extension of Sunday services.  But if you're on the receiving end of this gossip, it's very painful.  More painful is being the one that's gossiping.  I found myself doing that recently out of spite and jealousy, and it just led to a blackness in my heart that could only be purged by confessing it to you, my brothers and sisters.  I ask for Jesus' forgiveness, and that he continues to change me and shape me into the person that he wants me to be.  I pray that He continues to mold me until I take my last breath here on this earth and wake up rejoicing with all the saints proclaiming Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who Was, and Is and Is To Come.

Our God Is and awesome and forgiving God.  Don't let gossip or jealousy or any other sin take over your life.  God loves and provides for the sparrows, so how much more is He going to love and provide for you?

It can be so easy as an unhealthy person to use any excuse to continue to sin because you're having to deal with a certain level of pain that others just don't understand.  But God has allowed this to happen to me for a reason, and I'm not about to blow it now.  So get behind thee Satan.  I am a precious daughter of the King and you hold no authority over myself, my husband, nor my children.  A Christian should live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose today, and is coming back tomorrow.  Our hope, our only hope, lies in him.

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   1 Corinthinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

My Prayer Today

If this is my plight, 
then I accept it Lord,

for what other decision 
do I have to make,

knowing that you hold
 my short life 
in your mighty hands, 
your glorious hands?

I wake up afraid
 that I may not be able to walk that day, 
but fear does not come from the Lord.

I Praise the Lord
 each and every day 
for the amazing way 
He provides for us, 
miraculous ways 
that would never even occur to me.

And I'm coming to terms
 with seeing angels 
and hearing God's still quiet voice, 
testing it, of course, several times.

I want to have the courage 
to explore these angel lights, 
but am fearful, 
and as I have said many times before, 
fear does not come from the Lord.  
Will it be tonight?  
Will I have a revelation tonight?  
I do so want to.  
But the years of religion have taught me 
that this is not possible, 
even though my own experiences 
have taught me otherwise.  
I want to pave the path 
for other Sisters in the Lord 
and tell them that it's okay 
to see Angels 
and to hear that still quiet voice 
that comes so deeply from your soul 
that it can only be the voice of God, 
as long as you are walking
 on the path of righteousness  
And something about being debilitated 
in your body 
to the point of needing a wheelchair to get around has a way of bringing you to your knees.  
Or you can grow bitter.  
It's your choice. 
Jesus is the same yesterday, 
today, 
and tomorrow.  
It is not He that has walked away 
or changed.

To me, it's an easy choice.  
I choose Life.
I choose the Lord.  
And as I listen to the beautiful chanting 
of my young son, 
I know there is hope.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:4-6

I Can See Clearly Now

Stuck in this wheelchair, I wonder if it's finally where God wants me to be,

if it's home.

I can see more clearly from down here,

getting used to the stares,

wanting to return them with Jesus' unconditional love.

I can still walk, but my legs are very weak and I fall very easily.

So I had to swallow my pride and catch a ride in a shiny new four-wheeler, jacked up a bit with a red afghan and pearls, cuz if anyone truly knows me knows that I won't roll normally.

Now it's time to buff up the guns.

Make the best of what God gives you,

because what you think is a curse could very well be a blessing.

Isn't that what He wants from us? To bless Him before the rocks cry out?

And don't feel sorry for me if you see me rolling down the street

because I am exactly where God wants me to be at this day and time

and I am blessed beyond measure!

Mark 6:4- Only in his own hometown among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.

I am an Overcomer! (UPDATED WITH PICTURE AND SCRIPTURE)

It's me again.

I fell yesterday.

Tried crawling but couldn't get up by myself.

Took my husband and grown son to lift me up and get me to the hospital.

Now I have to deal with being in a wheelchair 24/7 until the doctors can figure out what's wrong.

Been feeling very sorry for myself before this happened.
Very.

Now, somehow, I feel stronger. 
Much.
The only thing that can make me feel this stronger is my faith in God.

I know God is in control.
I know He has not only forgiven me of my sins, but He doesn't keep track of our failures.
Who does that?
 I know being in a wheelchair doesn't make me second rate in God's Kingdom.

And discouragement comes from the devil,

who can do us no harm whatsoever.  He is the one who is fallen and he is the one who trembles when we mention Jesus' name.

I am back,

and I am an overcomer!
Thank you Jesus for choosing me!
I am and will never be worthy.

1 JOHN 5:5

WHO IS IT THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD?

ONLY THE ONE WHO BELIEVES

THAT JESUS

IS THE SON OF GOD.

 

FLY LITTLE BUTTERFLY, FLY (UPDATED WITH TITLE AND SCRIPTURE)

I'm fifty-eight today.
I was brought up in a certain generation 
where I was was taught not to lie
 (hitting a helpless little five-year-old was okay,
I suppose,
 just as long as you did it behind closed doors.
and kept it to yourself)  
Who would believe you anyway? 
Women were oppressed
and children were taught to keep their mouths shut unless they were spoken to first.
Keep it to yourself,
push it deep down down,
don't let anyone know what you're thinking,
because God isn't big enough to handle 
our doubts, 
our tears, 
or our fears.  
And whoever told you that hasn't even opened God's Word, 
otherwise they'd know 
that God created the world 
and everything in it.  
He is the beginning and the end.  
The Alpha and Omega.
And even though it's been 53 years, 
God has not forgotten the tears 
of that little five year old girl 
because she turned to 
Him when there was no one else
 in whom to turn.
There's more than enough room for all of us, 
the hurting, 
the beaten down, 
and the ones who are finally, freely ready to fly.
Fly, little butterfly, fly.

ECCLESIASTES 3:11-13

HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME.  HE HAS ALSO SET ETERNITY IN THE HUMAN HEART; YET NO ONE CAN FATHOM WHAT GOD HAS DONE FROM BEGINNING TO END.

w

WEAK (UPDATED WITH PICTURE AND SCRIPTURE NOT TO MENTION TITLE)

Discouragement and disappointment 
comes

when you become so tired that it seems
 so much easier to turn on the television rather than to open His word.

Illness has weakened my strength, 
most unfortunately,
and my eyesight, 
and that doesn't want to go away
pride 
stands in the way of asking for someone to help me stay on the path.

I don't want to stray.

Pride is a bad thing.

It kept me out of a wheelchair when my body became too weak to stand on its own.

I allowed shame to betray me 
along with the pitiful stares of the unknown,

when all along I could have been 
giving God all of the glory.

To be perfectly honest, 
it's not easy to be kind now, to return the stares with words of encouragement and love.

It's hard to say "God loves you" when you miss the healthier days, the days when you could swim for hours almost every day.

But was that really giving God glory;

blinded by my perfect swimming, 
secretly showing off, 
enjoying every second of it, to the point of exhaustion?

Isn't God getting the glory now 
by my writing that comes from my illness? 
You can never convince me 
that it has not been His divine power that the poems that God has given to me by divine inspiration have spread into 
well over 60 countries by now. 
(I've lost count.)
I could never
 have done that on my own.
 And it never would have happened 
if I had continued by being blinded 
by my self indulgence.

God is good,

I am blessed,
wheelchair and knee stabilizer and crutches
and all that.

Ae

ISAIAH 40:29

HE GIVES STRENGTH TO THE WEARY

AND INCREASES THE POWER OF THE WEAK.

PRINCESS SUNSHINE (UPDATED WITH TITLE, PICTURE & SCRIPTURE)

Down, 
down,
 down I go again,

wondering if things will stay the same,

begging for the pain to go away.

Am I all alone?

Is there anyone out there that understands,

that could use a loving hand,

that knows the pain,

that's tired of the dark clouds and the ensuing crazy endless rain?

But I have to believe what my God

has shown me,
what He has told me.

I would be nothing without my faith,

just a leaf blowing in the wind,

without any friends.

No one to help me,

all alone in this sinful world,

lying in my bed all day,

not uttering a word.

I have to remind myself

that I'm going up, not down,

because through my sufferings,

I'm bound to be blessed,

even in the little things

where those without faith are so unfortunate not to see,

and attribute these small blessings to chance or luck

or whatever they believe.

God is in control,

and He's the same 
yesterday, 
tomorrow 
and today.
God does not change.
So I guess I must continually say to myself, 
no matter what,

things will be much better than okay.

I will be blessed beyond measure

as He promised me long ago,

and this trial that I'm going through

will be scattered dust soon enough

knowing that I am the precious daughter of our King.
Huh.
Guess
that makes me
a princess.
:)

JOHN 1:12

YET TO ALL WHO DID RECEIVE HIM,

TO THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN HIS NAME,

HE GAVE THE RIGHT TO BECOME

CHILDREN OF GOD.

GOLDEN TICKET (UPDATED WITH NAME AND HAD TO ADD SCRIPTURE)

I will not let others say
 I do not have enough faith 
because I have yet to be healed.

I know there is a reason why I am still ill.

Despite the pain,

I can still serve God.

I have a purpose in this life,

maybe not what I foresaw
or what others wanted for me
so as not to be a disappointment 
or an embarrassment.

But I've been made to give Jesus glory,

and if I must suffer for a season,

then it's His will, although I may never know the reason
until I am finally blessed
to see my sweet Jesus face-to-face,
my dream.
Sleeping safely in His soft, agape loving wings.

I know He holds my life in His hands,

and He sees my end of this road.

And if suffering brings me closer to my King,

then who am I to complain
if it gets me 
the Golden Ticket
to eternity.

ROMANS 5:3-5

NOT ONLY SO BUT WE ALSO GLORY IN OUR SUFFERINGS,

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SUFFERING PRODUCES

PERSEVERANCE;

PERSEVERANCE,

CHARACTER;

AND CHARACTER

HOPE.

AND HOPE DOES NOT PUT US TO SHAME,

BECAUSE GOD'S LOVE HAS BEEN POURED OUT

INTO OUR HEARTS

THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT,

WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US.

FLY (UPDATED WITH TITLE AND SCRIPTURE)

Blessings come from everywhere,

from being able to sit in a chair

after weeks in bed,

too dizzy to stand up,

so weak in the legs.

Being touched by a friend,

prayed for by a sister,

loved by my husband,

encouraged by a brother.

Thinking we're alone,

when we're really not,

surrounded by angels,

side-by-side with our Lord.

I need to get past myself,

and remember God's promises,

that the time is near,

and blessings are upon us.

Don't give up,

know you're not alone,

I understand what you're going through,

and I know you have probably heard this many times before,
but God's timing is not our own.

God needs to be in control of your life,
on the driver's side.
Just hold on.
Jump off that cliff
and have the faith
to
fly.

PSALM 17:8

KEEP ME AS THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE;

HIDE ME IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS.