Keep Calm and Know You Are Blessed

This post was something I tearfully wrote when we were headed to Gainesville for Peyton's ballgame on June 30th. The craziness of that weekend zapped my energy and I never got around to post it.

Lately, I've been thinking about the woman that God placed in my path that day. I like to believe it was God's divine intervention. So I decided to share my experience. I hope it speaks to your heart like it did mine.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:50

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. Psalm 118:7

Sometimes I need a wake up call. Not the kind that gives you a chance to hit snooze a few times or the kind that allows you to wake up slowly and adjust your eyes, yawn, and stretch. No, I need the kind that reminds me that I need an attitude/perspective adjustment and quick. That sorry Satan loves my "insensitive, impatient and judgmental" tendencies. He must sometimes think to himself, "You are such an easy target." While Satan's aim is apparently right on target a lot, God has equipped me with the armor to show him that I'm a fighter. He may knock me down; but I will get back up. I know with God on my side, the fight isn't over. There are still plenty of rounds to go with the evil one. There will come a day however, where God will send His son to gather His children and Satan will be bound in hell for eternity. That is the final round. Satan already knows he is a loser but he's determined to take us down with him.

Paul's amazing words in Ephesians says to "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." This is the hope that I need on days like this that seem to rob me of my sanity.

The bible says whatever Satan intends for evil, God will always turn it into a blessing. We may never realize how many times God intervenes on our behalf; but I am a firm believer that it happens infinitely throughout our lives. Today was proof that God will never give Satan the final word. It was also a reminder that we are blessed regardless of our circumstances.


Peyton's baseball All Star tournament has been going on this week. Practicing for hours each night finally ended this past Friday and yesterday was the first game of the All Star Championships. The boys were so excited and had great hope that they would defeat the Newton County team they were scheduled to face in Gainesville. After an extremely long, hot and exhausting day...we left being defeated by an amazing team from Newton County. Wow! They were some amazing ball players.

Since we lost out first game, we were moved to the loser's bracket. This meant we played again... today...Sunday...Church Day! We decided to go ahead to church even though it meant we couldn't stay the whole time. It is very important to be in church each week, together as a family for several reasons. It gives us an opportunity to set a good example for our children that nothing takes center stage before God. Not to mention that we have an amazing freedom that allows us to freely worship God in the open (a right that so many do not have). Plus Peyton and I both have things that we have committed to doing each week and it is important that we fulfill our responsibilities.

So we all struggled to get out of bed this morning. I think I had to yell at Hunter (down the hall) to get up atleast 10 times and it came down to me having to go into his room and stomp my foot (LOL) to get him up. Peyton went ahead and put his uniform on so that we could leave straight from church and head towards Gainesville for day #2. Steve had on his "coaching" attire and I grabbed the first thing that wasn't winkled. As we got into the car...it seemed every move we made, nothing was going the way we had planned. We rushed to church while having a few ridiculous arguments on Peyton forgetting to put on deodorant and Hunter not shaving after being told several times. Let's face it...we were tired and ill as hornets.

Finally, we get to church and I immediately felt a sense of relief. I love Ray's Church and all the people that fill the pews each week. While I want to crawl up on the pew and take a nap, Peyton, Paul (church friend) and I get busy hooking up the equipment for singing. I took a deep breath and a calmness overwhelms my otherwise tired body. Not a second later, I feel a sense of dread for the long day that is ahead of us.

As the preacher begins to discuss Joseph and his coat of many colors (or should I say many coats of adversity), Peyton leans over and whispers he forgot some of his baseball uniform. Steve forgot his tennis shoes and I forgot my cell phone. Steve lets out a sigh of frustration. I notice Mrs. Connie's watch on the back of the pew in front of me...it's already 10:30. Sadly, we had to slip out as quietly as we could. Flying our the door, I immediately started thinking about all the people I didn't get to hug and say goodbye to. Hopefully they don't over analyze things like I seem to do and know that I didn't intentionally not acknowledge them as I slipped out. I can explain later if I need to.

A few more arguments headed home to retrieve the missing items needed to make it through this day, I was in a bad mood and just like that...I had convinced myself that this was not going to be a fun day and my attitude towards everyone went from bad to worse. Here I was...with a chip on my shoulder and determined to make everyone pay for my lack of sleep instead of trying to enjoy this amazing experience with Peyton.

Once on the road towards Gainesville, we decide to stop and grab a cheeseburger at McDonalds. I was less than thrilled to eat McDonalds, much less in the car because Steve said we didn't have time to go in and sit down to eat. Im my head, I was thinking some very negative things but I did keep them to myself despite my less than pleasant demeanor.

When Steve brings the food to the car, we double check it and realize Peyton's double cheeseburger is missing the cheese. Steve goes back inside to get it fixed. A few minutes later, Hunter realizes that his chicken sandwich has lettuce and mayo, which he will never eat. Angry, frustrated, tired, and just plain fed up with the world...I get his sandwich, slam the car door and march inside to to let McDonald's know that they screwed up.

Here is where my day, or should I say "our" day took an amazing turn...

Steve and the cashier, Tamara had already realized that they knew each other from high school. As I walk up, Tamara is saying that she had just recently moved back home to her mom's house (which happens to be in my in-law's neighborhood). What Tamara says next brought me back down to reality and taught me just how quickly life can sweep you off your feet and knock the breath out of you. "My 15 year old son was killed in a pellet gun accident last July 4th. After having a difficult time emotionally and financially, I felt it was best to move home so my mom could help me get on my feet".

And just like that...the air I was breathing seemed to disinigrate. Standing at the counter waiting impatiently for the right cheeseburger and chicken sandwich, I was no longer concerned about the food. Tears filled my eyes as I listened to her bravely tell us aboutthe accident that took her precious child's life too soon. Tamara's son was shooting a pellet rifle with his cousin. They had cocked it too many times and when it went off, it shot her son in the temple. The doctors had to remove part of his brain in hopes of saving his life and when all efforts were unsuccessful, he died.

His mom decided to donate her child's organs in hopes of saving someone else's life. Today a 60 year old man lives with the heart of this precious child that left this world way too soon. All I could do was cry. I told her that I would pray for her and never forget the strength it must have taken her to endure that kind of loss and then be able to share her story with others. As we all stand in silence trying to digest the sadness of what had happened nearly one year earlier, Steve says to her, "I feel like crying too, it's time to go."

As I walked out of McDonalds and all the way to Gainesville, tears continues to fall as I tried desperately to understand why things happen this way. I was comforted in the quietness of the boys in the car who no longer had a need to complain, Steve's sudden calm and soothing temperament and my uncontrollable tears as I reminded myself (only I was saying it out loud) that I am blessed and that my problems are so insignificant compared to what this mom was going through. To think that she will never hold her child or hear his voice was a pain that just brings you to your knees. It brought me to mine (hypothetically speaking).

While I may never understand why this young child (so close to the ages of my own) was taken from his mom so soon; I do understand that God WILL offers comfort for her in these times...He is forever faithful!

May we all stop and focus on our blessings instead of focusing on our problems. Life is way too short to let the little things prevent us from being the person God intended us to be. Bless you Tamara, your strength and resolve touched me and my family and we are praying for you.

Pressing On

My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart 

and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

In life, things rarely come to us without a little hard work and sacrifice. If you want to be a great ball player, you must learn the rules and practice. If you want to be a great guitar player, you must learn to read music and practice. If you want to be a great teacher, you must learn special techniques for teaching others and practice. If you want to be a great golfer, you must learn the rules and practice. Basically, in order to accomplish our goals, we practice, probably make a few mistakes and press on never quitting.

I remember my initial excitement about learning to play the piano. My third grade mind was convinced that I was going to miraculously become the next Mozart overnight.  Little did I know that it would take more than showing up at Mrs. Sylvia Beard’s house (my piano teacher) each week to become what I had envisioned. It also didn’t take long before I realized that learning to play the piano was going to take a lot of work. My parents had to practically force me to practice but with the money they had invested, they were determined to make me follow through with what I had started and not give up. I had other plans. I would bang on the keys and scream about how much I hated playing the piano. I dreaded each time I had to go to Mrs. Beard’s house. She would say, “Celane, you must sit up straight and don’t rest your palms on the piano as you play.” She was a sweet lady, trying to teach me how to do something that I had already given up on. My parents were determined to not let me quit but my determination to quit eventually won. After a few recitals where I did learn to play Fur Elise (wasn’t an easy song to play), I was allowed to quit. Sadly, one of the things I regret is that I took lessons all those years and was actually a pretty good piano player; but because I gave up, I lost all that I had worked so hard to learn. Today, I can barely play Chopsticks. I attribute this to the many nights my daddy would come down after my crying and screaming to try and soothe things over as he often did when things seemed to fall apart at the seams.  We would sit together on the piano stool and play. It was a simple song but daddy had learned just enough to get me interested. It was the only part of learning to play the piano that I actually enjoyed.

Basically anything worth having is worth working for and I wanted to be a piano player but I didn’t want to put in the hard work that it was going to take. So I gave up. Today I experienced some feelings of just wanting to give up on some things in my life that I have worked so hard to get right. As my mind turned tonight with a few negative thoughts, I think that the good Lord was working on my heart to not get discouraged. For someone that can be pretty tough, I have a very tender heart (another trait I inherited from my daddy). So tonight, as I closed my eyes, I asked God to show me the words that I needed to read that would get me back on track. Words that would help me not give up. I spent some time working on my bible study in James (I have been doing with a few friends from work) but that was not giving me the peace I was hoping for. As I picked up my bible, it opened to Philippians. I immediately smiled. Philippians has some powerful words and it certainly didn’t take long to speak to me. You know the famous, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.” These might not mean anything if I didn’t know what trials Paul was going through as he wrote these words.

Paul was in a Roman prison. Not a prison that you might find in America. No, I would say America’s prisons are pure luxury compared to the conditions that Paul endured while in prison in Rome. Back in Paul’s day, there was a symbol for prison and it meant “house of darkness.” Paul’s prison was the kind that was dug underground. The prisoner and guards were lowered through a small hole. This was the only way in and out of the prison. There were no bathrooms, so you can imagine what it must have smelled like down there. The prison itself was basically 2 large rooms (separate levels) with iron shackles fixed to the walls. The lower level was dark and gloomy. The only lighting was by torches or oil lamps. I imagine it was also very cold as it is recorded that these types of cells were twelve feet underground. Guards were usually very mean and treated prisoners poorly because if a prisoner escaped, the guards were executed. If you tried to visit a prisoner, you were taking a huge risk of interrogation (guilty by association).

It was in this “house of darkness” that Paul wrote some of his most beautiful words, words that I so needed to read tonight, words that gave me encouragement and strength. Paul rejoiced. He was thankful. He put things in perspective when he must have felt scared and alone. Tonight I just need to put things into perspective. I needed to feel safe.

Paul having received a gift from the Philippian Church while in prison wrote a letter thanking them. He wanted to share his joy. Even as I type this, I am trying to understand how Paul could have had joy in the midst of his circumstance. Paul makes it clear that regardless of his circumstances, he has learned to be content. He also says that he has joy because he focused all his efforts on knowing Christ and obeying Him. “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”

I too consider everything rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus. Nothing else in life can bring more joy. Because of Him, I can “press on” trying to be a better person in spite of circumstances that weigh heavily on my heart or cause me to stumble. Practice will never make me the perfect Christian but I can practice what Paul did and “press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” So giving up is just not an option. No, I will be content and wait for the Lord to “bring everything under His control”.

He Will Fight for You

God has fought many battles on behalf of His people which are recorded for our learning in God’s word. Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11

These lessons should encourage us to be faithful as we all face the spiritual forces of wickedness in daily combat today. Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8


God has promised that He will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to overcome and a way of escape to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13


Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”. Ephesians 6:10


Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Today I am pondering the feelings of joy and pain. These emotions are certainly not easy to embrace especially when your heart is heavy. Yet today that's just what I feel. I'm pained by the struggles that a few of my family members and friends are dealing with as well as a few unspoken of my own. I pray relentlessly for each one and it seems at times that my prayers are being intercepted before reaching God. I know that is not true and that He hears every thought. He feels every pain. He experiences the tough times right along beside us. We are never alone. Satan's hope is that you and I will become so overwhelmed with our struggles that we begin to believe his lies. Let me tell you that I may have plenty of storms raging in my life; but I will never believe Satan is capable of stealing my joy.

Joy is a gift that God has given us so that we may glorify Him. Joy is the feeling of contentment or the realization that everything will work out. Joy is an act of obedience to God; especially when we are joyful during tough times. Proof of joy's gift is in David's beautiful words, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it". He didn't say today will suck so come back and rejoice tomorrow when things are better for you. No, he said rejoice now; because this is THE day that God created and therefore be joyful...even in the midst of a tsunami.

If you are struggling with pains in life (who isn't?) write them down; but don't stop there. Turn those pains into blessings of joy. Paul says "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ". In other words discipline yourself to change your negative thoughts into positive ones. Here are a few examples...

I am not feeling well; but I am healthy and I will feel better soon; yet so many continue to battle earth shattering illnesses that may not get better.

I miss my daddy; but I am blessed that I had 31 years with a daddy that so many in this world do not have an opportunity to know.

My Papa has been battling cancer for the past few years and I am worried about him; but no greater man exists today in my life that knows...whether here on earth or in heaven, he's "a winner either way."

It saddens me that my children are no longer small enough to crawl into my lap so I can rock them to sleep or hear the pitter-patter of their tiny feet; but what joy I have experienced to be a mommy while so many have suffered the loss of their own children.

 I have circumstances that are too private to share that are troubling me; yet joy abounds because my God is who He says He is and He will one day restore all things with His unimaginable plan.

Yes I will experience painful circumstances throughout my short life on earth; but I am never alone. In the midst of my pain God speaks to us and I can only imagine all of heaven bowing down as He begins to heal my temporary wounds.

 Paul says that "His grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness". Pain is an opportunity to strengthen our faith because there will be "joy in the morning". Like the song we will sing this morning says, "we fall down," sometimes I find myself falling to depths that seem to swallow me entirely...but as I lay my crowns at the feet of Jesus...I feel joy. My God is able to strengthen me despite the "pains" of life.

Your circumstances are small in comparison to how mighty God is and He is already at work to restore joy where you are experiencing pain. An old 80s (teeny bop) song comes to mind that says, "joy and pain are like sunshine and rain."

Think about that for a moment...

Joy and pain...sunshine and rain. Out of pain (rain) there will be joy (sunshine) or maybe they coexist at the same time. When I think of rain and sunshine...I think of the beautiful flowers that begin to grow. Out of our trials come joyful experiences. In 1 Peter 1:6, we are reminded "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials".

My heart is so heavy for the struggles of a dear friend. The situation is out of my friend's control; but it is not out of God's control. He is up to something so profound and astonishing that I can't wait to see the day when things will be better than they once were. Until then, I will help the best I know how by lifting prayers to heaven daily and try to encourage and remind my friend that this is not the end.

The Christian group Selah sings a beautiful song called, "He Will Hold You". The lyrics bring me joy just listening to them. I have listened to them so many times because the words speak to my circumstances and remind me that God's "got my back". The lyrics to this song say, "storms may come, storms may go, the pain may linger like melted snow". Some days I have to reach so deep inside myself to find a reason to believe that my pain (whatever it may be) will melt away. The next few lines remind me that they will get better in time. They say, "He'll hold you when the tempest rages all around. He'll hold you, plant your feet on solid ground."

Your circumstances may seem too big for you to survive but God is holding you through it all. The tempest smiles at our failures and struggles in life. He rejoices each time we doubt that things will get better. Yet, God will "hold you when the waves come crashing down" and that is joy. The tempest cannot steal our joy. It is God's gift to us and we can thank him by remembering "He will hold us through it all". So dig in your heels, stand firm and face the tempest head on; because you are not just standing on solid ground...you are standing on God's Holy Ground. He will fight for you and these storms will strengthen you for the next tsunami.