"How many times have we heard people likening themselves to Job while they are in the midst of their suffering? Or maybe it was we who felt like Job when we found ourselves in a particular series of unfortunate events. Through the years we have honored Job for his strength and his ability to maintain his integrity. We quote him in our sermons, and we make reference to him in our teaching sessions on a regular basis. We magnify a portion of the story, but doing a study of the entire book of Job reveals some very interesting things. Job was stretched and pulled in various directions at the permission of the Lord, and the things he endured caused him to reach a place in God many people declare they have reached when in reality they have not.

One of the most difficult feelings for me to articulate is loss of control. The best way for me to make an attempt would be to liken it to driving a car. You are headed in one direction, fully persuaded you know where you are going and what will or will not happen once you get there. You have the map. You drive this road all the time. You know it like the back of your hand. But what happens when the unexpected comes? What happens when there is construction in the road for which a sign has not been posted? Or when there is a pothole up ahead that would be clearly visible to the alert driver but easily overlooked by the driver who “knows the road”?

We want to feel that we can maneuver things in our lives according to our desires. When the ability to do so seems to be gone, we don’t know what to do. Obviously, we have never told God we want to be in control, but reality is we live our lives as if we expect things to run according to our plans, and when the things we normally say and do begin to lose effectiveness, we find it difficult to cope. This way of thinking often applies to our own situations, but it can apply to our interactions with others as well. We expect to speak the words that will cause people to come leaping out of their situations, and if our words or declarations seem to be ineffective we don’t know what to do.

I discovered I had been in control of my life. I did and said things with the expectation it would cause the results I wanted. I knew if I did A and B, I would get C. So I continued this pattern. I repeated it in my marriage, raising my children, in ministry, and in my relationships. I was in control. Needless to say, the Lord was not happy with this! Do you know what He did? He threw a monkey wrench in the plan! All of a sudden, A and B produced G. So I said to myself, Maybe if I do B and then A, I’ll get C. Well, B and A then produced Z! I was totally confused. I was doing what I had always done. I was saying what I had always said. Just like Job, I had a routine....."

Want to read the rest? You have to wait for the book! Sorry....



Thena
 

Daddy, Mama and I

I don’t know if its age or what, but I have decided that carrying anything which is not absolutely necessary in order to make it to my next destination is out of the question. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being un-necessarily burdened down! And just the thought of losing weight causes the corners of my mouth to curl up into a smile. The very IDEA of being lighter on my feet gives me the ability to exhale! The pain of my past is not going to keep me in bondage. I have decided to continually remind myself of the good times.
Remembering good times always brings a smile to my face. Actually…it makes me laugh. You know, those deep belly laughs that cause tears to fill your eyes? Yeah, that kind of laugh! The crazy part is, some of the strangest memories bring me the most joy! I remember Sunday mornings, when my Dad would fry bacon and rush my brother and I off to Sunday School. (Daddy always made sure we were in church!) I remember Saturday morning cartoons and Daddy‘s terrible impressions of Yogi Bear! I remember cheerleading for my older brothers football team. I remember roasting hotdogs and marshmellows with my cousins and creating dance routines (Crisha was the worst of us all!). I remember playing Barbie dolls with my friends in Meadow Brook. I remember Tuesday and Thursday when my Dad would pick me up from school. He always hid surprises for me in his lunch box. (So that’s where that honey bun habit came from!) Yeah, I remember. And every single time I take a few moments to recollect those good times, the bad times drift further and further away.
As I am typing this, I am remembering more recent good times that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I have been blessed to know some wonderful people. I'm sure that by now you are remembering some good times of your own!  Remembering can be a wonderful experience when you choose to remember the good.


I  U!

Jethena
 

 
We often take inventory of our current state and begin making a list of "If she hadn't, I wouldn't have" and "If he didn't, I could have". Personally, I was hurt a lot in my childhood and young adult years; and I realize I could have  blamed a lot of people for a lot of things. I chose, however,  to take charge of my own life.
"Back in the day" should not dictate what your tomorrow will be. Don't allow people who probably don't even remember your name to cause you to lose sleep. Every time you close your eyes at night you say goodbye to spaces in time you will never have the privilige of seeing again. Allow the bad memories to die with the close of each day.
I remember praying about a situation and telling God I didn't even want to remember the pain. I told Him I wanted the memory of how the hurt felt to be something my heart would have to search for. I believe He answered my prayer because He knew I was sincere. And I now have the testimony that I have loved through.
Godly love (agape love) thinketh no evil. It stretches beyond pain and disppointment. His love shatters the rules the world created to keep us from getting "stabbed in the back" or "made to look like a fool". He loved us while He hung on the cross, realizing that some of us wouldn't even acknowledge Him. He was beaten and bruised because of our sin, yet He loved us still. Amazing.......
How can we, after all we have done to hurt Him, be stubborn enough to hold charges against someone else?


Jethena
p.s. If you choose to pray about it, don't speak negatively concerning it. Wait for your change. It is on the way!

Wow, it has been a long time! I won't say I've been too busy to blog, I will just say I failed to take time to do so!  Fortunately, today is Father's Day and I try not to miss an opportunity to talk about my husband, Joshua. I wrote him a "poem" (I use the term very loosely!) and I am posting it for you to view and post your thoughts if you choose. 
Hope you enjoy!
 

P.S. Happy Father's Day to all!