Updated on October 31, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: Just Be There
A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need. – Proverbs 17:17
Doesn’t matter if you have the answers.
Doesn’t matter that you might be different.
Doesn’t matter that you can’t fix it.
Just be there. It makes all the difference in the world. I promise.
Heavenly Father, present us with opportunity this weekend to be You with skin on to someone who needs a friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
We are best when we are community.
I would love to share in some of that community right here from my website.
You can join in, too!
Share a post from your own blog and then simply click on the “Add your link” button below and enter your blog information.
Then, please grab my Recommendation Saturday button below, and place it on your website or post, so that others can find their way to our little Saturday community! You can also Tweet your participation with the hashtag #recommendsat so that we can all find each other on Twitter!
You may also join in by leaving a comment.
The most important part of our community is spreading our hope and love to others by visiting some of the other inspirational sites linked up and leaving comments there.
Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 24, 2014
Sunday Scripture: 10/26/14
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The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
– Psalm 51:17
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 25, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: Revel in the Season
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Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem!
Rejoice in the Lord your God!
For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness.
Once more the autumn rains will come,
as well as the rains of spring. – Joel 2:23
Whatever season you’re in… whether physical or spiritual…
there’s joy to be found there.
Take some time to revel today, won’t you?
It’s what God intended.
We are best when we are community.
I would love to share in some of that community right here from my website.
You can join in, too!
Share a post from your own blog and then simply click on the “Add your link” button below and enter your blog information.
Then, please grab my Recommendation Saturday button below, and place it on your website or post, so that others can find their way to our little Saturday community! You can also Tweet your participation with the hashtag #recommendsat so that we can all find each other on Twitter!
You may also join in by leaving a comment.
The most important part of our community is spreading our hope and love to others by visiting some of the other inspirational sites linked up and leaving comments there.
Heart Hugs, Shelly <3
Loading InLinkz ...If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 23, 2014
Weight of Glory
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Yesterday, a beautiful friend and prayer warrior commented on my post. She referenced the above scripture. She inspired me. So, Mary, this one’s for you. <3 With lots of love…
I think my scale is off, because this pain sure feels heavy. I’m weighed down by fear. I’m trudging through the heaviness of disability. Some days I cannot even lift my arms. They feel so unbearably heavy. Too heavy to lift, even in praise.
But what I find in Your precious Word, Lord, is that my affliction is light. Your yoke is easy. Your burden is light. My scale is backward.
The heavy things are Your majesty, the price You paid, eternal glory. Those are the things I’m marching toward. Those are the things you’ve given me. Undeserved grace and mercy overflowing.
Under the weight of so much blessing, my arms seem to float higher of their own accord.
Heavenly Father, thank You for proper perspective. I love you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 22, 2014
The Adoption of the Broken ( #yourlifestillcounts )
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. – Romans 8:15-16
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I sit here in the corner,
in the dark.
I don’t even dream anymore
of a family who will love me
want me
choose me.
They choose the newest babies
still moldable,
smelling sweet.
They choose the ones
who still have a sparkle in their eyes
to match the glimmer of their perfect blond hair.
But You
You walk a little farther
peer a little harder
into shadowy edges,
into the forgotten places.
The forgotten broken
like me.
You slide down the wall to sit beside me
holey hands braced casually on holy knees
like you have all the time in the world
to woo me.
We speak of the past
and you show me your bottle,
the one where you kept every tear.
We speak of the present
and You let me lean on your chest
as I sigh.
You bring up the future
and my walls crumble.
How could they possibly stand
in the force of the adoration
shining in Your eyes?
You hint at amazing things to come.
You promise things I’m almost too scared to hope for…
You take my hand
and lead me out into the sunlight.
I kneel to worship at Your feet,
but you gently lift up my face
and say softly,
“Call Me Abba.”
————————————————————————
The above poem was written by me. My inspiration was a book that came to my mailbox. It’s called Your Life Still Counts, and it’s by Tracie Miles. Oh, dear ones, each chapter swept me along on a journey that built confidence and assurance and hope and beauty. The beauty of me. That’s still hard to say, but it’s getting easier.
Tracie has included the stories of 20 wonderful sisters… one in each chapter, woven beautifully into her own story of redemption and rescue. Every woman should read this book. There will be plenty to relate to, lots of encouragement, and practical exercises to get you off and running in this crazy life you’ve been called to.
I’m giving away a SIGNED COPY of Your Life Still Counts: How God Uses Your Past to Create a Beautiful Future. Whatever is holding you back, be it illness, disability, shame, sin, embarrassment, it can all be used for His purpose. You matter.
To purchase this great book from Proverbs 31 Ministries, click here.
To purchase this great book from Amazon, or on Kindle, click here.
Enter below to win. The winner will be chosen and notified on Thursday, October 29.
This post is part of Tracie Miles’ Your Life Still Counts blog tour and I am excited to be a part of spreading this powerful message that God can use all things to His glory and turn our past into our purpose. I’m just one of many awesome bloggers participating in this tour, so if you want to join in on the blog tour, CLICK HERE for all the info!
Connect with Tracie Miles:
Facebook personal profile: https://www.facebook.com/traciewmiles
Facebook Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/bdmbwmu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/traciewmiles (@traciewmiles)
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/traciewmiles
Instagram: http://instagram.com/traciemiles
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 21, 2014
Do You Have Plans or A Purpose?
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You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. – Proverbs 19:21
Something struck me about this verse this week. The word purpose. The dictionary defines purpose as an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
In my life before illness, I had so many plans. It’s been a grief having to give them over, one at a time, to a new purpose.
I certainly never planned to not be able to cook for my family. It was never a plan to have to live right in town. My plans never included not being able to drive and travel. The plans I made, they slip right through my fingers like water. Drip by drop they are washing away.
But oh, when I stop to think about God’s purpose.
My plan might have been to live in a remote cabin in the wilderness. God purposes to give me a mansion in glory.
My plan was always to be very involved with my kids’ school. God’s purpose is to have me involved with my kids.
My plan included life on the road and retirement to constant travel and camping. God’s purpose includes roots and an appreciation for memories and small ventures.
Do you see the difference? I’m starting to.
Plans are temporal, fleeting, selfish, and short-sighted. Purpose… well, that’s solid, meaningful, God-oriented, and eternal.
I know right away which is the better way. God uses small words cause He knows sometimes I have trouble following along.
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Thank God for that.
Mighty God, thank You for having more than just plans for me. Thank You for my purpose to carry me through as fickle dreams fall away. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 20, 2014
The Line
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. – Ephesians 6:16
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We’re all so careful, aren’t we, to stay on the right side of those bright red lines… choose right, do good, lean conservative.
But I’m finding in this life of chronic illness that there are other lines… lines that have less to do with right and wrong, and everything to do with faith and trust. These lines aren’t bright neon red. They’re not black and white, either. They’re different for every person, but they’re still important.
I’ll give you a “for instance”… how much pain can you bear before you pray for God to grant relief? How sick do you get before you take the medication He’s provided? How high does the fever go before you ask for help?
How many years will you fight Him and search for answers yourself, rather than surrendering to His care and will?
It’s hard to know when we’re standing on those lines sometimes. Or when we’ve crossed over them. We have to stay on our guard and keep our hearts tuned to His.
May I encourage you today, as I’m encouraging myself? If you even think you are near a line, don’t reach out and try to blur it with your shoe. Don’t ignore it or balance precariously on it.
Be sure you’re on God’s side of it. Set up flares around it to keep yourself reminded. And then trust. Have faith that the Lord knows, that He cares, and that He will always, always fight for you.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being so tender and patient with us. Help us to see. Help us to know. Help us to trust. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 15, 2014
The Power of Light
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing. – Isaiah 40:26
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There’s nothing quite like a Utah sky, especially at night. Deep, layered velvet. Past black and into indigo hues that boggle the mind. So many brilliant pinpoints of light that your eyes can scarcely take it in.
I lived in Utah when I began to get sicker and sicker. Down and down the rabbit hole I went. Pain, loss, disability, confusion. Questions and anger and blowing about like a balloon without a tether. I think God planned those Utah skies when He created the world. I believe He looked forward into 2010 and knew that I would need those diamonds on that never-ending black.
No matter my questions or angst or sorrow at any given moment… even when I didn’t think I would survive… yes, even then…
Out of all of the beautiful verses in His glorious Word, this one verse kept me grounded. This one verse was my golden thread running through each whispered fear of the enemy, through each accepted lie by the same.
Those Utah skies… He didn’t just create them. Those pinpoints of light that should be snuffed out by all that dark… He calls them by name. Each one that is part of a galaxy too marvelous to be numbered are led by one God.
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
That immense might and that fantastic power, unleashed and brilliant over a host of balls of gas.
Are you not worth much more than they?
It’s the whisper that, Thank God, kept me up at night. Kept me reminded and focused and in awe.
God saw that the light was good.
That’s why the new Everlasting Light Collection at DaySpring is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. There are home décor items and art and jewelry, all shimmery and scriptural and grounding.
Whether you need to reminded what a bright light you are
or you want to remind others to shine beautifully
or you simply want to stay focused
this collection is stunning and you will find what you need to remind you…
Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing. – Isaiah 40:26
Great and Glorious God, we praise You because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We bow before You because You are the only Living God. That You would choose to love us… unthinkable. We will forever love You back. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 12, 2014
It’s Not You, It’s Me
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
I’ve been praying about this verse a lot lately. In the frame of mind I’m in, in the midst of all this pain and all these questions the verse comes off sounding a bit snarky to me.
Now don’t get me wrong… I know it’s God… He’s not snarky. I revere Him and I honor Him. I realize that the flaw lies strictly with me. Hence the praying.
Here’s what God’s been showing me lately.
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I’m thinking more and more about our senses. There are some on this earth who are missing a sense or two. For me, I have a few senses that have been dulled by my neurological condition. But here’s what I’ve been contemplating.
There is no way that someone who cannot hear could ever fully understand the impact of that moment in the movie when the hero finally wins and the music soars to a moving crescendo and the audience just cries because they really have no other option. Music has that power. But not for those who cannot hear.
There is no way that someone who cannot see can ever fully understand all of the myriad shades of the color red. The impact of taking that last curve and having a field of poppies open up to swallow up all the space to the horizon… the glory of that breath-taking moment is lost to the blind. The blush of pink or the vibrancy of a fire engine are all just words without meaning to someone who cannot see.
But here’s the thing… would they know it? Not if they were born deaf or blind.
In the last six years, I have been afflicted with intermittent numbness on all parts of my body. I know what I’m missing, because I lived over 30 years with normal sense of touch and feeling. But some days, when it’s been months or years since I’ve felt the butterfly touch of my husband’s fingers on mine, the returned sense catches me by surprise. I’m mesmerized by what I’ve been missing.
So God has recently been teaching me that there are other senses…. senses that are dulled or broken or maybe that we’ve never experienced. So sometimes things seem bitter or confusing or… ahem, snarky… because I’m trying to solve a mystery without all the clues. I’m not even capable of receiving or interpreting the clues. But I think I am, see. I think I have all the input necessary to come to a proper conclusion.
I am blind and deaf and my senses that do exist are deadened by the numbness caused by all the input I can’t process.
So today I’m practicing that little thing called faith. Faith in the one who created the harmonies and the melodies and the soaring crescendos. Faith in the painter of all the myriad shades of red. Faith in the tingle-Master who made my skin with all these little nerves and receptors.
He is missing nothing. He is the only one who is complete enough, aware enough, to reach the proper conclusion and gather all the necessary input.
I trust you, Lord.
God in Heaven, help me to remember my place and my abilities. Not from a bad, snarky place but from a submissive and humble place. A place of faith and trust. I love you, Lord. I long to love You with the kind of love with which You love me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on October 10, 2014
Sunday Scripture: 10/12/14
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So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity
in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly,
but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
– Ephesians 5:15-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctR7rOki1zg
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
