Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
It's All a Matter of Faith
"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:45
For what are you believing God? Does it seem that He doesn't hear you? Or, better yet, is it hard to believe that He has chosen you for the life that He's entrusted to you?
I struggle on a very frequent basis with all of these questions. It is so hard to believe in something that you can't see but are so certain of. I am not only speaking about believing in God, I am talking about believing in His love and the plans that He has for us.
Recently, I had a very peculiar encounter with a date. Let's just say it was a blind date gone bad....REAL BAD. I will leave it at that. The timing of this date was kind of hard for me. And when it comes to boys, I just seem to be disappointed each time a new prospect comes along. It is not necessarily the person that I am disappointed with ( except the blind date ) it is that nothing seems to work out for me in the relationship department. After each "date gone bad" I always wonder why God allows me to have these experiences. Why do I have to go through the process over and over again to only feel defeated in the end when nothing works out? Yes, I call this a pity party. However, I feel like so many of us can relate to these feelings just in very different areas of our lives.
Needless to say, I was mid-pity party when I stumbled upon the verse above in my quiet time the other day. God taught me several things in that moment:
1. He hears my heart. He knows my heart so much better than I do. He loves me immeasurably more than I can imagine.
2. His ways are above my ways and His plan is perfect. This verse comes from the story of Mary's conception. If you will remember, Elizabeth, Mary's relative was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth was advanced in years and had resigned to the fact that she would not have children. I am sure that it pained God as she cried out to Him over and over again. I imagine that He was heartbroken each time His child approached His lap with a heavy heart because she just could not understand why He would withhold such a great thing. But, just like a loving Father, He knew what was in store for her and that His plan would exceed any and all expectations that she had ever placed on her life or her God. Because Elizabeth never lost her faith in her Abba Father or tried to manipulate His plan, He blessed her with a two-fold miracle: conceiving at a ripe age and the privilege to carry and mother John the Baptist who would prepare the way for our Savior. Wow! Let God's timing and perfect plan sink in. Where would we be today if Elizabeth had settled for anything less than what her Heavenly Father had for her?
3. This verse in Scripture is so feminine. "Blessed is SHE..." Girls, it is time that we LIVE out our faith. We need to be women who believe in a God who is capable of all things and pass this legacy along to the generations to follow. Oh, how my choices would have been different if only I had believed in God then like I do now.
4. God honors our faith in Him. Faith is the number one thing that pleases God.
So, let me ask you again...what is it that you are believing your Abba Father for? What is it that God is asking of you to move you closer to Him? I used to think that I would only ask these questions of God on occasion. Now, I try to ask Him this everyday. Each day I ask Him to reveal what I need just for that day and sometimes, moment. This discipline has revolutionized my relationship with God. I see everyday answers to prayers that I otherwise would have missed and when I begin to think - why me? why again? - I am quickly reminded of His faithfulness, His favor, His protection and His love.
For what are you believing God? Does it seem that He doesn't hear you? Or, better yet, is it hard to believe that He has chosen you for the life that He's entrusted to you?
I struggle on a very frequent basis with all of these questions. It is so hard to believe in something that you can't see but are so certain of. I am not only speaking about believing in God, I am talking about believing in His love and the plans that He has for us.
Recently, I had a very peculiar encounter with a date. Let's just say it was a blind date gone bad....REAL BAD. I will leave it at that. The timing of this date was kind of hard for me. And when it comes to boys, I just seem to be disappointed each time a new prospect comes along. It is not necessarily the person that I am disappointed with ( except the blind date ) it is that nothing seems to work out for me in the relationship department. After each "date gone bad" I always wonder why God allows me to have these experiences. Why do I have to go through the process over and over again to only feel defeated in the end when nothing works out? Yes, I call this a pity party. However, I feel like so many of us can relate to these feelings just in very different areas of our lives.
Needless to say, I was mid-pity party when I stumbled upon the verse above in my quiet time the other day. God taught me several things in that moment:
1. He hears my heart. He knows my heart so much better than I do. He loves me immeasurably more than I can imagine.
2. His ways are above my ways and His plan is perfect. This verse comes from the story of Mary's conception. If you will remember, Elizabeth, Mary's relative was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth was advanced in years and had resigned to the fact that she would not have children. I am sure that it pained God as she cried out to Him over and over again. I imagine that He was heartbroken each time His child approached His lap with a heavy heart because she just could not understand why He would withhold such a great thing. But, just like a loving Father, He knew what was in store for her and that His plan would exceed any and all expectations that she had ever placed on her life or her God. Because Elizabeth never lost her faith in her Abba Father or tried to manipulate His plan, He blessed her with a two-fold miracle: conceiving at a ripe age and the privilege to carry and mother John the Baptist who would prepare the way for our Savior. Wow! Let God's timing and perfect plan sink in. Where would we be today if Elizabeth had settled for anything less than what her Heavenly Father had for her?
3. This verse in Scripture is so feminine. "Blessed is SHE..." Girls, it is time that we LIVE out our faith. We need to be women who believe in a God who is capable of all things and pass this legacy along to the generations to follow. Oh, how my choices would have been different if only I had believed in God then like I do now.
4. God honors our faith in Him. Faith is the number one thing that pleases God.
So, let me ask you again...what is it that you are believing your Abba Father for? What is it that God is asking of you to move you closer to Him? I used to think that I would only ask these questions of God on occasion. Now, I try to ask Him this everyday. Each day I ask Him to reveal what I need just for that day and sometimes, moment. This discipline has revolutionized my relationship with God. I see everyday answers to prayers that I otherwise would have missed and when I begin to think - why me? why again? - I am quickly reminded of His faithfulness, His favor, His protection and His love.
To Loves Others as Jesus....
I don't know about you, but sometimes loving others the way that Jesus loves us is not my best thing. Christ's love for us is out of heart of submission to the Father and one of humility. I love the lyrics of the song below. I find peace in the love of Jesus and pray that He will give me the strength to love like Him!
Love Never Fails
By Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Love Never Fails
By Brandon Heath
Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Possibly the First Day of My New Beginning
Every day I get a Bible verse via email. Here is today's:
"And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do now know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone."
Isaiah 42:16
This verse is a comforting reminder no matter what day you receive it. But, today is kind of a big day for me. As I have stated in an earlier post, I believe that God is directing me to return to school for a Masters Degree in Nurse Practitioner. Today is the day that I take my first step in the process of returning back to school. At 12 pm today I will take the GRE. I know, just a formality...hopefully :). However, I am not a test-taker. I get anxiety and second-guess every answer, even if I know that I am correct. Tests were a daunting task for me in my undergrad work. So, needless to say, I have been dreading today like the plague.
God knows His children so intimately well. Not only was I reassured of His plan for me through the verse that I received today, He also further affirmed Himself to me through my devotion ( 90 Days with A Heart Like His by Beth Moore - a study of David ). Today's devotion was all about getting started with what God has planned for us. Here is just a little background:
Key Verses: 1 Chronicles 22:11-19
David had already appointed Solomon as king and Solomon had taken over the throne of Israel. David spent the last year or two of his life watching and guiding Solomon's reign and it was time to build the tabernacle that would house the Ark of the Covenant...one of Solomon's most important charges from God during his time as king. Verses 18 - 19, "Is not the Lord your God with you? Has he not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.
Don't be confused, God is not calling me to build a tabernacle but He is calling me to step out in faith and into a career that is to be used to honor and glorify Him. I am incredibly humbled and comforted that the God of all creation met with me this morning to encourage me to do His work. I now have no anxiety about this test and am confident that God will equip me to do see His work through to completion. Oh, how great is His love for us. Not only did He sacrifice His son so that we may not experience what we deserve, He loves us so much as to meet with me over a cup of coffee and a devotional book to cheer me on for the plans that He has for me. I do not have adequate words to articulate the joy and peace that this great love brings.
"And I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do now know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone."
Isaiah 42:16
This verse is a comforting reminder no matter what day you receive it. But, today is kind of a big day for me. As I have stated in an earlier post, I believe that God is directing me to return to school for a Masters Degree in Nurse Practitioner. Today is the day that I take my first step in the process of returning back to school. At 12 pm today I will take the GRE. I know, just a formality...hopefully :). However, I am not a test-taker. I get anxiety and second-guess every answer, even if I know that I am correct. Tests were a daunting task for me in my undergrad work. So, needless to say, I have been dreading today like the plague.
God knows His children so intimately well. Not only was I reassured of His plan for me through the verse that I received today, He also further affirmed Himself to me through my devotion ( 90 Days with A Heart Like His by Beth Moore - a study of David ). Today's devotion was all about getting started with what God has planned for us. Here is just a little background:
Key Verses: 1 Chronicles 22:11-19
David had already appointed Solomon as king and Solomon had taken over the throne of Israel. David spent the last year or two of his life watching and guiding Solomon's reign and it was time to build the tabernacle that would house the Ark of the Covenant...one of Solomon's most important charges from God during his time as king. Verses 18 - 19, "Is not the Lord your God with you? Has he not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.
Don't be confused, God is not calling me to build a tabernacle but He is calling me to step out in faith and into a career that is to be used to honor and glorify Him. I am incredibly humbled and comforted that the God of all creation met with me this morning to encourage me to do His work. I now have no anxiety about this test and am confident that God will equip me to do see His work through to completion. Oh, how great is His love for us. Not only did He sacrifice His son so that we may not experience what we deserve, He loves us so much as to meet with me over a cup of coffee and a devotional book to cheer me on for the plans that He has for me. I do not have adequate words to articulate the joy and peace that this great love brings.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Update....2010 Thus Far
As you read in my earlier post, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in November. Staying true to her faith and character, Mom faced her diagnosis with courage and grace and underwent a double mastectomy on Jan 4 of this year. January 4 had been looming over the Sharpe family for about a month as we knew what was ahead for Mom and our family. Quite frankly, the month of December was a complete blur to me. I spent most of the month numb and just doing what I had to do to maintain my job and responsibilities that life brings every day. December was full of doctor visits with Mom, processing the information that was being presented and trying not to allow fear to dominate my mind and emotions. I have never been so thankful for my precious family as I was during this past Holiday Season. We have always been close but God definitely used this diagnosis to knit us even closer together as a family and closer to Him.
Staying true to it's nature , time came and went as did January 4. Mom came through her surgery resoundingly well and welcomed recovery as her new normal. Despite Mom's tremendous progress during the first two weeks post surgery we did face a bump in the road. Mom's skin was not healing on her right side and if something was not done she could face infection and a longer road of reconstruction. Mom had a skin graft done on January 20 and once again handled the surgery like a champ! As of today, Mom is recovering nicely and taking each new day as it comes. The entire process for reconstruction will take anywhere from 9 months to a year. Thank you for all of the prayers for Mom. We, as a family, believe from the bottom of our hearts that it is your prayers that have carried us as a family and sustained Mom during such an emotional time in our lives.
As I have reflected over this bittersweet time, I have found one thing to be true: A grateful heart will bring about great things. Mom has demonstrated a spirit of gratitude throughout this entire process. It is hard for me, as her daughter, to wrap my mind around why my mother should be chosen to endure yet another cancer diaganosis and a surgery that will forever change her body. However, Mom's attitude was one that did not ask why but chose to be thankful for every good thing that was to come out of this situation. The following passage came to mind the week of her diagnosis and continues to penetrate my heart when clouds of doubt roll in:
"Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7
So many good things have resulted from one hard, challenging trial that God has placed in front of my mother.
1. Mom has a deeper faith and understanding of how God has protected her throughout this entire process. He has used this time to draw her even closer to Him. I really didn't know that was possilbe because if you knew my mom one word you may use to describe her would be saint.
2. From the outside looking in, my parents' relationship has been enriched and they have learned to love each other in a completely new way. My dad has been an incredible nurse and has definitely sacrificed a lot to be by my mother's side throughout this time. The sweetest thing is that he would not call it sacrifice.
3. Mom and Dad have been loved on by so many people. It is evident how much my mother is loved in her community and church family. The outpour of others' love has been breathtaking. Mom and Dad had a meal provided for them almost every night for the past month.
4. On a personal note and after much grace and time to process what the next steps of my life will be, I now know, with complete clarity, that I will be returning to patient care eventually. I am in the process of applying to graduate school for the Nurse Practioner program. I am very excited about this possiblity and am excited to see what God chooses to do with me.
It is with a grateful heart that I close today's post. Stay tuned....
Staying true to it's nature , time came and went as did January 4. Mom came through her surgery resoundingly well and welcomed recovery as her new normal. Despite Mom's tremendous progress during the first two weeks post surgery we did face a bump in the road. Mom's skin was not healing on her right side and if something was not done she could face infection and a longer road of reconstruction. Mom had a skin graft done on January 20 and once again handled the surgery like a champ! As of today, Mom is recovering nicely and taking each new day as it comes. The entire process for reconstruction will take anywhere from 9 months to a year. Thank you for all of the prayers for Mom. We, as a family, believe from the bottom of our hearts that it is your prayers that have carried us as a family and sustained Mom during such an emotional time in our lives.
As I have reflected over this bittersweet time, I have found one thing to be true: A grateful heart will bring about great things. Mom has demonstrated a spirit of gratitude throughout this entire process. It is hard for me, as her daughter, to wrap my mind around why my mother should be chosen to endure yet another cancer diaganosis and a surgery that will forever change her body. However, Mom's attitude was one that did not ask why but chose to be thankful for every good thing that was to come out of this situation. The following passage came to mind the week of her diagnosis and continues to penetrate my heart when clouds of doubt roll in:
"Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7
So many good things have resulted from one hard, challenging trial that God has placed in front of my mother.
1. Mom has a deeper faith and understanding of how God has protected her throughout this entire process. He has used this time to draw her even closer to Him. I really didn't know that was possilbe because if you knew my mom one word you may use to describe her would be saint.
2. From the outside looking in, my parents' relationship has been enriched and they have learned to love each other in a completely new way. My dad has been an incredible nurse and has definitely sacrificed a lot to be by my mother's side throughout this time. The sweetest thing is that he would not call it sacrifice.
3. Mom and Dad have been loved on by so many people. It is evident how much my mother is loved in her community and church family. The outpour of others' love has been breathtaking. Mom and Dad had a meal provided for them almost every night for the past month.
4. On a personal note and after much grace and time to process what the next steps of my life will be, I now know, with complete clarity, that I will be returning to patient care eventually. I am in the process of applying to graduate school for the Nurse Practioner program. I am very excited about this possiblity and am excited to see what God chooses to do with me.
It is with a grateful heart that I close today's post. Stay tuned....
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