Showing posts with label Christ-like. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ-like. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Time

Oh...my...gracious! Where DID the time go?
I just blinked and it's been a month since my last post here!!! Forgive me, dear cyber-friends.
I guess I've been busy...baking/decorating cookies, shopping & shipping Christmas presents to family, setting up & taking down decorations, trips to Garden City to tend to a STUBBORN dental piece that JUST WON'T STAY GLUED DOWN!!!!
Anyway, I think it's about time to put up a new post...so here it comes. (right after I feed my daughter some lunch...grilled cheese & soup. Nothing quite like it on a cold, Kansas day!)
My devotional this morning was about becoming more Christ-like. Darn...just when I was wanting to throw in the towel. Life is hard! But God is good! And HE knows everything that's going on. I just have to remember that He's in complete control. There's nothing (let me say it with emphasis...NOTHING) that goes on that He doesn't already know. And if I can just keep my head about me...and keep my faith & trust STRONG in HIM...then NOTHING can harm me! I will be victorious IN HIM. He will go before me & fight for me. Period.
In the meantime it's my job to surrender all (everything I am...everything I have) to His Will. That can be pretty dang hard sometimes. Especially knowing satan's pretty smart & knows my weaknesses...my areas where I'm most vulnerable. I MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER WHO I BELONG TO, SWEET DAUGHTER of THE GOD of the UNIVERSE!!!!

My counseling this past week was SO helpful. I wrote down everything I could think of that I've been told that I am (some of the many LIES that I've bought into in my lifetime). These 'LIES' were then taped to a big, red heart pillow that was resting on my lap (representing my heart). My counselor helped me walk through that list: item-by-item...lie-by-lie. And replaced each one with TRUTH from THE WORD of GOD! I ripped up the list of lies (into tiny shreds I might add)...which felt pretty good...freeing. As a matter of fact - I highly recommend anyone reading this post to try it. You'll feel a heavy burden lifted...and a new freedom that's exhilirating!
My prescription from my counselor: Read through my list of TRUTHS every day for the next two weeks. ok...doc...here I go...

COME TO ME ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVY-LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. (Matt 11:28)

HE GIVES STRENGTH TO THE WEARY AND TO HIM WHO LACKS MIGHT HE INCREASES POWER. (Isaiah 40:29)

Thought this post needed two scripture references.

keep the faith, sweet friend
~love, karen

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Toasted & Torn

Michael touched down in Kansas, heading home from Kenya, as I worked on staff at a bereavement camp. He arrived home around 3am - unpacked a little, unwound a little - then off to bed...only to rise about 6am and get ready to lead church (Sunday school & the sermon). Coming off of a 27-hour/3 flight trip plus 4-5 hour car ride just to get home...he was toasted. And I was...torn. I knew being a part of the camp was important. I'd worked on staff at the camp two years ago...couldn't work last year b/c my sweet Jordan (18yr old in TX) had her homecoming game as a senior on the varsity cheer squad - and 'mom' wasn't missing it for anything! So here I was another year later and back at camp for the weekend. Most of my heart was left at home - anticipating the arrival of my 'warrior' home from Africa. I decided to clean the house as best I could - borrowing the super-sucking vacuumn cleaner from the church, making beds & cleaning the kitchen. Heck, I even dusted half of the shelves in the living room (something I think I've not done in maybe a year)!
I'd left decorated acorn cookies labeled with a tiny message 'Welcome Home' on the counter for my honey - along with a brief message scribbled on yellow legal pad paper. I was guilt ridden about being at camp - yet torn because it was a ministry I was involved in. I hoped I could shake the guilt and just be a helper for those grieving the loss of a loved one. Never in a million years did I think I would leave the campsite taking more home than I came with. God spoke such sweetness to me over the weekend. Some of which came through the words of my husband with a phone call mid-way through the camp. He said he knew where my heart was - with him, now at home. That I was being Christ-like and needed to move my attention to the campers in helping them grieve...and we'd be together soon enough.
...boy was that a L-O-N-G ride home (which was only a 35 mile trip).

ALL THINGS COME TOGETHER FOR GOOD, FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. (Romans 8:28)

keep the faith, sweet friend.
~karen