My Eyes Sometimes Fail To See The Marvelous!

I sat at the hospital today while my 99 year old grandmother had a partial hip replacement.

While I sat by her bed waiting for her to go back in surgery my thoughts literally were, God why would you do this?  Why would you put this poor little old woman through this?

She is in pain right now, hip surgery is a major surgery with a major recovery process. She is 99 what purpose could there be in this?

They came in and prepared to take her down, they covered all the complications that could go wrong because of her age.  They covered her DNR.  And I continued to question Why?

We gathered around her bed and prayed before they took her to surgery.

I went to the cafeteria with all of my family to have lunch and wait to hear something.

In less time than expected they called to say the surgery had went fine with no complications.

Before the expected time she was back in her room.  Awake for the most part and doing well.  I was still questioning why?

She now faces a major recovery and rehab process at 99.  Actually 99 1/2.  I still am questioning why?

I leave the hospital, come home and sit out on the deck for awhile with my bible.  I open my bible and ask God to show me something that would answer my WHY questions.  I read in Joshua for awhile because that is where I have been reading.  No answers, I read about Joshua conquering kings and lands but I can't connected that to my Grandmother in any way.

I flip over to Psalms because Psalms always comforts me.

I open to Psalm 9:1 and it says "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done."

Hits like a ton of bricks!! Because it is not possible that my Grandmother at 99 and 1/2 survived a surgery, let alone came through it with flying colors without it being God in control.  What an amazing thing God did today and I continued to question WHY?

So instead of asking WHY?  I am saying praise to God that he might very well be preparing this woman to see her 100th birthday in less than 6 months.  What an amazing accomplishment and honor that could be for her.  

What an amazing God we serve!!!  Thank you God for the miracles you performed in my Grandmother today!!

Can I Really Trust My Eyes?

More lessons from Joshua
As Joshua goes into the promised land he is directed by God to take out all the people already living there. To kill everyone that breathes, destroy them and completely wipe them out.  The Gibeonites hear of this, and get scared after the first couple of towns are taken.  So they come up with a plan to deceive the Israelites, to make a treaty of protection with them.  They make it look like they live outside the boundaries and are therefore eligible to make a treaty with the Israelites.

They actually are pretty smart and conniving.  They put on old clothes and sandals to make it look like they have been traveling a long way. They put wine in old torn wine skins to make it look like it has been there awhile.  Then they bake bread and let it get moldy.  Then they go to Joshua and convince him that they have traveled from a far away land.

Joshua does question them and ask where they are from.

 They say look at our clothes they were new when we started out.  Look at our wine skins we just filled them at the beginning of our trip.  Look at our bread it just came out of the oven before we left.

Joshua 9:14 says "So, the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord."

Bad move Joshua, but how many times have I made the same mistake?  I make a decision based on what my eyes can see and don't take the time to consult the Lord. This looks like a good sale. To the naked eye this appears to be a solid house.  Everything looks like this will be a good career move. This person appears to have the same values I have.  

Just like the Israelites my eyes can deceive me. This can happen for many reasons.

1.  I rush and don't look at the whole picture.  I just look at what I can see directly in front of me.
2.  I fail to see outside the box.  The box of lines I stay inside, or the box I try to poke God in.
3.  Or maybe the one I am most guilty of is that I see only what I want to see.

Satan is such a master at making things look good.  Making me trust in what I see in front of me. When he convinces me to trust what I see, then I don't feel the need to ask God.  Think of the best magic trick you have ever seen.  Your eyes see it but your mind really knows it can't be true.

I need to make it a practice of asking God, even when I see it with my own eyes.  



                

GET UP!!

"Get up!  Why are you lying on your face like this?"

I came across that verse in Joshua 7 this morning.  It is the Lord's words to Joshua, but I know I have heard those same words from God before.

A brief recap of what was happening in Joshua's life.  The Israelites went to fight Ai.  The Israelites only took part of their army because Ai was small.  They were confident after their battle at Jericho that this would be an easy conquer for them.  They got their behinds kicked.  Joshua could not understand why - he and  the elders tore their clothing, threw dust on their heads and bowed face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord.  They stayed there til evening.  When Joshua cried out why?  The Lords's response was.  Get up!  Why are you lying on your face like this?

I may not spend the day with my face bowed down to the ground, but there are days when my demeanor really is the same.  When I am feeling like whoa is me, my life is so rough. I walk around with my shoulders slumped, my eyes downcast.  I focus on my feet.  On those days if I call out to God he usually says Look up! Why are you walking around with your face like this?

If I look up, my attitude usually changes.  I can not look at the sky without feeling the presence of a loving creator.  Whether in the day with a blue sky, fluffy clouds, or even a thunderstorm, I can not look up without knowing the wonder and awe of my God.  In the dark of night you can not look up and see a sky full of stars on a blanket of black velvet, or a perfect moon, and not know there is something far bigger than me.  

In Joshua's story the reason for their defeat was sin in the camp.  In my story usually the same.  If I am walking around feeling defeated, a lot of times there is sin in my camp, laziness, selfishness, pride, bitterness, or jealousy.  Joshua had to get up, find the sin and remove it, then he was victorious again.  I need to look up, recognize my sin, confess it, then I can live a victorious walk.

What about you?  Does God ever say, Get up!  Why are you lying on your face like this?

Matt Maher's song "Rise Up" sums this up well.  

        

Does God give us more than we can handle?

In the past six months I have watched a lot of people struggle with some heavy situations.

I have watched a loving husband sit by his wife's bedside and wait for her to wake up from a ruptured brain aneurysm.  Watched him wait to see if she was going to make a full recovery.

I have watched a friend get the news that her dear grandmother out of the blue had cancer.  Watched them wait for results and muddle through what options will be.

I have watched a wife weeping at her husband's hospital bed.  Waiting for answers to questions that might not ever come.

I have watched a man struggle over an accident that took another man's life and there was nothing he could have done.

I have watched a couple struggle with divorce, a family fall apart.  One spouse who wanted to save the marriage but the other one was not willing to even try.  A world unravel.

Those are heavy situations.  Struggles that bring us to our knees in prayer.  Where we feel like we are drowning, our chest so heavy we can't catch our breathe.  Where we feel like we are going under for the last time.  In those situations sometimes people trying to comfort us will say.  Remember God doesn't give us more than we can handle.

Is that a true statement?  God doesn't give us more than we can handle?  I don't think it is.  I think the advice we should give is that God doesn't give us anything He can't carry us through.

In all of these situations, I believe if these people were forced to carry the weight on their own, it might have been more than they could have handled.  But in each instance, I watched God carry each person through that dark unknown valley.  I watched their faith renewed and strengthened.  I watched God carry his hurting children.

God will at times give us more than we can handle, but he will never leave us to handle it alone.

Isaiah 63:9 "In all their affliction, He was afflicted. And the angel of His presence saved them, in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."

    

Little children and old people speak honest truth.

The beginning of this year we had to put my grandmother in a nursing home.  I try to make it up once a week to see her.  I usually try to go during the lunch hour because she sits at a table with 3 other lovely ladies, and I get the chance to visit with all of them.  I enjoy getting to listen to these ladies.

There is another little lady who sits at the table behind my grandmothers table, her name is Rosie and she is a character.  She gets a little loud sometimes, and rambunctious, and the other residents will say, "Rosie be still", or "Rosie stop that", When they do she spits at them. I can't help but crack up.  I love that she still has spirit in her.   She always blows me kisses so I have started making it a point to speak to her.

Friday when I went up Rosie wasn't at the table behind my grandmother she was across the room.  On my way out I went over and asked her how her day was going and talked to her for just a minute.  She always wants to pat you or hold your hand.  While I was talking to her, out of the blue she just said, "you have little boobies".  I said "you know what Rosie you are right I do".  One of the CNA's said "Rosie Oh my gosh you can not say things like that."  I replied, "you know what as long as she doesn't say something is big on me I really don't mind."

Have you ever noticed that small children and old people are completely honest.  They just state what they see, you have crinkles around your eyes, your belly is big, your breathe smells, your boobies are little. We don't get offended because how could we, usually what they say is correct.

What if we could be as honest with our peers.  Maybe not in such an abrasive, honest way but at least be honest with each other in a kind way.  If we kindly pointed out little things to each other would we work on them, try to improve the problem if possible?  Instead we don't speak up, because if I did, then you might also point out the splinter in my eye.

Ephesians 4:25 says "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his (or her) neighbor, for we are members one of another."

I think that first part of the verse hits a nerve.  Put away falsehood.  If I were a little more honest in my life, then maybe I could be a little more honest with you.

Young children and old people, I love their honest conversations!!
      

When Sparrows Fall

I heard a story this week about someone who died in a tragic accident.  That alone is heartbreaking.  A life tragically lost, unexpectedly, unexplainable, and senselessly.  But, the bigger heart break, the last I heard, they had been unable to locate any family members.  No one who even knew this life was gone. No one wondering why they had not heard from this individual. No one who even missed this person.

Loneliness - Sadness because one has no friends or company.  Being without company.  Solitary.

I am sure at times we have all felt like we were in a place of loneliness.  A place of isolation.  I know I have felt that way.  But for me it is just a place in my mind.  I am not alone.  If I were missing there would be people looking for me.  If something unexpectedly happen to me there would be people to quickly trace me to.

How sad to feel you have no one.  No one to turn to in times of trouble.  No one to rejoice with in times of celebration.  I am sure we come in contact with people each day who are in that situation and we don't even know it.  Individuals who are totally alone and have no family or friends.

I need to step out of my "protected" life and become aware of people around me who are alone.  Family doesn't have to be a blood relative.  I have friends who feel like family to me.  I need to be watching for people who cross my path who truly have no one.  As people who love Jesus he calls us to love others.

There is one thing I know.  There may have been no family to contact for this person, but God knew that life was lost that day. That person didn't fall without God knowing.  Even when we have no one, we are never alone.

Matthew 10:29 "What is the price of two sparrows - one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it."

If our Father knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, He certainly knows when one of His children fall.