A Gift of JOY

Like most of us, writer Mary DeMuth has struggled through hard times. She has a heart for hurting women and recognizes the stresses caused by COVID-19. While struggling through the hurts of a damaged relationship she did what she does best:... putting her thoughts into words.

"Life right now is full of grief, confusion, and angst. In order to process all that, you need to know what the Bible says about difficult times and how to navigate through them."

Mary writes through the labor pains of her hurtful emotions. While we struggle to express these feelings, she finds the right words. The outpouring of these words opens the doors of healing and gives birth to her books. Until we can communicate our pain, we cannot problem-solve... we cannot heal and restore the joy to our lives.

Whether you are struggling with the life changes brought about by the coronavirus, a damaged relationship, or other issues, I recommend this little 25-page ebook. It's available free at:

http://marydemuth.ck.page/e7f47f3755

Doing well now? Copy and save it for another time. Share it with someone who needs to mend and heal a broken spirit.

I have followed Mary since she was writing her first book* as a sexual abuse survivor. As a writer, I understand how difficult it is to re-open the pain allowing the reader to recognize you've truly been in her shoes. No matter how battered her slippers may be, they can become the ruby red shoes that takes her home to the Creator and Lover of her Soul. Mary shows us the way, the how, and Who restores true joy.

* Author of 40 books currently.

Pain is a Microphone: Part 1

  I am pleased to share this excerpt from Through the Eyes of a Lion by Pastor Levi Lusko 

There Will Be Blood 

Pain is a microphone. And the more it hurts, the louder you get. 

Suffering isn’t an obstacle to being used by God. It is an opportunity to be used like never before. 

This truth leaps off the pages of Scripture again and again and again. Joseph suffered for years as a prisoner for crimes he didn’t commit, but it only made him louder. In the end he was raised to the right hand of Pharaoh and put in a position to save the lives of his brothers, who had tried to kill him (Genesis 45:5).

Esther went through the unspeakably difficult trial of becoming an orphan when both her parents died (Esther 2:7). Yet her adoption by Mordecai set into motion the events by which she would become queen of Persia and prevent a holocaust.

David was forced to go on the run, like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, while he was hunted by his lunatic of a father-in-law, Saul. David was homeless, living in and out of caves in the wilderness of Israel, and yet it was in those caves he poured out his heart to God in worship (1 Samuel 23–24, 1 Samuel 26). His greatest praise came from his darkest days.

To be continued...

Selah, think on this,

Connie

Original source:
https://www.faithgateway.com/pain-is-a-microphone

What Is My Best?

 I recently read Ann Voskamp’s online comment about calendars: rather than looking at each box as a list of to dos, consider each box as a gift to open.

None of us know how many calendar boxes we have left. At 71 years of age, I have already been blessed with over 35,000. On my calendar I now place a red border on the first  empty box and write:  Each Box a Gift to Open!

Last month I read two books to help me get passed my fickle emotions:

And Not One Bird Stopped Singing: Coping with Transitions and the Losses of Aging 

by Doris Moreland Jones

Emotional Victory: How You Deal With How You Feel 

by D. Bud Calvert

Dr. Calvert wrote, “My days of serving the Lord are numbered and I need to give Him my best.” (page 190) I did not expect this to be a positive, motivating statement for me. But that’s exactly how it struck me. And I remembered David’s words, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered- how fleeting my life is.” (Psalm 39:4)

  

Do you remember Faggin, in the musical Oliver? Knowing Bill Sykes plans to kill him and holding his cache of money and jewelry, he sings:

¯What happens when I'm seventy?
Must come a time...seventy.
When you're old, and it's cold
And who cares if you live or you die,
Your one consolation's the money
You may have put by...

...I think I'd better think it out again!

I'm reviewing the situation.¯

My mission is to encourage others through my experiences. Therefore, I’m’ setting aside my fickle emotions and using my writer’s eye, and ¯I am reviewing the situation.¯

Health issues and all, the question is not, “How many days?” It is, “What is my best?”

First, let’s agree that feelings are fickle and unreliable. Although without them, we cannot be compassionate, patient, kind, long-suffering, etc. Keeping them in the proper perspective is the key to not allowing them to overrule the heart, mind and God’s plan for the day. His calendar box to open as a gift!

Thus, the best is whatever we are capable of each day. Beginning with a positive attitude and the willingness for God to use us. Our focus must be on the do-ables and what we have vs. our losses. Easy? No, especially when not feeling well. Possible? Yes

For me- with my physical limitations- this is my BEST:

May my better moments be Yours, O Lord to do with as You may.
May my stitches be even and entwined with love.

May my writing be Your thoughts… not my opinion.

May my resting renew my strength and refresh my spirit.

May my down times provide time to ponder Your goodness to me.

May my studying and reading prepare me to glorify You, Lord.
May my teaching touch hearts and draw them nearer to You.
May my life be a reflection of Your love. 

How about you? What is your best?

Selah...

Connie

Heart Rehab

This is a NuStep exerciser that I use in Cardiac Rehab. It's like walking while you are sitting. It tracks several things including the number of steps, the minutes you're exercising, calories used and how far you walk. I have gone 1-1 1/2 miles per session- more than I thought I could.

Because I have a heart monitor on, I feel safe; and therefore, willing to push past my limits. The Cardiac Rehab team are great encouragers, as they monitor my progress.

I go two times per week to exercise plus a class weekly to help me change my life style.The others are at different stages. Two have "graduated..." meaning they have completed all 38 sessions and are committing to continuing their new life style. Some have had open heart surgery, heart attacks or, like me, have new stents.
They, too, encourage me to keep trying because I will feel better and I will increase my energy level and stamina.

This week will be sessions four and five with 33 to go!

My goal is to walk Ponderosa Loop, which is a mile around, with my wonderful gran'kids.[I haven't been able to walk it since the oldest was in pre-school.]

Stay tuned as I progress on the NuStep and take new steps towards being healthier.
Connie

Woe Is Me - Part 2 & 3

Fatigue leads to fears. For seniors, like me, those fears include becoming incapacitated, developing dementia, and dying.

For me, my immediate fear is that a diagnosis and treatment will not be found. If so, my current life-style will have to become permanent. The unknown is a fear in itself.

My call to write a book is the hope I cling to each day. I believe God will provide the time and the way to complete it. Therefore, I will accept the challenge to live each day the best* that I can in order to fulfill His plan for my life.

Selah… think on this.

Fatigue brings on loneliness- even when others are present. It stems from fickle feelings, such as, nobody understands what I’m going through, they act like I’m not sick at all, they wait on me like I’m incompetent, cannot they see I need some help? Unrealistic expectations on both sides end in conflict. Fatigue makes it difficult to resolve those conflicts.

I remember years ago that I had hepatitis as a complication of mononucleosis; however, I was not contagious. My dear neighbor made sure I had food and anything else that I needed, but she would not come into my house. Her fear was unfounded and I would have appreciated visiting with her, especially as I improved and slept less. My own parents would not come even though for my son, a first grader, who would have loved a trip to McDonalds^®… definitely more exciting than being stuck with a sick mother .

This time, I live alone and just want the comfort of someone peeking in on me. With little energy for conversation, we could have watched a movie together. Just someone’s presence was what I craved.

I might add, the person, who knows when not to talk, is an extra-special blessing.

As a Parish nurse, I often sat at a bedside without saying a word so the patient could rest. When something was needed, I was there. My presence brought comfort to the patient and the nurses were grateful to have another nurse’s eyes assessing the patient.

Selah… think on this.

Connie

* Future post: "What is the best?"

Selah: Think on this...

As with many things in life, we take our bodies for granted... until a part doesn’t work right.

The hand truly is marvelously made; it is made up of 27 small bones, which are moved by 37 skeletal muscles (plus the tendons that attach them to the bones.) It is the ability for the thumb and fingers to touch that gives us the awesome dexterity that only human beings have.

Just to touch your thumb to the tip of your first finger requires the coordination of 10 bones. When something is between the thumb and first finger, the muscles and tendons in our arm and hand work together, which is orchestrated by our brain, so we can pick up and hold on to that item.

How many things do you just pick up in an hour? In a day? A lot more than you are even aware of... until you cannot pick anything up. Try not using your thumb for one active hour! It's a challenge!

Selah-

Since my hand surgery, these verses express best what I am feeling:

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking. Body and soul, I am marvelously made. I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. (Psalm 139:14-15 The Message)

I am thankful also for my physician's skill, the team that assisted him, the financial arrangements that allowed me to have the surgery now (instead of the 2+ years I thought I would have to wait), the therapist and the many people who have helped with food, transportation, emotional support, and prayer.

Writing and typing, needlework, and everyday tasks beckon me- to be able to do them without pain will be delightful! The present soreness, which keeps me from overdoing, is also a reason for rejoicing. For now, I will wait patiently, as I exercise my hand, knowing that each day I am closer to full function with no pain.

Yes, we are "fearfully and wonderfully made!"

Shalom, Connie

A-Okay!

Prayers Answered: The redness around my right thumb was caused by irritation from the splint being too tight, & no infection resulted.

Today the therapist adjusted the splint & put my hand through the exercises needed to strengthen & re-gain function of my thumb. I am ahead of the usual schedule according to the therapist so I only need to see him once per week. Also an answer to prayer because the costs of therapy visits add up quickly.

I am typing with 2 hands (minus my thumb)!

I am eager to resume my daily writing- look for my next post about our marvelous hands!

Shalom, Connie