Mother and Son

My mother and brother. Very tough week for our family but all will be well.
Prayers are appreciated.

Just My Echo

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my Mommy you’ll be.
— Robert Munsch

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Lonely, but not alone

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” (Psalm 25:16 NIV)

No matter how things look, I can always be sure that I am not alone, for God is always with me!

 Thank you Jesus, for your comfort and love.

Promises

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earthy.” (Genesis 9:16 NIV)

God made a covenant to never destroy all living creatures with water as He did when He flooded the earth and only saved Noah and his family. The rainbow serves as a visual sign of this promise; but when we see a rainbow in the sky, though awed by its beauty, we very seldom remember what it stands for.

The Bible is full of promises, most of which have no visual sign to act as a reminder for us. Yet, it’s imperative that we get to know them, learn them and claim them for ourselves. Studying and meditating on God’s word is the only way to do so. I’m awful at memorizing Bible verses and passages, yet I have seen that by faithfully reading and studying, things stick. I might not be able to recite a verse on command but I find that when I need a word from the Lord, a seemingly forgotten and appropriate scripture comes to my mind.

As this New Year begins, I intend to spend more time in God’s word, not only reading, but contemplating, internalizing, and putting it into action in my life. If I need to, I will set visual reminders for myself of my covenant with God (stickies, notes on my calendar – whatever it takes).

Father, thank You for sending the rainbow after the rain as a sign of Your covenant with man. May it also be a reminder to us that You are faithful and fulfill each and every promise. Help me to always make spending time with You a priority, not only by studying Your word, but also in prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Why His and Not Mine?

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

Cain worked on the land and presented some of its fruits as an offering to God while Abel offered fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Cain’s anger rose as God approved of Abel’s gift and not his own.  He saw God’s rejection and ignored the lesson.

God is very clear in His teaching to Cain:
1) In doing what is right, day by day, choice by choice, we will be accepted by God.
2) When we do not do what’s right, evil crouches at our door and if we give in to sin, we are defeated.

But God doesn’t leave it at that; through Jesus, He provides a way for us to be victorious. We not only can resist sin, but rule over it, with the strength God gives us as we seek him in everything we do, every decision we make.

Cain gave in to his sin, his anger, and killed his brother, even after God had lovingly shown him the way.

Father, I praise you because you make it possible for me to rule over sin. Because Christ has already won, all I need to do is claim the victory for myself. Thank you for your patience and love for me and help me in this year to be victorious like never before, through the strength and wisdom you provide as I seek you every step of the way. Thank you Father for giving me victory and freedom through my Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Torn

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3)

I have recently been presented with an unexpected opportunity and on its heels, possible bad news; unrelated, yet the bad is a definite influence on the opportunity. As with every decision, there are pros and cons and sometimes the head and the heart are in opposition.

In our search for a quiet place to live, good schools, less traffic and commotion and financial stability we moved our family from Miami to Ocala six years ago. Now the kids are grown and off to school in a different city. The company I initially worked for closed its doors and I was forced to find work in Gainesville, 50 miles away from my home. Though I thoroughly enjoy my job and the daily drive is beautiful (visit my other blog, Just My Echo, for photo proof), the days are very long. To top it off, because the housing market’s demise, my house is worth less than half of what we paid.

Enter opportunity, followed by doubt and indecision: Recently I had a job offer back in Miami. I initially disregarded this opportunity but then I learned that from two paralegals in the office, they might be letting one of us go in the summer.

I am waiting for specifics on the job offer and plan to speak to my current boss before making a final decision, but home (Miami) calls.  My parents, who are now in their 70s, live there and it’s the place where I grew up and lived most of my life. Yet, I’m very afraid that going back is wrong!

My prayer is that God gives us the wisdom to make the correct decision. Will you join me?

Thanks!

Mourning

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NIV)

As I was driving to work one day last week, an overwhelming sense of mourning overtook me: mourning for broken marriages, for families torn apart; for the pain we cause ourselves and those we love.  Bad decisions, wrong choices and in an instant we turn our dreams into disappointments. We become so concerned with happiness and freedom that we disregard and neglect what we do have.

Divorce, depression, attempted suicide and mental instability are just a few of the things that plague people around me, that have touched the lives of those I know. As for me, I’m well aware of my loss – I was so sure of myself, yet I destroyed my first marriage with my own hands, broke my family apart. God has afforded me a second chance, but I live with the consequences each and every day, as do my children through no fault of their own.

It seems the future is surrounded by insecurities and doubt. The one thing I’m sure of is that I can’t be sure of anything, especially myself! Only God is faithful. Only He is true.

Dear Lord, all this loss…  I mourn for myself and those I love.  I mourn for the broken families, for the children, for the pain which remains even if eventually we make it to the other side and are “happy.”  I pray for those struggling in their marriages, for those who are looking for a way out, and for the happy marriages too.  Help us each to grow in intimacy, love, patience, understanding and friendship.  Help us to commit to our spouse and our marriage and no matter what, help us to always work out our differences. You’re the one who heals, please heal the broken and despairing hearts.  Thank You Lord, for second chances.  Thank You for Your love and patience, Your mercy and grace.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

A simple prayer

No “wise” words this evening. Just a simple prayer during which I don’t even dare look up to heaven, but beat my breast and say, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13 NIV)

Good night my friends. Praise God for His kindness and forgiveness.

Prayer

“Is anyone of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” James 5:13

Prayer is powerful.  Prayer brings us closer to the God we love.  Whether we’re in need and raise a petition to our Father, or happy and lift our words of praise – praying is what we must do if we want to walk a life of victory in Christ.

We are told to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  My prayer today has been simple and I have repeated it quite a few times already: “Thank You Father, because You are with me here and now.”  I want to make this a habit, little prayers that will deepen my realization that He is with me, available to me at all times.  Sometimes it’s as brief as that and other times this leads into a more involved conversation with God.

One thing that we should also do is pray for one another (James 5:16).  And so I invite you to pray with me.  Leave a comment to this post: If you are in trouble – pray to our Father.  If you are happy – praise our Lord.  If you have a request, post it and I will pray for you.

Dear Father, I know you are with me here and now.  But sometimes knowledge is not enough.  I want to live me life, every day, every minute with that vivid realization.  I want to share with you everything I think, everything I say, everything I do.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

O God, please make it happen…

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  (John 15:7)

At the point of desperation, we run to our heavenly Father, the one we say we trust.   We want magic though.  We want an immediate response – and not just any response, but exactly the one we’re asking for.  What’s even worse, we don’t want to know and see the things we need to change or do in order for things to get better, for our desires to be fulfilled.  God will speak, but we must obey.  He will guide us, but we have to follow.  Otherwise, how can He make things better?  How can He take us to a place of safety and peace if we insist on doing things our own way?  We pray for one thing and yet our actions take us in a different direction.   Sometimes, we’re not even aware of it.  We let life happen and not take notice of where it’s taking us.  We see the outcome of our actions and then wonder how it came to be.

In my marriage, of almost ten years, we’ve had many ups and downs, we’ve struggled in certain areas – but I have consciously been aware of things that need to be done or said.  Egos that need to be minimized and love that needs to be maximized.  I don’t claim to be perfect and I struggle day-to-day with what I know needs to be done and yet sometimes don’t feel like doing.   I pray to God to help me stay in love with my husband every day.  God shows me things I need to do in order for this love to stay alive: be his friend, laugh with him, support him in his needs and desires, put intimacy as a high priority in our relationship.  I try but sometimes I fail as we sometimes will.  The point is to walk in God’s light and direction, recognize our failures, confess our mistakes and get back on the right path right away. 

God will give us the desires of our heart… if we abide in Him, and His words abide in us.  The problem is many times we ask but don’t listen when we don’t like His answer.  We pray but we don’t obey when His instructions are not what we hoped for.

Lord, I know that when I come to You in prayer You hear me.  I know that if I ask, You’ll answer.  I want to hear you and obey you.  I want to do things Your way.  Help me to abide in You, for if I do, I know you will give me the desires of my heart.  You, Father, really do know best.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.