Jesus Overcame!!

Sisterhood of Widows S.O.W.  Psalm 126:5-6  Please share on your Facebook so that others can see my blogs and maybe help them through their grief.

Hi all!!

It's finally the weekend.  I had a crazy busy week as I am sure all of you have had too.  Soccer games, practices, work, training, and keeping up with the house can be stressful.  I got through it and even passed a big required test for my occupation.  It was a three and a half hour test and I had been dreading this test for about six years.  It was for the ICD-10 change over that is happening October 1st.  I only had a couple of days training and I dived in and took the test.  I was nervous and a bit afraid of failing this test.  If I failed, then I would have to take it again; and you only get two tries.  I don't know about you, but I sure didn't want to take it a second time and have added stress.  But I fought through the fear, said a prayer, and faced the challenge.  Thank you Jesus for being with me and getting me through the test and leading me to succeed. 

After the test was over, I started to think about fear.  Fear can block us from reaching our full potential and keep us from realizing dreams.  Fear can separate us from success or from relationships that we lost out on.  Fear can keep us from being the best self we can be.  But worst yet, fear can keep us from realizing the life that God has mapped out for us.  Thankfully, God gave us a tool to defeat fear.  That tool is called TRUST.  Trusting Him will help you defeat your fears and realize the life you were meant to have and what He desires for us.  We are told in Isaiah 41:13, "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."  We see that God promises us that He will help us through our fears.  In Isaiah 41:10 it says, "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

One of the things I have learned about myself since I became a widow is that as time goes by, I fear less.  Each day I decide to trust God more and as I do, fear seems to vanish.  Psalm 34:4 reads, "I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."  My mindset the last couple of years has been that one of the worst events that could happen to me, has happened and I survived by leaning into God and trusting Him to deliver me.  Once I came to this realization, fighting fear became easier.  I feel like I can overcome any obstacle because I know my Lord overcame the world.  Jesus went before me and defeated the grave.  Because of Him, I know that I can overcome anything this world can throw at me.  Jesus is the solution to our fear.  If you listen and follow Him, you can trust that His promises are true. 

Jesus tells us in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world."  Do you see the ongoing theme?  You will have trouble, part of that trouble is fear.  Fear of the future;  fear of the unknown; fear of being alone on this journey of grief; fear of stepping out of your comfort zone; fear of a new relationship; fear of not ever experiencing a new relationship; and this is to just name a few we all experience.  But trusting Jesus with your fears, laying these fears at the foot of the cross, surrendering your will for His, you will experience peace like never before.  I call myself a WIP, work in progress.  I am still striving to give Him my burdens every day.  I am not perfect and will never be until I am made whole on the day that I go Home.  But until then, will you join me in giving Him your fears and taking in the peace that only He can give?  His promises are true and they never change. 

Lord God, please bless the ones that are reading this blog. I pray that they are able to give you their fears and enjoy the peace you give in return.  I pray that we can submit to your will and that we can live the life that you want for us.  Thank you Lord for your promises and for your unconditional love and grace.  In your Precious Name I pray Amen!!

Regrets and Trust!!

Sisterhood of Widows S.O.W.  Psalm 126:5-6  Please share on your Facebook so that others can see my blogs and maybe help them through their grief.
Regrets and Trust!!

I have to agree with Elvis Presley when he sang in his song, My Way, "Regrets, I've had a few".  Isn't that so true.  Some of us have had more than a few regrets; and some of us struggle with these regrets.  Before Kirk passed away, I remember focusing on those regrets.  Regrets of lost friendships that naturally happen once you get married and life changes.  Regrets of not furthering education to obtain a job that you really wanted to do.  Or maybe it's a regret of falling into the wrong crowd and your life taking a whole different direction than what you wanted for yourself.  But I will say, once Kirk passed away, my regrets shifted toward him solely.  So many open ended issues that weren't resolved before his sudden passing.  Regretting that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye or tell him how much I loved him.  I regret not telling him that I thought he was an incredible father and an awesome husband.  I wish I would have told him every day how much he was loved and appreciated. 

I know that I am not to sit and dwell on my regrets.  I know that I must let these go and move on in my own time.  I know I am to trust God and let Him take on my burdens of these regrets.  I know that when I find myself struggling, I can lean on my Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us, "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!  Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."  Trust our Lord to lighten your burdens and help you get past any regrets that you struggle with on a daily basis.  Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Rest!! Doesn't that sound so incredible?  Jesus will give you rest from regret, worry, sorrow, and mourning.  Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

One of the most important lessons that I have learned from Kirk's sudden passing is to have no more regrets.  I try to make sure everyone knows that I love them and appreciate them before I depart.  I have left from my loved ones and remember that I didn't tell them what I feel and they need to know so I will either call or text.  I don't want any more regrets with any of my loved ones.  I want to grasp life and let others know it's okay to lean on God and trust Him with your burdens.  We all learn that life is too short and letting your loved ones know what they mean to you is a beautiful and precious gift, not only for the receiver but also for the giver. 

Lord, I pray that if anyone is reading this and is struggling with regrets in their life, I pray that they are able to lay their burdens at Jesus's feet and get the much needed rest for their souls.  Lord I pray that fear doesn't grip me and keep me from showing my true feelings to my loved ones and friends.  I pray for everyone that is reading this that they break out of their shell and embrace life and trust that our Lord has this.  Free yourself from the regrets that burden your soul and cling on to God's promises for you.  He loves you and so do I!!!  In Your Precious Name I pray..Amen!!

He Knows!!

Sisterhood of Widows S.O.W.  Psalm 126:5-6  Please share on your Facebook so that others can see my blogs and maybe help them through their grief.

He Knows!!

I hope everyone had a great and relaxing Labor Day weekend.  We had a pretty nice time.  We got to spend time with family and was able to relax and have fun.  Labor Day weekend is a hard weekend for us.  Kirk was a huge drag race fan so every Saturday of Labor Day weekend we would spend the entire day as a family at the NHRA Nationals.  We would take a picnic lunch and spend the day meeting drivers and Emily would get several autographs.  Kirk's Uncle Rick would go out there with us.  One year, Kirk got the opportunity he had been dreaming of for quite some time.  He actually got to work on a alcohol funny car for an entire weekend.  He got to meet some really great guys and got to live out a dream before he left us.  He was so happy and so excited to get that opportunity.  I am so thankful that he did get to do that. 

We spent this Saturday of Labor Day weekend with my sister Crystal, her husband Brian and their daughter Zoey.  They invited us to go with them to St. Joseph Michigan for the day.  We spent the day up there and ended up having to go to South Haven to get out of the rain that we didn't know about.  So we sat on the beach and then went back to St. Joes to shop.  Both towns were very nice and we really enjoyed our day.  It was almost like being at the ocean, almost!!! 

On our way out from St. Joes, we passed a church that had a sign out front that simply said, He Knows.  When I seen those words I had to smile.  It is amazing how God speaks to you, how He knows what you need to hear and finds a way every time to make sure you get His message.  Some days I wonder if God still hears my cries and my prayers and then there it is, a message that yes He does still hear my prayers and knows my pain. 

The one verse that I always look to and memorized is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  This is something that all of us have to remember, no matter what life throws at us.  Hope, if we do not have hope, then what do we have?  If we don't put our hope in Jesus, we have nothing.  I believe that my path has brought me to this point to write to encourage others that might not see the hope in their situation.  Romans 5:1-8 tells us, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we boast in the Hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE.  And HOPE does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.   But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Seeing that sign, He Knows, gave me the bump I needed to make it another day.  Because He Knows, I know that He is always with me.  He is always by my side, making my way down the path He designed especially for me.  It's not a glamorous path, it's not suppose to be.  I cannot bring glory to God if I live on a golden road.  I cannot give him all the glory and be a testimony if I have never had any struggles in my life.  No matter what, I will praise Him because I know my hope is in Jesus. PERIOD!!  Psalm 39:7, "But now, Lord, what do I look for?  My hope is in you."

Lord I pray for my family and friends that are struggling with life.  I pray that they accept you in their hearts and tap into that eternal hope and love that you provide.  Life is hard, but with You, I know my future.  Lord I want everyone that I love and care for to be in Heaven so we can spend eternity together.  Lord I just want to glorify you in whatever I do while I'm here on this Earth.  In Your Precious Name Amen!!

As I was writing this, I was informed of a situation with a dear sweet sister Karen.  She passed away this morning of a long illness.  She was a writer for A Widow's Might and was one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met.  When I decided to start writing blogs for A Widows Might, she was the one that helped me with my writing and would help me make my posts better.  We talked on the phone several times and emailed each other quite often.  She is a fellow Hoosier and lived about two hours away from me.  I got to meet her in person back in November at A Widow's Might conference at Myrtle Beach.  I remember walking in and seeing her sweet smile.  We had planned on meeting for lunch over the summer but we never got the chance.  I ask that you keep her family in your prayers for comfort and healing.  Karen is now in the arms of our beautiful Savior Jesus Christ and is now reunited with her loving husband.  Karen knows no pain, no sorrow, has no tears, just joy!!!!  Thank you Lord for putting Karen in my path.  Thank you Karen for being a wonderful writer, mentor, but mot importantly, a beautiful friend.  I will miss you and I love you with all my heart. 

This is Kirk at the last NHRA Nationals.  We had a great day and enjoyed watching all of the cars.  He loved going, and we loved sharing those memories with him!!  Love and miss you to the moon and back!!