A new decade is upon us bringing a time of reflection, recall, and reminiscing. Regardless of how daunting this past year has seemed or how exhausted I may feel from it, as I reflect on years passed and all that has transpired in my life in such a relatively short amount of time I cannot help but realize how truly blessed I really am. Just ten years ago I was only twenty-four years old and my oldest daughter had just turned five years old. This also means that we had just met the most incredible man of our lives the prior year, my husband. My life had taken a drastic turn in the beginning of 2000. I had been working in customer service positions for far too long and made a transition into the human resources department for Birch Telecom in Irving, TX. I was fired by my manager because of my religious beliefs and duly received unemployment compensation after a short fight that she put up. God had called for a change in my life and orchestrated every move. I had been praying for God to place the right man in our lives, a man that would be the perfect husband for me and the perfect father for my daughter. I also asked Him to prepare me for my future husband. This prayer request and preparation went on for approximately a year. While receiving unemployment I obtained my certifications in personal training and fitness instruction while simultaneously deepening my relationship with God. At my very first interview for a personal training job God introduced me to my future husband and father of my daughter. Approximately one year later as we were preparing for our wedding and the building our first home, our nation was attacked for the first time since Pearl Harbor, on our own soil. September 11, 2001 is a day I will never forget. That week is a time of sites, sounds, experiences, conversations, thoughts, and fears that I will harbor forever. A special bond welded my future husband, my daughter, and me together that September day. That September day changed the rest of our lives forever, in more personal ways than just as spectators. That September day revealed to us, as a family, that we were going to be a family of responders, a family with a cause greater and bigger than ourselves. That September day was not only a test for us individually but also as a family. Would we be able to stand the tests of life and the obstacles of disaster? Would we be a family that would pull together or tear apart in the face of tragedy?
From the time I was a little girl I remember the very distinct feelings of American pride boiling over within me. When I would see the beauty of the American flag waving freely in the wind representing the freedom that God had graced me with through the sacrifice of His very own son Jesus Christ. Then again, it represents the freedom that God has graced me with in the land I was born in, America. My family that God placed me in is a loving family and, while not extremely wealthy, is fairly well off compared to the rest of the country and world. When I consider the health of my parents and brothers and sisters I am so blessed. As I reflect upon the health of my husband and my children, God again, has granted us with grace abounding beyond measure. That is not to say we have escaped with ease. We have encountered our share of trials and misfortunes. We have lost several of our babies through miscarriage, two of them after the first trimester. Our second daughter was hospitalized with a kidney infection, febrile seizures, and underwent an excruciating spinal tap at just ten months old while my husband was deployed. Our first and only son did not meet his father until he was two months old and had to travel by plane to do so because of military training. They were only able to spend less than 24 hours together and did not reunite until after he was four months old and my husband had to leave shortly after that as well for another mission. Our third daughter after being born, had to remain in the hospital for several days due to a pulmonary stenosis of the heart, of which is still there and the doctors are following. All of this being said, everything could be so much worse and it is not. God has graced us with a wonderful church family and great friends, not to mention that extremely supportive family back home. Through all of the difficulties we have encountered I continuously see God's face and His mercy shining upon me and my family. I truly understand and have seen firsthand just how capable God is of performing any miracle. I have experienced His healing personally. I have witnessed Him heal friends from stage 4 Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Disease, tumors, breast cancer, etc. I have witnessed Him answer prayer immediately right before a group of military wives as we prayed for one wife to hear from her husband as she had not had a phone call in over two weeks. Before we could even finish praying, God rang Carmen's phone to bring her husband's voice on. Not a sound was heard for several minutes, as we stood in the presence of our King, in the living room of my military base house. Tears silently trickled down our cheeks as we humbly stood in awe of the awesome majesty and power of our Lord. Just moments later we prayed for another lady, for a friend of her family who had just been in a serious car accident that he would not have to have his legs amputated as directed by several doctors. Again, before we could even finish praying, God rang that phone. Sam was delighted to run back in to the living room to report God's message and miracle. His legs would not be amputated. Last year it came out that several hot spots showed up on my liver as well as some other issues in the general area. In the primary stages I was being told that we were dealing with Hepatocellular Disease, which is liver cancer. After going through much testing that is NOT fun and I don't suggest it to anyone for a good time, they pretty much come up with nothing. I am scheduled for a more in depth visit at a more advanced facility. However, I had a complete physical and the result was...remarkable. The people who have been praying for me, many of which are the same people who had prayed for the above mentioned miracles, (don't mistake the credit placement, it is all to God, but Saints are honored too, as the prayers of a righteous person are powerful), know that God is good and that His will is perfect and revealed for His glory. They know who they are and I love them and appreciate them more than they will ever know. Prayer and fasting are a miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. This time last year I was practically incapable of performing certain normal activities. Now, not so. God is so good.
We have witnessed our nation transform in ways unimaginable. For a Christian to step back and view what is happening to our country it is heartbreaking yet it is a revelation as to what is to come as told by God Himself. As I reflect on my life personally and recall even the darkest of times I can take heart in the fact that God always revealed Himself and extended His open arms to me, leading me away from the tragedy of self-destruction and into the reprieve of His everlasting arms. I have turned away from God before and never will I forget the awful wrath and destruction I felt. But more than that I remember His mercy when I came running back to His open arms as He stood waiting for me to return to Him. As it says in Habakkuk 3:1,2 “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2. Lord, I have heard the report about you and I fear. O Lord, revive the work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy”. The greatest part is, He does remember mercy on us. The other part is, if we never went through the wrath, or the discipline, we would not grow or sharpen as He intends. Nor would we appreciate His mercy as He truly intends and would probably take it for granted. The truth is we must experience change to truly appreciate the glory and goodness of what He has offered us. To be stagnant, to never move, grow, or improve is equal to death. The relationship between man and God is the epitome of change and growth. The perfect example of this is in:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-10
1.There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-2.A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and to build up. 4. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5. A time to throw stones and a time gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. 9. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10. I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. 11. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end”.
Fellow patriots, let us make 2010 a time of response. Let us reflect on what the past year has brought us, and the previous years. Let us revisit who we are as a nation, as a people, and as the children of God. Let us unite and lean on one another, lean upon the pillars of Christ. On Christ, a solid Rock I stand. All those miracles I shared with you were the result of a few humbled ladies obediently calling on the name of God, uniting in prayer, and leaning on one another. He healed the sick, gave strength to the weak and courage to the frightened. That was just a few ladies. Imagine what God will do with a nation that has called upon Him and has sought His face in humility recognizing our own weakness. Let 2010 be a year of strength, power, and restoration. Our church has started a fantastic new project and I would like to invite you to join us. Every week we will be praying for a government leader, beginning with our president. We will be praying for President Barrack Obama this week, January 3-9. We will be praying for his physical, mental, and spiritual wellness as well as his leadership and decision making. We are asking God to use him for His glory and in miraculous ways. I would also like to challenge you to include your local leaders as well. We should also be praying for the candidates and the voters. The church web site if you would like to follow along with us is Southside Baptist Church.
God is good and His plans are perfect. Reflecting on His grace and mercy over the years, I am so excited to see what He has in store for us! May God bless you and may God bless America.
