What To Do With Bitterness

I’ve been following a study in Ephesians for a while now and today’s study really spoke to me as I learned how I am to behave.  I would like to share that with you now.

Ephesians 4:31,32  says “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Let’s start with learning a little Greek.

The Greek word here for:

bitterness is pikria (pik-ree’-ah) meaning a spite that harbors resentment, keeps score of all the wrongs.

wrath is thumos (thoo-mos’) meaning a wrath that literally explodes, fierceness, indignation.

anger is orge (or-gay’) meaning properly desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), that is, violent passion, indignation.

The bitterness, wrath and anger mentioned in verse 31 are powerful and certainly are not what God would have us to do not even if someone is treating us that way.  We are to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. 

It is easy to read that and say “Okay, I can do that” but another thing to read it and know how hard it is to do.  It is something our old nature (2Co 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”) is not set up to do but through Christ we are able to do this because He helps us.  Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we will automatically be able to live this way, we must ask God for His help to do so.  Unfortunately, that old nature wants to come out and we must be walking close to God so that does not happen.

Do I always forgive those who have hurt me? To be honest, I have to ask God for His help and many times it takes asking more than once but I truly want to do what God wants for me to do and I strive for that each day.

Are you holding on to bitterness, anger, or wrath toward someone?  If so, please pray and ask God to help you forgive that person and to treat them the way Christ would.  On the cross at Calvary, Christ did not harbor bitterness, wrath, or anger toward those who put Him on that tree but rather He prayed for God to forgive them (Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”).

If you are not a new creature in Christ, please visit http://www.chick.com/information/general/salvation.asp to learn how to become one.

Til next time!

Linda

Hypothyroidism - a Blessing!

I slept 12 hours last night and I actually feel rested. Monday night I slept 11 hours and still felt tired. My last blog post, I explained some of how the thyroid works and how every cell in the body needs the thyroid hormones to function properly. I don’t know if I was trying to teach people about the thyroid as much as I was trying to convince myself why I am so tired right now. It’s hard when we realize we can no longer physically do what we use to be able to do.  I’m really not that old, so in my mind I can still get by on 6 hours of sleep and have energy to do anything I want during the rest of my 24 hours. It can be a humbling process when you realize that is no longer true.

Today as I lay here in bed before getting up, I came to a striking realization. A friend wrote on her blog about obeying God, passing the test of faith, and giving God total control in every area of our lives. I realized today that I have not given Him control in the area of my life where my hypothyroidism is concerned. I have been trying to take care of it myself, yes, I take my medicine, and I watch what water I drink but I have been fighting the sleep issue. I try to get by on as little sleep as possible. I know that sounds funny after telling you I just slept so much the past 2 nights but it is true. Many times I will not go to bed even though I’m tired just because it isn’t even dark outside – Monday night I was asleep by 7pm. Last evening I took a nap from 7 – 8 pm.

God has allowed the hypothyroidism into my life; I don’t know why but I truly believe He is going to use it to 1. teach me something or many things (this is already happening) and 2. use it to bless me and/or someone else.  I have a friend whose daughter has been ill for most of her life with a devastating disease, yet she is a beautiful girl, inside and out.  She doesn’t look at her illness as a roadblock but as a stepping stone to better things.  She is a true inspiration to many.

So I am no longer going to look at my hypothyroidism as a burden but rather as a blessing that God is going to use for His glory!

Til next time!

Linda

Day 3 - Back to Blogging

This week SITS is hosting a Back to Blogging campaign to get everyone back in a blogging and commenting routine. I've not really been in a routine so I'm going to use this as a starting point for a routine.  Today we are to share a post of which we are especially fond of the title.  I chose this one because the title is short, sweet, and to the point.  I believe it draws the reader in to find out about the timing.  Here it is....

It' All in the Timing!
My Pastor preached on John 11 this past Sunday morning; the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  It was a powerful sermon and very timely for me.

In case you do not know the story of Lazarus, I will give a short synopsis here.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus to come.  Jesus did not go right away and Lazarus died.  They believed that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died; what they did not understand was that Jesus had a plan.
Why did Jesus wait and why didn’t he heal Lazarus?  He could have done so from where he was, he did not have to be where Lazarus was to do that.  What we need to remember is that God does things in HIS TIME not ours.  What is wonderful about that is God often does better than what was asked for!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

You see, Mary and Martha had wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus but Jesus did even better – He raised Lazarus from the dead giving him a new body.
Times of trials and testing provide a time for God’s glory to shine.  It is not important that we are comfortable.  Why does God deal with us like this…SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED AND THAT OUR FAITH MIGHT GROW!

Last week I was disappointed because I did not receive a job that I wanted.  I know God’s timing is perfect and so knew he did not want that job for me, at least not at this time but hearing this sermon reinforced that thinking in my head!  I needed that.

There are other situations that I am praying about and I need to remember that His timing is perfect and wait on Him for an answer.  The waiting part is hard for me; I want things to happen now so I frequently get frustrated while waiting for God but if I remember that He gives in His timing and that He gives even better than what we have asked for…well, I just need to keep trusting Him.

Till next time…
Linda <3

Thanks to the SITS girls for this challenge this week and thanks to the SITS Back to Blogging sponsors: Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.

Mobile Once Again!

Praise the Lord, for He is good!  Last Tuesday we finally got new plates for our van and once again are mobile!  It feels so good to be able to go to the store when I want/need to. We certainly are blessed with family who were willing and able to help us during this trial. I don’t know what we would have done without them!

When things happen I have a tendency to try and figure out what the Lord is trying to show/teach me-is this good or bad, I’m not sure!  So I’ve decided to make a list of what happened because of all this trouble.

1. I am blessed by having family to help.  The time I spent in the car with my sister-in-law; niece and aunt was precious, quality time.  I’ve reconnected with each and that has been a true blessing.
2. To complete tasks in a timely manner and keep record of those tasks.  This is something I have a problem with.  I tend to procrastinate – not a good quality.  As for keeping records, sometimes I do and other times I do not.  I need to be more consistent in this area.
3. I reconnected with a friend from high school.  Emily and I “found” each other on face book this past year and have “talked” a little but when I mentioned our predicament, she came up with the idea of contacting our state representative for help.  We then had the opportunity to discuss God and prayer.  What a joy!  She now lives fairly close and since I’m mobile I plan to visit and nurture this renewed friendship!  I’ll be in touch Emily!
4. God is in control and asks that we allow Him to be.  God promises to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19)– not our wants but our needs and he does, we just have to trust him to do so.  We had food to eat, water to drink, and hubby had a way to and from work!  God is good and does supply our needs.  Too many times we think our wants are needs and we must be reminded of the difference.

Those are four of the things I’ve learned during this time, I’m sure there are more, if I really think about it but I know God allows things to happen to us for a purpose.  Our response can bring us down or build us up.  Which are you going to allow to happen to you?

Til next time!
Linda <3

Still no plates...

Well, here it is Saturday and still no plates for the van.  I really thought they would be here by now after everything from last week and earlier this week.

Today we received 2 letters from Jerry Stern’s (our state representative) office and I was a little disappointed when I opened the first one.  In that envelope were the application for registration, my check for payment, and a letter requesting more information about the car insurance.  They wanted info to prove we had the insurance and there was no lapse. Before I allowed myself to get upset, I opened the second envelope to find another letter from Penn DOT telling us the registration suspension has been removed from our record.  I think that means we can renew the registration but that would mean another week to ten days before getting the plates.  We have decided to just get a new registration and plates but it will be Monday – 2 full weeks – before we are able to do so.

When things like this happen, it makes one think about how dependent we are on vehicles, especially where we live.  There isn’t any other form of transportation available here.  If we lived in the city, we would have buses and cabs available.  Hubby has been able to walk to the store a couple of times but with my knee problems that has not been an option for me.  Fortunately, we were fairly well stocked with groceries, needing only to get bread, milk, and a few other things.  Things could have been much, much more inconvenient.

I have been able to be dependent on my God for His help throughout all of this.  Prayer is so important, it’s my chance to talk to God and ask for his help and guidance.  Reading my Bible is one way God talks to me but I also believe he speaks through others, many times we just have to slow down and listen.  That tends to be my problem in this age of instant gratification, people, including me wants results right away.  I need to keep working on this area of my life.

Til next time,

Changes in Sleep Pattern

OK, so I’m not sleeping 12 hours a day now but this isn’t much better.  For over a week, I’ve been sleeping 15 or more hours one day and then staying up for 24 hours, then repeat.  I would love to change this because it is as frustrating as the 12 hours per day.  Saturday was one of those days that I was up for 24 hours and actually got some things done.  I went for groceries in the morning and in the evening my hubby and I went to a concert and then an outdoor movie showing.  It was a good day but then Sunday I slept and slept and slept; missed church and time that I could have spent with my hubby.

Now here I am again up all night and not tired; looking at being up till sometime tonight and then sleeping way to long on Tuesday.  I can’t figure out how to change this; since I’m not working, I don’t have to be up for a job so I guess part of me figures if I’m tired I might as well sleep.

I don’t like feeling this way; I long for the days when 6-8 hours of sleep was all I needed and I had energy to work a full day, even cleaning the house.  I feel useless, lazy, and worthless.  From my research on hypothyroidism, these are not uncommon emotions to experience.  I don’t feel this way all the time but certainly more often then I should.

Fortunately, I have a savior who wants me to pray to Him for help and I do that.  I also have friends and family who pray for me.  I truly do not know how people without the Lord handle things like this.  I am so thankful for a loving God!

Til next time!
Linda

Effexor XR Withdrawal Update and Miracles

It’s been awhile since I updated regarding my plan to get off the Effexor XR, so I thought I would do that today.

I have been off of it for 2½ weeks.  I know, I know, the plan was to take much longer weaning the dosage down but I ran out of them and decided I did not want to take the money to get it refilled.  I felt poorly for about a week with hot flashes and achiness as though I was getting the flu, along with being very emotional and a little irritable.  I was pleased that the irritability was not as severe as previously.  About a week into it, I noticed that physically I wasn’t feeling as bad as before.  The achiness was gone!  Yea!  This was a big improvement from other attempts to get off of it!

I am still emotional and tend to cry easily but overall, I am pleased with my progress.  The irritability still exists but it’s not as severe and I think I have been able to keep it in check pretty good. (Don’t ask hubby, he may not agree!)

The knee and joint pains have not been as bad as before and in fact I am not taking as much ibuprofen now.  This is an unexpected benefit of getting off the Effexor XR - maybe I won't need my cane one of these days soon!

I give God the glory for helping me to get through this; I could never do it on my own.  He is so gracious to help us and all we have to do is ask!  Others tell me they are praying for me and that is such a blessing (here come the tears again!). Yesterday we received a card in the mail from a couple at church, just to let us know they are praying for us, God’s people are so good!  Thank-you to all who are praying; those prayers are felt and much appreciated.

Maybe as I recover from the Effexor XR, my thyroid just might straighten out some!  That would be wonderful!

I am going to remember all those who prayed for us and pay it forward by praying for others and encouraging them as they move through their journey of life.

Til next time!
Linda <3

PS Discussion: My son and daughter-in-law had a wonderful experience with Earthly Angels, you can read about it here.   I have experienced miracles before and know God still performs them.  Have you experienced a miracle or the gift of an earthly angel?  Comment below and share it with us!

Depending on God

Had a great time Saturday; went to a family reunion and a grad party for my niece.  She just graduated from Slippery Rock University.  Congrats Beth!  We love you!

The family reunion was for my mom’s side of the family.  It was so good to see aunts, uncles and cousins that I haven’t seen in a few years.  (We hadn’t been to a reunion in a few years due to one reason or another.)  I was fortunate to have some great conversations with some cousins.

One was especially meaningful to me.  My cousin J was telling me how he came about getting his current job.
He had placed an application with one company and really wanted the job.  It was a better job, more money and better hours.  He had prayed about it but didn’t get the job.  This made him angry with God and he told God he was upset.  God then turned it around so that J could see it from God’s point of view (I’m paraphrasing here).  All of this made J realize he needed to keep trusting and depending on God to provide what J needed.  A year or so later, J applied for the same job with a different company.  He had an interview and was told he would hear something by Friday.  Monday came and he still hadn’t heard anything yet.   He said he had made up his mind to trust God and if God didn’t want this job for him, that was okay with him.
Turns out he got the job… he said he felt God was testing him to see if he would really trust God.  He also stated if he had gotten the original job, he would have been out of a job a year later.  God knows what is best for us.

This got me to thinking about my situation; no job even though I have applied and had interviews.  Maybe God wants me to learn to wait on Him and depend fully on Him.  He does promise in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Sometimes what we consider a need is really a want and that is why we never get it.

I’m going to work hard on depending on God for my needs.  It’s not going to be easy; I tend to be too independent-as my hubby puts it-I give things to the Lord then take them back. I need to break the habit
I have an Aunt who once told me that she prays about everything – even something as simple as what to have for lunch and super each day.  That is total trust and faith in God.  I pray to reach that point one day; I’m going to start now…won’t you come along on my journey?

Til next time!
Linda

P.S. Discussion time: Do you depend on God for your needs? Comment below…

Pray Without Ceasing

I’m having a rough day today.  Financial things are getting to me, even though I keep praying for God to help me.  It’s not His fault because I keep taking back the problems after giving them to Him.  Why is it that we do that?  I guess it’s part of human nature but it frustrates me also.  That is probably human nature too.

I pray asking for His help and guidance in what I should do.  Then in a little bit, I’m on line looking for work and it’s hard to know what isn’t a scam and that results in more frustration.  How do I get past this frustration?  I guess it means I need to be praying more.  I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.”  that’s what I need to do and I really don’t know why it’s so hard.  Is it a lack of faith?  Anyone know?

God promises to help us and just wants us to ask for His help.  The Isaacs sing a song called “In God’s Hands” that speaks of placing our problems in His hands and He will take care of us.  I believe this and will continue praying and giving my problems to Him and each time I take it back, I will turn around and give it back to Him.

What is the thing that you give to God and then take back?  Let me know in the comments and I will pray for you too.

Til next time!
Linda <3

Family Reunion and Sleep

Last week I posted about how much I was sleeping but the past few days have seen a change in this.  Thursday night I slept 8 hours and felt fairly good upon rising for the day and was able to stay awake till about 10:45 pm then I dozed for 20 minutes and thankfully that was all because I had to go pick up hubby from work, he gets off at 11:30 pm.  I stayed up till about 1:00 am then fell asleep around 2.

Saturday we had a family reunion to attend; it was with my Dad’s family.  Most of them I only see once a year but last year our nephew got married on the same day as the reunion so it’s been two years.  These are my cousins whom I played with growing up and some are the ones I babysat for years.  Yes that means you Jeff and Sandy!

I got up at 9:00 am because I had to finish my food preparation.  It was good to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids and grandkids.  There are so many little ones that I don’t know their names nor who they belong to but it was fun to watch them.  I even got to hold one of the three babies there and I thoroughly enjoyed that!  I’m glad we were able to go and have marked the date for next year already.

Back to my sleep situation; as soon as I got home, sat down in my comfy chair and relaxed I fell asleep, it was around 8:00 pm!  I kept trying to wake up because I had homework to do but I could not keep my eyes open.  Finally some time after midnight I got awake enough that I could get on the computer and complete my homework.  It had to be posted before 5:00 am EST in order to be considered on time and not have points deducted for being late.  I have been able to maintain an A average in all my classes so far and didn’t want to risk losing that.

I finally got to bed and to sleep around 4:00 am, the bad part was that meant I couldn’t wake up enough for getting to church this morning.  That frustrates me.  This hypothyroidism is the pits sometimes.  Or I just haven’t figured out how to make it work for me.  I guess I will have to keep working on that!

Til next time!
Linda <3

Stewardship and gifts

I came across an article on stewardship while surfing the web one day and it really struck a chord with me.  I’m unable to remember where it was so please if it seems familiar to you let me know so I can give proper credit.

When I mention stewardship, most people think of tithing but it is actually more than that. It involves money but also material things and talents that God has given us.  One definition is “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”  Who has entrusted us with the things we have whether it be money, a home, a car, or a talent?  All these things come from God.  He entrusts us with them and in turn we are to take care of them and use them for His honor and glory.

I have not been a good steward of the things God has given me for many years.  I am not proud of this and only share it because God has laid it upon my heart to do so.  During the past 16 months, I have had to rely on God for many things.  Oh in the past I would pray and trust Him and have even served Him but then that would slip to the wayside.  I have never given up on Him and He has never given up on me.  Like the parable of the prodigal son, he takes me back into the fold and not only that but rejoices that I have returned.  Oh praise His holy name for that!  During these months when I have not been working and therefore not bringing in any money, God had been good.

he has shown me how I wasted what He entrusted me with.  I am ashamed of that and am praying for His guidance in being a good steward of what he is now giving us.  We have less money, but my faith has grown and as they say that is priceless.  I still struggle but remember to pray and place it in His hands, sometimes I take it back and have to pray again giving it back to him over and over again.  He is faithful and waits for me to come to Him.  He wants us to depend on Him; He has promised to supply all our needs.  What a great God we serve!  Please pray with me as I work o this are of my life.  Thanks!

Til next time!
Linda <3

A New Body!

As I was lying in bed early this morning, awake because my knees were aching and the ibuprofen and Tylenol were not helping the discomfort, I was listening to the Isaacs.  One of their songs talks about heaven, the streets of gold and the mansion we will each have, all the wonderful things we will have.  These things God is going to give us, but the “only thing that matters” is seeing Jesus’ face and falling on our knees to praise Him!  When I am there I will be able to fall on my knees because they will no longer hurt!  Praise the Lord!  He can and will take away the pain – I will have a new body!

Til next time!
Linda <3

Withdrawal Update

I have posted previously about my withdrawal from the anti-depressant Effexor XR and the symptoms I was having.  I saw my family doctor on April 27^th and discussed the withdrawal with him.  We decided I would go back on the lowest dose and take even longer to wean off of it.  At the time, we decided I would take 6 months, two months on that dose daily, then two months at every other day and finally two months at every third day.  I hated the idea of going back on it but I was having difficulty concentrating on my school projects so much so that I was late with a couple of projects.  I can’t have that and so here I am taking the Effexor XR again.

Once again I was amazed at how I felt so much better after only two doses.  This stuff is powerful and I really want to get rid of it so hopefully this time weaning off more slowly will work.

As of today I have decided to start the every other day dosing of the Effexor and see how it goes.  I’m hopeful that I won’t be able to tell a difference with this change.  Time will tell – tomorrow will be the first skipped day.  Prayer helps so I will accept all prayers that are offered up on my behalf.

Til next time!
Linda <3

How was your Mother's Day?

Mine was great! Hubby took me out to dinner, something we do not do very often these days.  It was a good time with good food that I didn’t have to prepare.

My son called from Florida and we had a nice conversation and I got to “talk” to my grandson briefly, he’s only 13 ½ months old so isn’t really into the talking thing much yet.  I found out how they celebrated the day to make his wife feel special.

The best part of the day was being in church.  We have not been attending faithfully for quite some time.  When I was working, I spent much of the weekend sleeping and well, that has continued since being off. I know I’ve missed many blessings by not being there and I cannot change that but I can go o from here.  It was such a blessing to hear Pastor preach about Hannah and her son Samuel.

Hannah was a godly mother and raised Samuel to fear and love the Lord God.  Pastor pointed out how Samuel came to be a godly man even though he lived most of his life in a home where much ungodliness was happening.  You see Hannah promised God that if He gave her a child she would give that child back to Him. She only raised Samuel to the age of 4 or 5 then he lived in the temple with the priest whose sons were wicked.  How did Samuel become so godly in this ungodly environment?  It was because of his upbringing and the things in him by his mother in those few short years; read I Samuel chapters 1 & 2.

What can we take away from this?  Those first years of a child’s life are so important and impact their entire future.  As Moms we need to be sure we are teaching them the ways of God during that time.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Pastor did point out that if we did not do this then we need to start now.

I am thankful that even though we have not been faithfully attending church now, when Jacob was little we did go and he was trained in the things of the Lord.

Til next time,

Linda <3

Mother's Day Memories II

As I was thinking about my previous post on Mother’s Day Memories, I realized that I don’t recall doing anything special for my Mom on Mother’s Day as I was growing up.  I remember celebrating after I was through college and working on my own but not before that.

I realize Mother’s Day has become much more commercialized in the last 30 some years but when was it first celebrated?  I decided to do an internet search and here’s what I found…

Apparently it was first celebrated in ancient Greece and in the 17^th century “Mothering Sunday” was celebrated in England.

Julia Ward Howe suggested it in 1872 in the U.S.  She wrote the words for the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but the first known observance was in Michigan in 1877 on the second Sunday in May.
In 1914 it was declared a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson.  There is a lot more interesting history that you can read here if you would like, but for my purposes this is what I wanted to know.
When I was growing up people ate at home, in fact businesses were closed on Sundays ( Sunday Blue laws), so there was no taking Mom out to eat after church.  This meant Mom cooked her own celebration meal in our house.

I guess what matters most is that I love and respect my Mom.  One of my fondest memories of her is that of her sitting at the back of the living room with her Bible open on her lap.  She is a godly woman of great faith and one day I hope to have as great a faith.  She saw to it that my siblings and I got to Sunday school and church each week.  I am sure it is because of her and her faith that I found Christ as my Lord and Savior.

What better legacy can a person have?  She is always available when I need something and helps me as much today as she did when I was growing up.

I love you Mom!

Linda <3

It's All In The Timing

My Pastor preached on John 11 this past Sunday morning; the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  It was a powerful sermon and very timely for me.

In case you do not know the story of Lazarus, I will give a short synopsis here.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus to come.  Jesus did not go right away and Lazarus died.  They believed that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died; what they did not understand was that Jesus had a plan.
Why did Jesus wait and why didn’t he heal Lazarus?  He could have done so from where he was, he did not have to be where Lazarus was to do that.  What we need to remember is that God does things in HIS TIME not ours.  What is wonderful about that is God often does better than what was asked for!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

You see, Mary and Martha had wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus but Jesus did even better – He raised Lazarus from the dead giving him a new body.

Times of trials and testing provide a time for God’s glory to shine.  It is not important that we are comfortable.  Why does God deal with us like this…SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED AND THAT OUR FAITH MIGHT GROW!

Last week I was disappointed because I did not receive a job that I wanted.  I know God’s timing is perfect and so knew he did not want that job for me, at least not at this time but hearing this sermon reinforced that thinking in my head!  I needed that.

There are other situations that I am praying about and I need to remember that His timing is perfect and wait on Him for an answer.  The waiting part is hard for me; I want things to happen now so I frequently get frustrated while waiting for God but if I remember that He gives in His timing and that He gives even better than what we have asked for…well, I just need to keep trusting Him.

Till next time…
Linda <3