In God's Hands

Today, I begin my day blessed with peace in knowing that no matter what the situation looks like, God is taking care of everything in love and in mercy. Today, I begin my day with a warm heart because no matter what the situation looks like, I have a “soft place to land”.

Everyone needs a soft place to land. Everyone needs someone whom they can open their heart to. Everyone needs the support of friends and family. I have been blessed with all of these. Today, I am especially grateful for my praying friends at Praying Hands of Acadiana.

The blessings that I have experienced from this group of faithful friends are so numerous that no blog area could provide the space needed to list them. The blessings that I have experienced within this group have been more than I have ever asked for. The blessings that I have experienced within this group have helped me to walk in His steps.

I recently received an encouraging and supportive message from one of those members. Because the words touched me so warmly, I wanted to share some of that message here:

(The message below has been edited for reasons of privacy.)

“I'm praying for you that the Lord will give you an extra anointing of His Grace and Strength for you to be able to walk and not faint. It's been said that when we're going through the storms of life, sometimes God calms the storm. At other times, God calms His Child, and carries him or her as they both walk upon the stormy seas--headed for the peaceful, still waters. Know that you have "a soft place land" when it comes to your "Praying Friends". Know that you are loved, and that you are so precious to us. We're here to pray for you, and we're here to cry with you. When it seems that life is more than you can bear, visualize the Everlasting Arms of God that are underneath you--bearing you up. Also visualize the arms of those who love you in this prayer group who support you and hold you up in prayer before Our Loving Heavenly Father. GOD IS WITH YOU, AND SO ARE WE.”

In Hebrews 13:6, we read that Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He has proven that to me in the good times and in the difficult ones. He has proven that to me, numerous times, through the words shared by Praying Hands of Acadiana.

May each and every one of you who read this message be blessed with a “soft place to land.”

May this movie bring as much warmth to your heart as it did to mine.

Click here to view THE DASH.

In my message on control, I listed several things that I can take control of. I have often used that control to organize my day. I have often found myself frustrated in that control because no matter how much effort I put forth things didn’t go as I had planned.

God revealed to me during that frustration that it is of no good to me. Frustration does not build my faith. It only causes negatives in my day. What I needed was positives. He also revealed to me that even though He did allow me control of certain things in my day, that I didn’t have to do them alone. He revealed to me that He was available to me in all things from the easiest of tasks to the most challenging.

Having that revelation, I began to step in a new order. I began to make mental notes of the tasks needing to be done in a given day and asking God to help me to place them in Divine Order. Doing so allowed me to submit myself even more to His will and purpose in my life. Doing so allowed my tasks to be completed with ease. Doing so allowed me to sit back and give Him praises for the many unexpected events that took place. Doing so allowed me to view what used to be called coincidence as Divine Order.

Here are some examples of that Divine Order as I walk In His Steps:

• I was headed to do dishes when a friend came to mind. I felt an urgency to call her. I did. When she answered, she said that she needed a moment and would call me back. When she did, she shared with me that at the very moment the phone rang, she was telling God that she needed to hear HIS voice. WOW! He made me call at that very moment.
• I was out and about doing errands. I felt an urgency to drive to the home of a particular person that I know. This is very out of character for me because I would normally plan the visit and phone the person first. I reconsidered that urgency but it became even more urgent. When I arrived, that person was in need of a supportive friend at that very moment.
• I was in the process of planning a rather large project at home. The more that I tried to put my thoughts together on it the more it felt like I was running into a brick wall. I had succeeded in this project several times before with ease, but this time something just wasn’t right. While visiting with a friend, I shared the frustration that I was feeling and blurted spit out some of the alternative ideas that I had. She helped me to realize that the brick wall I was repeatedly running into was given to me by God because major change was needed. Not that I had done it wrongly in the past, but that now is the time for change. Now, my thoughts and ideas on the project are taking me into a new and exciting journey of that very same project.
• I woke one morning with the intention of cooking our family meal later in the day. There was a distinct urgency that I should change my plans and cook in the morning. I followed that urgency because I had seen how many times that urgency meant God was ordering my day. Later in the day, I found myself glad to have followed that urgency because of unexpected situations which required me to be away from home later in the day.

I used the word urgency in the examples above because that is how I feel at the time that these come to me. I prefer to call them Promptings of The Holy Spirit. God is the only One who knows what steps we will be walking in each day. It makes a much better day when we allow our steps to be ordered by Him; fulfilling His plan and purpose; walking In His Steps.

Psalm 23:3 – He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

I had several topics in mind to write about but as I poured my coffee and prayed that God give me the words to match with those, He inspired a topic all together different.

Control. What or who controls you? Job? People? Addiction? Emotions? Circumstances? Finances? Or is it God?

Being a wife and mother allows me to be in control of many things; bill paying, discipline, family activities, scheduling appointments, and the many other responsibilities that go with those vocations. Along with those also come those that I simply do not have any control over. So, what does God expect of me in those situations?

God expects me to be the person that He created me to be. He does not want me to be controlled by anything but Him. He wants me to submit myself to His will and purpose. He wants me to use the talents and gifts that He has given to me so that I can be a disciple of Christ; walking In His Steps.

I can think of a million times that I have gone to God in prayer saying that I felt like everything was out of control. He has assured me each and every time that those feelings were only because HE was in control. He has not failed me. In all things and at all times, HE has taken my cares and concerns that I have given to Him and turned them into blessings. Each and every one!

I can recall many times that circumstances were frustrating me because they were not going as I had planned. I can recall many days that I woke with certain goals in place only to retire at the end of the day feeling like I had failed to do what I expected to. I can recall many times thinking about events in my life and the way that they were unfolding simply made no sense to me. I recall many times having to call myself to a halt, retreat in prayer, and release my control to God. I did so in faith, trusting that He would do what He knows best. Never did he mess it up. Along with every one of the recollections mentioned, I can also recall coming to a time that I would halt again to say, “Thank you, God, for not doing it my way!” Along with every one of those recollections, I can also recall the peace I felt in my heart when I came to realize that it didn’t turn out my way, but it did turn out HIS way.

Thank you, God, for always answering my prayers in ways that I never expected.

Thank you, God, for never forsaking me.

Thank you, God, for taking control of those things that I cannot.

Thank you, God, for the gazillions of answered prayers - including the ones when you said, “NO!”

Proverbs 3:6 – In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

During a phone conversation recently, I recalled a message that a dear friend of mine had shared with me. It was a message that made a profound impact in my walk of faith, and I was hoping to share that same impact with the person whom I was talking to. Today I chose to blog that message because it always seems that I can express myself better in writing. It is my prayer that this message blesses you as it did me.

I can distinctly recall the journey that I was going through when my friend shared her message of the mountain with me. It was a time that I knew, without a doubt, that God was calling me to make a decision in my life. It was a major one. That decision would not only mean changes for me, but for my husband and child as well. Although I knew that God was guiding me to and through that decision, the uncertainties that went with it were big stumbling blocks in my faith. One of those stumbling blocks was that I thought that I was on the path that was predetermined by God. Those stumbling blocks had caused me to delay the decision for a long time. I was sharing with my friend just how long I had been struggling with God’s call and the stumbling blocks that I had faced, over come, and faced again….over and over and over.

In her wisdom and faith, she encouraged me by using a mountain to help me understand the reason for my continuing to repeat the same journey over and over without having the feeling of success, accomplishment and growth that making that decision actually allowed me to have. The reason for my not feeling those is that I had yet to reach the next level of the mountain that God had placed me on.

Think of it this way……….

When we are youngsters, we have much to learn. We begin at the bottom of the mountain. As we progress through life according to God’s purpose and following His will, we also progress up the mountain. But, from time to time, we might stray from God’s purpose in our lives which causes us to go around that mountain, on the very same path, over and over and over. It seems that no matter how hard we try, we cannot bring ourselves up to the next level. We begin to feel frustrated and we pray more fervently asking God to show us the way. As we are doing this, He is placing small reminders that He is with us no matter what. Think of those as small billboards along the path of the mountain. At some point, you stop and think to yourself that you have already traveled that path. The path looks familiar. You have already experienced that pain. You have already exhausted yourself with the efforts in doing what you think is right. God still by your side, He blesses you with Holy Determination to move onward. Each time you travel the path, your faith, strength, and determination increases. You become more ready for the next level. But the one thing that is the most important on this journey around the mountain is your level of acceptance; acceptance of Christ, acceptance of self, and acceptance of God’s will in your life. It is only when we can fully accept these that we can be blessed with moving up the mountain to the next level. It is only when God sees our sincerity in that acceptance that he allows us to move up to that next level.

As each person is different, each mountain is different. As we progress in life, we may come to the top of one mountain; enjoy the feeling of that accomplishment for a while, then find that there is yet another mountain to climb with yet a different name and purpose.

Perhaps your mountain is patience. Perhaps your mountain is tolerance of others. Perhaps your mountain is learning to be bold. Perhaps your mountain is learning to be silent. Perhaps your mountain is a type of addiction. Perhaps your mountain is tithing. Perhaps your mountain is listening to others. It matters not what the name of the mountain is. It matters not how big the mountain appears. What does matter is how willing we are to grab hold of our faith, stand firm in it, and follow God’s promptings.

I have climbed many mountains thus far and I am sure that there will be more to climb. The one thing that I have learned during each climb is that God was with me on every one. I have journeyed around a couple of mountains several times, remaining on the very same level before coming to accept what God had been prompting me to do all along. I have climbed some mountains quickly, felt successful, and found myself falling to the bottom only to start all over because I did not master the steps that were needed. When faced with the situations that I thought I’d learned from, the realization was that I had not mastered them at all, but simply went through them without receiving their full benefit. The peace, praise, and moving onward comes when we have healed, learned, and completely submitted ourselves to God’s perfect plan for us.

I accepted God’s will in the decision that he prompted me to make. Hard as it was, I did it. It was not until weeks following that I realized that I had been on a path predetermined by God. I thought it was a path that I would walk for a very long time. It was one that brought enjoyment and allowed me to use talents that God had given me. It turned out to be a path that brought awareness of those talents and a time of learning so that I could bring them with me on to the next level. A level that was bigger and better. A level that allows me to give him praises.

With the encouragement and message of the mountain, my dear friend helped me to come to understand that in order to reach the one true purpose God had in mind for our lives, we often must travel several paths around, up, and down the mountains before we are able to be fully prepared for that purpose. Once we reach the top of one mountain, we are then ready to be blessed by the learning, healing, and growth that the next will bring.

Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

As I visited with Jesus over coffee this morning, I felt that I had nothing in my heart to write about. So, as I always do, I spoke to Him just as if He were sitting across from my table. I said, “OK, Jesus. You inspired me to return to my blog. Today, it feels like my creative bank is empty. Inspire me!”

So, here goes…

Inheritance. When one hears that word, they immediately think of properties such as land, buildings, or bank accounts that will one day come to them, or have come to them, after the death of a parent or other loved one. What a bittersweet day for those of us who know that feeling. To be granted and honored the ownership of something that those before you have worked so very hard for, but to no longer have that loved one to see, hug, speak to, call on the phone, or just know that they are there.

Inheritance. I looked it up in the dictionary. It has a very dry definition; no interesting adjectives. It is not a word that could be easily explained to a youngster who is new to learning the world around him. It is not a word that a youngster would even be interested in.

Due to the deaths of my grandparents, the mortality of my own parents comes to mind. With that, my own mortality comes to mind as well. I asked myself, what will I leave behind? Will there be a big bank account? Will there be numerous acres of productive land? Will there be an enormous building? The answer to those questions is: probably not. Am I disappointed in coming to this conclusion? No, not at all. I am actually at peace because that conclusion brought me to a deeper level of thinking. It brought me to think of the things that I will leave my child that no one else can give to him, to steal from him, or even buy from him. Those things are faith, wisdom, knowledge, and character which we are helping him to build within himself. At the age of fourteen, there is no way that he would come to understand this importance, but at the age of 40 I have. I understand them very well because those are the valuables that my parents will leave to me when they pass from this life on to the next.

The life that my parents have lived has not been easy. There have been, and still are, many bumps in the road for them. At one point, I am sure that divorce would have been the easier alternative. Because of who they are, and what their parents helped to build within their character, they stuck it out. Then there was a time that a financial decision was made based on a dream. That dream, if it came true, would have allowed myself and my brother to inherit a productive business. But, that dream did not come true. Instead, that dream left my parents with many financial burdens; burdens that concern them, and us, still today. Concerned family members have mentioned their not understanding why the decision was made: Why take the risk? Why at that age? Why? Why? Why? Because I walked side-by-side with them in that dream and because of my sincere desire to always see God’s purpose in all things, I prayed and asked God, “What was it all for?” Without my faith, and without God to lean on for wisdom and understanding, I might be asking the same questions as those concerned family members but today I do not. In His mercy and kindness, He slowly revealed to me some things that are very important. Things like the way that they have overcome many obstacles of life, working through the difficulties of marriage, never giving up even when the dream did not come true, the respect and love they continue to give to me, the valuable time they spend with my own child, and the faith, wisdom, knowledge, and character that they have shown and shared with me.

Ahhh….faith, wisdom, knowledge, and character …………..

Can’t get those in college.

Won’t read those in a will.

Can’t buy those at Wal-Mart.

Can’t order them on the internet.

No one can steal them from you.

No one can buy them from you.

No need to purchase liability insurance for protection against lawsuit because of them.

No need to worry about how to separate them fairly when they die.

Ahhh…..faith, wisdom, knowledge, and character given to me from my parents - the PERFECT inheritance - the kind that comes with huge benefits. The benefits being that I do not have to wait for their death to receive. I can enjoy them today. I can think on them when making my own decisions. I can use them in my career and vocation. I can share them with my own child.

With that in mind, I must now say:

Thank you Mom and Dad for all the trials that you battled for our sake.

Thank you Mom and Dad for all the financial burdens that you carry still today for our sake.

Thank you Mom and Dad for giving your all in all that you did, and still do today.

Because of you doing so, I love, honor and respect you today.

Because of you doing so, I love, honor and respect who I am.

No one will ever give me a greater gift!

Matthew 6:21- For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I'm not sure how this will work, or if it will work at all, but here is a link to the photo of The Ant and the Feather.

The Ant and the Feather

A phenomenal event took place in my life recently. This event took place on a day that was not a very joyous one. In fact, I had spent most of that particular day in tears and in prayer. It was one of those days when you simply cannot see the “light” at the end of the tunnel. It was one of those days that you turn to God and say to Him, “Why?”…even though we know we shouldn’t. It was one of those days that I really needed a messenger from God. The phenomenal event took place in the same hour that I spoke a prayer asking God to show me what HE was doing in this particular situation. The phenomenal event took place in HIS perfect timing.

I answered a phone call from a friend of mine. She was phoning me to share something that she was very joyous and excited about. Even though there was no joy in my heart at that very moment, I wanted to hear her out so I listened carefully. She shared with me that she had just taken a picture with her digital camera and could not wait to get home to send the photo to me. She was actually quite surprised at the high level of excitement that such a minute event in her day could bring to her, but because of it she felt she had to phone me. As I listed to her story, it became quite evident that it was God who had placed every perfect subject in her photo. It was God who had ordered the perfect timing of the events that brought on her excitement.

She began her story by telling me of the scenarios that built up to her photo. As she was out and about in her work day, which involves taking digital photos, she looked down to see a white feather scooting across the concrete patio. It was not floating through the air as a feather normally does, but it was scooting with a steady, slow speed. This feather was approximately one to one and one-half inch in size. Her curiosity caused her to take a closer look. When she did, she said that the most profound message rested upon her heart. What she saw was a very tiny ant carrying the feather. The feather was enormous compared to the very tiny ant. While watching in awe as this took place, the message that rested upon her heart was, “no matter how heavy your burdens seem to be, when you give them to Me, I can make them light-weight”.

Upon hearing those words, my burdens immediately became lighter. I could literally feel the heaviness in my heart begin to fade. That heaviness was being replaced with peace. I thanked my good friend for calling to share her story with me, and I shared with her just how very important the message and the timing were. Later that day, she emailed me the photo. By that time, I could no longer feel the weight of the burdens that had brought tears and heartache in the earlier part of my day. By that time, I was able to smile at the beauty of the photo and to praise God for His unfailing love for me. I was able to thank Him for sending me the message and the messenger at a time when I needed them most.

God really does receive our burdens. He cannot do that until we cast them to Him. It has to be a conscience choice made by us. He really does take them from us and takes care of them on our behalf. On the particular day mentioned above, I was reminded that many years ago I had cast my worries to God relating to the very subject that was causing me tears. The story of the ant made me recall that I had already cast those cares to Him. The story of the ant helped me to realize that once I have cast them, I should not take them back. The story of the ant helped me to see just how much the Lord has sustained me through all the years following the day that I placed my burdens within His hands and trusted that He would take care of them in His perfect ways.

Psalm 55: 22 – Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you

Back in February 2006, I created this blog for the purpose of keeping my family and friends up to date on the health condition of my Grandma Foreman. On April 1, my grandmother passed from this life and entered Eternal Life. Each day that followed, this blog site kept tugging at my heart. It was my intention to write up a closing post in honor of my grandmother, but each time I tried, the emotions became overwhelming and I found myself reliving our final days with her. That was simply too painful. Months have passed since her death. On some days, the sadness is just as strong as the day she died. On other days, knowing that she and Grandpa Foreman are together again brings a delight to my heart that I cannot put into words. Knowing that both of them are in the presence of Our Lord is what has carried me through the good days and the bad.

I have spent many moments in prayer about this blog. I have asked God to show me a new purpose for it. This morning, as I prayed, the Lord revealed to me some very important truths about this blog and the purpose HE had planned all along. He revealed to me the goodness that it brought to me even though I thought He called me to it for the purpose of others. He helped me to recall the times that I sat here, in prayer and with Scripture, asking Him to show me the way - HIS way. It was during those sittings that I was able to build a deeper relationship with Him. It was during those sittings that I felt my faith growing to a new level. It was during those sittings that I renewed my strength so that I could always walk IN HIS STEPS. It was my light bulb moment for this morning. The blog always had a purpose for me. That purpose did not die beside my grandmother.

Having that in mind, I came to my computer to follow IN HIS STEPS. The first prayer I say each day is asking that Jesus show me how to follow IN HIS STEPS. In this category, you will be able to read about my personal experiences and how Jesus guides my steps through them.

Along with creating this new category, I have also created a new email address. Most of you who will read my blog will have my personal address and you may contact me using that one. Those who might happen upon my blog and wish to send a message to me can do so by emailing cgs.InGodsHands@yahoo.com.

May all who read my blog be blessed through my experiences.

1Peter 2:21 – For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps