Visiting one of the blogs I follow, I was inspired to write this post about hanging on.
Over the course of my life I have been blessed with several encouragements during those times when life seems so discouraging.
#1 One winter I was engulfed in a siege of "home-ness" .
Our kids spent one whole winter in various sieges of illness.
During this L-O-N-G winter I remember once waking to the plea of a distraught little girl wanting comfort, widely waking up as the sound of upchucking and the force of warm vomit covered my entire head. Missing numerous Sunday services and feeling very isolated and alone(hubby was attending school during the day and working nights for us).
My heart melted when a lady from our church sent a single mum decorated as a smiley clown face to me,with a card saying I was missed . ( this is one of the main reasons I love my card system , hoping to reciprocate to others who may also be in the depths of despair).
#2 Still living within the bounds of our "school" budget , a dinner at a restaurant "gave me a fortune cookie containing Chinese proverb i still treasure to this day:
He who aims for the moon may hit a star, but he who aims for a tree,never gets of the ground.
( I strive to aim high,even so if I fall a bit short I'm still flying high :-)
#3 A very beloved pastor shared in a sermon :
A salmon fights hard and sometimes it seems to only stay in one place, making no progress...BUT a dead salmon only goes downstream....( I learned to remember to never give up,never surrender,never stop fighting. I may rest and sigh sometimes)
This same pastor I later discovered spent some serious time in prayer support for me---little did he know I was being bombarded with very self destructive(why not end it) " pot shots". I literally believe his prayers kept me here, so I try to ALWAYS heed any prayer promptings.
In the same vein, a close (non animal loving )friend sent me (a hopless animal loving fanatic)a poster, just for fun. It was a kitten hanging onto a branch by one paw . Little did she know I was hanging "again". I "got" Anne with an E 's engulphment feelings of the depths of despair (Anne of Green Gables)
#4 Meeting a fellow canary lover, I discovered later had the same heart longings for God that I did . She taught me the blessings of praising God.. God inhabits praises to Him...Thus if you want to be in the presence of God more often,start praising Him . Praise even "in"the bad, this is scriptural by the way.( i.e. lost wedding diamond;very sick kids; unpleasant, difficult,vexing, even tragic "life" trials).
#5 A guest speaker shared how we gain faith by literally hearing the Word of God.
(I reasoned I needed to HEAR God's truths to negate the inner neggies I kept hearing repeated over and over inside my lil' punkin' head)
#6 We need to put on our armour, this is a daily necessity. Without armour we , will be recipients of direct hits. Some "hits"are so fast and hard we not even feel them at the time.
In combat remember, they also serve who stand and wait. That to be fore warned is to be fore armed. This translates for me and "my" house that I want us to be RFA -ready for anything .
#7 Time is fleeting,so savor what is really precious. Little sticky hand prints,they will far to soon be distant memories. Look for the beauty all around you . Enjoy each day of your life,day by day moment by moment..learn to treasure and store up the treasures that really matter.
My heart pants for God, I LOOK to the hills from whence cometh my strength, and I know my help comes from my Lord,even when I don't feel it... I choose to hang on ,remembering God's truths,and looking up to Him...
What about you?
