Tag: faith

He Cares About The Little Things

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

This morning I was reminded again of how much God cares about the little things in our lives. I was getting ready for a two-day adventure with the hubby where we get away and do some of the things we enjoy while having an appointment he has to go to.

It started last night with me being all cozy in bed for the night and all of a sudden I was reminded of where a receipt I needed might be. So up I went to go look. But it wasn’t there. So I just prayed that God would work it out so I could find that for a return, or work something out and went back to bed.

This morning I get up and I couldn’t find an item I needed. I knew I had seen it somewhere and but couldn’t find it anywhere. I prayed and told God I knew I had seen it somewhere but He needed to show me again. I opened a draw, the very drawer I had already looked in maybe a couple of times. But I had prayed so I thought I would open the drawer and look again. There it was!

Then I misplaced my comb as I was trying to do my hair this morning. I just had it in my hand a few minutes ago. Now where did I set it? Ok, JoAnn. Get with it. Yes, I was in a hurry to get out of the house on time, and sometimes I am not thinking as I lay something down. So now I had last night miss, and then this morning. I asked God if He could give me my thoughts back to get things these taken care of.

Response? He told me one more time to look in an unlikely place and there was my comb! AND then later as I got to the store without a receipt, I gave her my card and she looked it up that way. I got credit back on my card. Praise the Lord!! He did it again!

Why do I share these things with YOU? Because if God cares about these little things on my heart, He will surely care about the big things in my life just as much and more. I felt like I should share that with you. It may seem inconsequential but it isn’t. Don’t think the small things are not a big deal. They are just as important to Him where you are concerned.

The exciting and peace giving part of this message is this: He hears; He listens. We don’t want to miss seeing the little things He does for us that builds the trust to leave the big things with Him also. He if cares about the little stuff, we can trust Him with our biggest life challenges too. Don’t miss it!

Just a fun thing today… He did something fun and showed me a place I don’t usually look in a thrift store and there was this purse! I mean a new red leather purse (I’m a red kind of gal) and it was only $6.99!!! See? I never think these little nods are just chance. I believe God cares for things that I care for and He leads me to find great finds because He knows I KNOW it’s Him reminding me He cares and loves me. I believe, He leads to me see what brings joy to my heart. It is what makes my days more exciting and joyful to see Him lean toward my heart and say, “JoAnn…did you see this??”

Look for His leading. He loves to shower you with His love. And if it is in hard times you are going through, than He leans closer and whispers,

“Don’t give up or give in my child. I hear prayer for your circumstance and I will guide you through on this journey. You may not see the good in this now, but trust me to lead you through.”

Remember all things work together for those who love Him. That is in everything. If I cry through it, that’s ok. If I feel angry sometimes, that is ok. He says to remember that He is a prayer away and wants to bring joy, peace, comfort each day IF you will leave it His hands and not take it back.

So I keep looking for the joyful moments in the little things that God does in my life because it is part of my lesson to remember if He cares for the little things that bring me joy, He will definitely be there for the big difficult experiences I go through.

Find your joy today. Be a Noticer! You don’t want to miss out on seeing His love shining in those little and big things in your life. What will He show you today?

Until next time…

~JoAnn

Embracing Uncertainty: Finding Strength in Trust

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

It has been a while, and I’m sorry about my absence. As many of you know, there are seasons in our lives that are just harder to navigate and can pop up anytime. I have had a few of those in the last several months. Even though they haven’t been all my trials, they have become trails for me because I care about others that are having hard times. So here I am, and my question for you is in the title. Would you really want to know what is ahead? You think you would feel more comfortable with that? Maybe you think you could prepare for it? Hmmm…I for one am comfortable not knowing and trusting instead, asking Him to navigate it with me.

What helps me is this thought that God placed on my heart a few months ago. Be a ripple on the water. When I throw a rock into a lake, pond or creek, the rock will push the water out of the way as it goes into the water, and it will then cause ripples to go out from its point of entry in a circle. Then the water will back in to fill the empty space where the rock fell and often make a splash, which makes more ripples. Can you imagine that being your life…being a ripple on the water in your daily life?

I know where my strength comes from, and I am not sure at times what I would do if I didn’t have that. You see, no matter how rough things get, I know God is in ultimate control of it and its outcome. I can trust that promise because I know that is what He has said. It’s truth. Doesn’t make my life a breeze by ANY means but I trust the process. So… as we see in the world today with things being the craziest that I have ever experienced, I pray God gives me the strength and the fortitude to walk it out with Him. Is it easy? A BIG no to that! But if I cast all my cares on Him, my frustrations, and tears, He has promised to care for me through it all. (I Peter 5:7).

I have had decades of experience “rolling with life”, and I also know what I have to do to keep my attitude in check. Do you know that about yourself? Have you taken the time to ask yourself that question? “What do you need to do to keep your spirits up and stay the course?” However, just to be transparent, I also have to watch because if I am pushed too far, I WILL push back or just go silent (and watch for silence of this Norwegian). However I want to share with you a day I had yesterday. God knows when we need encouragement and our spirits uplifted.

Looking for the story…

Yesterday we had errands to run. One was to an elderly lady that wanted to purchase a vintage light that I had for sale. I had to work a little with her to make it happen, but it did. She was 87 and wanting to decorate her studio room at a local senior housing. I love this! She is still creating! She had tears when I took the light out, and put it together for her to see how it would look when it gets hung up. She had a great life story too! Then lunch to celebrate my hubby’s birthday and we ended up going through DQ for a shake and hot fudge sundae. Another sweet moment was pulling up to the window to pay and finding the person in front of us had paid for our order. What a sweet thing to do. I haven’t done that in a while myself, and it reminded me of the need to pay it forward and do that for someone else. Next, we went to Home Depot to look at wall ovens and microwaves and found a great sale, plus… and extra bonus off! So we have ordered ours for the new kitchen and ready to rock and roll with that! So that was a wonderful day of God winks!

The moral of this post is: we can be a ripple in the water that spreads out for a long distance; sharing encouragement and caring. Or, we can keep it to ourselves and never see where God wants us to take action and be encouraged. I spent a fair amount of time with the buyer of my light listening to her story, and she had a good one. I am preaching to myself today because it has been a hard one. But as I said in the beginning of the post, I know what I need to do when that happens. I am in The Loft in the quiet of the day, writing to you as I drink my cup of coffee at my desk, and hoping that this little post will encourage you today! May you begin to think where you might be able to be the ripple in someone else’s pond. God always watches and looks for ways to let you know He is with you and listening. He is a gracious God and the lifter of our heads.

He has lifted mine again in these last few moments. Until next time…

~JoAnn

Do you have something you want to share about being a ripple on the water? I have an email address just for that purpose. It is

js.ripplesonthewater@gmail.com

Look forward to hearing from you!

New Year, New Chapter In My Story

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

Hello my friends! It has been a long while since I have written, but I got a previous post out and wanted to get my New Year post out also. So let’s go!

Hard year last year…anyone else? Lots of great things happened, which my Gratitude Jar shows, but it was a hard one emotionally and in many cases, physically for me. My mind was a bit scattered and my emotions were rather all over the place, and I found it difficult to concentrate to do the things I would normally do to pull myself out of those places. I wasn’t too forgiving of myself as I struggled to admit there might be a bit of depression going on. So…I thought I would hop on here and chat a while about what I have learned, and where it might take me in this New Year of 2024. Also to tell you that re-reading my previous post, helped me to get in the groove to get this post out to you!

Because of the above circumstances, I hadn’t prayed about my word for the year as I usually do starting in November, which is my birthday month. So here I am days before the new year started (and now late in sharing it but that is ok) and I had to admit in my prayer time that I hadn’t asked the Lord for my word this year. I then asked Him if he would show me what it should be. Well when we ask, there is an answer. It may be what you are looking for, it may be something He wants you to work on, or it may take some time to answer. In my case, the next day I felt the answer…it was not what I really was wanting to acknowledge… PEACE. Yep. That was my word. Oh boy! I knew I had been having issues through the year because deep down there were many areas I was NOT in peace about. Oh… I can make a peaceful environment around me, in fact, I love doing that for myself or others who enter our home. But God was talking about MY peace; my INNER peace. And…I knew He was right. I wasn’t so peaceful inside. I was having a hard time walking that out, which of course, had been my problem in sharing the real stuff with God anyway. Funny part about that??? Like He didn’t know that already, and patiently waited until I would come to Him about it.

So once I had that word, I asked myself the usual question that helps me learn what is going on inside my head and heart: What is taking or stealing your peace? We have to be willing to be honest with ourselves. In my case, I recognized I am letting not just my life challenges grab a hold, but also those that are in the lives of my friends and family. The kicker for me was that I wasn’t turning them over and letting God work it out. I get involved; I get upset about their challenges, I go into recovery mode for them, I want to fix it… and I can’t. There are times I can help, but there are times and reasons that I might need to just listen. Satan will use any circumstance to lead us away from what helps us most…staying in close relationship with Jesus, pray and let Him take it on. Leave it with Him. Trust it with Him. Because I know that if I do that, I won’t be kept from the very special time and regime that I need to continue down the path God has for me. You see, my Bible reading and study was NOT what it should be. I would try and read and get nothing out of it, which is not like me. I love to read and learn and apply it to my life. I have also had to admit to a very short fuse…that is my inner self not doing well. I felt isolated which is the first sign that satan is playing with my head and heart, because, he wants me to feel this way; like there is no hope to feel better or get back to what I love to do.

I also learned that what I listened to in my home is important. So I have to spend more time in The Loft. Eyes off the world, and on what brings joy and peace to my heart and mind. That is where great things happen. It is ok set aside alone time if that is what it takes. I need to do that and use that time alone, not as isolation, but a time to listen and really hear anew what God has to say to me. Listen to the whisper. We have this idea that we need to go, go, go, and always be busy/sucessful. We are trying to accomplish everything and look successful and we are literally tearing down our bodies; and maybe our family and relationships with us. I don’t mind being alone because I know that is where I learn the most. So this whole way of feeling was very foreign to me. But by asking these hard questions, I can get more honest about the deep things that have changed in me.

I also remembered there was a natural product I was using that I had used for many years and I didn’t think I needed anymore. Well…to the ladies that follow this blog, if you have had a have had hormone difficulties, going through or gone through menopause, or you have had a hysterectomy as I have had, you may know that just because you get to a certain age, does not mean you might not need hormone support. Maybe too much information here, but I want to be transparent in sharing so you might recognize something that may help you. So my next step was to order it and start that this year. This decision also included consistency with vitamin regime. Do what you know to do. In my case, I believe these steps were answers to the question I asked myself. I felt better once I recognized them and took steps to change it.

So peace is my word for the year. I have made a logo for it (as you see as the cover) to use at various times through this year. I have made a scrabble tile with the word on it and it’s on my desk. I have that logo on my phone and watch. I am a visual person. The circle reminds me of life moving on. The heart is about me having the peace in my inner being…the heart reminds me that from the heart the mouth speaks. And the cross in a reminder to leave my problems and challenges at the cross. I loved finding the cross that looks a little like hardanger; a nod to my Norwegian heritage.

I have a list of goals for the new year as I always write. They are not resolutions, but just goals I have asked God to oversee. I love watching how God works them out in my life. I am never disappointed in the results and I love to see what He accomplishes from that list when I turn it all over back to him. I had almost 3/4 of my list to celebrate last New Year’s Eve when I read them, and that happened even amongst the hardship of the year. But sometimes we are more focused on what we think we don’t have rather than what we DO have. My daily prayers will be written in a little Prayer Journal given to me by a long time friend to pray over. I will also put my gratitude hearts in my Gratitude Jar. This year I expect to have more than last year because my heart is more at peace.

So it is my hope that you all will have the same kind of revelation in your hearts and minds as you walk out your 2024. May you have the courage to ask the same question that I asked and see what God lays on your hearts. Should that happen, or you have a word for YOUR year, I would love to hear from you about it. Leave a message on the blog by scrolling down a bit after the sign off and leave it there. I will respond and certainly pray for those that do, so that, you too may experience God’s divine purpose in your daily walk this year.

From The Loft…

~ JoAnn

Who Are You…Really

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

I came across an interview online that made an impression on me. Oh… not because I didn’t know the message, but because it validated the message for me. There is a difference inside of us that we often cannot separate from the other. Let’s talk about this.

There is a difference between who you are and what you do if you are in the work force, v.s. who you are and what you do and are as a person. So often we get the idea that we are who we are no matter what we do, and that leaves us without direction when, let’s say, we aren’t working anymore, or our kids leave our home, or we have moved, or our lifestyle has changed. We have a tendency to lose direction and purpose. We have maybe given so much of ourselves to those things, that now we stand at an open door and not sure which way to go once we enter through it. Does that resonate with you?

I have always been a bit different in that way and I think God has given me that gift to assimilate into the next thing fairly well. I pray about the change and I ask for His direction and lean in to listen. I believe that is one gift He gave me early on in my life. You see, we might have to ask some questions when we are about to walk through that door. Who am I now? What do I have to offer? What are my gifts and talents that God may want me to use that I haven’t been able to accomplish while working, or raising small children, giving to others in my required position, or establishing myself in a different location? God isn’t done with me, so what would He have me to do to still be His hands and feet? I might want to get a book or tablet out and just pray and ask Him to give me that direction. What do I have to offer now? What is it that I can offer now that is just me and what comes naturally to me? Ask yourself, “Who am I now?” “What would you have me to do?”

God spoke to me many years ago while living in Aberdeen, WA. I was up in my sweet upper room/office, when I asked what He would have to me to do now that I am alone here and starting in a new area. He gave me direction for personal growth and study, but also that I had the means to do what He wanted me to do. That was something that comes naturally to me…I was to use my computer and my time that was available to encourage others when I saw the need. Let them know someone is listening. There was one other thing God gave me to do and that was to take a picture a day and post it and share why I took that picture. It was another way to encourage others to slow down and take in nature and life. Well…it all changed ME. Isn’t that great how that works?

We re-invent ourselves is what I like to call it. I had given many skills and hours in my working life in order to do my job with excellence. But now, I am in a different place and season. Who IS JoAnn now in this season of my life? I get to live each day and keep myself busy encouraging others, giving an ear to someone and praying for the needs of others. But, what do I do to continue to fulfill my need for close relationship with God in this new place? I believe God gives all those opportunities to enjoy life. I’m in the golden years and I haven’t stopped doing what I love in this new season. It looks different for me than it did many years ago. Our world around us has made some of that happen. However, we can be faithful to serve in whatever way God places on our hearts. We don’t have to be perfect. Better that we aren’t. We can be real. Authentic. That is a calling in this day and age of social media and what we feel we have to put out there for acceptance. My life isn’t perfect, that is for sure. But I am a grateful lady for all that God has taught me. It has brought me to the place of contentment no matter what life brings.

So maybe this is where you are today. I don’t know. But I have been there. Don’t lose your direction because what you do now may be retirement, or look different now. There is a difference between what we do and who we are. I think back and realize that encouraging others has always been a big part of who I am. It doesn’t stop with this season of my life now either. Sometimes we are caught in having to do what our life or job requires to make it happen, but it isn’t all of who we are. We also have to examine our motives for what we do. I don’t do what I do so others see it and think what a great life she has and it’s good. That is me. I do it because I believe that is what God wants me to do. Slow down, live in gratitude, enjoy what is around me every day because nothing is promised. He tells me to be an encouragement to others and help them to see how they can continue live with purpose.

I haven’t had a lot of change in my purpose, although sometimes I lost my way in the requirements of life. But He is faithful to bring me back. How about you? Who are you today, and what do you feel your calling may be in this New Year? It changes sometimes as our seasons change. I would love to hear from you.

~ JoAnn

A Tuesday… Pause

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

Today, I was thinking about where I am…oh, not just in the physical sense of where I live or what room I’m in, but where I am in life. Where do I want to be? What is my vision of what I would like my life to look like? What brings me comfort and happiness? I have found that asking questions in my daily life has been one thing that has helped me the most through the years. Why? Because it keeps me honest with myself. We can make ourselves believe almost anything if we allow justification and excuses, or even blame, to enter into our thinking. AND… if we tell ourselves that long enough, we will believe it. Questions keeps me honest with myself if I answer myself with the truth. Of course, I have a great “Truth Agent” in my life who helps me, if I am willing to ask, and sometimes He tells me even if I don’t want to know. We need to face things head on with all honesty if we truly want to be living the way God wants us to live. We need to be following His lead, and not leading our own selves and then asking Him to bless that.

I think in many ways, these times we are living in has made many of us re-evaluate what we want in life and how we want to live. Where do we land with our priorities? We have been forced to slow down; to not get to do things our way. Many of these new guidelines have not been fun at all. Even hurtful to some of us. Changes are good and often times the best for us, but it goes back to our questions. Do we listen to them, or ignore them by justifying why we do the old things in the first place? Are you getting a picture of where I am going with this? Let’s look deeper…

As many of you know if you follow me, I am a BIG proponent of a slower life style. Now… many say, “You can do that because your retired.” However, I have found that retirement doesn’t mean my life stops. I’m very busy. I’m just busy with different things. I also deal with a retired hubby and that in itself makes a difference because they are with you all the time, and it can make it difficult to get done what you need to get done. That said, I had years of going 90 per. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it even more now. I would have loved to have been a stay at home mom and wife. But given my circumstances, and yes, my decisions at the time, I allowed outside influences to determine what I should do. But even in that time of my life, I was active with my walk with the Lord and studying. In this day, we have so much information to help us make better decisions, that it comes down to how much we are doing things our way, or God’s way. I have discovered through asking questions of myself, that in those days, I let outside influences determine what I did instead of listening to my heart where God was speaking. I cared about what others thought of me in ways that weren’t healthy for me. That happened in many circumstances. So… it has led me to begin asking myself the hard questions and then answering those as honest as I can. Now when we have different schedules, let’s take the time to ask ourselves the hard questions, as well as the fun questions. Let’s stop living lives that compare ourselves to others in life, homes, cars, clothes, and achievements. It leads us into wrong thinking and decisions.

We often keep ourselves busy so we don’t HAVE to think about where we are and what we are doing. Maybe… we aren’t trusting God to take care of us and since we don’t feel He is, we go about doing something about it oursleves. Boy can THAT get us into trouble!! But God didn’t ask us to be another person’s project manager. He asked us to live has He lived, and love like He loved. We are to be an example for other to watch, so that, they see the way we live and want to live that way. That means, we need to put our priorities in right order and live a life that others see and want to have. We particularly need to do that within our families because our kids will see our way of life and the way we handle things, and most of the time, carry that into their lives and relationships as well. THAT is rather scary to think about, but so true. It is worth us asking ourselves the hard questions and answer them so that we can let others see how living our life this way, can bring about a great life.

So…let’s get back to one of the questions I started with…”What brings comfort into your life?” As an example, I have previously shared of my life, I love a cozy atmosphere in my home. I like soft light of a lamp or candles, I enjoy cozy clothes at home, a loaf of bread baking in the oven, a good book/magazine in my hand with an afghan wrapped around me, and a mocha in my hand. I love to have time to play my instruments and sing along. My favorite place also is my studio area at my desk with a favorite hot or cold drink, my lamp lit on “relax”, a glassybaby lit, and a study that I’m learning from, which is how I am right now today as I write this. I enjoy reading before I go to sleep, so I also make time for that. For you, it may be coffee with a friend.I love to sit outside with my hands warmed to a fire. I know these activities are important for me to keep me on the right track. I know that about myself. It is not just good for me, I choose them because I know I NEED them.

Have you ever stopped long enough to ask yourself what brings you joy and comfort? Because many times we don’t. We just keep pressing on, maybe even afraid to ask oursleves that because we know it will require something of us. Changing something, stopping something, or beginning a new habit. But promise me you will ask yourself, “What brings comfort in my life?” and leave it in the comments. I would love to hear. Each of you will choose so differently. But that is the fun of it! It might be family time over a puzzle or game, or an outting together. Please feel free to share.

It is my prayer that as we have had to slow down, we have learned something about ourselves, become more aware of our thoughts, and take the time to answer the hard questions that I’m sure have also come up for you. Our life is meant to live, not just endure. The way we live today determines our tomorrow. Before your next step, ask yourself as Andy Stanley talks about in his book, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, “What is the wise thing to do?” or this one is a real nailer…”Given my past, and my present circumstances, what would be the wise decision to make?”. I have found that to be a great book and made me think again about asking myself the important questions and being honest about my thinking and answers in that process. What I have discovered is, when I answer, I find I have not always been willing to shed the light into all the dark corners of my life’s story. THAT in itself, will lead me to make the wrong decisions because I end up taking it with me into my future again.

Do the things that bring you joy and don’t feel guilty if you aren’t running around doing everything. We were not meant to live such busy lives that lead us to less time for ourselves and family. We WILL pay the price for that some day if you aren’t careful with our daily lives and choices. Pause…have a cup, read something you enjoy, just sit in the chair and listen to your music for a while, call a friend, sending a snail mail note, take some pictures, cuddle up in something warm, lean back and close your eyes for a few mintues and just say “thank you” that you have this moment or two in time. You don’t get them back. We wear busy like a badge and we have seen that come to a hault in many ways, and many have had a hard time knowing what to do with themselves when required to be at home day in and day out. Take away what you can to make this learning time something that changes you for moving forward. Those around you will thank you. Looking forward to your comments!

Living in the moment…

~JoAnn

Sideswiped Faith

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations
Sheltered

I observed in myself this last week what I can only describe as having my faith sideswiped. If you have ever been sideswiped in a car, or watched it happen, you know that it isn’t expected and it is very hard to avoid the crash that comes with it. That was my experience, or at least, what it felt like to me.

To be honest, I was heart broken. I looked back on it and thought I had led well to the best of my ability, but it appeared in many ways that I had failed. What I hoped would be a good example of faith, was in fact, not very convincing or evident apparently. I had failed the ones I loved the most it seemed. I wasn’t looking for this revelation, didn’t ask for it, and yet it was handed to me.

Sometimes we have to anchor our hearts to the One who can anchor the ship as it moves with the tide.

How do you handle being sideswiped? You have to get the facts straight. What happened? How did it happen? Did I not pay attention? Was it my fault or the fault of someone else? Am I willing to take responsibility if it was me? Or was it no fault of my own? We have to do the work. By doing that, it becomes clear in our minds, as well as those involved, as to the course of the outcome. However, that is hard when you are shook up from the sideswipe. You are shook to your core and not always thinking clearly. You say things and act too much out of emotions. It takes asking yourself the right questions.

That’s what happened to me a couple weeks ago. As believers, we try to navigate our life in terms of being an example of how to live, how to pray over our decisions, how to make good choices, how to love others, and be Jesus hands and feet. We trust God with everything. We may not always like the outcome, but we trust that He knows the end from the beginning, so we can trust the outcome. We try to parent in such a way that our children, family and friends see Jesus in us and thus come to see God. We live with that purpose of showing others what God looks like, and serve God with our lives. But we also know that it doesn’t always go the way we want it to. We, or our family and friends, don’t always stay in the same lanes with the parallels of our lives. We test the boundaries, we go too fast, we get distracted, we miss a road sign, and maybe we are distracted by the life of the very person we have tried to lead. Sometimes this can cause a “crisis of faith” in us. This isn’t just in families, but it can be in friendships, and church families as well.

What I came to understand as I worked through my thoughts and emotions in prayer, was that I felt like a failture at this point. God is not the author of those kinds of thoughts and feelings. He tells me that I can come to Him with anything, and He will hear me. So I listened after I shared this with Him. I came to understand it in a different way. I know there are times I could of handled things differently. We ALL have that in our lives. The key? I have always asked for forgiveness of those things, and I know God forgives. I have asked of those that I love to forgive me. So it’s done. I have done my very best, I have changed and corrected my future with what I have learned, and I know that the Holy Spirit lives in me to bring correction as I need it.

I was reminded that God has given each person a free will. They use that free will to make choices for their lives. Friendships that they choose, even how much of what their friends believe that they begin to belive. I can’t make the choices for them, nor an I responsible for the choices they make. I can direct, correct, encourage, but as they get older, they are now making their own choices. If they make choices based on their belief ideals, then they must live with the consequences of those choices. We would all love to see them live good lives, and love others, and put God first in their lives. But without the acceptance of God and of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they are living a spiritually blind path where they don’t see it like you or I may see it. Until the time comes in their lives where that becomes real to them, they can’t see it. They also have a tendency to listen to who they spend time with, rather than someone who has imparted into their lives at home. I have had years of experience with God where I can say He has shown Himself faithful every time. I KNOW His provision.

So… it came down to this, I can only keep living my life in a way that shines God’s light to those around me. Even in my messed up ways at times, He can still use me to let others see. If I am honest and open about the way I live, and I ask God to use my life toward guiding others, that is the best way to handle it. What I feel God spoke to me during this experience was this: “You can pray, and keep praying, and never give up praying. That isn’t the last thing you do as if it is your last resort. It’s your first thing you do every day. It’s your priority!”

In otherwords, devil, you aren’t going to drag me down through the ditch for something that God is using to teach me again. It isn’t easy to hear, and it means some more trust and faith on my part, but I will keep shining. That’s what I hope to do. I keep believing, I keep trusting, I keep asking. I keep living. That will be a part of my story.

I will keep my eyes on the road of life, and watch carefully for those times when I know it is the devil trying to discourage me and side swipe my faith. I can better avoid what he tries to hit me with. I won’t give up. My relationship with my people is all good. I just have to leave the ending of their story in the hands of the One Who knows.

Will you give up when hard times hit? Or will you try to live an authentic life for Christ? I hope it is the latter; the former is what satan is after these days. Don’t open that door. Slam it and lock it! Kick that devil to the curb. Then, thank God for leading you, assess the damage, repair what needs to be repaired in prayer, wipe the dust from your sandles and walk on.

Until next time…

~JoAnn

Had Any Curve Balls Lately?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

If you read the title, then you know the question.  So…have you had any curve balls in your life? You know, those times when your road is going along, you are settled on the where its taking you, and then… BOOM! Here it is, and it hits…that unexpected curve ball!  That is where I am these last two weeks! God has put a curve ball into my slow moving life.  How’s that, you say?  Let me share.

One and a half years ago, my husband and I moved into the condo life in a small community. It’s a community at the base of the mountain range with beautiful scenery and farms. I love eagles and we see them often. Let me explain a bit. We made this move based on the fact that there were some questions about the health of my hubby and they were making an impact on his life. So I wanted to be in a position where he didin’t have to worry much about the care of a home and yard all that entails. So here we are about one and three quarter years into our condo life, and just recently, managed to put up things that had been on our to-do list, and lights up, and even re-decorating a bedroom.  All of this to make it like we wanted. However, it takes special people to live a condo life, and also a special condo to live it out in.  Some love it. Us? Not so much. Oh, we had talked moves, prayed about moves, but decided we would just do what needed to be done to make this more like we wanted. So we started. Then…BOOM! Hubby says, “You know, I have been talking to a few people who have sold their condo here in the complex and they sold pretty quick and at a good price.” “What does that mean?”, I asked him, “Now you are thinking of moving?” That was what he was thinking. Now I would LOVE a bigger kitchen, but just as I was settling into this, now I am taking it all down. Isn’t life just a blast?

So as I write this, I am into a week and a half of packing. And all my moving boxes have long since gone to recycling. I will have had to get those all over again. A storage unit for larger pieces of furniture to be stored in so we can stage the condo. Get it listed right away to be able to make an offer on something we find that we like. Prep the house and stage it for best pictures and best sale. That is not to mention all the paper work required for mortgage and all of that. I do dislike that part because I’m usually responsible for putting all that together. Moving is just not fun!! When I think about it all, I would rather fast pitch that ball right back! But in order to do a move, I must just take one step at a time and take each day as it comes and do all I can to accomplish what needs to be done. I am so fortunate and blessed to have our grandson here this weekend and Monday to help us move things around. Such a great young man to help out his grandparents. Love that boy. We even found time to play the piano together, which delights this heart of mine. Take time for the Pause.

I guess what I’m still learning is that there will always be curve balls. Life is like that. Sometimes we don’t like what we have been given. Some of it requires a lot of work. A lot of energy, and a lot of focus. A good attitude. It is kind of like our faith walk. It too, is requires work, diligence, focus, tenacity, and dependence on His leading. We press on knowing God is walking the road with us. We have to do the same process with the curve ball. Pray for guidance and wisdom to make the right choice of what to purchase, where He wants us to be, and rest in Him for the process of it all. I have to believe He will guide me and help me do get what needs to be done completed. If I fret and get all stressed over it all, it takes the fun out of the adventure. It certainly is an adventure! We have to have this listed to make an offer on another home, and then hope the right home comes along. I know God is able and knows my heart and hubby’s heart to lead us to the home that is our LAST home. I say that with tongue in cheek because I said that last time. So I will pray for the right place, with the items I most desire, just the right buyer for the condo, and a quick sale. Because you see, there are no mistakes with God. He knows all about it. So a curve ball isn’t something that just happens, it is for a purpose. Just as my skin cancer journey is. I always ask Him what I am to learn and give me His purpose for me through it. Isn’t it marvelous that we have God to count on? Most certainly.


So already the Bungalow is looking less and less “JoAnn”. That is good thing because then the new buyer can see how it can fit their needs. A lot of work = a win win for both buyer and us. It is the same in our lives. If we have less and less of “us”, then we can have more and more of Jesus. Isn’t that what we want…to be more like Jesus? It is for me. I hope it is for you!

So over the next couple of weeks if I come to mind, please be praying for the right buyer for the Bungalow, and that the home we are considering will still be available for us and that our offer is accepted. I was a pretty good ball player in school, so I’m throwing the ball back to Jesus, and He is a great Catcher!

Until next time…

~JoAnn

 

 

Trust the Process

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Life Foundations

 

Time…Life doesn’t usually go as planned.  At least from our perspective.  Ever noticed that?  What do you do when things don’t go as planned?  Do you fight it?  Get angry about it?  Complain to others, or take it out on those around you?  Do you talk to others about it more than you pray to God about it?  I have had quite a few of those not so timely interruptions over the last year.  Strange health issues, falls, and the repercussions of all of them.  But… when I think about this last year, my life isn’t really any different from anyone else.  We all have them…those times we wish we didn’t have to experience.

Just this week, after some hard weeks have passed, I got some good news and some not so good news.  I had some swelling in my left hand from a fall where my left side and my nose took the hit.  The swelling caused me to need my wedding ring cut off.  I have worked in jewelry and it is hard to see a beautiful ring have to go through a cutting process.  You see, if you don’t have the right people doing that work, you can cause damage to the ring and to the diamonds it holds.  What will happen?  It will loosen the settings as the ring is stretched in order to go over the finger after being cut off.  So it worried me a little to have it done.  But I found a great jeweler locally, and he did a great job!

I then went into the Doctor to go over my hand X-ray.  That good and bad news? The X-ray showed no broken bones.  The good news.  The bad news, other than not being able to wear my ring, was that it was a pulled ligament between my ring finger and my middle finger.  That type of injury is a very long healing process; six months to be exact.  That’s a long time.  It is best to elevate the hand when possible, and I can ice it if I want to, should it be painful.  Wow!  Six months!  He told me I have to be patient.  If I try to hurry the process, then I will just cause more problems and my healing will take even longer.

Two days after cutting off the ring. Still extremely cut into my finger.

Isn’t that like our lives sometimes?  We want to hurry through uncomfortable times in our lives, so we can get back to life as we want it to be.  But when we don’t have patience for the process, we can take short cuts, hurry the process, or even get angry about it, and then we do more harm to the situation than if we are patient.  If we DO trust God with the process, then our faith can grow, be stretched and strengthened.  We don’t have to stand on our strengthen at all, but we stand on His strength.  He is the rock on which we stand.  I have to take care of my hand or I will see permanent damage and pain that will go up my wrist and arm.  In the last couple of days, it has gone down significantly because I am doing what the Doctor told me to do.  The same thing will happen when we lean on God for our needs in those hard times.  We do what He wants for us to do, we will see right changes.

So when it comes to my life, will I allow God the time to work on the issues going on in my life?  Or, will I get impatient and try to do something myself?  The latter is never good.  I need to depend on God to lead.  If I had tried to cut the ring off myself, I could have caused more damage to the ring.  If I didn’t cut the ring off, I could have done some nerve damage in my hand.  If I don’t listen to what I need to do to heal, I will cause further damage to my hand.  Our lives can be like that.  If we aren’t willing to surrender those hard times to the only person who has the answers, then we just struggle along trying to fix it ourselves.  I have come to know that God is big enough for anything I have going on.  He already knows.  There may be a lesson in the midst of it that I need to learn.  Ok.  I’m willing.  I trust Him.  I will do what is necessary and be patient with my process, knowing I will come out the other side with much better understanding and a healthy life.  I will trust the process.

Will you?

Until next time…

~JoAnn

 

Chains That Bind Us

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

P1010742Have you ever found yourself under attack in the same area over and over again?  Have you ever wondered WHY that seems to be an area of vulnerability for you?   You know it… that one thing that can bring immediate doubts to mind.  That place where you say, “Oh great!  Here we go again!”  Or maybe was, “Victory!!!  It’s done!  I did it!  It’s paid for!”  And then…life happens.  Your victory dance slows, and a stomp ensues.  Shoot!  What IS the issue?!?  You are more likely to be saying things that are not edifying to anyone at this point!  Negative statements or thoughts of defeat.  Have you EVER said, “I will NEVER get this taken care of!  It seems to happen again and again!”  No!  You have NEVER said anything like THAT have you????  Yah…me either…as my nose grew a bit longer…

I lived through many of my parents struggles in this very area for me; the area of finances.  I watched them work hard to provide for us, give us a good life, and one of enjoyment.  But somewhere in the back of my mind I have always wanted my life to be more stable in that area.  Ever thought that way?  Now, I have lived differently in that area of my life than they did, not that the way they did it was particularly bad.  But, I feel sometimes when life hits, that I am no differently positioned than they were.  Oh how thecanstockphoto0019485 devil likes to play in our mind’s sand box!  However, God provided for my parents and me, as well as my siblings.  I was not without.  I loved my childhood.  When I was quite young, I began working.  I had to work hard, but I had what I needed and contributed in ways that I could to help my parents with the burden.  Even through hard times as a parent myself, my kids didn’t have a lot, but we had what we needed.  It wasn’t without hard times, but it taught them to be hard workers, as well as being resourceful.  They saw God’s provision in our lives over and over again on a daily basis.  I know there were times when they didn’t have things they wanted, but they tried their best to understand.  What we had plenty of was a love for each other, and that was our mainstay.

So what is it about those vulnerabilities in our life’s journey, that trip us up?  I have become more and more aware that my thinking has SO much to do with my action.  What do I do when those times hit?  Do I succumb to the negative thoughts that things won’t ever change, or do I put God’s Word into action in my life and change what I say?  I’m choosing the latter for my life any more.  I am replacing those things with statements that are scriptural to me.  What lifts me up.  What brings back my joy.  Replace my thinking and changing the channel.  When I think I can’t go on, I push a little bit harder.  I pray more often.  I inch my way through and push back against those things that try to run me over.  If I’m going to stomp my feet, then let it be against the devil.  Let the dance be in praise!

We took action in the area of vulnerability for us.  We have found God to be very faithful as we trusted Him and put Him first.  Maybe your button isn’t finances, but something else.  It works the same way.  God cares about all things, and that means ALL.  So, if you find yourself dealing with the same issue again and again, begin to be aware of how you are thinking about that area of your life.  Do you want to continue the way you are?  Or, do you want change and have victory over that particular area?  Are you willing to make the changes necessary to gain victory in that area of your life?  We can’t keep hoping for the change without taking action toward the change.  So many times, we keep doing the same thing again and again, hoping something different will happen.  It doesn’t work.  A feeling of defeat is the result.

img_2298-e1407215390181What if you HAVE made changes and you still don’t see it yet?  Are you in prayer about it?  Are you asking God what you need to do?  Are you being obedient to what He tells you?  We can be stubborn sometimes.  I mean, I know a few people who took a lot of years to take an 11 day trip!!!  Now, if you change, don’t think that you won’t have to tests to go through to make sure how committed you are to it.  Oh yes, that’s a given!  But don’t give up because He cares about you AND your situation.

I have a dear friend who at this writing is going into surgery Wednesday for another bout with cancer.  She is 90 years young.  She has had 48 procedures in her life.  When I expressed my concerns over yet another test in life, she told me, “JoAnn, after 90 years of living, one thing I have learned.  We NEVER outgrow the tests in life.  I can tell you from experience that they keep coming.”  I told her what a great attitude that she has.  Her comment back?  “What else can you do?”  I don’t think it’s that simple because we CAN do a lot of different things.  What is different for her?  She trusts God to get her through, and she has lived it well.  She has struggled, wiggled out from underneath the burdens, pushed back, fought the evil one, but in all of that, she hasn’t given up.  She has faith.   She trusts Him.  Period.

So, where am I at with this?  I will choose to praise Him in the hard times.  I may “feel” the worry come, but I quickly take it to God and thank Him for what is good, and what He IS doing in my life.  I then thank Him for His answers, even the ones I don’t see yet!  However, answer He will!  He always answers, but not always how we think it should go, or in our timing.  Don’t live in defeat!  Live in victory instead!

But, in my case, I don’t give up and I don’t give in.  I’m doing a lot more dancing these days than stomping!  We are all on a journey of progress and learning.  Just stay in school!

Walking the journey with you…

~JoAnn