rejoice

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

- Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

 

Merry Christmas!

No, I am not crazy, today is January 6^th, which is the 12^th day of Christmas.

Twelfth Day is the last day of Christmas season.

In the Church of England, the Christmas season begins at Evening Prayer on Christmas Eve.

People would celebrate with fruit cake, plays, the Yule Log (that should have been lit on Christmas day and remained burning until today in order to bring good fortune for the house in the oncoming year), foods and celebrations.

Christmas is about joy and celebrating the birth of the Savior, what a glorious day!

We should celebrate year round, each day that the Lord has made, we should rejoice and live each day to the fullest.

We have been given a gift, let’s be glad!

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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failure is not an option

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

- Psalm 73:26

 

Failure is not an option.

I’m pretty sure that I have seen that on bumper stickers, inspirational posters, daily quotes and even at the gym.

So many times we let failure be an option in our lives, I can’t even count the number of times that I cried to my husband “I can’t do this”.

Another song reference . . . this one should be familiar:

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my Shield and Portion be,

As long as life endures.

In case you did not recognize it, that is the fourth verse of Amazing Grace.

Each time I told my husband that I couldn’t do something, he reminded me that I could, that I needed to have more faith in myself.

I have struggled a lot in the last year but I am on the other side of it all now and yes, I was able to do it.

But I could not have done it alone.

I needed the support and love from my husband and I needed the strength that I get from my relationship with God.

Amazing Grace, indeed.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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let’s get it started

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

- Psalm 90:12

 

Many of us have experienced the loss of a loved one this past year, perhaps it was someone you have been very close to, or maybe just a friend, but when they leave earth to go to Heaven, we often find ourselves wishing that we had more time with them.

Let’s start the new year with a song reference!

If I had only known the last time would be the last time

I would've put off all the things I had to do

I would've stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter

Now what I'd give for one more day with you

'Cause there's a wound here in my heart where something's missing

And they tell me that it's gonna heal with time

But I know you're in a place where all your wounds have been erased

And knowing yours are healed is healing mine

The only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you

There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new

And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down

Is that the only scars in heaven are on the hands that hold you now

I know the road you walked was anything but easy

You picked up your share of scars along the way

Oh, but now you're standing in the sun, you've fought your fight and your race is run

The pain is all a million miles away

The only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you

There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new

And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down

Is that the only scars in heaven, yeah, are on the hands that hold you now

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah, for the hands that hold you now

There's not a day goes by that I don't see you

You live on in all the better parts of me

Until I'm standing with you in the sun, I'll fight this fight and this race I'll run

Until I finally see what you can see, oh-oh

The only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you

There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new

And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down

Is that the only scars in heaven are on the hands that hold you now

This song was released in June 2021, but I did not hear it until quite a bit later, and I am not sure I listened to it until after my mom died, and it stopped me in my tracks.

Our days are numbered, losing someone we love (Betty White!!!!!) should show us that we cannot take for granted that we have a tomorrow. 
God has given us a gift, let us open our hearts to fill them with the wisdom that He is the way, the truth, the life.

Always.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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Happy New Year

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

- Romans 15:13

 

Happy 2022 everyone!

I hope the new year is filled with peace and happiness for everyone.

Hope, peace, happiness.

Today, these things may seem to be distant because there is so much craziness in the world.

I’d venture to say that I didn’t have a lot of any of those three things in 2021, but I’d be wrong.

Since 2014 we have had a “memory jar” for each year, just a plain jar that we drop mementos and notes in throughout the year to remind us of fun things we did, and the first week of January of each year we sit down and go through the jar.

2021 may have been rough, but there were a lot of good times too.

This gives me hope for today, hope for tomorrow, hope for the future.

Hope is the confident expectation that God has promised us strength in Him, that if we are faithful, He will provide for our needs.

Hope fills us with joy, excitement, plans for the future.

Believe that good things will happen, because when you hope in the Father, the good things will come.

We all need hope right now, and I know where I am turning.

I pray that you also turn to Him.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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are you there?

Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me."

- John 7:33

 

Where are you, God?

I have felt that a lot over the past few days.

I mean I know, that He is there, I know that He loves me, but the deep wrenching pain that I have felt at the loss of my mother followed by the sudden personal illness I experienced, well, it has me feeling a little lost.

I have had an outpouring of support from family, friends and friends of my mother’s that I did not know, but it is not easing the pain much. 

My mother had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for over a decade, so in reality I had lost her many years ago. 

But the anguish I felt holding her hand in her last few hours, receiving the phone call that she had passed, the pressure of making all of the arrangements and trying to accommodateeveryone was overwhelming. 

I am broken.

I know I angered some family members in the process, sorry/not sorry.

Some people didn’t understand why I chose my husband and myself to deliver her eulogy at all three services, those people didn’t know my mother, she would have been mortified to have a stranger speak about her as though they had been part of her life.

I am broken.

But I will heal.

I have heard from a significant number of people telling me they miss the daily bread. 

I am going back to one of my standby phrases, song reference: Even If by MercyMe: 
It's easy to sing

When there's nothing to bring me down

But what will I say

When I'm held to the flame

Like I am right now
I am broken.  
I am going to take the next 17 days to do some soul searching. 

I won’t be at work, I might not be on social media, I may not answer my phone or respond to text messages.

I will be back.

Stronger, because

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

I’m not strong

Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.

- Ephesians 6:10 (CEV)

 

I have to confess something, and it’s a little weird.

I have been deceiving my friends and family for a long time.

You see, they all think that I am this super strong person that can handle anything that is thrown my way.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Earlier this year I was struggling with a lot going wrong in my world and I felt like some people knew what was going on and still expected me to shoulder their problems while dealing with my own. 
The past week has been a waterfall of tragedy and emotion, I am literally watching my mother die from complications of a fall compiled with her Alzheimer’s disease, and it is heart wrenching to watch her struggle for every breath.

Newsflash – I’m broken too, I’m not that strong.

I had to lean on God, and when I say lean on Him, I literally mean fall on the floor at His feet and give it all to Him because I just could not.

Song reference:

There's a name that can silence every fear

There's a love that embraces

The heartache, the pain and the tears

Through my faith and my doubting

I know one thing for sure

His word is unfailing

His promise secure

Everything will be alright

The whole world's in His hands

Your whole world's in His hands

In the darkness and the trials

He's faithful and He's true

The whole world's in His hands

Oh-oh oh-oh-oh

Everything will be alright

Oh-oh-oh-oh

Yeah

Father, You say everything is gonna be alright

But my circumstances say I won't last through the night

I need Your word to hold me now, need You to pull me through

I need a miracle, a breakthrough, I need You

They say You hold the whole universe in Your hand

But my world's falling apart like it is made of sand

Am I small enough to slip through the cracks?

Can You take my broken pieces and put them back?

Give me faith to believe You are on my side

Open my eyes to see You working in my life

Let the past remind me You never fail

Tell my soul "It is well" (oh)

Everything will be alright

The whole world's in His hands

Your whole world's in His hands

In the darkness and the trials

He's faithful and He's true

Your whole world's in His hands

Oh-oh oh-oh-oh

Everything will be alright (everything will be alright)

Oh-oh oh-oh-oh

Everything will be alright

Oh-oh oh-oh-oh (eh-yeh)

He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the whole wide world in His hands
It is hard to believe that God can take our brokenness and turn it into good, but He can.

We probably won’t see it at first, it may take months or even years, but He will give us the strength we need to carry on.

I’m still here – that is your proof that God has made me strong.   

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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in the presence of greatness

Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!

- Psalm 95:2 (ESV)

 

This is a really powerful verse!

We are allowed, encouraged and welcomed into the presence of the King!

We can take everything, every little thing to our Father and He will listen, He is a wonderful Father.

Song reference:

Found in Your hands, fullness of joy

Every fear suddenly wiped away here in Your presence

All of my gains now fade away

Every crown no longer on display, here in Your presence

Heaven is trembling in awe of Your wonders

The kings and their kingdom are standing amazed

Here in Your presence, we are undone

Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one

Here in Your presence, all things are new

Here in Your presence, everything bows before You

Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way

Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way

Even when I am hurting, even when I am asking “why” while watching my mother suffer through her illness, I am always thankful for His presence in my life, because I would not have my life without Him.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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