Mosaics

 A lost job....

     a husband who has left you....

         a difficult child...

     a  co-worker who just irritates you...

      a car that needs repairs you cannot afford....

       a friend who betrayed you....

    

  So many situations like this.. and so many more...

     we  have all had our lives shattered 

        into pieces...

  We see the pieces laying on the floor...

      and all we can do is cry....

        because we will never be the same again....

     how will we put the pieces back together again??

  We take a moment and get down on our knees..

      we cry out to our God...

        we tell him that we are broken and beyond repair...

         we need his grace...

           we need his love.

We need him to just shelter us from life.

He picks us up... he brushes us off...

      he picks up the broken pieces and says

     "Nothing is impossible for me"

   

Will things ever be the same again?  No... not the same...

   but those broken pieces that we thought were useless and ugly,,

   God has taken those and created something new...

      something beautiful from the rubble...

          often something better than what we started with...

What was once plain and beautiful... is now 

     a beautiful mosaic...

        all the broken pieces...

          reworked to be something new and beautiful.

God is bigger than our broken pieces.

Children need our Prayers

My phone rang... I saw my friends name, so I answered..."Hello Natale, how is everything?".  

   Natale said "I have something that I need to talk to you about.  Do you remember me telling you how Julia (her 12 year old daughter) was cutting herself a while back??  We had talked about it and it stopped for quite a while.  I've discovered she has been cutting again, this time in a place that we couldn't readily see.  The doctor said this is common for this age, and we are getting her counseling, but since you are coming to watch the kids this weekend I wanted you to know."

 Wow... what a phone call.  I have watched Julia since she was a baby.  Every week on my day I  would go the house and watch her.  I know that this is something that she will work out with the counseling.. but still makes me so sad that she looks in the mirror and sees what is "ugly" in her and not what is beautiful.

I have promised to step up and spend more time with Julia..so she will know that she has support in her life as she enters these trying teen years.  I see Satan trying to steal her smiles and her joy...but I will be praying..... and others will be praying... and I know that God will not let Satan have this one.  Our children are targets.  I saw this with my own son.  He took a rough road through his teenage years.. he often tells me that he doesn't know how he is still alive today.  I tell him -  it's because you  have a mother who prays for you... a lot.  And I will praying for Julia as well.. Satan is attacking our children and we need to take a stand.  We need to pray against this by praying for our children.  It works.  How do I know???

A few years ago after the "To Save a Life" came out, our pastor did a series on to save a family.  We started a group for parents.. each week we would meet and discuss points from the movie.. and each week we would pray for our children.... and each week we would report amazing anwers to prayer.  One week I reported that I hadn't heard from my son in a while and didn't know how he was doing.. at the end of the meeting my phone rang... and it was my son.  When parents pray...God moves.  He will be there when we cannot be.  

If you have children...pray for them... regularly.  If you don't have your own children, pray for relatives or a friend's child.  God is bigger than this world.... God is bigger than Satan.  Let's show this world what our big God can do... and that we not let Satan corrupt our children with the things of the world.

He hears us when we pray.... and he answers.   If you're not sure.... 

        then put him to the test.... and wait to see how he will listen and answer....

Worth the Cost

Here I am again, on a car lot, looking at cars.   I know some people get excited about looking for cars -   but not me.  My husband and I disagree on what constitutes a "new" car.  I, being the practical one would prefer a good pre-owned vehicle.  My husband does not think a car is worthy unless it is brand new with a warranty.   Since my husband is the one that works, he got the brand new car.  I have been a little hostile at the new car.  Mind you it's a nice car.. pretty with some wonderful ammenities... but it also came with a price that doesn't really make me feel very good.   

Makes me think of what God did for us.  He paid a price.   For us.  One that we could never, ever

      affford to pay ourselves.

And though the price was steep... he knew that the final outcome...

     was well worth the price.

Our salvation was worth the price.    

    YOU were worth the price he paid.... I was worth the price.

He doesn't look back with any regrets....

     

I am so glad that the God of the universe....

     Lord of Heaven's Armies....

        is perfect in all things. 

I would have to say, that considering all my daily faults and mistakes...

     he probably overpaid somewhat for me...

Good thing he doesn't look at things the way we do.

He doesn't see us as losing our value once he's purchased us...

  we are worth the same today to him..

    that we were yesterday... and the same as the day we were born...

God... who created the universe... knows us... and he knows

    that the price that was paid....was priceless...

     but he sees us as his priceless creation

       and worth everything.

Thank you Father, that you see us... you know us... 

    the good.... the bad...the ugly...

         and not once do you look back with regret ....

But you look ahead to the future... 

    when your chldren have all joined you in heaven...

And we can lift our praise up to you...

       for all you have given to us.