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Cha-Cha-Changes Becoming Your Strange

1/31/2019

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A long time ago one of Mom's teachers told her, "If you want to write effectively about something you must write about what you know".

We have talked about that one, and have come to the conclusion that her teacher was partially right, but sometimes we can effectively write about our hopes and our dreams as well.

Everyone's different, some people adapt to change like fish to water.  Others not so much.  Mom falls into the latter category.

About 3 years she was forced to make some significant changes to her lifestyle.  Watching her making the necessary changes,( like exercising )was similar to watching an edge of your seat suspense movie.  You never know if the heroine is going to end up dying, or make it to the end of the show until the last frame of the film.  LOL

Throughout Mom's journey I've constantly told her, "Mom, you can do this, all you have to do is your best, no matter how small it may be.  Just do it one step at a time, and one day at a time".  Now you don't know my Mom like I do, and when she's telling you she can't do something, you're truly risking your life to suggest anything different.  Being the brave Dachshund I am, I've risked my life disagreeing with Mom a few times.

Change is hard, it takes dedication and motivation.  It takes being able to have faith in yourself and God; believing in the substance of things you don't see in the physical realm.  I want to repeat that part one more time.   Faith is the belief in the substance of things you don't see in the physical realm.

How do you get that kind of faith?  Through constant, sincere communication with God.  Mom prayed a lot, and often, that God would help her walk one more lap, one more day, one more month.  Until she no longer has to ask Him to help her.  She now thanks Him that He's given her the abilities it requires to control her health issues.  Her prayer for help became a prayer of thanksgiving.

Exercise was as foreign to Mom as speaking Chinese.  That's why everyone who knows my Mom just about falls into a pile when they hear that she walks 4 miles a day  (1 mile on an incline) does 1/2 hour of aerobics  every day, and 20 pushups every other day, at 60 years old.  Exercise truly was as foreign to my Mother as speaking Chinese.  Trust me when I tell you, She Became her Strange.  (With a LOT of help from God).

Mom's had to change in a few other areas too.  She's never been one to go it alone.  Some people are natural followers and are happiest following a crowd.  You know that saying that Mom's always ask their kids, "Well would you follow so and so off a cliff".  Thinking of course my child wouldn't do that.  Well metaphorically my Mom's done that for most of her adult life when it comes to following her friends to different churches.

Now at the ripe old age of 60 Mom can emphatically tell you God didn't make you to follow your friends to church, to follow your pastor, to follow your Mom, Dad or Auntie to church.  God made you to follow Him where ever He leads you.

If God uses your health to tell you to get up and start exercising, listen and start exercising.  Your health and your relationship with God are precious things.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
 
We encourage you to become your strange and be your change.  Let go of the old and become something new.  Follow God  with whatever, or where ever He leads you to change.  It doesn't have to be your health or following others rather than God. You know where He's asked you to change.   Lisa Nichols says, "The reason people won't become who they want (or change) is because they're too attached to who they've been." Lets not let that be us.    Be your Change.  It's a glorious experience.

Isaiah 43:19  (NIV)
 
19  See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
 
Love, Molly and my Mom
 


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What's in Your Cup

1/16/2019

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For the sake of clarity I'd like to state that, " This will always be my blog".  Sometimes Mom will share a post and sometimes it'll be me. :-) (but it's always my blog ~,^  Got that Mom)

Today it's my turn. You all remember how my life started.  I helped my folks find their heartbeat after their other Dachshund went to rainbow bridge.

God had a hand in picking out the family I was to go to.  I didn't know it yet but I was going to have a few health challenges.  Our Heavenly Father knew he needed a family that was willing to pray without ceasing that I'd make it through some of what was coming my way.  Enter stage right my Mom and Dad.

They don't say Hindsight's 20/20 for nothin' do they?  My folks had been out of church for many years.  Honestly they had no plans of going back.  (That's too long of a story to get into today, LOL)  This didn't mean they didn't believe in God or prayer....As I became more and more sick, Mom and Dad started praying more and more.  Fast forward a couple of years, and a lot of prayers and my tummy issues are all over.

There's a bit of a respite in our frequent visits to the vets, until the folks notice an extreme decline in my vision.  Off to the vets we go for another serious diagnosis of SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome) and a strong possibility of permanent, irreversible blindness.

Once again looking back I can see My Heavenly Father at work in my folks life.  There were many tears, a lot of prayers, undeniable faith, (as they'd already seen Him heal my tummy) and finally a trip to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolina's, Animal Eye Care Center.  To be honest my diagnosis was rather grim, but Mom and Dad's faith was strong.  I began an experimental treatment that along with prayer and dedicated care from my parents as well as my doctors restored part of my vision.

My point in going through all this is to say our God is faithful.  He used me a sick pup to restore my parents love and faith in Him.  There was never one time that Mom didn't blog about the miracles God did in my life.  She's never had a problem in sharing what He did for me.  Even all my doctors to this day say that me having my vision is truly a miracle.

I guess my going through my health problems was preparation for some of the challenges my Mom was going to experience.  Sometimes it's a lot easier to have faith for others than it is to have faith for yourself.

Mom's health declined and declined a few more times.  Being from strong NC country stock she put her shoulder to the wheel and kept on going, until she couldn't.  Yups the old gal ended up housebound for a few years, but always prayed that things would get better.  One day Mom prayed that if she could simply  get her blood sugar lower and hit 150 lbs she'd go back to church.

You know what; God answered that prayer.  God is good all the time...Mom's been going to church ever since.

We're not going to say there haven't been set backs, there have.  We're also not going to say some days haven't been a struggle.  They have.  Mom has always been a bit of an anxious person, and after all her health issues she developed a depression problem as well.  Not long after returning to church her social and general anxiety problems got the best of her and she went on medication to control these issues.

Our Father has a plan for all His children's lives and He will use whatever is necessary to bring His plans to fruition. I and my health issues were what was necessary in my family's life.  I'm in I dare say, the best home for me as I have no tummy issues. I can see, and I'm very well taken care of.  Mom has lost a ton of weight, she's reversed her Diabetes , her anxiety and depression are no longer an issue in her life and she walks 4 miles a day.  So you see sometimes our hard times can bring us to our very  best that we can be.

Psalm 30:5

weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

We all have been through hard times...It's a part of life isn't it?  With everything we go through our question is, " Do we have anything left in our hearts/cups to offer someone else who may be going through something worse than we are"?

There's an inspirational story that we see on FB every now and then.  Mom and I'd like to share it with you.  Let us set the stage if we may, "You're in a crowd of people drinking a cup of coffee and someone from behind jostles your arm.


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"You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and shoves you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee?
 
"Well because someone bumped into me, of course!"
 
Wrong answer.
 
You spilled the coffee because, coffee was in the cup.
 
If tea had been in it, you would have spilled tea.
 
Whatever is inside the cup is what will come out.
 
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside of you will come out. It's easy to fake it until you get rattled.
 
So we have to ask ourselves....what's in my cup?
 
When life gets tough, what spills over?
Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?
 
Or anger, bitterness, harsh words and actions?
 
You choose!


We'll be the first to say, our cup hasn't always been filled with the fruits of His Holy Spirit, but Mom and I have a new prayer this year; Should someone, or something  bump into us, our desire is for Jesus to spill out and touch others hearts.

Love,

Molly and my Mom

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Prayers for a Different New Years

1/1/2019

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It was around 4:00 pm New Years eve and the folks had stopped into the grocery store to pick up a few things for lunch on New Years.  As Mom was heading into the express check out aisle she accidentally cut off a disheveled man of undetermined age getting into the same line.  Apologizing, Mom told him" Please excuse her, " and stepped back so he could get ahead of her and Dad.

The man said, "Thank-you and wished them a Happy New Years".  This was all my Mom needed as she's the "chatty sort". " Wishing him a Happy New Years she said she hoped 2019 would be a better year than 2018 had been".

This comment of Mom's was all the prompting this disheveled man needed to unleash a heartbreaking tale of his mother dying this year, his family disowning him and how he no longer had any "true friends" now that his mother was dead.

After a few seconds of silence as Mom let this sink in, she told the man, "I don't need to know your name, as my Heavenly Father knows you.  I will pray for you".  At this he replied, "My name is James". James paid for his groceries, he'd mentioned earlier, "he was going home preparing a few snacks and watching TV until the New Year came in".

As James was walking away, Mom felt the tiniest nudge to go after him and ask if he'd like her to pray with him there .  Maybe had she done that James would have invited Christ into his heart then he would know in his heart of hearts that he was no longer truly alone.
 
Matthew 28:20

20  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
 
Psalm 27:10

10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

When we are lost in our own grief it's very difficult to see past our pain, and to be completely honest we never really get over the loss of a loved one; it changes us.  Now after many years of Mom's parents being dead Mom can see the truth behind the quote,

"If God can take away something you never imagined losing, He can replace it with something you never imagined having."

Mom will never know what would have happened in James life, had she obeyed that tiny nudge.  She does know what will happen the next time she feels that tiny prompting to ask someone if they'd like her to pray with them.

Lets all remember  Paul Coelho's quote, "The world is changed by your example, not your opinion."

The apostle Paul pretty much said the same thing in Ephesians 5:1

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Our prayer this year is to be a different sort of person, more sensitive to hearing our Heavenly Fathers voice and more sensitive to those around us. We truly pray that with our flickering flame a fire will begin and the world becomes ablaze with the love of Christ and changed by His children following His example.
 
Happy New Years,

Molly and my Mom


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