Let my heart be broken.....

I am often inspired by others and their service around the world. The largest group of givers I know are our Military and their families, giving of their lives and serving our country. Many service men and women while overseas witnesses the devastation and severe poverty of others around the world.

Not every person has a desire to serve others. They become self focused and sometimes fall into the victim role of 'I need more help than they do.' The extreme poverty around the world cannot be equated to the needs of most in the United States. Their poverty extends from wants into enormous need. Some people around the world live on less than $1 per day. They don't have access to health care even if they could pay for it. Their children are not able to go to school because of danger, distance or lack of funds. Many children walk hours each way to receive an education if they are able. Mothers are losing babies because of lack of medical professionals.

From World Health Organization (WHO), "Maternal mortality is unacceptably high. About 800 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day. In 2013, 289 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented."

It saddens me that most could have been prevented. I am encouraged that there is progress in helping these women in healthy pregnancies and births. Again from WHO, "Improving maternal health is 1 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the international community in 2000. Under MDG5, countries committed to reducing maternal mortality by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Since 1990, maternal deaths worldwide have dropped by 45%."

I want to be a person of positive change! I want to help make improvements in the world. In the front of my Bible I have a slip of paper that I wrote on many years ago. It says, Lord let me know what you want to do for you today. I pray this everyday.

Have you asked the Lord what He wants you to do for Him today? Can you move out of self and into serving? What gifts do you have that you can use to help others? What can you do to help improve the world? Let me know how I can pray for you and the calling God has on your life!

Whatever....

Each year that my hubby gets to live his dream I feel more and more honored. In the life of baseball you never know how long you have; how many seasons will you play? how many years will you coach? We live as coaches on year to year salaries so with another season of coaching we feel grateful.

So many years we fell into the trap of 'being in the big leagues' and that my husband was being rewarded for what he had done. Then we saw the brutal trap of living in self. No matter what, there will be failure, being in your own control or others. If you feel others are in control you try to succeed based on their desires and needs. If you are basing it on your own performance there may be times that you don't perform as well as others.

In writing I have fallen into the trap of not feeling good enough to write or not being as good as others. I have tried to alter my writing to what others wanted, their style and outline of what is 'successful'. Falling into the brutal trap of both, I found that I could not succeed either way.

Together my husband and I pray for God's guiding hand in our work, in an organization, as a writer or as parents. Each time we feel ourselves falling into the trap of the feeling of failure or living for self, we center our minds back to God's Word. The scripture that continues to be the foundation of our peace is Colossians 3:23.

I find peace in that beginning word, Whatever. Whatever Lord. Whatever Your Will. Whatever I do, work at it for the Lord. Don't work at it for others or for self. Don't work at it for fame or fortune. Don't work at it to work at it. Work at it as working for the Lord!

Are there things that you work at that you find no peace or calmness? Can you say Whatever Lord, whatever you want Lord? Can you begin to work as working for the Lord? Is there something you need me to pray for you? I love praying and praying for others, let me be there in agreement with you.

Home Opener....

Heading Into a Season of Change

Today begins the home opening week for my husband's baseball season. It also is home opening week for a season of change for me.

In five weeks my youngest son will be graduating high school. This event propels me into the biggest change in my life in quite a while. For about a year now I have been mentally preparing for the change but I don't know if you can really prepare fully for an empty nest. 

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9

No matter what I plan, I know the Lord will lead me through it. I tend to be a list maker, so with this task I also made lists of things to do to prepare for this new season of life. 

1. Buy tissues: Lots and lots of tissues to take care of the overflow of tears for each of the Senior Events.
2. Go through baby pictures to make a collage/book for the boy: Make sure #1 is accomplished before #2 is attempted.
3. Celebrate the lasts: Make sure you experience the lasts with joy. Again, make sure #1 is accomplished before #3 is attempted.
4. Get a bigger apartment for the baseball season: Seeing as how I haven't spent an entire season with my hubby in 15 years, a one-bedroom small apartment may not fly! 
5. Find a hobby that I can do in a rental apartment: Still looking! Suggestions? It has to be something that won't burn down a building or too large and heavy to pack up and ship 'home' at the end of the season.
6. Write more: I am in a continual process of finding my focus in writing and what goals I want to tackle.
7. Buy some cool weather clothes: Pittsburgh is colder than Naples in the fall!
8. Figure out what to do without a full calendar of baseball and high school events in the summer and fall: Travel! Planning to go on some road trips to baseball cities to explore and spend time with the hubby. 
9. Encourage son to not check out on the school year too early: I have to remind myself daily that the school year is not over. No, you cannot sleep in, there will be plenty time for that in the fall. No you cannot travel every week to visit the hubby, the boy is still at home. (This lack of items on the calendar might be a bit of fun!) Oh yeah...WAKE UP!!! GET TO SCHOOL!!!! Two of the most used phrases in my house. Followed by a response from the boy, "I'm a Senior!" Continuing encouragement for us both!
10. Make a map of places to visit on the drive home at the end of the season: Is there an App for that? Getting excited about the long drive with the hubby to get home on our own schedule.

Ok, my list went from torture to excitement. This list was the beginning of seeing God's hand in my path. He is giving me such a joy for the next season of my life, my marriage and my interests. I embrace it with open arms....and a few tears. Repeat #1!!!

Are there seasons in your life that you have an angst about confronting? Have you taken a step back making a list, mental or physical, of the tasks that you would like to accomplish? Is there something I could pray for you during this time? Do you know where to buy bulk tissues? I think I need to Repeat #1!!!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you 

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Idle talk...

I find myself on this Easter Monday reflecting on the text from the celebration of Easter, not just the awe of the resurrection of our Savior but a few words that kept nudging at my heart.

"but these words seem to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." Luke 24: 11 (ESV)

Idle Talk....They had all heard that Jesus would rise from the dead. It was said by Jesus himself. So why didn't they remember these words? Wouldn't this be something that would be a memorable moment, Jesus telling you that he would die and rise on the third day? When the women were reminded by the angel they remembered, but the disciples, those closest to Him, did not believe what the women were saying. But Peter...Peter remembered.

How many times do I go through the day feeling confused, lonely, afraid, sad, anxious? Am I looking at God's Word as Idle Talk? It is not new information so why do I forget it?

Confused "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6

Lonely "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Afraid "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1: 7

Unloved "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Anxious  "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

In God's Word we find promise. In God's Word we are reminded of those promises. Remembering God's Word in the midst of our circumstances takes us from believing it is Idle Talk into the promises of our Savior.

Do you sometimes forget the words of God amidst your circumstances? Is there something I can pray for you? God is bigger than your circumstances. Let's stand together remembering His Words!