No Prissy Shoes: Archive Posts

VICTORS!
Posted by Linda on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:36am
I have never been a fan of sneakers. They don't come in the right colors and the laces are not at all feminine. So don't expect to see me in gym shoes unless you go power walking with me. I'm much happier in my pink "fru-fru" flats. Honestly, I would love it if I could wear my "prissy" shoes for my whole life's journey. But those shoes require sunny days and smoothly paved roads - no stones, cracks or muddy places to manuever. Real life is rarely like that, as you have found out. Right now, your life-road includes some type of trecherous uphill climb, and a few hairpin turns which are hard to navigate. You feel like you are in a wilderness. The good news is found in Deuteronomy 29:5, which says: "And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet." When life throws us a detour, we must trust God to take off our prissy shoes (no matter how rugged they may be), and replace them with His strong, spiritual shoes which won't wear out on us. He has always been good at doing that. But here is the very best part about these choice shoes - they are overcoming, victorious shoes. And guess what the Greek translation of the words "overcomer, victorious, and victory" is....n-i-k-e, or a version of it! (See italicized words in verse below). So don't forget your spiritual hightops on your wilderness roads. Shod in His "nikes", we will have the overcoming victory every step of the way! THOUGHT: Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different." Sarah Young THANKSGIVING: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in and relies on that fact?} (Amplified Bible) I John 5:4,5 God's sovereignty, our perspective
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WHOSE shoulders?
Posted by Linda on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:00am
Well, I've gotten caught! I haven't written a blog post for four months, and I thought I could do four today and post them for the last four months...but I can't! Bummer! SO, pretend that this is my January post! haha The fact that I have been so remiss with this has stressed me out. So... let's talk about stress. Everyone carries it in different ways. We try to fool ourselves into believing that we are calm, that we lug around no baggage, but our bodies reveal the truth. I carry my stress in my neck and shoulders (just ask my chiropractor). A very familiar verse has taken on new meaning as I feel my to-do list piling unwanted bricks on my back. The verse is Isaiah 9:6, which says, "and the government will be upon His shoulder". HIS shoulders...NOT mine! The government of what? The government of the world, of each of our lives, of....Me! He thinks he is in control of my life...and that means that I am not. My shoulders do not have to be burdened and tense as I travel my day-to-day road. He wants to take my stress on His shoulders. What a relief! And it is a truth that can be received over and over again - whenever it is needed. So, whatever your burdens are today - biopsies, radiation, surgery...give them to Jesus. His shoulders are so much broader than ours, and capable of handling our weary loads. Doesn't that feel better? THOUGHT: "Trust is like a staff you can lean on as you journey uphill with Me. If you trust in Me consistently, the staff will bear as much of your weight as needed." Sarah Young THANKSGIVING: "In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me." Jonah 2:2 (NIV) TIP: Wear a sweater or bed jacket to bed. Cold shoulders also can get tense and tight. Comfort, confidence and trust
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Keep your SPOT!
Posted by Linda on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 7:34am
I took ballet lessons when I was young. I wasn't very good. I never could perfect the concept of "spotting" when I tried to twirl. Bringing my eyes back to one specific place as I spun around was never easy for me. What was true in ballet is even more apparent in my everyday life. I can get weak-in-the-knees from my whirling around (especially this time of year!) because I forget to keep my eyes focused on one location. That "spot" is God's Presence. Oh yes, I start out my day concentrated on Him, but I develop Attention Deficit Disorder as my sunrise-to-sunset progresses! It is only when I am totally woozy from over-activity that I reflect and remember my Center. So, if your day is quickly spinning out of control, and you have entirely lost your balance, return your eyes to the Lord - your Focal Point for stability. HE will help you catch your breath, re-orient your eyes and regain your footing. He'll never get tired of restoring your equilibrium. Just set your sights on Him again and again. He'll keep you from falling even when your world is frantically spinning around you! And remember - "practice makes perfect!" Don't give up! The more you do it, the more natural it will become! "Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God." Psalm 42:5 The Message "People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on GOD and keep at it because in the LORD GOD you have a sure thing." Isaiah 26:3,4 The Message THOUGHT: How awesome to have an Unchanging God when our life and mood can change so quickly! THANKSGIVING: "They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for 'God is with us')." Matthew 1:23 The Message (italics mine) TIP: Take breaks in your day, even for just 15 minutes. Relax with your feet up and thoughts up - to JESUS! Then find how refreshed you feel! Comfort, confidence and trust
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HE CARES
Posted by Linda on Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 2:09pm
Everything has changed for you since your breast cancer diagnosis. You are bombarded with information you never wanted to know; compelled to have tests you never asked for. It feels like nothing in your life is the same, but you are wrong, for God hasn't changed one iota. He remains constant, when all else is falling apart. He has seen His people in trouble before, and He sees you now. But even better, He longs to help you. He has infinite power, irrepressible peace and miraculous wonders He would love to do in your life, if you will only trust Him to be the God of your breast cancer journey. Even in the midst of your hard circumstances, He wants you to know that He is with you, and he is not empty-handed. It is His character to bring blessings during the hard times, and He is just waiting to do that for you. He sees your plight; He hears your cries; He knows your fears, and He has come down to help you. As He has always been, He remains - Immanuel, God-with-us. So let Him comfort, counsel and guide you as you travel this sometimes steep road called the breast cancer journey. He cares more that you will ever know. THOUGHT: The same God who made the desert also brings deliverance from it. THANKSGIVING: And the Lord said,"I have surely seen the affliction of (your name) in (your location), and I have heard your cry because of (your particular breast cancer); for I know your sorrows and sufferings and trials. And I have come down to deliver you out of the hand and power of (your breast cancer) and to bring you up out of that land to a land good and large, a land of plenty." Exodus 3: 7, 8 Amplified Bible (paraphrase mine) TIP: Take small snacks with you when you go for your chemotherapy treatments, (peanut butter crackers, yogurt, orange quarters). You never know when something salty or sweet will taste good to you! God's love
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NO MATTER WHAT
Posted by Linda on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 8:45am
Breast cancer - the disease that every woman dreads. It affects one out of every seven women, and you are that one woman. Your world is shaken since your diagnosis. Despair is the overwhelming emotion you are feeling right now. The reports from doctors are breaking like waves over your head and you can't catch your breath. You feel alone and abandoned even as you rush for mammograms or biopsies; chemotherapy or radiation. But you are not alone. God knows right where you are, and He longs to accompany you on this hard journey. So run for your very life to God! Traverse all the emotions of this difficult journey holding on to the hand of the One who knows how life can change in a day. Trust your journey to the One who knows its beginning and end. He'll guide you over every steep cliff and slippery ravine, and He'll give you just the shoes you need for that day's trek. No matter what. THOUGHT: The question is not if God will prove Himself faithful to you, but how. THANKSGIVING: "We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us." Hebrews 6:19, 20 (The Message) "Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message) TIP: The first few days of each chemotherapy, let friends bring you easily digested, comfort food to calm your queasy stomach. God's love
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