GOD Gives and GOD Takes away

Job 1:21b The LORD gave and The LORD has taken away. Blessed Be the name of The LORD.

I think, “God doesn’t take, He gives and makes broken things whole, as He is doing in me.”

In life stuff happens. We have to deal with what is in front of us, but IN JESUS we are able to deal with life differently. We have a HOPE to KNOW that in the end that JESUS WON! We are walking it out but we know this is not all there is. Also we have the Joy of The LORD in us giving us an inner Hope to carry us through the stuff of life.

Over time I start realizing that sometimes God needs to take something we are holding on to, to do a good work in us.

The need to take the tree down breaks my heart. It would not be good for the a branch to fall on a person or our house but I love our tree. My husband decides to buy a wood insert to replace the gas fireplace that we have never used, a blessing? YES! A great Blessing!

Our neighbor takes the tree down int the Spring of  2014 and he allows me to sort through the wood to keep what I want and throw what is too small for burning. Lifting the wood is great for building muscle so I choose one log to lift for arm muscles and extra weight while doing lunges! It also does this thing when I lift it behind my head, it pulls me upright and settles my spine somehow. This is a scoliosis thing with a rod.

                     I am in awe of what I am able to do.

Two years earlier, God gave me the miracle of 5 brand new vertebrae and nerves connecting the muscles giving me the ability to gain muscle and start running. For perspective I was ready to get a cane to help me walk because I could no longer hold my body upright, But God moved.

I am sitting on the steps looking at the work, but my body isn’t ready to respond. It frustrates me that my body won’t function until 4:00 P.M.!

But God reminds me,

“Be Thankful and Patient with your body.” (growing strength and endurance  isn’t like the instant miracle of the new bone it is a much slower process.)”

It is easy to become greedy to want more than I am able to do at this time. When remembering just a few years ago my body could only do one hour of work for the day and maybe the week. But now I am able to work five hours lifting logs! One thing I tried is five hour energy and it did help me to do more for five hours.

Can you tell how much love there is for the tree?

Do you like what the tree has done to my beautiful flowerbed? There are tulips under the logs!

I am learning how to adjust things on my blog! Finally the pictures look as expected! Loosing more fear of computers and the blog!  They look better!If you look closely there are some tulips blooming under the tree limbs.

We loved the tree so much we put the trunk in our back yard and I do climb on it often! It brings joy even laying sideways in the back yard. Maybe I will have a good picture of that next time.

I learn to plant many different kind of flowers, no more shade plants!

God is teaching me, He is covering me even when I am in the wide open spaces, especially if I feel naked out in the open.

The strength gained by lifting logs has given me the ability to keep the flowerbed and yard in order, even adding a few more flowerbeds. I am in awe of what I am able to do!

My running grows to five miles a day and ten miles once and a while. I buy my skinniest pair of jeans a size six!

Wow, I am able to keep going for 10 days without my body shutting down and needing a day of rest. I am in Awe of What God is doing in me!

THEN MOM DIES! 

GOD IS STILL GOOD!

I went for a run on Friday but I was interrupted by a beautiful sunset.

Do you appreciate?

God Bless You! Enjoy the Good things! Amen.

Water bubbling up in the flowerbed… trouble!

While weeding the flowerbed I find water that doesn’t belong. I’m not watering anything! The front of the flowers are getting flooded.

After contacting the city they inform us that they will need to dig in my flower garden to repair a broken pipe. They will shut off the water main so we should fill the tub for flushing the toilet and other containers with water to drink while the water is off.

We have lived here for 10 years and are thankful for the Maple tree with the flowers surrounding it. Thankfully we have time to save the a majority of the flowers. My wonderful husband helps save the flowers.

I watch the city workers take a backhoe to my flowerbed, and as they dig down to the broken pipe I hear him say,

“Oops, I hit the tap root!”

They way he said this made an impact! I had no idea what it meant but we soon find out.

This big massive tree is taken down by one little root being hit.

Big or small the root feeds the tree and the importance of that root shows up as our tree cries out in pain while dropping her limbs one at a time.

Thankfully all branches fall facing the street away from the house.

First on June 25, 2013, our daughter’s bug was smashed not long after she bought it.

Again in November 21, 2013 the neighbor’s vehicle was in the wrong spot as the branch came down and totaled the pickup.

Throughout the winter three more branches fall into our yard during a storm.

This shows us we have to take our tree down. First we call a professional to see if it can be saved, but we realize it has to come down.

Job 1:21b The LORD gave and The LORD has taken away. Blessed Be the name of The LORD.

We are thankful to have had the tree for as long as we did and now the process of taking it down starts.

God is Good no matter what is happening He is Always Good.

Feeling overwhelmed as if the end is approaching!

But God!

Devotions tonight started with Jeremiah 29:11 Amplified Bible

“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,” says The LORD, “plans for peace and well-being, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope!”

Reading this a few times it washed our souls bringing a healing balm.

The next verse Romans 8:28 New American Standard

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who Love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 New American Standard

Therefore we do not loose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

I usually read before and after the verses to get a more full understanding,

but tonight I kept going.

Romans 8:26 -And in the same way The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

v28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose, for whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

V31, What then shall we say to these things: If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us.

V36 Just as it is written, “FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

V37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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.

We both left this reading in Peace,

Knowing The LOVE OF GOD FOR US!

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

The beginning of the flowerbed!

God created all the beauty of creation!

The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. Galatians 5:22

I happen to believe that a beautiful flowerbed exudes all of the fruit of the Spirit. When walking through a lovely garden doesn’t it fill us with love, joy, peace, kindness, and goodness?

Our huge Maple tree became a big part of the appeal of us choosing our new home. It is a cover of protection every time we walk outside. During family meals I would look out at the tree and think one day I will clime you.

Mowing with the riding lawn mower around the tree, and driving over the roots feels like I’m hurting the tree.

My solution: create beauty in the form of a flowerbed!

Do you appreciate the flowerbed from 2009? It looks small comparing to 2025!

Every spring I would spend $100 on flowers to cover the space around the tree and the three flower boxes.

Flowers are my Mother’s Day gift! It often takes 6-8 weeks to finish planting the flowers. If you take into account the weakness of my 40 year old body it could easily be compared to  someone in their 60’s. Every doctor visit of my life I would shake the doctor’s hand and they would be so concerned at the weakness of my handshake they would immediately grab my left hand to compare. By my late 40’s pain rose to the point I could feel every hit of the football players while watching them. Creating the flowerbed took months because I could only work a few hours a week

I am able to do this is because I believe and confess Isaiah 40:31!

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait upon the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wing like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Planting and weeding the flowers pulls me outside into the sun and dirt bringing healing to my soul and strength to my body. I have been hearing about the importance of being in the sun. It does good things for our brains and lifts our attitude. There is a true suffering when living in the North during the winter months and lack of sunshine encourages depression.

My husband knows he can make me smile by encouraging me to follow him out and look at the flowers. This always draws me out to work in the dirt and pull weeds. I have shed many tears pulling weeds as God works in my soul bringing healing.

The flower garden is a Blessing that fills my soul with Joy.

And then:

Uh oh, I see water started bubbling up in the midst of my flowers. Something is not right!

The story continues next week.

As they say on YouTube like, comment, and donate!

I know there is no place to like but commenting what you like and don’t like would help.

Do you appreciate my stories and do you want them to continue?

God Bless each and everyone who reads this with The Joy of The LORD! Amen.

Exhausted with pain, how do I get 10,000 steps!

This is a familiar place and I wonder how God is going to get me moving?

Most of my days start with pain, and it just takes a bit to be able to move. Some days it takes an hour or two to start moving. Other days food and a nap get me going. But today every step is difficult and sitting up hurts so I wonder if God is going to give me the ability to move outside.

Some days are meant to rest the whole day and other days God gets my interest with a little color.

This little bit of color forming out our front window draws me outside to look for hope and a sunset!

Outside I look in all directions for Hope!

This is enough color to put a little fire in my soul. I quickly dress for a walk. Sam is very happy!

Rain and thunder is expected to last well into the night but this looks like the possibility of a sunset.

Sam and I start out for the cemetery and do find beauty! Sam thinks he wants to run! I try to run, and it turns into kind of a trot!

Do any of you like the sunset?

Would you get up for this?

I did get my 10,000 steps. I am on day 12 hoping to reach 30 days.

God spoke 30 into my spirit a few months ago! I believe it will mean my strength has returned and life is moving forward to a future instead of surviving.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!