Hello!~~~

Welcome!~

It has now been ten years since I started this blog. How quickly time goes by! We are many members but we are one in the body of Christ. Therefore you do not journey alone! Hopefully through this site you will be encouraged by the fact that many things you are going through in your own walk, others are going through (or have gone through) as well. Sometimes we think we are "going through things alone." But we are not. God said that "He would Never Leave Nor Forsake Us." (Hebrews 13:5) and that "There is Nothing New Under The Sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9). No man is an island. It's easy to forget that. May the words in this blog help you to think, encourage you in whatever spiritual state you are in and may the Lord use them to help us to grow in Him! He is the Author and Finisher of our faith!

I don’t want any readers to think that I am “promoting” being a prodigal. I definitely am not. But what I am hoping to do – is to encourage those of us who either have had or are currently experiencing a hard time in our walk to be honest about it. Personal conviction is a powerful thing, especially if you truly love the Lord. I think that sometimes the Body of Christ critiques and judges to the point where the person who is at the other end of that pointing finger feels ostracized, alienated and alone. I don't think that that is what Jesus intended. When I read through my Bible - I see a firm yet gentle restoration that Jesus ministered to those around Him. Look at John 21:15-19. When Peter who was at an all time low point in his walk - he was firmly, yet lovingly restored by Jesus. He didn't tear him down, or yell or make him feel any worse then he already did. He spoke to him lovingly and gently - and in doing so, Peter was able to repent and minister in a much more powerful, humble and confident way and it became one of the largest ministries ever.

Please note that I am only a vessel, my calling - to write. I dedicate this blog to the Lord and ask that He use it to reach out and touch whoever needs a special, loving, personal touch from Him. My hope is that the Holy Spirit allows you to see Him through the words (and not me). We go through things so that we can extend our right hand of fellowship behind us to assist and help someone else. Our Bible is the same today, as it was yesterday as it will be tomorrow. (I am far from perfect and do not profess to have all the answers...) but the good news is - Our Heavenly Father does! His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy is real!Nothing you are experiencing in your walk comes as a surprise to Him! May He be glorified through this blog and may God bless you at whatever stage in your walk you are in!~



I am a Breast Cancer Survivor

I am a Breast Cancer Survivor
I was diagnosed with early stage triple negative breast cancer on June 24th, 2010 - I have been cancer free for 10 years now. It was only a chapter in my life - NOT my life, but the impact is one that has changed my life forever. Its important for women to know that 80% of the breast cancer diagnosis come from women who don't have a history of it in their family (My family didn't). Early detection is the key. For more information please click on the pink ribbon above. It could save your life.
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April 21, 2010

Gently Now... With love...

I woke up this morning not feeling very well. You see, I have Diabetes and I rage against the fact that I do. I get angry because I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs. Yet the worst place of attack is being “told” what I can and cannot eat?! That simply just won’t do!! So sometimes I don’t eat the things I should, or the way I should. Thankfully it is under control – for now. But you see, I know that if I don’t get in the habit of “pricking my finger” or “taking my medicine” one day that might not be the case. And Praise God we live in a time where we have better knowledge and know-how from our physicians on how to keep such an awful disease under control - much more so than in the days of old. But it requires obedience. So truly I have no excuse. Hmmm wondering if that could be another symptom of my “prodigal ways.” The wise and very transparent words of Paul from the book of Romans 7:15-20 (NIV version)

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature, for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature of a slave to the law of sin."

Paul’s words describe what many in a prodigal state are experiencing. Even if many of us don’t voice it – deep inside that is what we are feeling. The important thing is getting beyond the point of staying in our prodigal state. Finding a way to turn around and get back on the pathway we need to be on. For myself this is a slow process. I’ll be transparent and say – I think I am in my prodigal state because I am disappointed in my life. Things have not gone or turned out the way I believed they would. To me 2+2 = 4 and when it has turned out that in my life it hasn’t – I’m angry, I’m disappointed. I feel I’ve been let down. I’m at a loss to know why or what to do because of it? People don’t necessarily turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. There are other subtle ways a person can get off track with the Lord. Don’t let the devil deceive you into thinking that Christians can’t be tempted or cajoled or – if in extreme pain – turn to ways of escape, because we can and many of us do. The mistake is not turning to our Father - Actually running into his arms. The mistake is in isolating ourselves, turning inward. Not reaching out to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ for help and support. And when you get that far off the pathway – it is a LOT harder to turn around and get the help, direction and compassion you need. THAT is why I am writing this blog. Because for myself – that is the point I am at. Are you at that point? Do you know someone who is? You know many of us in our Prodigal state don’t “appear” to the world to be in it. We can cover it up ohhhh soooo wellll. On the outside going through the duties of our daily routines (although if you look closely – you can see the hairline fractures…) but inside there is a HUGE battle going on. Our peace is gone, our hope has diminished. We are in a “stuck” position – where we KNOW what is right but don’t know how to get back or move ahead from where we once were. That is where we become vulnerable to not only the attacks of the devil – “You will never get right with God. I told you. You never stick with anything…” Or we get ostracized by our church or the brethren. How easy it is to judge. The most powerful lesson I’ve learned over the last two years – is not to judge. You look at me and say, “Well, Casey the Bible judges…” You say to me and my response is – “Yes it does.” But have you walked in the person’s shoes? Do you know all parts of their life? What they currently are going through? My Bible tells me that we are to “love each other as we love ourselves.” Hmmmm I guess the question we have to ask then is DO we love ourselves? I have learned that I must take the plank out of my own eye (and oh yessss my plank has been quite cumbersome and large) before I can even think of removing the speck that is in my backslidden brother or sister’s eye. And think about that for a moment. When someone tells you they have something in their eye do you march over to them, shove their eyelid open roughly and try to get it out. Or do you walk over to that person, gently take their head in your hands, tilt their head back, carefully lift open their eyelid and gently try to blow the speck away?

Love goes a long, long way….

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