God Is Always Present

Our life's journey takes us to all elevations.  We have joy-filled mountain top experiences i.e.: marriage, birth of children and grandchildren, buying your first home or car and successfully accomplishing goals.  But there are also seasons in life when we travel the valley floor and experience challenges through losses of all kinds.  And with Jesus as our traveling companion, He makes life do-able.

 

When we are cresting high He makes the heights more brilliant and opens wide our understanding of spiritual things. He fills us to overflowing.  How we hunger for those times.  We feel Abba Father's presence, close and intimate.  It reminds me of how the disciples must have felt.  Jesus was present; life was intimately shared.  His lessons and his words were deeper than the ocean, inspiring and life changing.

 

Too often in life the path turns downward and we find ourselves walking through the wilderness.  Hope is fading.  Life seems to be ebbing.  The walk is endless, exhausting.  If it were a forest it would be rocky cliffs with high mountains to climb and overgrown with thorns. If it were a desert it would be blazing hot with no water, no tree for shade, and no hope of finding rest or sustenance.  Just loneliness. Fear. Doubt. Confusion. Hopelessness.  How well I remember feeling I would not make it another moment – let alone another day.

 

Regardless of what your wilderness looks and feels like one thing stays the same....the cry of our hearts.  “My God, my God – why have you forsaken me?”  Where are you?  I can't feel you?!  I cannot sense your nearness!  He has left me.  Lord, answer me! Many ask why – why does God allow us to go through these wilderness experiences and these times when it feels as though he has abandoned us.  Why does he stay quiet?  Why doesn't he intervene in the midst of my pain and stop it sooner?  While I do not pretend to know all the answers to all of these questions the following word picture came to me in my mind regarding where Abba Father is when I cannot sense Him.

 

I liken it to the parent/grandparent who is teaching a child to ride a bike.  As we teach and instruct we grab hold of the bike seat with a firm, steadying grip.  We run alongside of our dear little one and encourage and instruct on how to stay upright and steady and safe.  Back and forth we go, holding steadily and firmly, instilling confidence and strength.

 

But there comes a point when we have to let go.  With our heart in our throats we let go and watch our kid go like the wind.  Alone and wobbly, their sweaty, little hands grip the handle bars that careen back and forth a little too much for our well-being.  Now stop.  Where is the parent?  The good parent does not leave.  We are near – watching, praying and rooting our child forward on life's journey.

 

Here are a few lessons we can learn about Abba Father from this analogy.

 

~When we are wondering where God is remember – like a loving parent trotting behind the child – HE is never far away.  All we have to do is call out his name and he is there.  Remember what your father has told you –

 

Deuteronomy 3:16 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them.  FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU.  HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.”

 

~Like any parent knows, we must release our child so they can ride alone.  When we release them it is with the hope that they will remain dependent upon that which we have taught them.  The ride involves learning what is truth and adhering to it.  When we do not, we crash.  Adhering to what we have been taught is crucial in keeping us on the straight and narrow path or to keep us upright and cruising along.  Remember – our dependence upon God alone is crucial -

 

 “But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.  Psalm 37:39-40

 

 ~ Through the highs and lows of life, God is revealing himself to us.  He is using our life circumstances as the canvas upon which he can reveal his personality – his faithfulness and trustworthiness.  He desires that we trust Him without question.  As human parents, our desire is for our children to obey us without question because we know we teach them truth. To ensure safety and abundant life we teach and enforce in hopes that our children will not question the life-giving path in which we lead them.  In short, our children grow to have faith in us through our love and instruction.  

 

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  James 1:6

 

Unwavering Faith in our father's presence is important!  Besides what other option is there? 

 

“I'd rather walk in the dark with God

Than go alone in the light;

I'd rather walk by faith with him

Than go alone by sight. - Anonymous”

Dont Be Discouraged!

Oh, its hard to learn the lesson,

As we pass beneath the rod,

That the sunshine and the shadow

Serve alike the will of God. - Anonymous

Whether we like it or not life is sprinkled with hard times. There is no getting around it. In fact the Bible promises us that we will have hard times.

Jesus is quoted in John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

I recently read a story about Casey Seymour, a successful soccer player and coach. He always has his team run a 10 x 100 drill at the end of practice. Before the men can leave the field they must run at full speed - with minimal rest - 100 yards ten times. If they dont beat a prescribed time they have to do it again. The men hate it until the day of the game. Each game they find that they can play at full capacity for the entire match. Their effort has been rewarded with a championship!

We are all playing the game of life, running the gamut – dodging balls, sidestepping boulders, having to learn offensive and defensive strategies. And one thing remains the same.... the injustices of life – the unfair turnabouts will come, question is how will they affect us? Will life's problems, tragedies and injustices rob us of life, joy and love, or will we utilize those seasons and turn them into strength and endurance training?

During his time as a missionary to the Gentiles, Paul submitted to the instructions and drills of God amid great hardship and suffering. Paul was no stranger to suffering. He endured beatings with whips and rocks; he was lost at sea; he was shipwrecked three times and had to learn to survive; he labored and toiled for a days food; he was transient – never putting down roots; he spent time cold, naked and hungry and was falsely imprisoned.

But Paul set the bar for us. Though he endured these unfair, unjust hardships he never allowed any of them to embitter him. Paul endured and thrived. Is it even possible? Yes! And he showed us how....by keeping our eyes fastened upon the person of Jesus Christ!

You may say “Easy for you to say Dori. You dont know my life. You dont know what I've been through and suffered.” You are right. I do not. But I have experienced a training ground of my own.

While I am no Paul I have a resume of my own – suffering the years' long consequences of someone else's choices (talk about unfair!), losing your home, financial devastation, a marriage re-written by my husband's injuries due to a disabling accident 8 years ago; being homeless, selling your belongings to survive, moving 3 states away from your family because that is where God led you to go; finding my mother dead and enduring a loved one's battle with addiction – all these are but a few of the things I've encountered in the last 8 years including the death of my father.

During this last decade my life was so disassembled. Whether I knew it or not at the time - every thing, person, value and belief was tested and or removed in this refiners fire - especially my faith in and knowledge of Christ. The one thought that ocurred over and over was “how do people survive these tragedies, these storms – without God?”

You see Christ was my anchor in these times. I clung to him. With each new storm my voice grew louder and those storms became HIS proving grounds. I witnessed firsthand the power of his ability and miracles. I chose Christ – to cling to Him and to believe in Him, come what may.

Looking back I know that I had every reason and every right to choose differently. For all I witnessed and for all the details I alone know I could have chosen to hate various individuals especially the man who attacked my husband and to be bitter at the disability system for how it ravaged our lives and my husbands body. I could have allowed my heart to be overwhelmed with the desire to get even. I could have easily worn the clothes of a victim of someone else's bad judgement – the victim of “the powers that be”. Churches, pastors, believers in Christ, have let me down sorely. I could be angry at the mortgage companies that would not help us, heartbroken over the one who broke promises, the list goes on.

What would I have gained if I had blindly taken the well earned “right” to be this way? What would it have profited me in life had I chosen to allow the troubles to win? Yet so many do succumb as they blindly demand their rights to suffer on, which only leaves a swath of debris in lives and hearts that are reminscent of paths of destruction left by tornado's and hurricanes. May I say the choice is ours? We can either allow life's troubles to destroy us, or we can turn our tough seasons into training camps.

The apostle Paul often used metaphors of training and competition in his letters to the church. Using his words we can find important training principles:

Galatians 5:7 says “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?”

Life was good. You were running (living) well. Then trouble happened. Who or what interrupted your life, your stride – to trip you up? No. Go back to what your training (what the word of God tells you to do and apply it.). Guard your heart and your mind against unholy thinking and reaction. Find your stride again.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “let us throw off everything that hinders and every sin that entangles us. And let us run - with perseverance - the race marked out for us.”

In guarding your heart and mind be aware of putting on the coat of “right” --- for it will bleed through your chest to your very heart. Throw off that coat – that “I have a right to feel this way” feeling, for it will only grow in length and weight and hinder your stride, tripping you as you run. Do not agree to become weighed down by things that will hinder your race.

“Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last – but WE do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly. I do not fight like a boxer beating the air; No. I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Recognize that life is a training ground. There is a war being waged for your soul. Our enemy, satan, intends to rob you of your faith in Jesus Christ in an attempt to de-robe Christ and de-stroy the truth of God's power and ability. Satan desires to leave you de-feated and hopeless. Decide and determine to deactivate that power. Land the deathblow.

Here are your training instructions as set forth by Paul –

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up your shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all of the Lord's people.” Ephesians 6:10-15

I challenge you to lace up your running shoes. Let's run.

Embrace the Silence

Lately God has been impressing upon me the importance of silence. 

With the advancement of technology, "noise" fills up our lives -- yet Jesus set the example for us to disconnect daily to seek the voice of the father. In Jesus' time "noise" came in the throngs of people pressing upon him, clamoring to get near him. He was always busy speaking, teaching, working. But he set time aside at least ...once daily to seek out solitude and silence. 

We need that time to refocus. We need that solitude to listen to the rumblings of our own hearts and to hear what the voice of God would say in response. 

Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God, exalted above the nations". 

Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be silent." 

Matthew 14:23 says, "After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came he was still there." 

And yet so many of us run from the silence and fill our lives with more noise. 

Stop. Turn it all off. Go find a mountain and pray. God is faithful to answer. You might be surprised at what he might say.

Precious Father.  Give me the ability to draw myself to a quiet moment and shut out the world.  Help me Lord to sit before you and to listen to my body breathe in and breathe out.  Let all my troubles fall away.  I pray Lord you would be faithful here in the quiet place where just you and I meet together.  Faithfully speak to me O Lord and minister truth and healing to all that is within me.  Lead me.  Guide me.  Love me I pray.... In Jesus name, amen.

Walking in the light

Have you ever been in the house at night and suddenly the lights go out? There you are, standing in the pitch dark, desperate for a light. Or you hear a noise outside and you know you need to go investigate but its pitch black.  To stay safe, you arm yourself with a flashlight. 

Gods word, (the Bible) says in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father but through me" This was Jesus speaking.

And in psalm 27:1 it says "The Lord is my light". 

 Truly throughout scripture God is referred to as the spirit of truth and truth is often interpreted literally as "light". When you walk in the spirit, you walk "in the light". You are a light that shines in the darkness. So think about that next time you are caught in the darkness without a light ie: truth. 

 it is always good to be prepared....in spirit AND in truth.

An Ultrasound of My Faith

The other day I was with my niece in labor and delivery and they sent her down for an ultrasound.  I've seen them before and will never forget 29 years ago seeing my firstborn on the day he was born, in an ultrasound.  It never ceases to amaze me as I see how technology has advanced these almost 3 decades where now you can see a 3-D image of your unborn child before they are born.


As I stood watching the technician take specific views to make sure little Gabriel was still safe and sound, I was in awe as he measured bones, spaces of amniotic fluid, the girth of the baby to determine about how big he was at 35 weeks and try to catch a glimpse of his face which I might add was effectually hidden behind his two drawn up fists! 


I was overwhelmed at the glory of creation.  I was reminded of Gods own word and what it has to say about this...


"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." psalm 39:13-15.


Before the dawning of ultrasound expectant parents could only wonder at the child they felt moving within a mothers body.  But God knew the width, the sex, the skin color, the very individual things that set that child apart.


When my mother and father were expecting me they had no way of knowing whether I was a boy or a girl; what color my hair and eyes were or what I would weigh when I was born.  I was wrapped in mystery and yet though unseen they believed in my existence because of my mothers burgeoning belly, my movement and the sound of my heartbeat.  They knew in part and believed.


Take it back a few hundred years before stethoscopes.  Women had the lack of menses and a burgeoning belly to suspect a coming child.  Movement inside the belly was the greatest proof they received of a coming new life.  No heartbeat to hear; no ultrasound to see something tangible.  They knew in part and believed.


And then I thought of Gods existence and remembered this scripture


^" For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12."


Today we only know in part and yesterday we knew even less, and yet we believed.  I think of a line from one of my favorite movies, The Polar Express.  At one point the boy is challenged with this....is it that seeing is believing or is it that believing is finally seeing?  There is so much that goes on around us or is around us that remains hidden, but still exists.  Our vision is only limited.  But does our limited vision mean that what we cannot see or understand is not there?


Almighty God.  His son Jesus Christ.  People in dire circumstances who cry out to our unseen triune God; people whose faith is raw and persistent and they bring forth life in the form of answered prayer and an ever burgeoning faith.  Healing, provision, doors that open or close, dead things that come back to life.  These situations and revelations become our stethoscopes and ultrasounds to see the reality of God's existence and power.


Like an ultrasound.... "for now we see through a glass darkly".  We can see a little but not able to take in the magnificence.  "then face to face".  How amazing it is to behold a newborn child.  To take it all in.  To touch, to count, to feel.  "Now I know in part.  But then I will know as I am known".


I challenge you first to stretch your vision.  If you can see through the glass darkly, take it all in and know there is more --- just as you know there is more to an unborn child than can be captured in an ultrasound.  Secondly, ask yourself this....can you believe without seeing the whole picture?  Remember this.  Jesus said in the book of John,


"You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." John 20:29

The Gift of Children

"Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

 Proverbs 17:6

As I lay in bed Christmas Eve, my heart - mind and spirit were trying to knit together a new understanding of the meaning of Christmas.  For so many years Christmas has borne the fingerprints of my parents who had the gift of infusing that time of year with so much love, joy and giving that it is difficult to dissect them from it.  As a 19 year old I became a Christian and my Christmas celebrations were infused with more of Christ which further grew my beliefs and expressions of the holiday in December.


A new season in my life was set upon me last year in Christmas 2012.  It was so not normal as #1 I was without both of my parents as they had both passed away.  #2 we left home and joined my husbands family in a beautiful seaside home for Christmas.  That started the list of things I'd never done.  I'd never been without my parents; I'd never spent Christmas with my in laws even after almost 29 years of marriage; I'd never spent the holiday's on the sea, I'm a mountain girl through and through.  Much of what we had last year was foreign with new traditions and foods.  While I loved the people I was with, I was not full of joy or the spirit of Christmas as my heart was grieving so.


This year we had a very different year again.  We moved on December 1st.  I fell and separated my shoulder that first nite in our new home.  We again traveled mid month to go and celebrate our 26 yr old daughters college graduation.  We were infused with joy at all she accomplished and overcame and through her triumphs experienced our own.


This year we were full of the kind of joy where you say to yourself, "pinch me!  Is this real?" ... for we find ourselves living in a lodge style home with bricks and hewn logs inside on acres of land with bear, moos and deer.  It is indeed well with our soul.  We had all the money we could have wanted after 8 years of absolute destitution but for the gifts of manna from God and they were plenty!  I wrapped our last gifts on Christmas Eve; planned our menu for an expected house full the next day.  Ready, set, go. 


But there I lay in bed, exhausted and wondering why we always have to be so exhausted for Christmas.  Is this really what God or Jesus would want?  I'd run myself ragged getting ready for this and I highly doubted that this is what either of them would want.  Sure, we had given a lot to many.  We had made sure to minister to those less fortunate because that holds a special place in our hearts.  But my heart cried out... "Lord!  Isn't there more?"  More than packages wrapped up in ribbon; traditions, cooking, baking, decorating etc?


As I lay there contemplating this new place in life I realized that I was standing in a place in my life where I had to transfer from one plane to the next.  Looking behind me at past landings where I'd been so content and full to rest, I realized there would be no going back.  I had to move forward and part of me did not want to leave the dais upon which I'd stood for so many  years....but I knew I'd never be happy or content or full again unless I did. 


I began to rest in the Lord and wait for fresh understanding.  My mind was drawn to babies.  For reasons only known to God, he sent his son, who was powerful and mighty, to earth as a baby.  Gods word is full of enough information to know how God feels about children and babies.  He wants us to be like little children.  My thoughts ran backwards to long ago when our lives and hearts were so vacant after my grandparents died and then four years later with the impending arrival of the first grandchild - my son Josh --- that impending arrival and new chapter to come caused my father to turn over a new leaf in life.  My father was absolutely transformed and became a different, better man.  A little baby with the power to transform.


My thoughts traveled to six months before when my niece Meaghan arrived with her one year old, Axel.  Our lives were weary, worn, still full of grief over the losses we'd endured and this little child infused our hearts and lives with joy overflowing and laughter and love.  A small little baby/toddler and he transformed our lives.  So much mystery surrounds the wonder of children.  And yet those of us rich enough to have them allow our lives to be filled with so much busy-ness that we do not realize the girth of our fortune if we have them.  From them we can learn and follow them to true peace and fulfillment in life.


I was left in awe once more of God's choices to send Jesus my savior as a baby.  I was left aware of how a gift had visited us in the form of Axel.  As I am so aware of the joy of Axel, I had to be that much more aware of the joy and life and power of Christ as a child.  I made the jump and landed firmly upon the new landing.  And the page was turned.


I realize that I must move forward.  I must change and be willing to embrace this new season I am in and find the peace God desires for me.   I also know with greater understanding the blessing in disguise that babies and children are.  I know God must have planned it this way.  How fortunate and blessed generations of old were when they had large families and it seemed there was always a baby or toddler underfoot.  I truly believe that the presence of children/toddlers/babies brings the abundance of ability to find joy once more in spite of the grief.  They are our hope. Gods word even says this about children:


Psalm 127:3-5
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.


And so I drifted off to sleep thinking of babies and children.  Thinking of Axel, the little boy I love as though he were my grandson.  I fell asleep thanking God for each child of my body and each child of my spirit and heart and their children too.  I realized that in the smallest of packages comes the largest of gifts.... understanding, simple wisdom, hope, transformation, valuing innocence.


Lord, give me the ability to stop and listen to the little packages in my life.  Help me God to ignore the come hither of the world to take in the wealth you have placed around me in the hearts and spirits of the little's in my life.  Help me to remember....less is more.  amen.

It's All About Perspective!

You cant live a positive life with a negative mind. Say what?  You cannot live a positive life with a negative mind.  Nope.  You cannot.  That would be like mixing oil and water....hot sauce and ice cream... peanut butter and dill pickles with syrup on pancakes.  Ok wait.  That tastes delightful.  Scratch that one. 

 I once heard it put this way.... your mind is a battlefield and it is there that the struggle is born.  Where your mind goes.... your thoughts and body will follow.   This quote from Lao Tse sums it up:  “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

It is really easy when things are going swell to be positive.  When the bills are paid and the boss is happy --- its a beautiful day.  When your honey brings you flowers and the kids sing your praises....when no one is sick, the house didn't catch fire, the laundry room didn't flood.  You get a raise.... you found a twenty dollar bill, someone buys you lunch.  Wooo hoooo! Life. Is. Good!  You are smiling and the world smiles with you

But how about when life is not all sunshine and roses?  How about those real incidents that test your resolve.... the fender bender, being late for work, a boss that you cannot please, a grumpy spouse, unappreciative kids, things beyond your control, bill collectors, spilt coffee, caring for sick parents, finding out someone you trusted lied to you.... losing your purse and quite possibly your mind.  Those days it is harder to be a positive thinker and so the battle ensues.

How do you survive the negative things in life without becoming negative?   I love the following truths from scripture about this battle ...

Proverbs 23:7 says,  "As a person thinks in his/her heart...so is he/she."
Colossians 3:2 says "Set your mind (your thoughts) on things above...."

Scripture lines up with what Lao Tse said.  When life lobs a ball at me and hits me it creates a response within me and with it comes a thought.  Positive or negative, those thoughts will become words.  And I choose the direction in the midst of the arm wrestle.  My words will become actions and the actions will be stronger than the words spoken because as I entertain them they grow more and more powerful.  The choice is ours.  Will there be power in the upswing...or will the power of negative thoughts drag us down?

Each of us has the option to see our lives and our day as the glass half full or half empty and it all depends upon PERSPECTIVE.  I believe that part of the battle is about evil getting us to see life incorrectly as though we have blinders on to the truth.  Hence, we are told we have two options.... a life half full or a life half empty.  But in reality I say that there is a third option... a life whose cup runneth over! 

There is ALWAYS something to praise God for in every day.  Gods word directs us to "rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, again I say rejoice!"  Count those blessings woman!  Something else that helps me is to look for God in everything. 

When my father battled cancer for 2 1/2 years he taught me a valuable lesson.  We had been going through a terrible drought financially, emotionally and physically for several years.  My dad, however, was battling for his very life!  He was in the midst of treatments that were supposed to destroy the cancer cells but they tore his body down robbing him of strength, vigor and life.  The pain he experienced was tortuous. 

Almost daily I would call Pop and ask him, "How are you today dad?"  Invariably he would have a positive thing to say.... "Oh, not too bad.  I know it could be worse.  I know that somebody, somewhere has it worse than me."  This remained his mantra all throughout the rest of his life.  He had every right to be upset and negative at the hand life played him.  But he chose differently.  His attitude choice I believe elongated his expected life from six months to 2 and a half years!   That attitude of upward thinking struck a chord in me and realigned my vision and it has not changed.

Yes, we've experienced financial devastation and yes we lost our first house to foreclosure because of Wayne's injury....but we've never had a tornado come and wipe our life away as though it had never been there.

Yes my husband was hurt in the line of duty as a police officer.  Yes, he has lost many physical abilities in the course of several years worth of operations and recoveries, but our family has not had to bury an officer killed in the line of duty.

 Yes, we've felt the sting of injustice and in spite of my husband's documented injury on the job we've had to fight for every bit of compensation he's been given.  It is so unfair and unjust the money spent in this legal battle.  But for every unjust strike against us as we battle forward in the courts for what is rightfully due my husband there are a hundred experiences of the faithfulness of God and his provision!

Yes we've been homeless for three months, gotten food stamps, gone and stood in line at food banks.  But we have countless stories of how miraculously food and money arrived "from nowhere" to sustain us.

You may wonder, what could be so positive about all these negative things?  Here  it is ...I love Isaiah 61 which says... 

"The spirit of the sovereign lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed  me to preach good news to the poor (See...we have been poor.  Who better to understand the needs and pain of the poor?) 

-- He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted (We have been brokenhearted)
-- to proclaim freedom for the captives and to release from darkness for the prisoners (we understand what it is to be held captive by something)
--  to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion, (we, too, have grieved and mourned!) 
--to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." (We have experienced a powerful God who can and will take the ruins of a life and turn it into something beautiful and meaningful again.) 

 You see, we know what it is to be without and so we give.  We know what it is to grieve, and so we comfort.  We know what it is to be hungry, so we feed others.  We know what it feels like to live a broken life and rise again....so we encourage!  it is literally giving legs to Gods word and promise which states -- You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20 NIV).  The fight that injured Wayne was intended to destroy him.  however, God has used it over and over again to save his life, to teach him and to move us where he wanted us in keeping with his plan for our lives.  That is how we find God in the midst of life.  I know you can too.

I challenge you to get the big magnifying glass out and inspect your life.  Ask God to help you look more closely at the negative balls that are lobbed at you and dare to find the good God will bring from them.  Next, when you are tempted to fire off at the mouth and curse the balls thrown at you.... tick off the things you are thankful for. I am certain you will find a list of things to be thankful for.  Read the newspaper.  Pull up your online news and start counting your blessings. 

My prayer for you is that next time life throws balls at you like an out of control pitcher...you will tick off the positive and like ice cubes being dropped into a glass of iced tea soon and very soon your cup will overflow.