Do you know what really matters most in your life? If I said, "Quick! Name the top five things that matter most to you!" What would they be? If you are a Christian perhaps you would most likely start with God (knowing that you are lumping the whole Trinity together). You would probably move onto family, and then perhaps your extended family, then church, and then work. Your list may look a bit different, but usually most of these are in there somewhere.
What if you had to take one away and only had a top four list? What would yours be then? What if something was taken away and it wasn't even in your top five... you thought? That is what I experienced this week. My back went out on Friday. For four pain filled days I have stared at the ceiling in my room. It is a very humbling thing to not have your health. My role as super mom was greatly effected. No longer was I faster than a speeding juice spill, or able to fold tall piles of clothes in a single bound. My mini van was on hiatus. I was hurt. It was my family that had to care for me. My husband and children had to help me with almost everything. It was frustrating. Something that would only take minutes now took a lot more time. I had to ask for simple things. I had to wait or place a value on asking at all. As I laid there I took stock of my mortality, and the gift of health that has eluded me this week.
It was also humbling and touching having friends like Roxanne who taught extra BA KIDZ classes (and Clarinda and John too), or Shawn who shopped for me, or Kathy who picked up my son, or Lori who brought dinner by just because, and the many friends and family that called to pray or touch base.
These past four days I struggled between living in my pain and feeling honored to have such great people in my life. Beth Moore said in a Bible Study that she had gone through a hard time. She said she feared what the outcome might be. Her husband asked what if "such and so" happened. She replied then "this would." Then he asked if "this would" happen and she answered back then "that would." She says her husband had her strip her problem to its worst possible outcome, and Beth Moore's final answer to her husband was, "then there is God."
Hard times can come when we least expect them, and in some ways we might never imagine. Note what Christ says in John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)
Please don't loose sight of that word "ONLY." Satin is on a mission that ONLY leads to destruction, He is focused on your demise... period. Christ on the other hand wants you to live life to its FULL. I've said it before, this ain't heaven. Our top five can move and change and be pushed aside by things we take for granted. How can Christ give life to its full when your top five, plus one you didn't even think of are not full but less than? I was less than myself this week. I looked into my older years (if I am allowed them) and I prayed I would never hurt like that again.
So I think my thought for today is that this ain't heaven, but heaven in all of its fullness awaits. No more tears, no more want, and no more pain. We are given a life beyond the boundaries of this lifetime. My prayer is simple. I pray you and I have a life to its full here on earth. But more than that I hope you and I know that you and I will be given a life to its full for eternity. God loves us. I believe he has ultimate good for his children. These pit stops of pain are not our destination. We can proclaim Jesus is Lord.
What matters most to you today? Please take time to thank God for what you have before you, and don't focus on what you don't. You may find the steps toward the fullness God promises are easier when praise and not panic lead the way. You may not have the perfect life you desire. You do however have a perfect God who does. Ask God what are his top five for your life and you will find life to its full is easier to find.
(the following is from WHATAGod.com)
You may be asking, How can I trust God with my Hope?
1. Hebrews 6:18-19 reads, "God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary."
2. Hebrews 10:23 reads, "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."
What if you had to take one away and only had a top four list? What would yours be then? What if something was taken away and it wasn't even in your top five... you thought? That is what I experienced this week. My back went out on Friday. For four pain filled days I have stared at the ceiling in my room. It is a very humbling thing to not have your health. My role as super mom was greatly effected. No longer was I faster than a speeding juice spill, or able to fold tall piles of clothes in a single bound. My mini van was on hiatus. I was hurt. It was my family that had to care for me. My husband and children had to help me with almost everything. It was frustrating. Something that would only take minutes now took a lot more time. I had to ask for simple things. I had to wait or place a value on asking at all. As I laid there I took stock of my mortality, and the gift of health that has eluded me this week.
It was also humbling and touching having friends like Roxanne who taught extra BA KIDZ classes (and Clarinda and John too), or Shawn who shopped for me, or Kathy who picked up my son, or Lori who brought dinner by just because, and the many friends and family that called to pray or touch base.
These past four days I struggled between living in my pain and feeling honored to have such great people in my life. Beth Moore said in a Bible Study that she had gone through a hard time. She said she feared what the outcome might be. Her husband asked what if "such and so" happened. She replied then "this would." Then he asked if "this would" happen and she answered back then "that would." She says her husband had her strip her problem to its worst possible outcome, and Beth Moore's final answer to her husband was, "then there is God."
Hard times can come when we least expect them, and in some ways we might never imagine. Note what Christ says in John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)
Please don't loose sight of that word "ONLY." Satin is on a mission that ONLY leads to destruction, He is focused on your demise... period. Christ on the other hand wants you to live life to its FULL. I've said it before, this ain't heaven. Our top five can move and change and be pushed aside by things we take for granted. How can Christ give life to its full when your top five, plus one you didn't even think of are not full but less than? I was less than myself this week. I looked into my older years (if I am allowed them) and I prayed I would never hurt like that again.
So I think my thought for today is that this ain't heaven, but heaven in all of its fullness awaits. No more tears, no more want, and no more pain. We are given a life beyond the boundaries of this lifetime. My prayer is simple. I pray you and I have a life to its full here on earth. But more than that I hope you and I know that you and I will be given a life to its full for eternity. God loves us. I believe he has ultimate good for his children. These pit stops of pain are not our destination. We can proclaim Jesus is Lord.
What matters most to you today? Please take time to thank God for what you have before you, and don't focus on what you don't. You may find the steps toward the fullness God promises are easier when praise and not panic lead the way. You may not have the perfect life you desire. You do however have a perfect God who does. Ask God what are his top five for your life and you will find life to its full is easier to find.
(the following is from WHATAGod.com)
You may be asking, How can I trust God with my Hope?
1. Hebrews 6:18-19 reads, "God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary."
2. Hebrews 10:23 reads, "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."
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