Enjay08’s Weblog
We often feel alone during times of trouble. God doesn’t want that. He promises to always be with us.Archive for love
Where There’s a Will
God instilled perseverance in just about everything He created. I can often see examples of this around me.
On my back patio, (a tiny cement slab with a row of patio squares around it) I spotted a two foot high plant proudly showing dark pink blooms. It had squeezed its way through a very small crack. I had watched it grow, thinking, when it was small, that I should pull it up. But I never did. Now I enjoy the happy little blooms and wonder at the tenacity of the plant.
It’s just doing what God intended: grow, bloom, spread/multiply. I am surrounded by many plants and trees doing the same things. My yard seems to be very fertile and welcomes plants and trees of all kinds. I have a five foot oak sapling growing in front of my kitchen window – that I will cut down. It’s just in the wrong place. Usually I try to nurture these unexpected gifts, trimming the little trees, moving other volunteer plants to a safer spot. (Where I can enjoy them.)
I consider them all as personal Blessings from God.
And there is a lesson to be learned, too.
Perseverance.
This is especially meaningful to me in my Cancer Fight. It’s as though God is telling me: ‘Don’t give up. Keep fighting, keep trying to find a way to go on. Push your way through the frustration, the waiting, everything that goes with fighting Cancer. And I AM with you.”
Thank you Father. You always know when I need encouragement!
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11
My Brother, a blessing
Following my little stay on the floor in my bedroom, as soon as I was in the hospital, my brother arranged to come to my place to help. He had to travel a good distance and was obviously very concerned about me.
He stayed at my place, and looked for ways he could help. He visited me in the hospital, and we had talks about things from our shared background, things we had never really talked about before, being separated by life’s events for many years. Then he went to my house and worked on anything he thought he could help with. And he worked HARD!
When I came home, he was gone, but had left many evidences of his work and his love. Faucets gleamed, the driveway was white again, clothes were washed and folded, clean linens were on the bed, a new dryer vent was installed, the refrigerator was spotless and on and on. I know there are things I haven’t spotted yet that say: “I love you, Nora.”
I felt very loved and cared for. He didn’t have to do any of those things, but he saw a way he could help and grabbed it. I can’t tell you how it touched my heart. He is truly one of God’s blessings to me.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.Matthew 25:40
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. Hebrews 6:10
Thank you, Roger, I love you, too. And Thanks to Jane who graciously loaned him to me during this time.
Error! Error! Reboot!
Computer problems can now plague us wherever we go. Everything is computerized. Phones, cars, faxes, doctor’s offices. . .
Yesterday I reported to a diagnostic center for two MRIs. The first error was the missing order from my doctor. The second - missing lab work results. A few phone calls and faxes cleared those up, but now I was late for my slot – causing havoc for their computerized scheduling. They said they would work me in.
Much later, I was ushered to the machine, reclined on its shelf of a bed, and waited for the clanging to begin. I waited. Having been through this process many times before, I didn’t have to deal with the fears first timers face.
The techs came in, one at a time and pushed buttons, looked intently at the screen, jiggled the shelf I was on, left the room and came back to repeat the process. This did not look good. I think a first timer would have bolted from the room after the first couple attempts at restarting the machine. Error!
After about 30 minutes, they decided to reschedule me, since they had to call a repairman.
So, an afternoon wasted and we will begin again on Weds. hopefully with better results.
Rebooting is wonderful – just erase all the mistakes, reset everything and start over.
Hmmm. Sort of what happens when we turn to God and ask forgiveness.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Of course rebooting doesn’t always fix the problem with computers. But receiving God’s forgiveness does give us a clean slate with God and we can try again to get it right.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
A New World/A New Year
Hello World, Happy Birthday to me!!!
This past year has been extraordinary. A very mixed bag of good and bad. The good far outweighs the bad.
Highlights of the year:
Last year’s birthday present – cancer. (imagine this list sung to the tune of: And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.)
Three Pet/Cts, three MRIs, tons of blood work (ouch), two surgeries, gallons of chemo, three stays in the hospital, weeks of radiation, dozens of visits to the doctors, stacks of paid (thank God) medical bills, Shingles, chemo fatigue, mastectomies, hysterectomy (now I can’t get hysterical anymore-whew!), dozens of trips to the pharmacy, xrays, visiting nurses in my home, a slew of new doctors, undressing and dressing quickly, lots of climbing onto exam tables, more medical jargon than I ever wanted to know, pills and pills, well you get the picture.
Thank God: all local docs – within three miles, great insurance and the money to pay for it – sometimes right from God’s storehouse to my bank account, miraculous intervention on financial and insurance issues, wonderful friends, great medical staff, the technology to fight cancer, God’s many mercies to me and loving care, even for MS which I think masks any pain I might have, opportunities to testify to God’s goodness, being used to touch others’ lives, suffering for Christ’s sake, time to read the Bible and pray, learning to see God’s multitude of blessings everywhere, (later I’ll tell you about the special flowers God planted all over my yard), and on and on!!!!
When I entered CancerLand, I entered a new world. I knew I couldn’t handle cancer by myself, so I handed it over to God and told Him to use this trek and myself for His purposes. I had no idea how He could use me or this experience, but I soon found out.
He has blessed me, this is true, but more than that He has blessed others through me. His love has truly flowed through me. This doesn’t mean I am special or great. . . (heaven forbid) but that I have yielded to God. This is what He wants. He gave us free will but we can’t be truly free until we give it back to Him. His will is better than anything we can come up with on our own.
God is so good, He IS goodness and pure love. I pray that you know Him.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:13 (New King James Version)
Flowers from Heaven
You’ve heard of manna from heaven and pennies from heaven, but I want to tell you about flowers from heaven.
Every morning when I look into the back yard it is covered with large yellow flowers; not year around of course, but this is the season. They have appeared daily for over a week now. You can look for their source and not see a thing. They appear from nowhere.
If you look closely, squinting into the sky, you can spot a few yellow blooms high in one of the trees in the yard. There is a tiny vine growing up the side of the tree which twines itself throughout the leaves and branches. From the ground they are almost invisible and certainly do not seem abundant. Yet everyday there are dozens of blooms decorating the grass.
This vine is not something I planted. Nor was it in the yard when I moved in. Some little bird probably dropped a seed and it fourished, protected by the large golden rain tree. Slowly it grew up the side of the tree and many times I thought about cutting it down, not knowing what it was. That would have been a loss.
There are many mentions of flowers in the scripture. God directed the builders of the tabernacle to decorate the fixtures with carvings of various flowers and plants. Obviously God loves flowers and He made them for us to enjoy.
The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, …Solomon 2:12
What a sweet little blessing and reminder of God’s presence and his desire to shower us with blessings.
I hope you will open your eyes for the blessings God sends. Share them with me if you like.
God Bless
