This too shall pass, maybe like a kidney stone, but it will pass…..

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

March is here, y’all! With that, Shannon over at Sweet Blessings has another precious scripture writing plan. March’s writing plan is about Grace.

a-grace-scripture-writing-plan-english Just thinking about grace made me think how much the Lord blesses us. A couple of weeks ago, I had some kidney stones or 3. Then, my Daddy had a spell with his heart, that put him in the hospital for a few days. Kidney stone pain & worrying about your Daddy pain can be pretty rough. And I know you are wondering how the Lord is blessing us with all of that. Well, with my Daddy’s heart problems we found out it was a warning. It was the calm before the storm. The doctor said it was just a precursor to a major stroke. However, since he had this set back, it got his attention to pay better mind to what he has going on. Because it is serious! He’s made some changes & is on the road to recovery. We are so grateful & thankful the Lord has given us the chance to get back on the right path health wise. I have to remember when I have trials, there have been so many good things that have happened in my life. We have to take the bad with the good.

Job 2:10 …Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (NKJV)

The Lord has always been in the second chance business. But more so than not, with the gospel. We had a teenager obey the gospel & be baptized Sunday night at church. It just made my heart happy for this young boy. He will never know more peace & contentment than he will know with the Lord. The Lord gives us lots of chances to get our hearts right. He listens to our prayers. He is with us during pain & when we need comfort. Things can sometimes seem hopeless, however, nothing in life is permanent. Just know, no matter what is going on in your life, it’s going to pass. If you have fallen on hard times & want to give up, don’t. Always know, if you are praying, God’s working on it.

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (NKJV)

It’s going to pass. If things are going good & nothing but rainbows & fluffy clouds are hanging around you. Enjoy it. It will pass, too. Just know no matter how bad things may seem, the Lord always comes in offers you a way to deal with it.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV)

I leave you with this:

No matter what, this too shall pass. Perhaps like a kidney stone, but it will pass.
Be on guard. You never know what direction the devil is going to come at you next.
Trust God. No excuses. Just do that for me. Pretty please? You will be so glad you did.

So, the weather has had a mind of it’s own, obviously. Here in northeast Mississippi, it’s been 75 degrees, then 40 degrees, then raining & humid, then freezing, then 70 degrees again. All in one week. If we could have some winter weather, that would be appreciated, thank you very much. But oh well, we’ve about run out of time. Because it will be hotter than blue blazes again before you know it. Hope y’all are staying warm. Or cool, or what ever it is during a day’s time. Until next time, I should be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Don’t you just hate it when this happens?

The time I thought God was missing

February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

January is just a fleeting thought. And Lord have mercy the weather has been crazy. 70 degrees one day then, not too many days later in the 30s. No wonder we’ve had tornadoes all around us. January is also one of the most depressing months of the year. It’s no wonder we get to questioning all kinds of things in our lives. Which brings me to this:

Do you sometime wonder where God is? I’m not talking about where His spiritual being is. I’m talking about why am I going through such a hard time? Why is God letting this happen to me? Me, of all people? Dog gone it, haven’t I sat in the same spot, at church, for years, visited my elderly neighbors, gave my grandkids money to put in the plate every Sunday, and sung more Sunday school songs with the 1^st and 2^nd graders until they roll their eyes & say,

“Can we do something else?”

No. You can sing “Jesus Loves Me” until it’s so deep down in your heart nobody could snatch it out. Because that’s what a God fearing person does. So, where is God, when I need Him? Did He take a break? Did He say He needed a day off from my issues? Should I put out the word that “God is missing”? I bet the apostle Peter had some of the same exact feelings in Acts 12.

Peter certainly was in a predicament. One of his very best friends had just been killed (v. 2) And now the king was coming after him. He was thrown in prison & things looked pretty hopeless. The Bible doesn’t say what Peter was thinking, but I betcha he was wondering where God was. But you know what the good news is? God was right there. Working behind the scenes to help Peter and deliver him out of death. Things weren’t looking too great for Peter, since not only did Herod put one set of soldiers to guard him. He put 4. Peter was basically just sitting in jail, waiting to die. However, that’s not where Peter stayed. The Lord sent an angel to rescue him.

If you search the scriptures, no where will you find the Lord promising an easy passage. He does not offer a life free of problems or pain. We live in the world, y’all. As long as we are in the world, we are not exempt from sufferings & heartache. The good news is that we have an awesome God to turn to. He is the great comforter. He is the One that is going to take care of us. And just like He did for Peter, He delivers us in our times of trouble.

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (NKJV)

Matthew 5: 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (NKJV)

Thank heavens the Lord will not give us more than we can handle. Many times we get more than we WANT to handle. But the Lord is faithful to his promises.

So just know & remember how great our God is & how much He really does care for you. No matter the situation, He will provide all we need. God’s never missing. He’s just not always where I think He should be. I have to remember to just pray. Relentlessly, sometimes. And be still & know He is God & will take care of everything, In. His.Time. These are the times I have to go back to my one word for the year, “Trust”. God is always there. Always working for our good.

I’m so happy you came by to visit with me today. I have been enjoying the cooler weather. I’ve also been trying to eat a little better. Which I am using “trying” loosely, because LORD HAVE MERCY I do love to eat. I hope you have are having a wonderful week. Until next time I will be going because I should be washing clothes.

When you want service station fried chicken & jojo potatoes, but your jeans say, “For the love of Pete, lady, have a salad.” I hate those jeans.

When you want to bring juice boxes and cookies for snack after the 6 year olds get finished playing ball. But then realize you can't because SHE'S IN JUNIOR HIGH ALREADY.

When you want to bring juice boxes and cookies for snack after the 2nd graders get finished playing basketball. But then realize you can’t because SHE’S IN JUNIOR HIGH ALREADY.

photo creds: http://www.crosscards.com, Calvin & Hobbes

Why we have pain & suffering & yes, I’m a band wagoner

November 12, 2014November 11, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Do you ever ponder the question why? Why do we have pain & suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are there starving people? If God is all He says He is, then why do all these terrible things exist? I think I found out.

This morning, I was listening to Matthew 26 & 27, on the way to work. The scripture was at the point where Jesus was prepping his disciples of what is fixing to happen to Him. Jesus was getting ready to suffer beyond belief. Not only was He going to be crucified on a cross for our sins, His very best friends in the world, were one by one turning their backs on Him. Judas betrayed Him. (Matt. 26:25) Peter denied Him. (Matt. 26:74)

The other disciples ran off & left Him.

Matthew 26:56 ….. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

And now, He was being hung on a cross. Jesus begged God to rethink His plan. But, ended up praying

Matthew 26:42 ….“O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”(NKJV)

I think I’ve got problems. My problems will never match up to what Jesus had going on. I haven’t ever been treated the way Christ was. So, I start to ask myself

“Where was God?”

Why did He let this awful thing happen to His own Son? It was God’s plan to save mankind. He knew what He was doing. Why does God allow bad things happen in the world? It’s in His plan. Job said in

Job 2:10 Shall we indeed accept good from God & shall we not accept adversity?(NKJV)

We are so willing to take all the goodness God gives. However, just can’t understand when bad things come our way. God gave His only Son for our sins. He let Jesus go through some awful things. Remember that then next time you ask God, “Why me?” Why not you? He crucified His own Son for our own good. He may let some less than pleasing things happen to us, for our greater good. It’s all in His plan. He has promised He will never allow satan to tempt us over & beyond what we are able to handle. The apostle Paul wrote in

I Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We have to trust in God to take care of us. Even in the worst times, we have to have enough faith to say, “I have some big problems, but I have a really big God that’s going to see me through it.” Always remember, God promised us a safe landing, not an easy passage. He allowed His own Son to die on a cross. I am fairly certain that turned out pretty good for me & you, huh? That was God’s plan. We just have to trust Him. He’s got this.

I hope you have had a good week. We had a wonderful time with my family in Oxford, Mississippi, this past weekend. We may or may not have had the biggest tailgating tent at the entire Ole Miss campus. Just sayin’, it was pretty fabulous. Normally, I could care less who is playing ball. But this year, yep, I’m on the band wagon! :)I love being with my family. I got home just in time to be with more of my family. This grandparent gig we have going on is the cat’s pajamas. We play all day & it’s a good thing. I always get a wonderful night’s sleep on Sunday. (Not that it has to do with all the running around those kids have me doing.) Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.