Making of a Pearl

While many of us have already begun to celebrate this wonderful season from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I'm reminded of the grief and reality that sets in hearts and minds of those who will face another joyful season in tears and heartbreak without a precious loved one at their side. The loss is certainly not one of choice and it irritates within the very depths of our soul much like an oyster inside a shell being irritated by the tiniest particles of sand washing in and out through the many waves of life, with no means of escaping the years of devastating anguish. But I ask you to consider the pearl.  

A pearl is widely admired and a very coveted and costly gem which begins its life inside an oyster’s shell minding its own business when suddenly an intruder, an uninvited guest such as a grain of sand or bit of floating debris, slips in between its 'protective shell'.  In order to protect itself from irritation, the oyster will quickly begin covering the uninvited visitor with layers of nacre but as layer upon layer of nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, coats the grain of sand, it becomes a beautiful iridescent gem; The iridescent gem of the pearl.  A beautiful stone produced from this unwanted irritation; from this intruder which was an uninvited guest.

I have often referred to my “path of widowhood” as an intruder; uninvited and certainly unwanted. I notice that as I have walked forward on this path, it's been easy to focus on the many dismays, the heartbreak, and the many irritations widowhood places upon one's life. How can anyone take this intrusion of grief and produce anything beautiful from it? How can anyone make sense of walking alone through life when you loved walking hand in hand with that loved one? I have come to know that it is 'Only through Christ Jesus', dear friend, and Him alone. In Him we find the strength needed to bear the grief and hardships that each new day of widowhood brings upon our lives. Only in Him can we bear these irritants that seek to control our heart and mind; but it is also in these times where something as precious as a pearl can be formed.

When time came for Jesus to leave His followers and return to Heaven, He knew we would need a comforter to walk this earth without Him beside us so He sent His Holy Spirit as He promised, to comfort and guide those who seek to follow His ways.  It is God’s plan to use life’s experiences to shape us into believing witnesses He can use as in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," No matter if life deals good or bad, happy or sad, light or dark times; God takes whatever life deals us and shapes us into the person He desires each of us to be for His glory sake.  He desires that each of us become victorious witnesses of His purpose as He exchanges 'beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness' as declared in Isaiah 61:3. 

The very things we wish could be removed from our lives are the very things God uses to shape us and use for His glory.  It has taken some time; really, more time than I like to admit to get me above and beyond, but in the midst of all the pain and ugliness of this grief journey, He has shown me how He can use the irritants of life and form a pearl that can be used for His glory. No longer am I like the oyster enclosed in its own shell being irritated by the tiniest particles of life washing in and out; but under God's protective and watchful eye, He is showing me how He takes the good and the bad and is molding me into an Iridescent Pearl, secure in His love. He who took my grief and turned it into joy; took the irritating sand to shape me into His pearl; and now has a witness that no evil or harm shall befall or come near us that He can't turn it all around and use it for His glory. 

I am fully aware that loss is devastating and a very painful irritant of life; sometimes more than we can bear; but I also know God encourages us to cast all our cares upon Him so He can help in times like these. Consider allowing Him to carry your load and to make this season the best it can be for all concerned. As you do, I pray that somewhere down life's road you will find your pearl in your journey as well. Have a wonderfully blessed day, dear friend. God loves you and so do I~~

Unconditional and Pure

So very thankful for God's unconditional love as it surpasses all my thoughts and understanding. So very thankful for the rain and for each blessing He bestows into my life, great or small. "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin. Oh, love of God, how rich and pure; How measureless and strong; It shall forevermore endure; The saints' and angels' song."
I pray the love of God invades and surrounds you today as you release all your cares into His hands and are able to just rest in Him today. Jesus has already completed all the work necessary for our total salvation, freedom, and eternal life thru Him. There is nothing left for us to do except to believe and receive; so now just relax- take a slow deep breath in and let it all go-everything that has you bound or stressed, let it all go and rest in JESUS today. Open your heart and receive all the blessings He has prepared for you before the foundation of the world. He knows every thought, every care, and every problem you are facing already, so go ahead and cast them all upon Him and allow Him to do whatever is needed as you walk hand in hand with Him today. Enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, dear friends, because God loves you and so do I~~~

Joyful Noise

Psalms 100: "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
In reading this psalm, the Spirit impressed upon me the last verse- 'For the Lord is good' (isn't He tho- He is so loving, so giving, so caring) 'His mercy is everlasting'(forever and ever His mercy is upon us continually pouring out fresh mercies each day-WOW) and His truth endureth to all generations' (His Word is Truth, never changing and no deviating from His truth- whatever It says, is so! if He said it, He'll perform it, just as He said, it endures forever and ever!) 
WOW!!! What an Awesome and Mighty God we serve. He knows each of us by name and loves each of us the same, good or bad, there is no difference in His love for us. He forgives all our sins no matter how small or how great, a sin is a sin, a wrong is a wrong-there are no big sins or little sins-each one is measured the same. No matter how much we sin, He loves us none the less. We are His creations and loves each and every one of us, unconditionally. He heals all our diseases as we call upon His name if we abide in Him him and His Word abides in us, and He is forevermore merciful and loving and Forever Faithful- WOW!!! What a mighty God we serve. Be blessed today, dear friends, God loves you and so do I~~

Voting Deceptions

I have tried to ignore all the quarreling, disputes, name calling, criticizing, and judgments that have taken place regarding this presidential election, but I just want to encourage each of you to be mindful of your actions and your tongue as you go out to vote. Voting for whomever we choose is the right given to each of us and right or wrong, it is our right to choose what standards we will uphold. So with that said, I also want to remind you that Jesus came to bring love and peace to this lost and sinful world and although many will seek to honor Him, there are those who choose to deny Him and cause all manner of evil against humankind. 
Over the years, we have become accustomed to bickering and name calling between candidates and people having verbal outcries regarding their opinions, but what concerns me most is how this has also caused Christians to openly criticize, condemn and judge them publicly; without any thought of how we are being caught up into satan's deceptive web of condemnation and name calling, causing us to be no better than them as we openly display bitter and spiteful words over social media as well as in public places. It's so easy for us to justify our actions and words with what we feel to be truth, but does criticizing them openly really make it right for us to condemn as a follower of Christ Jesus? 
Our choice to choose how we react and how we will vote comes from deep within our spirit, so we must examine our self and pray before we vote since the outcome of America depends greatly upon tomorrow's results! We need to also pray that we display actions of love instead of falling into traps of voicing critical words and condemning, even tho we feel our opinions may be the truth; when in reality, only God knows the truth about these individuals and what tomorrow holds! 
He knew we would have these perilous times so Jesus taught us to be careful not to judge since God loves even the vilest sinner as much as He loves each of us, and He taught us to do the same in John 13:34-35," A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." and He also warned us about judging in Matthew 7:1,2 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
God is fully aware of the situations that have arisen and He knows what tomorrow holds; and He knows that in order for us to choose our candidate we must search through their known qualifications, or lack of, and vote for whomever we feel is right for the job. I just encourage you to pray and be careful that you're not caught up in satan's deceptive schemes and be found criticizing, condemning, and name calling with others along the way. Let's hold our tongue and refrain from all things unbecoming as God's children and honor Jesus in what we say and all we do, no matter the situation or circumstance. Let's show forth His incredible peace and divine love along our way. 
I pray you can enjoy a peaceful election day tomorrow, knowing that God is in control and that He has each of us in the palms of His hands. I pray you enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, because God loves you and so do I~~~

AWARENESS OF WHO HE IS

"Because of Who You are I give You glory, because of Who You are I give You praise, Because of Who You are I will lift my voice and sing, Lord I worship You because of Who You are!"..... 
I love this precious medley stirring within my spirit; singing forth praises to Almighty God as I begin this new day He has given. Can't help but take time to acknowledge Who He is and what I am in Him. Couldn't imagine beginning my day without Him in it and I know of certainty that I wouldn't want to live a day without Him in it!
"This is the Air I breathe, This is the Air I breathe, Your Holy Presence living in me; This is my Daily Bread, This is my Daily Bread, Your very Word Spoken to me! And I'm desperate for You; And I'm lost without You!" Truly He is the Air I breathe, He is my Daily Bread; where would I be without His presence living within?
He is the Wind beneath my wings... He is Strength in my weakness... He restores my soul... He empowers me... He guides me... He comforts me... He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name sake. There is no where I will go and nothing I will do that He is not aware... He is my Protector... He is my Deliverer... He is my All in ALL... All that I need, He is! His Love envelops me, Holy Spirit completes me; His breath breathes Life and Rest into my weary soul and brings peace as nothing can compare.
Such Love from our Heavenly Father reaching down to human kind; desiring to lift us up in His arms and bring us into a higher form of worship than we could ever imagine. He desires to bless us in ways far above any thing we can imagine as our minds are stayed on Him.
So as you begin this day, I pray you will take just a moment and acknowledge Him and allow 'Who He Is' to fill your heart and mind with assurance and peace like none other and I promise you if you do; you will have a wonderfully blessed day because God loves you and so do I~~~

What Manner of Love is This

Ephesians 2:4-9 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." 
What manner of love is this that the Son of God would live and die for lost sinners, unworthy of His great love? What manner of love would cause a king to allow himself to be publicly persecuted, beaten and crucified, so unworthy mankind could go free?  What manner of love goes beyond measure, goes beyond human conception, and goes beyond the world's standards of love to save lost souls from hell?
What manner of love would love the vilest criminal or worst sinner; cleanse his soul and forgive his sins, casting his sins into the sea of forgetfulness, never to be brought to mind again?  What manner of Love is This? It's the incarnate love of God manifested in Christ Jesus! Love beyond measure! Love that reaches to the highest mountain and flows to the lowest sea. Love that reaches to the deepest pits of hell to rescue a wayward child. It's the Love of God for His children that reaches farther than our mind's eye can ever comprehend. 
There is absolutely nothing that can ever separate us from His love as it floods the very depths of our soul and it leaves me singing, "Isn't the love of Jesus something wonderful, wonderful, wonderful; Isn't the love of Jesus something wonderful, wonderful it is to me" and over and over the melody of His love sustains me, warms me, assures me that no matter how trying situations may be, no matter what may come my way, He is forever with me and I'm never alone. Nothing shall ever separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). Such reassurance of His great love fills my heart to overflowing....What manner of Love is This! 
Dear friend, I pray that as you go about your day, you will feel His love abiding deep within you and that no matter the situation, you will know that He is there with you to help you through each and every struggle of your life, if only you call upon Him and listen as He guides you along your way. I pray you have a wonderfully blessed day as His great love fills your heart and warms your soul, and I pray that you feel His arms wrapped around you with His assurance that you are never alone and so dearly loved, just as you are! You are Loved right now beyond measure, forever and always!!! Enjoy a wonderfully blessed day, dear friends, because God loves you and so do I~~~