Saturday, June 27, 2020

Something to Bless You Today

With all that is going on in our world we need the Lord and His Word to cheer us and encourage us.  Many of us are also experiencing difficult circumstances in our personal lives.   We also need the Lord and His Word to cheer and encourage us in those personal trials.

The beauties of spring and God's creation that are all around us can further help to uplift and cheer us.  I have been posting pictures on Facebook from time to time of flowers popping out on our yard.  I would like to feature some again today on this post.  May it be a blessing!  Remember creation's beauties are God's love gifts to you!












Sunday, June 21, 2020

Father's Day

Today is Father's Day in the United States, so I am taking a bit of a break from my regular format.  I am thankful today for my Dad who showed an immense amount of patience and perseverance in his life.  He patiently endured the struggles that most farmers endure.  He always put his trust in the Lord during those moments.  I also saw his patience, perseverance, and trust in the Lord during those years of major health problems.  I still have a postcard that he sent me while he was in the hospital.  He wrote this that day, "I feel a little blue, but there is One Almighty above who loves and cares."  My Dad always read Scripture and prayed at the table as well.  His example helped me to persevere during some very difficult moments in my life like caring for my first husband, fighting breast cancer, and losing my husband to death.

Today I also am thankful for my first husband, Wayne, who was the father to my sons and now lives in Heaven.  His Godly example to his sons and his gentle and loving nature were wonderful examples to all who knew him.  He was a hard worker, and loved his family very much.  He also persevered until his death though some very difficult health problems.  In many ways he reminded me of my Dad.

Finally, I am thankful for Bob who became my husband a year ago this coming July.  He is a loving and concerned father to his daughters and also grandpa to his grandchildren.  He is very concerned about their welfare.  He also cares about my children and their welfare.  He further loves me.  He often reminds me of God''s blessings to us.

Today, dear reader, thank God for the blessing of Godly men in your life as well.





Saturday, June 13, 2020

Life Lessons We Need to Learn

(This post is a chapter from my book, Dear Caregiver Reflections for Family Caregivers.  I published my book a little over six years ago after my first husband's death.)

When we are stripped of the things we are depending on outside of the Lord and when we are stripped of thinking we are strong in ourselves, we begin to trust and lean on the Lord instead. We begin to see how weak we really are without the Lord. In this place of desperate clinging to the Lord, our acknowledgment of our weakness makes room for the power of God in our lives. It also makes our love for God become more intense. Care-giving-with all of it's overwhelming challenges-and the years since my husband's death has taught me the lesson of how weak I am in myself and how desperately I need the Lord. It may have done the same for you, dear caregiver. That is actually a good place to be, for here you reach out for God's all powerful strength.

Fear and love for the Lord do not belong together, because love that flows from God and is perfected by God drives out and removes fears (I John 4:18). So often during my care-giving days for my husband I succumbed to fear about the future and sometimes even fear of what that day would bring. Yet the Lord commands us over and over in Scripture to not be afraid.

The Lord also holds us when we are overwhelmed by life's trials. He holds us and comforts us and loves us during those times. The Lord knows your care-giving sorrows, dear caregiver, and He loves and comforts you through the process. You know He loves you so much, because He sacrificed His very life for you on the cross. He has proven His love for you, dear caregiver.

In Scripture, the devil is portrayed as a roaring lion who wants to devour us. The devil knows when we are at our lowest and weakest and loves to try to prey on us in those moments. God's advice is to humble ourselves before Him and not be anxious, because He cares for us and will protect us. His advice is to also stand firm in our faith (I Peter 5:6-9a). It is so easy in the care-giving scenario to become discouraged. Yet the Lord has promised to be with us, if we turn to Him.

Dear caregiver, trust in the Lord's strength, not your own. When your recognize your own weakness and lean on the Lord's strength, you are strong. Do not fear, for the Lord is with you. Rest in His love. Also avail yourself of His comforting arms around you. Finally, be alert for the devil's attempts to discourage you. Turn to the Lord instead.


(If you would like to purchase a copy of my book for yourself or for someone you love, below is the link to the Amazon order page for my book: 
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Caregiver-Sharon-Vander-Waal/dp/1629524263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482027543&sr=1-1&keywords=Dear+Caregiver 

You can also purchase my book at Barnes and Noble and elsewhere online or you can contact me directly at my e-mail address for specifics.  My e-mail is jesuschild54@hotmail.com )

Saturday, June 6, 2020

What the World Needs Now


Corona virus, a police officer charged with murder in the death of a black man, violent looting and destruction of buildings and businesses, police officers injured and shot.  Does it ever seem as if all we hear on the news is tragedy and cause for weeping?  Coupled with that many people have heartaches of a personal nature.

What the world needs now is the peace of Jesus.  The world needs to experience hearts changed by the Lord. The world needs hearts bowing in repentance. The world desperately needs people experiencing a deep personal relationship with the Lord and devouring their Bibles.  They need to be reading God's Word  not just for guidance, answers, and a way to receive blessings but to grow in their love relationship with the Lord and to know Him more intimately.

Until each  of us recognizes our own need for repentance and for sins needing to be forgiven by the Lord, until we recognize our own dark hearts without the Lord; the world will not change.  Yet even in these dark times, there can be joy in our hearts, because for the children of God our sins have been forgiven.  We still falter and fail often, but even in overwhelming circumstances the Lord will be with us and guide us.  He will preserve us until out time on earth is completed, and He takes us to be with Him.   In the meantime, He also wants us to be a source of His light and peace in the world-one person at a time.  Let's pray for our world, and be that beacon and light and peace.

Here is a link to the song, "People Need the Lord"  sung by Steve Green.  May you find it a blessing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbxvc6eeXso