First...Strawberry's doing great. She's learning to sing.
And my father-in-law is not doing so well after a massive stroke. Prayers for him would be appreciated.
This week's word is BUILD.
One of the hardest aspects of looking into the abyss is that everything one does seems so futile. Why write, if it hurts to concentrate, let alone type...and you won't finish the work anyway?
It's awfully easy to quit doing, and just exist. To become a consumer instead of a builder.
And that's a slick slope, because once the habit gets ingrained it's very, very hard to come back.
I know. I've been there. I am there.
The climb back is hard, and it's got to be done with an acceptance of the pace that my condition will allow.
I'll never have the energy that I did before, but I've got something. I can do something small every day, something moving toward a goal.
And I can build on that.
The musical accompaniment is something that will date me, but what the heck...cue the one and only BURT BACHARACH!
If you have a mment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.
If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
Yes. You can build on that. Keep building, one brick at a time.
ReplyDeleteKate, that's the trick. Not to look too far ahead. Thanks so much for being here!
DeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteeach step of obedience is a step toward righteousness. And your goals may seem small to you, but they are equal. For each is given their own task. For me it's no big deal to get up in front of people with a microphone. For others, it's no small matter. They write eloquently online but freeze in person.
God's way of building us up for His kingdom is His way, not ours. And our plans never seem to work out the way we think, but in hindsight, better.
So encouraged you are still typing! Can you email me your address again? I want to send you something and have lost your mailbox.
Blessings, friend. You are an encouragement!
Love,
Tammy
Tammy, you are so right. And I take comfort in this...that either nothing matters, or EVERYTHING does. Even the smallest step is noted by God.
DeleteAddress will be coming your way shortly.
Love back, my friend. I am so glad you're here.
Andrew, again. You inspire me. Your example of taking what you do have and building with it is so powerful. You don't even know. Thank you for sharing your words here tonight. They are uplifting and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for you, Barb and your father-in-law, my friend.
Jeanne, thank you so much. It was a terribly hard week in all respects, and I didn't know if I would have the energy to write. That it touched you means a lot to me.
DeleteThe prayers are very much appreciated. I've had a bad week, but far worse is what Barb and her brothers are going through. It doesn't look good.
God disposes. We accept. That is the way of things.
Andrew, I'm always so glad to see you here. You are an inspiration! Love how Strawberry is growing and learning. And sending up prayers for you and your father-in-law. I'm in the #5 spot this week.
ReplyDeleteTara, thank you so much! Strawberry's such a delight, a cheerful soul who believes that the world truly loves her, all in spite of the pain and exhaustion she faced before getting here. God touched and healed her broken heart. She's a happy dog!
DeleteWe so appreciate the prayers. For Barb's Dad it isn't looking too great.
I have felt this way many days of my 30 years. Praying for your brother but keep Hoping. Hope is alive because He is Jesus. I recently heard a few messages on how life with God is more about the journey than just the destination. Really has impacted me. Hope it helps you too. #FMF friend
ReplyDeleteMeg, thank you for this, and you're right - it IS about the journey.
DeleteI so appreciate your being here!
Happy you were able to write Andrew. I signed the petition for Marley and shared it with a k9 group I am in on Facebook!
ReplyDeletemarisa, thank you so much for acting in Marley's behalf. These petition really do have an effect. I've been involved with a number of them, and officialdom takes notice when there are several thousand signatures placed on their desks.
DeleteThank you for being here, my friend!
Thanks much for sharing and continuing to press in and fight the good fight. Blessings and grace to you today! FMF #11
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shannon. You always inspire me to keep going.
DeleteFirst of all...yes, build. Just keep on doing one thing at a time.
ReplyDeleteSecondly... and really my focus in this comment. Burt B...oh my word brother, we are kindreds.... xoxo
Yay, Susan, you liked the song! I am so grateful for Youtube's existence. I have found many songs that I thought I would never hear again.
DeleteXOXOXO&WagWagWag
I'm glad you are choosing everyday! Keep on building - you give us hope, too. :)
ReplyDeleteAnnie, thank you. Every day it's a choice, and at the end of the day, I don't regret it.
DeleteYou inspire me right back. Your post today was genius. I was not well enough to formulate a reply, but I was deeply moved.
You're a born creator! That's why your work isn't waning even though your body's putting up a fight.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am grateful, friend.
Oh, Linda...this means so much to me. Thank you, my friend!
DeleteI was thinking about 'His mysterious ways' for a Guideposts writing contest, and it made me think back to a time when I think I met Jesus or one of His angels (really) and also when a friend met Jesus (I'm guessing at this) in the Mojave desert (yes). My friend had suffered great loss and was on a drive in the middle of nowhere to get alone and just chill. He was new in his faith and felt disrupted and defeated by that which had hurt him.. He stopped awhile on a back trail on a starlit night. A stranger walked up to my friend and asked for $20. The stranger had gleaming white teeth and was ultra clean esp, for walking in the desert sands. His eyes were bright blue and his hair was shoulder length The money exchanged hands and then the stranger walked off into the dark. It both unsettled and comforted my friend. For me, I met a man wearing a black trench coat standing with a black dog at the gas pump. He asked me for money, and I didn't part with any even though I sensed I should. Money was tight at the time...and I wasn't about to give a homeless person what I thought I needed. He looked at me intently. His appearance wasn't ordinary, His eyes were piercing and He looked deep into my soul. There's more to the story but suffice it to say, I left feeling frustrated at myself, and saw my own stubbornness and arrogance. God used that to change my heart and to become more sensitive to others' needs. After my friend met the stranger in the desert, I asked him to describe the man's appearance. It was an exact match to the man I had seen at the gas pump.
ReplyDeleteWhy share this? We never know what God is up to or what He will do next. Do not be discouraged, He is not finished with you and He is still teaching you. What can you learn today? I recommend you ask Him for something more than you have already. He likes that kind of thing. That's when life gets exciting.
Still praying. N.
Goosebumps, Norma. Major goosebumps.
DeleteSomething similar happened to me, but I'll forbear to describe it.
And I did ask God for something today, for a part of the mental strength that had been eroded by pain. He gave it to me, and the results, I'm still happy about it.
So glad you are here!
You're building dear friend! In Strawberry's life and in the life's of your online buddies.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your father in law isn't doing so well. Praying for all of you! In the #40 spot this week
Christy, thank you...that kind of reminder really is important. And Strawberry has a new trick; when our neighbour the cop decides to rock out on his porch, she dances!
DeleteMy father-in-law is in a state of flux, prognoses going from hopeful to guarded within minutes. I get the information second-hand, and on the whole I'd say it's very bad...but possibly recoverable. It all depends upon the extent of damage.
Thank you so much for being here.
Sometimes all we could is all God wants us to do. That is enough. Blessings, my brother in Christ!
ReplyDeleteStephanie, you're so right! Go sees each of us individually; He doesn't compare, and our tasks are ours alone.
DeleteI am so glad you're here.
The moment your mind goes to the pain you feel, Andrew, move your mind toward the blessings you give to us, your friends and audience. I know that you must be doing that because you persevere against all odds. Praying for your father-in-law and Barbara as well during this scary and hard time. Praying for you daily as well, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your FIL. Prayers for you and your spouse. Yes, we can all do something every day. But don't sell yourself short - what you may consider small, another may see as huge! Blessings!
ReplyDelete"It's awfully easy to quit doing, and just exist. To become a consumer instead of a builder."
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrible tension because "just exist" and being a "builder" are both important roles. I can see how easy just existing is easier or harder for some and the same for being a builder. The challenge is when we are used to only "doing" one or the other.
Resting in our identity in a place of silence and solitude can be a spiritual discipline. It is the determined builder who needs a push towards just existing.
For the person content to not do anything but exist, it is important to engage and use the gifts and abilities God has given—even if those gifts and abilities are thought to be small.
The wrestling match of resting or pressing forward to build is all a form of worship.
May God bless your efforts in both existing and building.