Even if you don't

I pray.  I have a list that gets longer with each day of people for whom I pray.

My most often said prayer goes along the line of God softening the heart of whomever is in whatever situation that they may see God and follow Him.  Cancer, death, sickness, teenagers, marriage problems, toddlers, old age,  the list goes on and on, but for each situation I can pray that God will gain another person to his flock as each situation unfolds.

It has been nearly a year since we lost Paige and Sydney.  For many years we prayed for Syd to be healed.  We prayed for doctors, for the family and each situation that arose in her life as she was in a battle for her life.  And with Paige it was days, praying as we held her in our arms just minutes after her car wreck, holding her hand in the hospital, comforting sisters, parents, and family as we waited for news.

So, we prayed and the result was not what we had asked for.  We asked for healing and we asked for time but that was not what we received.

It all comes back to what we prayed for in the situation and although I did pray fervently for healing and time, I also prayed for hearts to be softened and for Jesus Christ to be heard and accepted as savior by as many who would be touched.

This Sunday, as my heart was hurting once again for these families who have been left to deal with the loss of a child and our pastor briefly touched on a story that I had not though of lately.

In Daniel 3 we read about Shadrack, Meshack, and Abed-Nego.  They were told, with the rest of the nation, that they were to worship the gods of Nebuchadnezzar and bow down to his golden image. In verse 14 they were asked by the king himself, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up"... Later in verse 15, "But if you don not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

The answer is the whole story in a nut shell.  In verse 17, "If that is the case, our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand O king... and then, here it comes, verse 18... "BUT IF NOT, let it be know to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you set up."

So there is it, true and real faith.  We prayed, We know that our God can, BUT IF NOT, we will still trust Him!

There is a song that I love that has carried me through a lot of things over the last several years and the chorus goes like this..
I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone.

I choose to trust a God who had given His one and only son to pay the price for my sins and has freely given all who ask the gift of eternal salvation.  I will continue to pray for healing of hearts, bodies, and minds.  I will pray for my family, friends, community, and country.  I will pray most of all that each person will hear the gospel and respond by asking Jesus Christ to be their personal savior.  And at the end of each day, this chorus will resound in my heart...
I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone.

God's Will

Have you ever used this phrase, God's Will?  We say things like, it was God's Will, or I am trying to follow God's Will.

So, you are trying to decide if you should take a job or move to a new place, you are praying about your plans and asking others that they would pray that you would follow God's Will.  I am not trying to say this is a bad thing, it is a GOOD thing.  But as we look closer into God's word we find one theme.  God has one desire for us, and that is that we would be conformed into His image.  Although, like any good father, He wants us to be happy and healthy, that is not His main concern.  God wants us to know Him and be conformed to His image.

One year ago today was a normal day for me.  I got up, got my kids to school.  We had 1 free weekend in between basketball and so Abby was planning a sleepover party.  It is a rare thing for Abby to invite a bunch of friends out and we LOVE having them out here and they are all such great girls to spend a fun evening together.  It was just a Thursday, that's all.  None of us could have anticipated out much our lives would change on Friday.

We don't realize how quickly things can change until we have experienced such a change.  This has happened in many tragic situations where someone is lost.

And so, we return to God's Will.  This statement takes on a whole new meaning when you are laying along the side of the road holding a 15 year old in your arms not knowing if she is dead or alive.  As I prayed for my Paige and as Craig and I held her in our arms waiting for the ambulance I was not so concerned with God's Will.  It can not be God's Will that a 15 year old, beautiful, loving, amazing girl can be taken so quickly and unexpectedly.

And so, here I am, a Christian woman who trusts in the Lord, and I would like to say a little bit about God's Will.

Psalm 16:1
Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust.

We live in a world that is corrupted by sin.  With this sin comes all of the tragic things that lead to death.  If Satan can kill you before you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you can't belong to Jesus and Satan has won one soul.

So, where is my trust, my faith, and what is God's Will?

God created a world without sin.  No death, no sickness, no struggle, no weeds!  God is waiting as long as he can so that as many as will know Him will get that opportunity.  God wants us to choose Him, to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness and to accept him as our savior and Lord.

My answer is NO, I do not believe that God's Will was for Paige to die, I do not believe that God's Will is for any harm to come to any person.  But, I also know that there is sin in the world and that we will be affected by this sin.

I put my trust in God that all of these things that don't make sense, that hurt my heart, that kill our bodies, all of these things will be put to death with the return of my Lord and Savior.  I will not understand or get a sufficient explanation in this life the why or all the bad things that happen, but I do know that I serve a loving God and that He does not delight in suffering and did not create suffering.

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, not things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I serve a living, loving God.  I will put my faith in Him.  I believe that God, in all of His infinite wisdom, care, and love will work day and night to bring us to Himself.  I pray that each person I know, and all of those I do not, will take the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their savior.

I will be thankful always that our Paige came to know Jesus as her savior, but that IS God's Will for each of us.  He desires that we would live in eternity with Him.  Do you know Jesus?  Have you accepted the gift of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ?

My Valentine

I would like to take a minute to talk about my Valentine.  He has been my valentine for 29 years. 

This year I got a beautiful thoughtful card, I got him nothing.  To be honest, I forgot.  (seriously I forgot a valentines day card, that is BAD)

Not only did he remember but this is how he spent his day.  First he got up early to make sure that the horse trailer was dug out of the snow.  He removed several feet of snow off the top of the trailer, dug it out of a snowbank and then shoveled the inside out so that we could fill it with boxes.

That seems like enough work for one day... NOPE.  He packed all of my boxes to the trailer, my table, heat press, and any other items that I needed to be able to work the district basketball tournament.  Then for 4 days he put up with my crazy, helped every day.  Made sure I had food, drinks, and rest so that I could be at my best.

My valentine not only loves me but supports me both mentally and physically with my little business.  It is not always fun and it is not always as organized as he would like it to be, but he does it every single time.

Thanks you Craig Dudley for being my valentine!