JEWELS WAITING TO BE FOUND

For every valley that we walk through there is a jewel to be found, and when you find it, you never forget it. You never forget it because it comes at a time when you needed it the most.  Have you ever woke up from a bad dream and sighed with relief when you realized it was only a dream?  It’s such as good feeling when you realize that it really didn’t happen.

  

I remember a day that I woke up and realized that I was NOT dreaming. I was remarried, living in another state away from my family, and he was not my prince. My advice to anyone that will listen is don't remarry until you have gone through the healing process of loss and divorce.

 When I found myself divorced I was literally scared to death. I had never been alone and I didn’t know how to be. To be honest, I didn’t want to be either. I didn’t know how.  In a time when I should have been learning to be an Independent woman without a man, and a Dependent woman on God, I was in a frenzy to find a man.

I didn’t think that I could survive without one. Being married was all I had ever known and surely it would be the answer to my problems. I would marry my prince charming, and live a fairy tale life, that is until I woke up and realized that he was just a regular man with problems of his own. Problems that would now become MINE.  It would have been fine to have taken on new ones, but the fact was, there was no room. I was still carrying around hurt from the loss of my family through the divorce.

The day that I woke up and realized that I was not dreaming was a real eye opener for me. I was a broken woman walking around searching for something to hold on too. There’s an old saying that I was raised with, “You made your bed, now lie in it!" And that is exactly what I intended on doing. Whatever I had to do I was going to do it.

I was so empty. I had failed the Lord, and I had failed myself. I remember one day I was home alone and I had spent most of the morning crying out to God.  I was praying and asking God if it was too late for me. Was there any hope that I could have a good life again and be happy, most of all, was it too late for God to use me.

There was a Heart Call conference coming to a nearby city and I was praying about going. Over and over, I prayed, “God is it too late for you to use me.”

Not long after that I started thinking about a man on a rooftop. I thought that it was an odd thing for the Lord to have placed on my heart. It had nothing to do with what I was feeling, nor did it answer my question, should I go to the Women’s Heart Call Conference. I was concerned about going because I knew no one, and I didn’t know the city.  I thought about the man on the rooftop so much, that I called a preacher in Alabama to ask him if he knew of a story in the bible about a man on a rooftop. I’m sure I caught him off guard because he said he couldn’t think of one, and I know that man knows the Bible well.

When I got off the phone, I prayed again, “God why are you talking to me about this man on the rooftop? I'm asking you if it's too late for me to be used, and should I go to a conference, and all I can think about is a man on a rooftop."  

I got up and reached for my Bible and when I opened it there it was-Peter was up on the rooftop asleep and he dreamed that he was being told to eat certain animals, and he was refusing because they were considered unclean. Peter was taught in this dream not to call anything unclean that God had cleansed.  When he woke up God told Peter that men were coming to get him and he should go. The story goes on to tell how Peter went into the house of Cornelius and he and his entire household were saved.

God, told Peter to go, so I decided that I too would go. I packed my clothes that night and left the early the next morning. I was the last person to arrive and I still had to register. I slipped in and sat on the back row. I didn’t know ONE person. Although it was a women’s conference, a man walked up to the podium to welcome everyone and to kick start the conference. The first thing out of his mouth was “What about ole Peter up on the roof-top-Had it not been for his obedience Cornelius and His family would never have been saved.” I immediately began to cry. I knew that God had sent me. I knew that I was in God’s presence and the feeling was so overwhelming and welcomed.

After the gentleman finished, I went to register and a woman walked up to introduce herself. She asked if I had a place to stay, and I told her no, that I would check hotels on the next break. She said, "you’re welcome to stay with me." I thought that she was just offering so she didn’t have to pay for the entire room, so I replied sure.  When we got back to the room, I started to pay her for my part and she informed me that there was no charge. She was the main speaker for the conference and she wasn’t charged anything for the room. I almost started crying again, but I held my composure, but I knew that God once again had arranged this for me.  

Her name was Susan and she was beautiful. She was an author and speaker, and everything that I desired to be, but was not. I soaked up everything she did and said because I knew that the Lord had preordained it. After she shared with me, I opened up to her that I had always felt that God would use me to help hurting women. But now I was afraid that I  would miss what God had for me. I explained to her about the divorce and the shape that it left me in, and about how my second marriage consisted of a dysfunctional family that I wasn't fully aware of. I shared how I was so empty.

To make a very long story shorter, by the end of the conference, she looked at me and said, “Glenda, you can do something that I can’t do. You can open up and share what’s in your heart. She said all you have to do is continue doing exactly what you're doing now. Let God fill you up, and then pour it out!" Then one day you’re going to be in heaven and see tons of women standing behind you and when you ask who they are God is going to say that they’re women that you helped to make it home.”

I was walking in paradise for those few days because there was a hope stirring up within me, a hope that I had not felt in a long time. It was the hope that God could still use me. It was a precious jewel that I found in a very difficult time in my life. It carried me through some rough patches just knowing that God had not forgotten me. To this day, it is a still a reminder how God went out of His way to make me feel loved and special at a time when I felt unlovable.

All of us at one time or another will walk through a valley. Sometimes due to circumstances of our own, and sometimes we don’t know how we get there. We’ll face things that make us feel empty, and we’ll ask questions that normally we wouldn’t ask. Regardless of why we’re there God has not forgotten us, and most importantly He still loves us. He will always place a precious jewel to be found even in the midst of our most difficult days.

Here’s to Jewels waiting to be found!

Glenda J.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE

I love to go to weddings. The bride is always beautiful and adorned in her best. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an ugly bride. They are usually at perfection. Of course, they’re not perfect, but perfection yes. The hair is at its best looking as if it’s sculptured. The gown is a statement of adornment lined with jewels and lace, and for the final touch pearls or diamonds complete the picture. All this together makes a moment of perfection when the wedding march is played.

I watched yesterday as Jonathon, Mary’s son was married. It was a moment of perfection. Mary was running around trying to see that everything was in place. It was obvious that she had already prepared herself because she was beautiful. And now it was time to set the scene in place so that Jonathon could have the day that he had been longing for, and the day that Mary had prayed would come to pass for her son. “Lord, if it's your will, send my son a help mate.” Many the times she and I have had this conversation. And so he did! His bride came through the door and she was beautiful. She was a princess walking down to meet her prince. I watched him as he kept looking with anticipation for those doors to swing open and present his bride. There was a look of love that I will never forget.

The Bible teaches that you and I are the Bride of Christ and that one day the trumpet is going to sound and we are going to meet him. He waits with anticipation for the clouds to roll back and present His glorious bride. Every day we should be adorning ourselves getting ready for the coming of our groom.

I don’t know about you, but I want to look my best. I don’t worry so much about the outward appearance because I think we’re all beautiful in His sight, but I want my inner beauty to be, at perfection. Again, I say, not perfect, but perfection. Jesus said there is no one perfect but God. I want to be like Mary was yesterday. I want to be prepared and spending my time making certain that others are ready. Making certain they have on their wedding clothes, and they know to listen for the wedding sound.

When we become saved we put on our wedding garment, (He covers us with His blood) and as we grow we adorn ourselves with many other things. I want my gown to be adorned with ribbons of Love, Grace, Forgiveness, Patience, Virtue, Honesty, Truth, Sacrifice and Faith. I want to have laid aside anything of the flesh. I want to have a crown of jewels from having won souls for the Lord. I want my wedding gown to be long covering my running shoes from having run a good race for the Lord. Then when I get home I’ll slip on the pair that He’s prepared for me to rest and worship in.

Here’s’ to trading in our running shoes!
Glenda J.

IN TIMES LIKE THESE

IN TIMES LIKE THESE

  

If ever there was a time we needed deliverance for a generation Lord it’s now. I believe with all my heart we are walking in the last days nearing the end times.

It breaks my heart to see the condition of our nation.  To watch it crumbling as we chip away piece by piece of the foundation we were built upon.

A nation created and founded upon the principals of God, no longer value and respect what it once proudly stood for. Men and women have fought and given their lives for freedoms that we now take so lightly. No longer do we value prayer in our schools. No longer do we value the privilege of Pledging Allegiance to the Land that we call home. Parents are worried about sending their kids to school due to shootings being on the rise.   Never would I have dreamed that in America you would be shot in the head for claiming to be a Christian.

My heart is saddened over the children that come from broken homes only to be lost in a broken world.  They’re in a never -ending circle of going nowhere. What will life be like for our next generation at the rate we’re going?

When is America going to wake up and start electing representatives that will support a school system that will support education and invest into these lives?

 When are we going to learn that to build anything we must establish it on a strong foundation based upon God: To build on anything else is foolish? We are going to have to put prayer back into our Schools and put hope back into the lives of these children. They need to know that nothing is too hard for God. and He can change their circumstances of poverty, abuse, bullying, or whatever it is that causes them to be broken and turn to guns.

Our nation is broken and it’s “In Times Like These,” that we need a Savoir to heal us. 

May God see our tears and hear our cries.

Glenda J

LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND

Have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever been in so much pain that your mind shuts down, and you have no memory of time? Have you ever been told that you’re worthless and you don’t deserve to live?  If you have then you have walked in my shoes!

 The day I was raped changed my life forever.  The enemy walked into my room to destroy me. He came in with a vengeance. I knew that I was going to die. It might not be physically, but spiritually, I was going to be a dead woman.

 I knew that because I was just barely holding on as it was. My divorce had left me empty and convinced that my spiritual life was over. God had NOTHING for me to do!

I want you to understand that this was not a man walking into my room to threaten me. This was the Enemy in flesh form who walked into my house to destroy me. He threated my life physically, and of course, that terrified me more than you will ever know. But what left me with the most damage was the way that he degraded me as a person by telling me that I was not worthy to live.

 I was made to feel worthless. The bible says that Satan walks to and fro seeking whom he may devour and that day he chose me. I wish that I could explain this kind of pain in a way that you could fully understand its depth, but I can’t. There are just not enough words to describe it. It's not that I want you to feel that kind of pain, but I want you to understand the depth that God reached through to heal me.  The enemy came in; he stripped me down to nothing physically and mentally. He burned every thought I had of being used by the Lord and then walked out leaving me in the flames to die in my ashes.

  

I’ve often wondered why me? It wasn’t like I was a spiritual fireball for God, but rather, Spiritually, I was just barely holding on. Why would he feel the need to completely destroy me?

I may never fully understand, but what I have understood, is that I’m not the only woman who has been broken, nor will I be the last. As a Case Manager, I see women on a daily basis who are broken and lying in their ashes. They may not have suffered rape, but they have suffered something else at the hands of the enemy.

These are women that are being burned by addictions, divorce, adultery, pornography, finances, abandonment, disease and losing a loved one through betrayal. It doesn’t matter the avenue of the pain, but the source is all the same, it comes from the enemy to rob us from living a peaceful and joyous life. It holds us back from being able to shine to others showing them the way because we’re too bent over in our own pain making shadows that we can’t create light.

 I’ve watched as a mother was told her child was dying from a drug overdose- I’ve listened as a woman screamed that she wanted to die after having cut herself over and over-I’ve seen women beaten and battered- heard them cry that no one cares and seen them begging for help to find shelter for the night. I’ve watched them hold their children knowing they have nowhere to sleep.

There is no way to fully describe, or prepare for this kind of pain.There are certain things that happen to us that we never completely get over, but with God’s help we can heal and learn to cope with it.  Once again, we can be happy and live fulfilled lives, but we have to learn new coping skills and be prepared for the days when our mind tries to allow the past to sneak back in robbing us of our joy for today. 

    

I couldn’t imagine feeling normal or being happy again after I was raped.  I certainly couldn’t see myself looking forward to the future. I would try to see myself feeling better, but I just couldn’t. It wasn’t within my means to do so.  

I am in no way fully healed, but I have progressed so much, and I’m so thankful for it. I didn’t get here overnight, but I got here. The message to be learned in this is that it doesn’t matter how broken we are or how we got there, God knows exactly where we’re at and how to heal us.

   Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The enemy thought he had a sheep ready for the slaughter (to be destroyed). But there is NOTHING that could separate me from God’s love, not even the principality of darkness.  You can trust this promise. We may go through things that cause us to suffer and to break, but we don’t have to be destroyed by it, God can heal our broken hearts.

Here’s to Hearts Mending,

Glenda J.  

FOOTPRINTS TO THE CROSS

Christian:  Having a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ: Presenting ourselves in the same manner after His image.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what it means to call ourselves a Christian. We’re not only saying that we believe in Jesus, but we're saying we have accepted to 'follow" Him. We're taking on His character in becoming Christ-like. 

I wonder if each of us was given a report card, or a yearly review, how we would measure up against what the definition of our title (our position in Christ) stands for? James 2: 6 teaches, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Let’s take a look at the footprints of Jesus to see if we too are leaving the same imprints in the lives of others.

• Jesus said, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must say no to himself. He must pick up his cross and follow me. If he wants to save his life, he will lose it. But if he loses his life for me, he will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
• To each of His disciples Jesus said: Follow me and I will teach you to become fishers of me.
• Jesus asked three times: Do You Love Me? Then feed my sheep.
• He taught us to treat others, as we desire to be treated.
• He said ‘judge not lest you be judged”
• He said to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit….
• He said to love one another, as He loved us so that others will know that we’re his disciples.
• He taught us to bring our offerings into his storehouse by at least a tenth, and not to store treasures up here where moth and rust will destroy.
• We are to visit the orphans and the widows in their afflictions
• We are to pray without ceasing
• Give and it shall be given unto you.
• Have faith without wavering
• We were lead by example in clothing and feeding the poor
• Harvest is plentiful and laborers are few/ Pray that workers will be sent into the field
• We are the salt of the world

I know that we will never be perfect and certain areas of our lives will always stand in need of improvement, which comes from being human. But our goal should always be to try and live as close to the cross as we can. We are to be a light upon a hill so that others can find their way to Jesus. I feel that too many people are staying in the darkness because our lights as Christians are growing dim.

We’re being silent when we need to speak, and we’re sitting down sometimes when we need to stand. We’re forgetting what it’s like to be the Good Samaritan and we’re walking on by saying the next person can help.

I don’t know about you but I would have a few grades that I wouldn’t be that proud of, but the good part about being given another day, is that we have another chance to get it right. We have another chance to walk and leave the imprints of love helping someone else to get home.

Jesus said if the salt loses it's salty taste, it's good for nothing but to be thrown out, and what good is a light if you hide it under a bowl keeping it from shining. Let’s make today count. Go out and leave some footprints in the life of someone else leading them to Christ.

Here’s to leaving footprints to the cross,

Glenda J.

MISSING PIECES

If you’ve ever tried putting a puzzle together then you know what it’s like to search for the exact piece needed to complete a section or to complete the puzzle. You know that without it, the picture will never achieve the full effect. Our lives are like a puzzle. Only God knows what the exact picture looks like. He has designed it from beginning to end. He knows the exact pieces that we need and the exact time we need them. It’s the same as putting a puzzle together, the more pieces it contains; the longer it takes to find them all.

God has a master plan for all of us, a masterpiece to be created. Some of the pieces are already in place while others are yet to be obtained. I know that God is calling me to work for Him, and I know that in certain areas of my life I have some missing pieces. Have you ever noticed that regardless of the number of pieces in a puzzle they’re all the same size? One piece is just as important as the next, because, without it, the end product is not the same. It is so disappointing to get to the very last piece of the puzzle and not have it. You can’t see the beauty of your work for the empty hole that is left. In my life,

I have some missing pieces that I know are important. They’re as important as those I’ve been able to use. It’s not hard for me to love people. To me, love and forgiveness come easy. I have always been able to forgive those that have hurt me, and to love the unlovable. If it were possible to lay out the pieces I have in my life love and forgiveness would be among them. Certainly they fit together, but to complete the full picture it requires pieces of Faith, Hope, Confidence, Compassion, etc. 

I have searched for one of my missing pieces for a long time. I have looked for confidence everywhere, and I can’t seem to find it. Without confidence, I can’t use the piece obedience because it keeps holding me back. Obedience will not fit until you’re confident to believe that you’re enough. I have faith to believe that God can do anything until it comes to doing it through me, and then I begin to doubt.    

I compare myself to others way too much. I need to stop and realize that whatever God is calling me to; He will equip me to do it. He won’t let me get to the last piece only to realize that I don’t have it. He doesn’t start something in our lives without making all the pieces available. . It is possible for us to complete what God calls us to do.

     And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Phillippians 1:6

                                                              

I’m sure each of us has our struggles with the missing pieces in our lives. You may have a world of confidence, but find it difficult to forgive or love. You can love your family and friends, but it's harder for you to love the unlovable. Each day we work hard at using what we have to achieve what God is calling us to do. God has called me to be an encourager to others in a world of hopelessness. I know without a doubt that He is the answer to bringing them HOPE, but I struggle with the fact that I am capable of being used to make a difference.

The enemy knows what our missing pieces are. He understands our weakest links, and how to detour us from finding them. I hope that if I continue making the effort to what He’s calling me to do, that one day I will no longer struggle with confidence. I'm thankful that God is continually showing me His grace and strengthening me to do His will.

Here's to finding missing pieces!

Glenda J.

PRIMA BALLERINA

To become a ballerina, you must start young. You are taught the importance of hard work and discipline. You learn the basics of proper attire, diet, exercise, and sleep. As part of their training, they must learn to stand on the tips of their toes,  while leaping, and turning, and always maintaining their balance.  The goal of a ballerina is to dance for a professional Ballot Company and become a  Prima Ballerina. (solo featured artist) This status takes years of hard work and determination and requires a great love for dancing. 

As women of God, we are a lot like this. Our love for the Lord stretches us. It causes us to strive to be our best. (Prima ballerina)  We desire to reach a level that we can still maintain our balance even in the midst of storms. We too have many disciplines that we have to learn.  We start with the basics of how to become a Christain, and the importance of reading God’s word. As we read, we begin to learn and grow. We have to learn to stand on the tips of our toes to always be on guard for the enemy.  We too have to leap out in faith at times and make quick turns when we realize we're headed in the wrong direction, and through it all we have to keep our balance.   

Every day is a practice run.  However we did today, we want to do better tomorrow. We want to be a successful wife, mother, friend, worker, teacher, and etc. We too are part of a company of women who are striving for the same things. Too often, we compare ourselves to other women. They look like a Prima Ballerina to us. They appear to have everything all together. They jump through loops of fire and never burn their tutu, and they always land on their toes. We look at ourselves and we don’t feel we can walk across the floor without breaking a leg. 

It’s true that certain women have achieved a different level of maturity in their walk with the Lord. But trust me it’s not been without hard work, and many tears. Regardless of the level, these women are always learning. When they learn to dance in one type of storm,  the music changes, and they’re presented with another.  One day, we will stand before the Lord and the desire of all women will be the same - to be a PRIMA BALLERINA for Him.

Here's to Dancing for Him,

Glenda J.