ABANDONED and AFRAID

ABANDONED, ALONE, AFRAID

but NOT FORSAKEN

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

GOD PROMISES to never leave us or forsake us. This promise is golden. Circumstances may defeat us. People may betray us. Conflict may depress us. God says He is here for us. We can count on Him. It's true. God is our rock in times of trouble. He doesn't abandon us.

WHEN YOU are abandoned, you can feel all alone. Fear, worry, and pain make it difficult to move forward. The isolation one feels is overpowering. God says, "I'm here. Let me help you. Give it to me. Trust me with it." You wonder how to do that. You picture your hand in His.

I WAS ABANDONED by my mate more than once. The pain went deep. My babies were hurting. Most people didn't know how to help us, though they tried. I needed God so very desperately. Knowing He was there and wouldn't forsake me gave me great comfort. I clung to Him. He said, "Trust me."

I LEARNED to trust God with the many difficulties that come when you are left and alone. When I'd been abandoned, it was with no knowledge of my mate's whereabouts. My life collapsed. I had to make a new path. I sought God every day for the strength I needed. I prayed and read His Word.

GOD MET ME where I was at. He heard my cries. He ministered to me in the deep places of the heart. He helped me find work, take care of the kids, and get a handle on things. It was harder than I can put into words. God became my 'enough' to make it to the other side. God carried me through. I am so thankful.

TGBTG

NEVER GIVE UP

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

I read her Facebook comment. She'd shared a book about abuse to help her relative. It hadn't opened up a dialogue like she'd wished. In fact, it seemed to have shut the door between them. Had it been worth it, she wondered.

You can't force people to be open.

You can't make someone change no matter how much you want them to. You can't make someone care, acknowledge the issue, or consider what matters to you.

Is it worth it? I think so.

A seed is sown. It grows. It flowers. It produces fruit. God brings the increase. Some things take much time. The other person may find it difficult to express his feelings. He may be worried, scared, or in denial.

Here is where grace comes in.

Extend grace with patience. You open the door. Give it time to settle in. Let God nurture it. Pray, pray, and pray with an open heart. Trust, trust, and trust some more. God's answers almost always play out over months and years, not days.

God makes a way.

Bless her for caring enough to engage in sensitive issues, for being brave. She is an example to us. We all have a voice at the table. We should be wise and loving as we use it. God helps us keep in balance. 

Trust in God's wisdom and grace, and His impeccable timing. We do our part; God does His part; we're in this together.

TGBTG*

LIFE BALANCE: Thoughts for Today

~THOUGHTS~

GOD
God lifts me up when I am down,
  holds my hand when I am weak,
    and shelters me when I am afraid.

MEMORIES
Sunday I went to church with my Dad at the retirement home. The pianist played "His eye is on the Sparrow" for the offertory. It's a beautiful old song. How lovely to be like the sparrow. "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me."

LIFE
Be gracious. Be loving. Be kind. Allow your life to minister to others.
Be strong. Be brave. Be resolute. Allow your life to find its strength.
Be aware. Be honest. Be authentic. Allow your life to speak its truth to all you meet.

BALANCE
Spiritual life involves the heart, mind and soul. I suppose that is why scripture says to love God with heart, mind and soul. Doing so initiates and keeps in balance the purity and energy of the Christ life. The mind is often the emphasis, but it is incomplete without the heart.

JOY
Do you ever have feelings of goodness well up in you? I love it when that happens. I could call it, spontaneous joy. While I drive country roads--pass acres of farmland, notice native oaks and plants, view the Western, Eastern, and Sutter Butte mountain ranges--happiness stirs in me.

MOTHER
My mother taught me how--
-to cook, can, clean, and sew,
-to play and appreciate music,
-to take good care of my things,
-to do and be my best,
-to be kind,
-to be courteous and respectful,
-to know about God and to pray,
-to be helpful,
-to serve,
My mother taught by example.

ALIVE in the SPIRIT

I am thinking, praying, reading, listening, asking, seeking, revisiting things of God.

A few minutes ago I felt the intimacy of closeness with God while praying--like an insightful awareness of being extra alive in the Spirit, like of my prayer being active with feelings of freshness, not weariness or sleepiness. I've missed the sweet fellowship I used to have--the aliveness--the joy of my salvation.

Praise him! Thank you, Jesus.

Maybe the long night is done and morning is breaking. I just read in the Book of Numbers how the children of Israel uprooted at a moments notice, then landed for a night, month, year--until God moved them to their next destination.

The 'not knowing' when they would pack up and go had to be hard on them. The Israelites learned to lean on God, to trust and obey him. The same is true of us. We get discouraged or impatient, fearful and unsettled. Then God says, "I got this," and he does.

God constantly shows us that he is in charge, not us. Each of us must learn to trust God for the journey--and all will be well according to his plan. We wait on God, trust in God, and believe in God. Our hope is in God.

Our faith is being developed. God's ever-present grace breezes throughout the events of the day, be they tumultuous or peaceful. God is here. He is alive and well. God sleepeth not. Thankful am I for his re-assurance to me. Rich, indeed, is God's divine presence. Dependent am I on his everlasting love.