what has He done?

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8

Someone asked me how I can still praise God when I am going through such pain. 

How can I not praise Him???

So I have a broken ankle, that was me, not God. 

Look around, see the beauty every where. 

The trees, the flowers, the animals, the children, every where you look, you see the amazing things He has done! 

If you can’t find something to praise Him for, come see me. I can give you ten thousand reasons to give Him glory. 

I’m valued

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

I’ve been feeling pretty rotten the last few days. 

Me with my broken ankle and being so needy, hubby running his legs off to attend to my every need. 

A tiny part inside me scared that he is going to get mad and tell me to figure it out myself, when in reality I think I’m making him mad trying so hard to be independent right now. 

It’s a good thing he loves me. 

It’s better that God loves us all. 

So powerful is this love that we are never forgotten, even when we are broken we are valuable to God. 

Giving up control

 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Matthew 16:24

My daily devotional today was titled “Give Up Control” with this verse. 

At first I didn’t think that there was a way to connect those words to my life today. 

And then I read “giving up control is a daily, no, sometimes a minute by minute thing.” 

I’m struggling with this a lot right now - I’m a “little” independent- ok, a lot independent.

It’s driving me crazy right now having to ask people to help me do things. 

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that they must put aside their fear of suffering or pain and follow Him. 

Pain. Fear. Suffering. Asking for help. 

Giving up control. 

Corrie ten Boom said “You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.”

I’m glad that I have Jesus, especially after the events of the last few days. So many bad things could have happened but having Jesus sure made a difference in the way events unfolded. 

Healing

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." 

~ Jeremiah 17:14

If you are regular readers of my blog, you may have noticed that I didn’t post yesterday. 

Hubby and I went to Iowa to visit family then to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally. The Black Hills are absolutely breathtaking, we drove through the badlands and saw God’s glory in the earth. 

Monday we rode through Spearfish Canyon, we saw Bridal Veil Falls, and rode a little further to Devils Bathtub. It’s about a 2 mile hike through the Black Hills to get to this natural waterfall that falls into a basin. 

Somehow I forgot that I am 50 and not in great shape, and I was 250 feet from the basin when I slipped on a wet rock and broke my ankle. 

I had to be medevac’d out of the Forest, the hospital confirmed a minimum of two breaks. We are heading back to Arkansas so I can see a surgeon. Pain killers are a blessing for long rides. 

Jeremiah 17:14 says “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed”. I know that this verse is talking about our spirit, our soul, but I also know my God is watching over my leg too. 

There are so many things that could have happened that didn’t, so many factors that I know God had a hand in. 

I’m on the road to healing, and I know God is with me every step of the way. 

open books, open minds

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

•Psalm 119:130

I love to read, I have loved reading since I was a child. 

My mother used to get mad at me because I took books with me everywhere, even a simple trip to the grocery store. 

My husband encourages me to read and several years ago bought me a Nook, which, through Barnes and Noble’s “Free Book Friday” offer open a whole new genre of books for me. 

When you browse a list of titles, and flip the book over to read the synopsis, sometimes that is what makes or breaks the book for you, at least it does for me. 

What if the Bible had a synopsis?

I’ve heard “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”, but what if there was something on the back or the inside cover that would compel you to read the Bible? 

When you read a history book, you learn about what happened in the past, you learn and your knowledge grows. 

Shouldn’t we let the words of His Book, flow into our hearts, our minds, our souls, so we can learn and grow? 

what did you say?

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
- Matthew 12:36

We’ve covered this before, but it is certainly worth repeating. 
Words. 
Words can do a lot of things. 
Words can hurt, a sharp knife to your heart.
Words can heal, a soft warm hug for your soul.
Words can mean absolutely nothing, an empty promise or broken vow. 
Words matter. 
Jesus tells us that we are accountable for the things we say.
When we tell jokes our friends might laugh, but if the jokes are at the expense of a particular person or group of people, Jesus isn’t laughing. 
You might be easily angered and words that make others cringe come flying out of your mouth, Jesus isn’t smiling. 
We say all kinds of things every day. 
Make sure you think before you speak. 

don't be afraid

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

- Isaiah 41:13

I remember when I was a little girl there were a lot of things that scared me.

I can remember that if I was really scared, I would cry out and my daddy would come take my hand, and walk me through what ever was scaring me.

Did you know, that you can do that today?

If you are scared all you have to do is call out, and God is there.

Song reference!

Weak and wounded sinner

Lost and left to die

O, raise your head, for love is passing by

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted

And carried far away

And precious blood has washed away the stain, so

Sing to Jesus

Sing to Jesus

Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby

Don't be afraid to crawl

And remember when you walk

Sometimes we fall, so

Fall on Jesus

Fall on Jesus

Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely

And steep and filled with pain

So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then

Cry to Jesus

Cry to Jesus

Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over

And music fills the night

And when you can't contain your joy inside, then

Dance for Jesus

Dance for Jesus

Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat

Kiss the world goodbye

Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and

Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus and live!

Why would you turn to anyone else, when you have the God of all creation on your side?