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Seeds and Bread

/ Remember. Celebrate. Trust. / 2 Comments

Well, hello! It’s been a little while since I have had a chance to blog but today is the day! I’ve missed you.

As I was purging clutter yesterday (actually, as I was digging deeply in my home – searching frantically for my passport from 20+ years ago), I came across an old journal…. I was fascinated as I perused it this morning to discover that the idea of “Remember, Celebrate, Trust” was from all the way back in July of 2013!

Allow me to share my thoughts from July 11, 2013…because they could basically be today’s entry:

***

“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”  2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NASB

Lord, I need You. I’m tired. I’m feeling overwhelmed with the day ahead of me. Please help me to see You as my Provider of seed and bread. Bread is for today, and seed is for tomorrow and beyond. I can’t eat seed {guess I hadn’t heard of eating seeds back in the day} and I can’t plant bread so You provide for both now and the future.

Has God taken care of you thus far, Lisa? Are you still living in your home? Do you still have clothes? Do you have food? Do you have “stuff” in your house? Too much stuff, in fact!

Remember.  Remember God’s faithfulness.  Celebrate.  Celebrate the victories thus far, and trust God for today and tomorrow.

Remember. Celebrate. Trust. Remember. Celebrate. Trust. Remember. Celebrate. Trust.

Remember.

“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth…”.  Ecclesiastes 12:1 NASB

Celebrate.

“Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works… Enjoy life with the [man] whom you love all the days of your fleeting life under the sun; for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 9:7,9 NASB

Trust.

“I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.”  Psalm 16:8-9 NASB

“In the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust without fear, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Psalm 57:9-11 NASB

Trust without fear.

God is for me.

I shall not be afraid.

***  {end of 07-11-13 journal entry}

Amen!

The context at the time was that I was preparing a transcript for my oldest to begin dual-enrollment at the local community college during high school, and I was fretting. Fast forward – my oldest is graduating with a finance degree in May, and thankfully already has a job lined up; my middle is successfully finishing his second year of college; and we leave in just a few hours to take our youngest on college visits in Virginia and South Carolina…. Yay, God!

God is faithful. I will trust Him without fear. He is for me. And YOU!!!

May you be encouraged, and may you and yours have a very blessed Easter. He is alive!

Lisa Toth

Remember. Celebrate. Trust.

CELEBRATE: God’s Amazing Provision

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I am in awe, and need to write this down as there’s a good chance I’ll need to read it again tomorrow, or next week, or next month, when I will likely face another big financial challenge. God has come through again, and while this shouldn’t surprise me, somehow it does because it’s so BIG.

If you’ve followed my blog thus far, you know that my two oldest kids are in college. One is a junior and the other is a freshman. At the beginning of the school year, I had no idea how we were going to make it through both semesters without somebody taking out some loans. Both guys had worked hard, saved their money (and so had we, as best we could), and earned significant scholarships, but the numbers just weren’t “adding up” — at least every way that I could figure.

However, yesterday it was confirmed by both colleges that we will make it through the spring semesters — debt-free! I am still in shock. In August, the numbers definitely didn’t add up. I knew we could make it through the fall, between what all of us collectively had in the bank, but I had NO idea how we could pay through the spring. There were so many ups and downs:  an unexpected late scholarship came through — yay! A student’s car died in December and had to be replaced — boo! We were able to take a mini-vacation to Nashville as a family — yay!  One of our cars needed $2,200 in repairs while we were there — boo! We would be getting a big tax refund — yay! A document came in the mail one day later that reduced our refund by $1,100 — boo!

And yet, after calling both the business offices and financial aid offices for the colleges yesterday, it was confirmed that we have made our last spring tuition payment for our freshman, and there is just one more payment due for our junior. God has pulled through again! Amazing!

Before you check out, discouraged perhaps that this may not happen for you, let me please encourage you that God is faithful, and no respecter of persons. (See Acts 10:34-35.) Believe me, we have made our share of financial mistakes. Big ones. Investment properties gone sour. Cashing out 401K money earlier than we should have because we were feeling desperate, and therefore, paying a big penalty. A number of “lemon” cars that cost an arm and a leg just to keep on “hospice care” until we could get a more reliable vehicle. And yes, there were consequences and heartaches for each one of those poor decisions….

We have learned a ton through those choices, and continue to learn that while there is grace and mercy, there still are often unwelcome repercussions. However, times like yesterday remind me that God is faithful — even when I mess up. And that is true for you, too!

In what areas do you need to trust Him? Finances? A lost or wayward child or other loved one? Healing, when the doctors have no more answers?

Here’s a Scripture promise and then a quick prayer:

“Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”  (Psalm 37:3-5 NASB)

Lord, thanks that You are always faithful — even when we are not. Please help us to trust in You and to cultivate — or “feed securely” — on Your faithfulness. As we delight in You and commit our way to You, we choose to place our trust in You, because You are trustworthy. Thank You for Your amazing track record. Please encourage each reader, and help us to be an encouragement to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Until next time,

Lisa T.

Remember. Celebrate. Trust!

photostudio_1469519321740

Beverly, WV

The Girl on the Bicycle

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It was a sunny, crisp morning — not too hot and not too cold. My mixed rescue dog, Simon, and I had just enjoyed a long walk in the woods and I was feeling pretty relaxed. As we ascended the path up and out of the trees, I noticed the dog across the street, but I did NOT notice the girl on the bicycle coming towards us on the left, barreling down the hill on our very same sidewalk. Simon went ballistic — barking, growling, lunging — but thankfully, I was able to grab his collar just in time. Crisis barely averted…. Whew! We all had just had our aerobic exercise for the day!

So, what the heck? Why did my normally-calm-and-generally-friendly dog suddenly go nuts? Well, about seven years ago, when Simon was just a puppy, we were all outside enjoying a beautiful summer day in the cul-de-sac. Kids were playing in front of the house, and I was chatting with the neighbors. Simon was secured loosely to a line on the front lawn when, all of a sudden, two girls rode their bikes on the sidewalk right in front of our house. As Simon tried to chase the first one, the second bike hit him in a split second and he yelped. We had him checked out and he was fine, but he has never forgiven, nor forgotten, “the girl on the bicycle.”

As this scenario almost played out again this week, it got me thinking. What are triggers like that in MY life — that in an instant cause me to go from calm and peaceful to ballistic, as I remember a painful event in my past? No amount of logic, love or cajoling seems to be able to erase that memory from Simon’s psyche….

How about you? What are those memories or situations that cause you to “bark and growl” — practically barring your teeth — possibly just moments after a time of tranquility?  A few of mine are injustices (perceived or real), the exploitation of women and children, and the remembrance  of (or actually running into) a few people who have deeply wounded some of my dear friends or family. I know that I need to forgive them….

Let me say a quick prayer for us:

Lord, You know our hearts. You know that there are areas of hurt and even injustices that we just can’t seem to forget. Please heal our hearts, renew our minds, and help us to forgive those who have hurt us or our loved ones. Nothing is hidden from Your sight. Please help us to trust You to “right the wrongs” (in Your timing — not necessarily ours). In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Until next time —

Remember God’s faithfulness.  Celebrate life and your loved ones.  Trust Him — Who sees all and knows all.

Lisa T.

P.S. ~ If you have time, click on the link below to be encouraged by the song, “It Is Well” by Kristene DiMarco. Powerful.

It is Well – Kristene DiMarco

 

TRUST: In the Waiting Room

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Wait for the Lord.  Be strong and let your heart take courage.  Yes, wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 NASB

I don’t know about you, but I hate to wait. I want my food – now. I want a parking place – now. I’d like an answer – now (as long as it’s favorable to me). And I’d like all green lights on the way to my destination, please… As you can probably guess, these “demands” are rarely satisfied.

Recently I’ve had some significant opportunities to wait, and I’ve been reminded that waiting involves trust. Last week, for example, my mom had surgery at “one of the top hospitals in the country.” I was in the “waiting room” for close to 12 hours, along with my older brother and step-dad, and it was nerve-racking, to say the least.

Many friends and family prayed with me before and during the process, but I was still struggling with my peace. Would she make it through? Would she wake up from the anesthesia? Would they get all of the cancer? Would her cuts heal, or would she be permanently disfigured?

Additionally, despite having a reputation for “being the best” hospital, there was still human error possible…and happening…at the front end. The receptionist accidentally entered information into the “advanced directive” slot instead of the “power of attorney” slot, so we learned just as my mom was going back to pre-op that we did not actually have the correct paperwork for her wishes. Several tests required for her surgery “had not arrived” so they were going to repeat them all, until we advocated to have them check again, and they “found them.” The surgeon, heralded as one of the tops nationwide, seemed more concerned about finding the top to his pen that had mysteriously disappeared since he came to my mom’s bedside, than he was about explaining the surgery to us and calming our anxieties. Grrrrr.

Thankfully, my mom did great in the surgery, they did get all of the cancer, and her wounds seem to be healing beautifully. Praise be to God, and I am grateful as well for the skills of the numerous medical staff involved.

As we sat in the waiting room for several hours following the surgery, while my mom recovered and prepared to be discharged, I finally turned my attention to the numerous other families nearby. Not everyone was going to be getting the wonderful news that we received that day. For some, waiting here in the cancer ward was a regular occurrence, as their loved ones were battling chronic or recurring disease.

Perhaps you’re in a waiting room that’s fairly significant, too. We all are, I suppose. Waiting to hear about that job. Waiting on medical tests yourself. Waiting to see how things are going to turn out with that loved one. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

May I pray with you? I’m a big believer in the power of prayer — mostly because I have seen the faithfulness of God come through time and time again. Not often how I would have planned it (in fact, seldom “my way”!), but in an amazing way that I could not have imagined.

Lord, as we wait here, may we trust You for the best possible outcome. Remind us of all the times that You have come through for our loved ones and for us. Please work out all of the details, and remove the obstacles that are hindering Your perfect plan from shining forth. We put our trust in You in this waiting room, because You are trustworthy. In Jesus’s name, we pray. Amen!

Remember. Celebrate. Trust.

Until next time!
Lisa

Beverly, WV