Lord Make us Courageous

Last night we had the honor of watching one of my great nieces graduate from a local high school. I call it a honor because there was a time in my life where I did not think I would get to see any events like that. According to statistics for the type of cancer I had, I should not be here. As my husband and I were looking at the graduates on the field, Leonard commented on the innocence of each one and how they had no clue of what now could lie ahead. That’s a very inciteful thought. How many of us were just like that and had no clue that one day in the future we would face trials that would tax our emotions and cause us to wonder if this life is worth staying in the long run for/

That is the beauty of trusting Christ. We are commanded not to look at anything that would give us an idea of what our future holds such as mediums or tarot cards. We are not to try and talk to the dead. We are to trust Christ. We are to trust God. We are to give each day to His authority and understand that any moment our lives in this world can end. Are you ready for such a time as that? Were each of those graduates last night ready for such a time as that? Walk in trust. Choose to believe. Be courageous.

As I reflect on the upcoming anniversary of Zach’s graduation into heaven, I am struck by the blessings of my remaining children. Leonard and I were blessed to have four beautiful children – 3 sons and 1 sweet daughter. Zach’s illness was tough on them in multiple ways, one of which was the amount of time taken away from them as I tried to do everything for Zach for that year. They understood my pain after Zach’s death and they blessed me in multiple ways. Even this past Mother’s Day, my two sons are expanding my chicken yard for me which is no small task and my daughter gave me a precious necklace reflecting a mother’s love.

God in His goodness blessed me through my remaining children and allowed me over time to see His grace even in my biggest despair. I will not lie. Letting go of a child was the hardest thing for me. Since then I have grown in multiple ways that I’m not sure I would have done had I not walked through that experience. If we believe the Bible to be true and God to be who He says He is, we know that heaven is the greatest treasure. For there lies the presence of our true savior and a God who loves us beyond anything we can begin to comprehend. In the meantime, be blessed and recognize those blessings. Give glorify to God for it is truly His. Be courageous!

It’s amazing how we remember important dates in our lives- well at least most of us do. We remember when we were born, it is required on a lot of things. We remember when our children and grandchildren were born. We remember our wedding. We also remember the date when or if one of our children left this world too young as in before we do. The end of May marks the anniversary of our son Zach’s graduation into heaven. I can tell you exactly where I was at when that happened and I can also relive the emotions of what I was going through. It will be 12 years on May 30 and though time has erased much of the pain, it is never completely gone. That is our human side responding to human pain.

What carries someone like me to get to this point where the pain is not what it was besides time? It is the everlasting promise of a wonderful savior who died for me. He took my sins as well as yours to the cross to satisfy a loving God who is Holy beyond anything any of us myself especially can completely understand. It was a beautiful gift of love and mercy. It gives each of us an alternative. We can choose Christ and submit to His authority or we can choose the world. One ends in being in the presence of God for all eternity and the other in hell. Zach to my knowledge asked Christ to be lord of his life. To my knowledge that is where his soul currently dwells. Though seeing Zach will be a great joy, he is no longer and has not been for many years, the main focus of what draws me to heaven. It is being in God’s presence. It is being in the arms of Christ. It is everything to do with the Lord. It draws me continually. I pray that it draws you too.

My husband and I returned from our trip to Michigan and yesterday celebrateed the preschool graduation of our 5 year old granddaughter. Should have been largely a nonevent other than the happiness of watching a 5 year old sing and dance as she leaves preschool. What made this event different was that it was held in an area of Katy called Cinco Ranch and it started at 5:00 p.m. If you were aware of weather conditions across Texas, you may have known that really strong storms were crossing the state. We went to a local Mexican restaurant following the sweet ceremony to be greeted immediately with lights out. Storms were knocking down towers which caused electricity to go out in a big part of Houston. As high winds ravaged the area, we ate in a phone lit restaurant. It was almost surreal.

The above reminds me of what it is like to be in a relationship with God our Father and Christ our savior. Life storms whirl around us all the time. They can be in the form of personal relationships or involving our health. Still we persevere as feel our Lord surround us and we know regardless we will be safe with him whether He preserves us through the storm here or takes us to be with Him for all eternity. Whatever your storm, have faith and keep going. Keep being courageous. God is our present help in all danger.

If you ask most women what the most important day of their life was, a big majority would reply the day their child or children were born. We were designed for nurturing. I read a survey a few years ago that asked men what they based the value of who they were on and the same question was posed to women. Men responded the amount of money they earned from their job and women responded how their children turned out as adults. Big difference between the two and yet both are very important for the survival of the nuclear family.

I am blessed to still have my mother and my mother in law. Both have loved me and have been supportive of me during the most difficult challenges I have faced in this life. Tomorrow my husband and I travel to Michigan to visit with my mother inlaw for a week to celebrate Mother’s Day with her this year so I will not be posting anything next week. I have friends who no longer have their mothers. It is very important to me to celebrate with the “two moms” that I do have in this life. If you are a mother, I hope you feel very blessed this weekend by your children and your husband. If you have your mother still or a faithful and kind mother in law, I hope you spend some time celebrating them. Be blessed and courageous!

There is much to be concerned about in this world. I am a news hound. I believe that interest started with my paternal grandmother and continued through my dad and my sister. If you are like me, you realize that our country is in a downward spiral. There is not much argument against that notion but there is hope. The hope lies in our Lord. The courage to face what comes each day lies in His strength and the knowledge that one day He is going to make everything right.

I’m not sure about any of you but for me the above knowledge is what gives me the courage to get up each morning and read each new disaster or concern facing our nation. We have troubles in our health, our families and our jobs. Then there is the constant concern of what we see happening in our nation and realizing that it has moved farther and farther away from serving God and acknowledging His holiness to becoming more and more secular and “each man doing what is right in his own eyes.” Do not be discouraged! Hang on to God’s Word to strengthen you each day. Live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and trust in His judgment to come.

Isn’t it amazing how much we gain wisdom as we age? We go from teenagers thinking we know everything to truly understanding that as a young person, we knew nothing at all. Paul the apostle wrote all those centuries ago that each of us must learn to be content. In our own selfishness that is probably one of the hardest things to do. There is so much that draws us in this world. Desiring the best health is no exception.

My own cancer experience allowed me to grow tremendously in my relationship with Christ. There was a need there that even I was not aware of until I walked through it. I’ve known many others diagnosed with cancer who said the same thing. This disease actually ended up being a blessing. Even as dire as my diagnosis was, the spritual growth was tremendous. I have even wondered if I was even saved from eternity in hell before the diagnosis. I thought I was. Then I really began to examine God’s Word and there was much growth and understanding that still needed to come. God has indeed been very merciful to me.

If you are facing cancer or some other type of major health scare, take a look at your relationship with God. Read your bible. Take notes from your bible. God is speaking to you through His written word. Grow in understanding. This may also be your opportunity to discover for sure if your eternity is truly with Him or not.

In this life we often focus on the negative things that touch us. It’s amazing how often one “awh shucks” can eliminate so many “great job” moments. I am grateful this morning for surgery that went well for my sister yesterday. She was such a blessing to me with my own cancer diagnosis. She stayed with me and went to chemo treatments with me. She encouraged me each time I called her for support. I am so grateful to God for all she did in my life and the closeness we established as sisters.

Many of you may be fighting battles as well. They do not have to be just physical battles. Mental battles can also be debilitating in so many ways. Being “heartsick” can be just as devastating as physically sick. Trust God with what you are walking. Rely on Him. Choose to be grateful for each person in your life who builds you up and supports you. Focus on the great job moments or blessings and less on the awh shucks. Everything in this life is about choice and each of us has one to make. Choose God.

The book of Ecclesiastes records thoughts of King Solomon at the end of his long reign and long life. It is a reflection of all he has learned and is quite the contrast of how he started his reign in his thinking and in the “conclusion of the matter.” If you have not read it, I highly recommend you do. There is quite a bit of wisdom found in his words. One of his ongoing phrases is “there is nothing new under the sun.” This is quite true. Human nature does not seem to change. The same sins that plagued of old are still plaguing societies today.

There is only one cure for all of these sinful thoughts or habits or natures that can be destructive in so many ways. We have to focus on something greater than ourselves. Our society of plenty has taught us in a carnal sense that we can have all we desire. This is what leads to envy, jealousy, strife and in some cases murder. It is what dulls our minds and makes us contentious and greedy. Not very nice traits to have. If you find yourself rumenating on some of these thoughts, surrender to Christ. Cast those arguments aside and choose to love God more. Be courageous in your independence from your own self ambitions. We are all subject to it because as Solomon wrote all those centures ago, there truly is nothing new under the sun.

Be encouraged for the Lord thy God is with you wherever you go. I love those words. I meditated on them and several other scriptures that spoke of God’s promises while going through the entire cancer experience. I knew then as I know now that the only way I would have victory against cancer was through God’s mercy which scripture records is new every morning. That is another amazing promise.

Our walk with Christ can be difficult for many reasons. One of which is not understanding what we are asking for and committing to. I worry that myself in the past and many today look at God as some type of santa claus who gives us what we want or what we perceive will make us happy. We don’t concern ourselves with what makes God happy because it is all about us. We in essence use His love or what we see as His love. This type of narcissitic attitude does not carry us to the narrow gate but keeps us on the broad path. If you don’t know God, get to know Him. Desire to please Him. Surrender to Him. Don’t choose to follow Him when times are great in your life and flee Him when things turn bad and you lose “all faith.” My argument would be that you never had true faith to begin with.