March 31 2015

March 31 2015 Greetings My Friend Some days when I read the Bible I find passages that speak volumes to me. Some days as I read I sense a general understanding but not major messages. Today as I was reading I heard “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” in regards to giving. The message I heard is that we are all to give of our means and if some have more they are not to compensate for the poor. We are to give what we can and do what we can with what God has given us. In the end everything is God’s so He needs nothing. I am hearing that God wants us to do what we can with what we’ve been given. This to me means we are all to work and donate as we are able out of the means we have. I think of the widow who gave her last two small coins. She gave all and trusted God to provide for her needs. The more I let go of the fact that the money or possessions I have are just that and that God is the one who “provides” all of my needs then I know a sense of deep faith. I grew up very poor as many do. For me I did not want to be poor as I grew up so I worked hard at each job so I would always have an income. Through the years I can look back and the fear I had never materialized which was I would be homeless living on the streets. I can see the times money was tight and I had what I needed to survive. God opened my heart to gaining skills so I could have a good job that helped provide for my family and later for myself after my divorce. Today I see that each time I am in need that I begin talking with God. Slowly I find myself learning the differences between wants and needs and then I grow in accepting the spot I am in. My thankful prayers at tempt to review the needs I have that are met. For me I start by realizing I am living in a home that has heat, air conditioning, food on the table, clothes for each season and the list grows from this point. When I see that my basic needs are met I find that I am not attempting to keep up with others. As my list of disabilities seem to grow I learn to be thankful for things I do have such as hearing, I am mobile, I am able to keep house again. The more I can say “thank you” the more I find a calmness in my spirit as I approach a new problem. My test results show I have a problem with my esophagus. I choke on water at times. Sometimes as I swallow I feel the food goes down my throat the wrong way. To say that I am concerned is putting it mildly. I have started asking God to help me be strong. I even tell Him I am afraid from time to time. Next I ask God to guide me, to guide the doctor’s. Today I got a call to come back to the doctor’s office to discuss the options I have. As I received this call I found a calmness and an acceptance. I find it easier to know when I truly have a problem instead of wondering and waiting to know what to do. Now we begin the work of “fixing” the problem. That is something I can wrap my brain around and accept. My prayers now turn more to asking God to guide the doctor’s, to give me the strength to face the challenge. The challenge to me now has a face and a name and with that I can work within that. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet