Author: Jacqueline's Jive

Yep, that’s what I prayed for and you know the saying “be careful for what you pray for”…well, I fully understand now where THAT came from!  You see, it all started about eighteen months ago or so… our church was in a series of Sunday messages about service and loving one another and during one of the services we were challenged to “break our hearts for what breaks yours” – meaning for God to break our hearts for what breaks His.  Have you ever thought about God having a broken heart?  He sure does get a broken heart – He hurts when we hurt, He hurts when we sin, He hurts when we are sad and lonely, He hurts when we deny Him.  And, yet, just like any great parent, He rejoices when we are happy, He celebrates when we serve others and follow His word (His commandments/rules!).  So, during this one particular service I was very moved and felt God leading me to accept His challenge and I prayed to Him “break my heart for what breaks yours”.  In the following weeks and months after that there were times when I encountered some “minor” incidents where I lended a helping hand or kind word or prayer to someone and thought, “hmmm, this compassionate understanding is pretty cool” and I was feeling pretty good about following God’s challenge.  And, then, September 3, 2011 came – that day “it” occured, but I didn’t find out about it until September 4.  The details of “it” are not as important to mention here, nor do I wish to exploit my friends pain, but I hadn’t realized the fullness of my “break my heart” challenge until that day.

You see, September 3, 2011 was the BEST day of my life!  It was the day my husband, Dave, and I renewed our wedding vows after 25 years of marriage.  We coined our day “I Do, Two”, because it was kind of a “do over” for us ~ it really was the wedding we hadn’t had and was absolutely one of the most special days ever – the BEST!  It truly was a girls dream come true and, honestly, I think it was more special because it was something I had waited so long for!  Our family and friends embraced the event and made it truly just the BEST day ever!

The next morning I awoke very early, way before anyone else, so in trying to be quiet I hopped on to Facebook and decided to catch up with my friends and I began seeing messages about a friend – actually she was more of an acquaintance at that time – needing prayer.  My curiousity was peaked so I began reading more messages and before long I put together that this friend had lost a child.  Her young adult child had suddenly died.  Oh, the sadness that came over me was unbearable and I couldn’t really understand and was so puzzled, I don’t really even know this woman, so why am I so sad.  My mom was the first to awake and I scared her to death, as there I was sobbing in her kitchen (the morning after the best day, mind you!) and I shared with her “the news”.  And, as I was sharing “the news” with her my dad and Dave awoke, so there the four of  us were sitting at the kitchen table with me crying!  We sat and talked and then I just blurted out, “this is so unfair, how can we have the BEST day of our lives at the very same time a friend is having the very WORST day of her life – this makes no sense and it’s wrong, just wrong”.  At that, the four of us stopped and prayed for my friend – for comfort, strength, and peace.  Throughout that day, as we were cleaning up from our party, I would think of my friend, I wonder what she was doing, how was she doing, and I’d stop and say a little prayer. 

Now, don’t take this the wrong way, I don’t want this to come across as though I’m patting myself on the back for praying and such – this is so NOT about ME – this is about what God does with us when we are willing to open ourselves up to Him. 

In the days, weeks, months, and now on this year-to-date, I have come to realize the power, glory, and honor that comes from allowing ourselves to be used by God.  When we open ourselves up to Him and allow Him to work through us we may make such a difference in the lives of others.  As in Romans 12: 10 & 13 tells us, we are to love one another with genuine affection and be ready to help people in need.  (I recommend you read Romans 12 – it’s an awesome chapter in the Bible!).  I prayed for my friend daily, sometimes multiply times a day for several months, until I felt the Lord’s leading to reach out to her.  And, then He led me to begin sending her encouraging words through text/facebook messages and cards – not my words, but God’s words.  So many times I would get a response saying, “I needed to hear that today” – no one else can do that, but God!

In the last year I can see healing taking place for my friend.  Praise God!  I admire her strength and her love for the Lord.  And, you know, while my friend thanks me for praying and sharing with her, it’s really what she has done for me through this year – I have read more of the Bible in search for words to send her, I have prayed more then ever before, and have gained a very special friend.  So, through her tragedy and supporting her, God did break my heart for what was breaking His (and hers), because He was heart sick for my friend; and He turned that into breaking my heart so that I would be more compassionate and through that I have learned so much and gained such pleasure out of Him using me.  Not pleasure in my friend’s suffering, but pleasure in God using me and instructing me. 

God enriches our lives in amazing ways, but we have to choose to be open to that.  I pray that you will take the challenge to have God break your heart for what breaks His – because I can assure it will be one of the BEST things you may ever do. 

In closing here are the lyrics to a song that brings what I’m trying to say “full circle”:

“Hosanna”

verse 1: I see the King of glory; Coming on the clouds with fire; The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes; I see His love and mercy; Washing over all our sin; The people sing, the people sing

verse 2: I see a generation; Rising up to take the place; With selfless faith, with selfless faith; I see a near revival; Stirring as we pray and seek; We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees.

Chorus: Hosanna, Hosanna; Hosanna in the highest

verse 3:  Heal my heart and make it clean;  Open up my eyes to the things unseen; Show me how to love like You have loved me;  Break my heart for what breaks Yours; Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause;  As I walk from earth into eternity

I pray that you open up yourself for what God may use you for.  Have a blessed day! ♥

I had never heard of the phrase ~ “Pout or Praise”, until a few weeks ago while I was preparing for a Bible study, I discovered a devotional reading by Jan Silvous.  I have always enjoyed reading her books that seem to always be packed with common sense and no-nonsense knowledge, so it comes as no surprise she would author a statement like “Pout or Praise”.  In the devotion she writes, “when stress piles up or you are disappointed….you have a choice…you can praise or pout…that’s just what it amounts to!”  In other words we can be grateful to our God who is in control or we can pout because things haven’t gone our way!  hmmm…such few words, but they pack a powerful punch, don’t they?! 

I have been really thinking of this phrase a lot this last week, as a dear friend whom I have worked very close with resigned her position to begin a new adventure in her life’s journey.   I respect and admire her courage to move on, but I am sure going to miss her.  We have worked together for well over ten years, so we have shared a lot of tears and laughter, birth of her babies, deaths and serious illness in both of our families; all which knitted a very close and special friendship.  I know that we will always remain friends, but when friends no longer share day-to-day life it does change things.  I had started out my week kind of pouting about this situation, but had to choose to thank God for the gift of a dear friend and realize that the potential for our friendship to grow in other unique ways is a very real possibility.  Oh, it may take more effort because of the logistical change of not sharing work days together, but good and meaningful relationships are worth that effort. 

And, then there is this morning….oh, I so could have a good old “pout-fest”!  I have tendonitis in my elbow and today it is rainy, so the old elbow is really sore.  And, then, there is my sore foot – the foot that I opened a door onto yesterday when entering a business that jammed up my big toe and put a nice gouge into my freshly painted toe nail.  Yes, I’ll admit – I’m whining, but hey, this is my blog!  ha, ha!! 

So, as I was reading my devotions this morning I got to thinking about this “pout or praise” thing….really?…..I’m thinking, God couldn’t I just have a few minutes here of pouting….but He gently reminded me to look down at the prayer list in front of me…..ok, thanks God for the “smack of reality”!  I mean really – a sore foot and elbow kind of pales in comparison to….well, let’s see, my best friend who lives every day with a level of pain that no one really understands because she just doesn’t complain about her condition of arthritis and lives her life to the fullest…..or, how about my friend who is battling cancer and doesn’t have a very good prognosis…..or, how about the family who grieves the loss of a loved one…..or, how about the young father who is a volunteer firefighter who lost both legs in a tragic firefighting accident…..or, how about the family who is preparing for the death of the father who is in his early 40’s due to cancer….and, I could go on and on and on…..

Wow!  Some people really have a lot of pain and tragedy to face.  I had an interesting conversation with a friend this week whose husband lost his job and they are faced with moving out-of-state very quickly.  Obviously she and her family are very distraught and in shock, but as we talked she was sharing how I could pray for her and we discussed our wonder at how folks without faith face pain and tragedy.  We decided that it must be much more horrific to not have a God to take our cares and burdens to, and to know that without a shadow of a doubt He is in control.  He WILL comfort us.  He WILL give us strength.  He WILL guide us and lead us.  And, all we need to do is TRUST! 

Isn’t it just amazing that we have a God who loves us sooooo much that He takes care of us?  That He knows how many hairs are on our head and that He is in control of all the little details of our lives.   Wow!  I think I will go about my day now just praising and leave my pouting behind.  And, you know what?  I’m thinking my day will probably be a whole lot more rewarding.  How about you?  Are you pouting or praising today? 

Have a blessed day! 🙂

…is defined as the ability to conquer fear or despair (Merriam-Webster dictionary).   Courage is demonstrated by folks who stare fear in the face, like the men and women of our Armed Forces fighting for mine and other’s freedom; or the first responders who rescue folks from auto accidents, burning buildings, or other tragedies; or law enforcement officers who face danger in protecting us from folks who choose to break the law or offend others.  And, while not to discount any of those folks, after all my dearest friend is a deputy, there are many “average” people who demonstrate courage, too.  Actually, I have been praying for two women who are two of the most courageous women I have ever known.  These women are friends, not really close friends, but women that I have shared some very fun and memorable times with.  They both have two things in common:  (1) they are both mothers and (2) their lives are being impacted by cancer.  One of them is a mother who is losing her young adult child to cancer.  The other is battling this horrific disease herself.  Each and every time I have a personal encounter with these ladies I am reminded just how brave and courageous they are.  Actually, I’m pretty certain they demonstrate more bravery than John Wayne tried to portray in “True Grit” – these two women should have their photos by the words “brave” and “courage” in the dictionary – in my opinion, of course! 

So, as I approach my evening “quiet time” this evening I am focused on these two women.  I am grateful for them enriching my life and sharing theirs with mine.  And, I pray, fervently, that the will remain brave and have courage as they continue to put one foot in front of the other in this journey they are on.  I pray on the verse Isaiah 40:31 “but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”, that they will continue to not be weary and feel God’s arms around them as they courageously face their journey.

Attitude?  I often hear people say ~ “she/he has attitude!”  So, what does that really mean?  I feel that often when people say that other folks have “attitude” they mean it in a negative way.  Yet I aspire for folks to say that I have an attitude….Yes, I said I want people to think I have an attitude, because I want to portray an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE! 

Several years ago when my mom was going through treatment for breast cancer I was very frightened and not very optimistic.  You see just eighteen months before my mom was diagnosed her older sister died from breast cancer, so optimism wasn’t in my frontal lobe!  While sharing my fears with a very wise friend she suggested that I try making a list of three things I was thankful for in my mom.  Her thought with my “assignment” was it would help me change my focus – to the positive – and not see my mom as a “sick person”.  Well, I have to say that she was so right!  It’s amazing how much my attitude improved by redirecting my focus! 

That was thirteen years ago, and while I haven’t done this each day since then, I have done it a lot.  As a matter of fact for the last several years, when I am faced with stressful events – like when my husband had double knee replacements last year and went through several surgical procedures at the same time for melanoma – I kept a gratitude list to help keep me focused on the positive.  

Sarah Breathnach says, “real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only survive, but surmount our difficulties.”   I love that quote and find it to be so true ~ when in the whirlwind of a stressful event its easy to get caught up in the drama, frustration, disappointment, sadness, or whatever feeling the event brings, but when we combat that with a few positive/grateful thoughts it’s like adding a pain reliever to a headache ~ it begins to take it away ~ it lessens the negative feeling. 

Another author, Melody Beattie says, “…gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”   Peace!  That is what I most feel when I choose to have an attitude of gratitude.  So, how about it?  Want to join me in gratitude?  How about commenting with one or two things you are thankful for. 

Have a blessed day friends! 🙂

Resting in His arms…

Philippians 4:6-7 ~ “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.  And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

I once heard my sister say that trusting and resting in God is like floating in water – you know, how you just lay back in the water, completely weightless?!  I have always loved that imagery because it reflects that if we are trusting God than whatever burden we give to Him becomes weightless – because we release it and let Him have it!  Well, sisters, I have been sooooo reminded of this the last couple of weeks.  I have been experiencing a trial that has left me with gripped fists, tight muscles, clenched jaw, not to mention a headache and nauseated tummy!  I have been tearful, well, ok….to be honest, I have had moments of down right sobbing and panic.  And, then, I was reminded that I do NOT need to hold onto this.  I have a loving Father whose son laid His life down for me (and you!) to take on all of my (and your) burdens…..HE is in CONTROL!  And, I need to LET Him HAVE the CONTROL!  I need to REST in HIS ARMS!  He has this burden…..I don’t need to keep holding on to it!  Now, does that mean the emotion stops?  NO!  Yes, I’m still tearful, at times, but releasing the situation COMPLETELY to Him relaxes me – rests me – calms me – gives me PEACE.  And, by letting go ~ opening my hands, unclenching my muscles to relax, allows me the opportunity to receive HIS peace, His whisper  of “I’ve got this Jackie”…..”I’ve got you”!  And, it is then that I can REST – and, when I rest, I HEAR what He is speaking, His guidance, His comfort, His peace – an enormous amount of peace that is unfathomable.  I hear from deep within my soul, “I’m here, I’m with you, I love you, I care for you”.  I know, some of you are rolling your eyes just about now – I, too, am a BIG eye roller….and, it is when I am hurting the most that I tend to roll my eyes when I hear others and/or God say: “I understand, I’ve got this, I love you”…..’cuz what my eye roll is saying is, “yeah, right….how could you ever understand……how could you really love me”…..Sisters, that is Satan at his best….putting doubt into your mind, into your heart, and into your soul.  I encourage you today tell that Satan to just stop it!  He’s a big bully and he likes to bully you (and me) into thinking I am not loved, cared about, or good enough.  Oh, yes I am (and so are you!).  So, Sister, rest…..just rest…..rest in the arms of the One that paid the ultimate price and carries your burden, for it is in that rest that you will feel more open to receiving His grace, His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His friendship.  

 

And, if you need a little “visual” today – here’s a photo of my therapy dog, Sherman….Sherman is a big “rester”……when I was thinking about how I wanted to write this morning I walked through the living room to see Sherman just resting on the couch with his comfy pillow (I know…he’s spoiled…that’s o.k., he deserves to be spoiled, he loves me unconditionally – the least I can do for him is to spoil!).  If you aren’t a swimmer or don’t enjoy swimming or “get” my sisters imagery of floating and resting/trusting God, then think of it Sherman’s way…..just lay your head on the pillow of God with all of your weight – or what is weighing you down – He wants to hold you and He wants to hold all of your burdens just for YOU! 🙂  

 

Be blessed today Sisters and know that I am praying for each of you reading this ~ that through my words you will be blessed and feel encouraged.

 

All Glory Be To HIM,

 

Jackie 

GIVING~

25 years…

The other day I received a letter from my niece’s English teacher.  Attached to the letter was a paper my niece wrote, in which her assignment was to write about the most influential person in her life; and she wrote about ME!  My first reaction was joy!  I was so touched by her selection, but as the days have passed I find myself a little overwhelmed to be considered an influential person in someone’s life!  It’s really kind of overwhelming!  Like having big shoes to fill or unspoken expectations to live up to – I mean, I wouldn’t want to ever do anything to become a person of no influence!  So, as I have reflected on this new title of being an “influential person”, I think that I will be a bit more thoughtful with my words and actions – and, I think that’s what Christ wants us all to do each and every day.  So, today as I have run late to church, spilled water (several times!), dropped several things, and really have had quite a clumsy day I will end my day in that reflection = that Christ wants me to think before I speak, think before I do, think before I jump to a conclusion or speculate something because in thinking about an action before doing it may just be what I may need to difuse an unkind word, or thought, or action – and, live up to His commandments and ultimately remain an influential person to my niece and all I encounter because I will be more like Him!  hmmm….I wonder if Christ was trying to send me a message through my niece’s lovely written paper?  I think so, and I think it was a gift, too.  After all, isn’t it just wonderful to feel truly loved?  Why, yes, it is!  Have a great week friends and look for the small joys tucked into each day! 🙂

Thank-full-ness….