Brain Surgery

What a week this has been! When I look back over the week I am truly amazed at what the medical world can do for us and how God's hand is in it all.
This week my husband underwent brain surgery to control his tremors. Next week he will have the second stage, but already his tremors have lessened. But the one thing that I marvel at almost more than the procedure is the peace that God gave to both of us during this time. Yes, it was scary. But God was present & we both felt His presence, my husband more than myself I'm quite sure. I cannot fathom the pain there must have been as the doctor drilled a dime-sized hole in his head & inserted wires into his brain -- all while he was awake. I know that God held him in His strong hands, that He guided the surgeons capable hands, and that He carried my children & me as we waited patiently wondering what was happening. There was a sense of calm through it all, and this calm could only come from one place -- the peace of God that truly passes all understanding.

I'm so grateful that the peace was present through the entire process. I've felt this peace many times before, but one time does stand out in my mind. That was over 30 years ago. I came home from a meeting at the church & my husband was gone. He left me a note, but not a very reassuring one. I had no clue where he was and when or if he would come back. I was truly in panic mode at this point. I held on to our kids, I paced, I called my sister-in-law (where I suspected he was heading, and that was over 500 miles away, so there would be a long wait until I knew if I was right), I called a friend who was also a prayer partner. Finally after a time that felt like an eternity I was able to pray about the whole situation. Then, when I put all my worries in God's hands I felt it...the peace that only God can give. Oh how glorious that peace is! Before long he came home. And after piecing the timetable together I came to realize that at about the same moment I trusted God & turned the situation over to Him is when he turned around to come home. And God guided him safely back to our family. The road wasn't smooth & straight, nor was it instantaneous, but it was filled with God's peace.

So I'd like to thank God for His peace and ask that He help me remember to shod my feet with the sandals of peace. I thank Him too for the whole situation because it was a learning experience for me and brought me closer to my creator. Praise the Lord, God is good all the time!

The Armor of God

I've been really negligent in adding posts to this blog, but this week I've felt inspired to get back at it. And it's not really much about scrapbooking -- maybe about faithbooking though.
In my morning devotions I use Charles Stanley's In Touch magazine. Last Monday he challenged us to intentionally put on our spiritual armor every day for a week. And what a blessing that has been. There was one point in time at work that I was very frustrated & felt the need to get out my Bible (I do keep one at my desk at work) & review the pieces of armor that I was becoming so familiar with this week. That's when I discovered that what Dr. Stanley had in the devotional was not in the same order as what is in the Bible. This brought even more meaning to my morning process all week. And that's what I'd like to share here today, in Dr. Stanley's order:
A. First I put on the helmet of salvation -- and what a beautiful way to begin, for I can do nothing but praise God & thank Him for my salvation. He truly is a good God!.

B. Next we have the brestplate of righteousness. Okay, so how do you put on righteousness? I certainly don't want self-righteousness. So I decided to don God-righteousness. What could be better. And here again, I'm praising God & putting Him before myself. What exactly is righteousness, or better still to be righteous? This is one of those words that I know what it means, but I wanted to see what the dictionary says: –adjective
1. characterized by uprightness or morality: a righteous observance of the law.
2. morally right or justifiable: righteous indignation.
3. acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous: a righteous and godly person.
4. Slang. absolutely genuine or wonderful: some righteous playing by a jazz great.

C. The belt of truth goes on next. Here I prayed that I would deal with the truth & the truth would set me free...free from worry, free from distractions, free from evil that is in the world.

D. Let's cover up the feet with the sandals of peace. Walk in the way of peace, don't antagonize others or let them get under my skin. This one can be a hard one for me. Am I letting them walk over me when I don't stand up for my beliefs? So here I pray for the peace of God in my heart that I can share my beliefs in a way that will not offend others; a way that will bring glory to God & make unbelievers want to know more about God's love for them.

E. The shield of faith -- cover me Lord with your shield, strengthen me & keep me from falling from the onslaught of arrows sent by the enemy. Keep my faith strong.

F. And last is the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). This is my prayer for this piece of armor: "Let the Spirit use me, speak through me, and bring glory to God." Here is one that I beg God to give me. Sometimes it is so hard to remember His words, but God does provide the Spirit to be hidden in my heart & helps me recall the words that I might need. All I have to do is keep myself open to His leading. I'm by no means very good at memorizing the words of God, but with the help of the Spirit I can always count on Him to bring them to me when I need them the most.

I just praise the Lord for his goodness & mercy. And I pray that He will also bless you.