December 10 2015

December 10 2015 Greetings My Friend Back in my community college days I met a lady who gave credit to God for helping her quit smoking overnight. She prayed and from then on she never smoked again. She had a raspy voice like she had smoked heavily for years. It was a little pinprick in my journey to faith. I remember my mother in law often. She believed with all her heart, I sensed her belief. Later I looked back on a few things and realized she was teaching me as the Bible teaches older women to teach the younger women. By the time I got to Single Point and Divorce Recovery I was open to people giving their testimony. In each instance I heard of a personal struggle, a deep seated struggle to walk away from and a turning the struggle over to God. The person was able to be free of the stronghold that had overtaken them. Some found their way through the struggle a step at a time and on occasion some were healed from the struggle right away. At some point I saw Dad’s testimony and it became real to me. Dad overcame polio and he learned to walk again when the doctors had given up hope both times. I kept learning from Dad’s struggle and healing too. For a time I thought God only did complete healings but Dad’s healing was not total. Dad had muscles that died making it hard for him to walk. Climbing the stairs was possible but difficult. Dad would bend in half, hold the railing and slowly make his way up the stairs. Mom went to work to support our family when women stayed home. Dad took on the role of housewife by cooking and getting us kids to our activities. Both of my parents faced a mountain of obstacles. They grew through each struggle, they fell down a lot too. The older I get the more I understand the great difficulty they encountered trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I understand a lot of their anger and neglect and at the same time it has left its scars on me. Our church provided for us when we were in a deep need. We had food, clothes, a back brace for Dad and support. These moments also showed me how God provides. I had a huge fear of being out on the streets. One struggle at a time God has shown me I have always had food to eat, a warm home to live in and clothes to wear. When money was tight I ate each day, maybe not 3 meals and snacks but I had food daily. I marvel each meal time how food was always provided and I thank God as I marvel. Part of God’s provision has been I needed to work to feed myself and my family. I needed to work to put a roof over our heads. Sometimes I see God’s provision as a willingness to do my part and then God will make sure I have what I need. I have learned that we need to be willing to meet God and then to do what we are instructed to do. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet