A place of encouragement:

Living By Faith, Walking in the Light, Saved By His Amazing Grace

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Life in Dark, Dismal Days

Pitter pattering rain and the skies are grey. Waking up this morning to a dismal day. Death has come the night before and the new day seems to have no life at all. Although I still hear the birds and this is when the frogs come to life, their song seems so distant so far away. Along with our loved one so far, far away.

But then a slight kick as this child moves with in me and I am reminded that dark, dismal days don't last forever. And as the found soul rises to meet our Father, so too will the sun rise again.

For life is just hidden in darkness until the light shines again. You can still hear life even in the rainy days. You can feel life sitting beside you with a loved ones simple touch, You can feel life with in you with a baby's soft kick. It takes time to heal the pain. A hurt that never really goes away, but just fades, fades into the darkness where it will someday stay.

God Shine your light on this family right now as you walk your child home and show him the Radiant light, where the days are never grey and every corner is illuminated with your beaming glorious light. Until we meet again Uncle Bob. Love is never far away!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Praying For a Miracle and Receiving a Slightly Bigger Mustard Seed

It seems my faith is always being put to the test in one way or another. Does your faith ever stop growing? Oh, I hope not! My faith seems so little at times, smaller than the tiniest mustard seed.
 My faith does have growth spirts and like growth spirts it can be painful. But this time my faith grew with out pain. Oh the Joy of praying hard for a miracle and watching that miracle take flight.
"I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it will move;
The miracle of salvation never ceases to put me in awe......to put me in tears, tears of Joy. For when you truly understand His saving Grace, it's a falling to the knees moment. I am in awe of the One who creates all miracles. Even with my tiny mustard seed faith, He has moved a mountain.
"And nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20-21.


No one is unsavable. He came for the world, not just a select few. Does my faith have room to grow? Absolutely!!
My little seed started growing years ago, And it humbles me to say that it is of the tiniest of seeds. So I stay in prayer to remember that I need Him...I stay in prayer to remember He is the miracle giver. He is the Mustard Seed Faith Giver!

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Sun Catcher

Tucked away in the hills of western New York stands an old farm house that's missing a sun catcher.
For years this old beveled glass would catch the rays of the sun as it set in the west. Filling my grandparents dining room with colors of the rainbow, but as time and the years wore on the rays of the setting sun could not penetrate through the years of the hurt and dirt that covered the old beveled glass.
This old window has seen dark times and worked hard to accept the sun through it's prisms to fill the dim corners of that old farm house. And every once in a while you would see a shimmer of hope shine through. That light would give our family the warmth to press on. For the window had accepted the sun all those years ago and you can't put out His light, but you can hide it with dirt and cover it with years of regret and hurt.
Time has a way of changing and moving things in your life. My Grandparents have long since went home to be with the Son. Soaking in His rays of light.
The old sun catcher found it's place in our new home 1200 miles away. It hangs in our dining room filling our home with warmth and love.
For in this home we have accepted the Son and we allow His rays to fill our lives. The sun catcher reminds us to wipe away the dirt and hurt to let the rays of the Son shine through you!


As I was taking pictures of my sun catcher I unexpectedly caught the angel sitting on a shelf on the opposite side. The beveled glass multiplied him. See what the Son can do..................

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Thankful

I am reminded every day, the sacrifices this one man makes for his wife and quiver full. The time and years he has put in. The dreams and hobbies he has put on the back burner while his little ones grow.
He rises every morning with the sun. Even on the days it's hard to get out of bed. I've seen him rise with body aches and fever and still he pushes on. What drives this man? What makes him sacrifice so much? What makes him love this much? I am................Thankful and yet that still doesn't seem to be enough. To be thankful, I mean.

This man of mine truly realizes the important role he plays in our lives. The man that fills these shoes, no one else could. We are meant for him and him for us. He is God's gift. He was picked out especially for us. And through his actions I see his faithful love, I feel secure and well taken care of.
This man that goes to work with out fail every morning, is the same man that nudges me out of bed on Sunday mornings to get ready for Church. He is the same man who loves me unconditionally through all my craziness. This man that keeps me grounded in life when life seems to take flight. I am...................Thankful and yet that doesn't seem to be enough, to be thankful, I mean.

This man who has sacrificed so much to give me what I need and way beyond my needs he also gives me my wants.................... I am Thankful and yet that doesn't seem to be enough, to be thankful, I mean.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Hurtful words, Tape, and Forgiveness

My two girls decided to make a family book. Working together, having fun, and filling the house with laughter. And though they are 4 years apart they are still close and knitted together.

Carefully filling the pages with colors and hand drawn pictures of each family member. Writing words of love. Except for one word that stands out from all the rest.

Can you see it?

No one noticed it except the one it was meant for. Their intentions were good.

They did not write it to hurt, but it did.

And he did not forget that hurt. He held on to that hurt for two weeks until he came across our little family book. This little boy at the tender age of six so full of energy and what I like to call monkey doodles......is not BAD. He is delightfully busy.

Seeing that book brought that hurt to the front of his mind, and he did what he thought was the only right thing to do.

He started taring and tearing up. He didn't stop until every page was gone. Especially the one that caused the hurt.
Wether they are written or said, hurtful words run deep and are hard to erase even as little as they may seem.
And sometimes they can never be erased no matter how much patching up and tape you use.
I think their are two lessons to be learned here. First, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. According to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29. No matter how insignificant the words may be to you, they could be larger than life to someone else. Even when you have nice words to follow, that one negative word erases them all and stands out like neon lights to the one it's intended for.

 Second, We still must forgive. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. As I am writing this my two bubbly girls {who were not aware of the hurt that one word caused, until I told them,} are now in their room making a new family book with only positive, loving words for building eachother up.