Month: December 2012

It was a cool Thursday morning when we walked into the “diagnostic testing” area of our local hospital for my husband to have a “routine” stress test.  After he went back with the nurse to begin his testing, I began to read and make a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish later in the day, as I was prepared to wait for several hours for his entire testing procedure.   I didn’t get very far into my “list” when the nurse came to me and said, “I need you to wait in another area, as the doctor needs to speak with you”.  WHAM!  Suddenly, my own heart was racing with fear and concern flowing through my veins.  Long story short, my husband was having irregular heartbeats that could have led to very serious complications.  He is on medication and will have a “new normal”, but this condition is very manageable and he should be just fine.  PRAISE GOD! 

My husband and I are so very thankful that we have such wonderful friends, family, and church.  As soon as I was put in the “special” waiting area, I sent a quick text to a few close friends who are our prayer warriors and within minutes one, who happens to work at the hospital, was at my side with a huge hug.  How comforting for me and my husband for God to have in place a person to bring calmness and love immediately to us!  Throughout the day other friends and pastors were checking in with us by visiting or sending a text message of encouragement and prayers of comfort. 

When it comes to matters of the heart, pun intended!, God does such a wonderful job of sending people to us when our hearts are so fearful that it nearly freezes with the inability to think or function.  He gives us folks to remind us to keep our focus on Him, because HE has it all, just as he says in Phillippians 4: 6-7 ~ 

 ^“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

God is so GREAT!  He put this “routine” test at just the right time to catch a problem.  He sent a wonderful cardiologist.  He sent our family and friends with encouraging words, just when we needed them.  And, He granted us his peace with the reminder ~ HE had this under control the entire time. 

I praise God and give HIM all the glory for the healing hands He is placing on my husband, and for the early detection.  Thank you, God, for protecting my husband’s heart!  And, for putting your disciples just where they needed to be, when then we needed them to be.  YOU, Lord, are AMAZING! 🙂

One of my favorite movies is “Facing the Giants”!  If you have never seen the movie, I encourage you to do so, especially if you need a little encouragement.   The most favorite line in the movie, for me, is at the end and goes like this… “Tell me, what is impossible with God on your side”…..and, of course, the individual posed with this has to say…. “nothing”! 

I sometimes have to say this line to myself ~ multiple times throughout the day, on one of THOSE days!  Do you ever have days where you need to remind yourself of this?  I’m sure that we all do ~ especially during this time of the year!  What is it about the holiday season that drives some to the near brink of “losing it” because they are killing themselves to try to make everything perfect?  And, I can say this because I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to this!  Perfection flows through me as easily as my blood, but it’s something that I have to temper continually.  I’m not “perfect” at tempering this (pun intended!), but I have a secret for doing this….it’s to remind myself that I have been made perfect in the image of God because HE created me.  And, do you know what?  That is the very same for YOU!  HE perfectly created YOU, too!  Now does that mean we are truly perfect?  Heck NO!  But, what it does mean is that God knows each of us because HE created us and HE loves us, perfectly.  So, when we have that tucked into our brains and hearts we may remember that we do NOT have to kill ourselves to have everything in our lives perfect.  For example, the tree does not have to be perfect, if there is one or two light bulbs burned out it does not matter!  It does not matter if we served Stauffer’s lasagna or homemade lasagna to dinner guests ~ what does matter is the time we spend with the guests.  The details in life is not about the “stuff” ~ it’s about the people ~ the love. And, do you feel like you have a million things to do during this season, too?  I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it?!  I have to remind myself, “nothing is impossible, Jackie, with God on your side”.   He will take care of all of the details, I just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

So, I’m not sure this really makes much sense this month.  I feel like my brain is unable to focus on much these days, so I just keep trying to keep my focus on Him….because at the end of the day when I lay my head down to rest I know that I may end my day with “nothing, today, was impossible becasue of God” and I may thank Him for all of it!

In His Love, Glory, and Honor,

Jackie