My Thoughts and Prayers Go Out To Fort Hood

What a tragedy yesterday at Fort Hood. It seemed like a nightmare while I was watching the news updates. We need to pray for these families involved and for ALL our men and women serving in the military! These are some very tough times for them.

Some Precious Memories Being Made

I am so thankful God has blessed my husband and I with four precious little ladies! They are such a blessing!!!

Yet I Will Praise Him

Psalms 42:11 "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Do you ever feel discouraged? Do you ever feel like God has forgotten you? Do you ever feel like God is far from you? Ladies, during those times, we must say "...for I shall yet praise Him."

We must remember that God is ALWAYS near. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Hebrews 13:5b "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Do you ever feel drowned by the circumstances that are taking place? I love this verse in Psalm 42:7-8 "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life." Ladies, when we get to feeling drowned by our circumstances, keep in mind that they are HIS waves and billows. There's a little saying that goes "We can either go through them, or we can GROW through them."


As we look around, there are so many people carrying some pretty heavy burdens:

- loss of jobs BUT if that be the case we should still be able to say "Yet I will praise Him"

- loss of health BUT if that be the case we should still be able to say "Yet I will praise Him"

- loss of a loved one BUT if that be the case we should still be able to say "Yet I will praise Him"

- loss of a spouse through seperation/divorcement BUT if that be the case we should still be able to say "Yet I will praise Him"

- loss of (what have you lost?) BUT we should still be able to say "Yet I will praise Him"

For some reason that little thought just has been with me here lately....no matter what....YET I WILL PRAISE HIM!!!!!!

No matter what may be going on we can still and should PRAISE HIM! He is so worthy of our praise! So if you're discouraged--like I sometimes am! If you feel like God has forgotten you---like I sometimes feel! ... say to yourself as in Psalms 42:11 "...YET I WILL PRAISE HIM!" AND remember, GOD is with us every step of the way. He is our UNFAILING refuge in all the storms of life. Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

The Unseen Guest

Our youngest daughter has been having some interesting 'conversations' with some unseen guest--her make believe friends! She is so cute and SO serious when she's in the middle of one of those conversations...UNTIL she realizes we are watching her.

The other day we were all sitting at the table eating, and she jumps up (like she's on a mission) and stands behind her chair. Her little hands were just a moving while she's talking with 'someone'! We all sat trying to act as though we were enjoying our food, yet trying our best to keep back the chuckles of laughter . Then the moment happens....she realizes she's got our attention. She'll hide her face and her unseen guest seem to disappear and her facial expression turns to embarrassment.

When my grandfather died last fall, as the family was sorting through their belongings, my mom grabbed a plague for me that no one else seemed to want. It reads:

Christ is the head of this house, the unseen GUEST at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation!

I have that plaque hanging in our dining room. Ladies, each day we have an unseen Guest in our homes -- the Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder how many of us (including myself) would hang our head and be filled with embarrassment if the unseen Guest did show up at our home? Now, I know He is with us, but we just can't see Him. Would we act different if we could visibly see Him? Though our 3 year old frequently has visits with an unseen guest...we have an unseen Guest who is with us 24/7! That's a good thing and can be a bad thing too if we aren't doing what HE would have us to do and say.

Many times we find comfort in knowing that He is with us even though we cannot see Him. He gives us a peace in our hearts that shows us HE IS NEAR! Then on the other hand, during those times we aren't what we should be, He will allow our hearts to become heavy and burdened with the sin we've allowed to come into our lives. That's when I am so thankful for I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

As we go along throughout each day, let's not forget the unseen Guest that's with us all along the way! And when we have those times where He convicts our hearts of our wrong doings, take the time to ask HIM to forgive us and we may even have to ask someone in our home to forgive us as well. Many times I've had to just sit the girls down and say, "You know mommy has NO excuse for how I just acted. I was wrong. Will you please forgive mommy? Will you pray for mommy that I'll handle situations as God would have me to?" I believe that does 2 things: it shows our children that parents do make mistakes and teaches them that there are times when we need to go to others to ask their forgiveness and not just to the Lord.

So don't forget the unseen Guest that is with us each day and in everything we do and say, may it be pleasing to Him---the Lord Jesus Christ!