Praying!!

"Sometimes God delivers us from our problems; sometimes God delivers us through our problems."
"The primary purpose of prayer is not to change circumstances; the primary purpose of prayer is to change us! But either way, the chief objective remains the same: to glorify God in any and every situation."
These are quotes from a Daily Devotional I have sent to my email each day. Ever since beginning a prayer journal many years ago, I've learned that His answers come in various ways...not always as we hoped, but far better than we imagined and always for our benefit. He always knows what is best for us, even when we can't see it. Sometimes the lesson is so very hard, but He is always there to see us through it!

I saw this through my journey through breast cancer treatment, through side effects from various medications, through medical anomalies that occurred during (a nearly ruptured gal bladder), and through medical conditions that occurred since.  The answer isn't always the one we hope for, but He can use any circumstance to help us grow, or to help others on their journey.  

My most heart breaking prayer experience came while watching a young man named Tyler struggle through leukemia.  He always had a smile on his face, always encouraged others, his mother is the strongest person I know, and glorified God in every circumstance of his life and his death.  There were miracles along the way, and he did eventually die, but the number of people who came to Jesus through Tyler and who strengthened their faith is amazing.  No struggle, no prayer, no act of faith is ever wasted, and the work done through Tyler's influence continues on today.

I began praying for a friend's marriage while I was in the midst of my battle with breast cancer.  Now she and her husband in are the midst of a cancer battle of their own, and their marriage is the strongest it has ever been.  I keep praying for a miracle, that he will be healed from stage four cancer, but in my eyes one has already happened.  They have grown together through this tragedy, drawn closer to God, and continue to carry on through some very difficult days.  I've seen my friend grow so much in her faith, the transformation is amazing.  And through watching God work in this situation, my faith has grown by leaps and bounds, and my prayer life has never been so strong.  Yes, God works in mysterious ways...not always as we would hope, but always for our benefit.

Prayer is amazing!  So is our God!

Born to write

     I sometimes think I was born to write.  I tried when I was younger, loved it really, but it was empty because the subject matter was pretty juvenile...just like me.  Now I've found something of importance to me, something with real substance that I truly want to share with others.  And that is my love for my Savior.  You see, I've been a Christian for a very long time...I would grow for a time, then reach a plateau and so on.  I never really understood that it was about relationship, one that needs to be fed and nurtured and cultivated each and every day until a few years ago.  Now I hate going even one day without meeting with My Lord, learning about Him, praying for others, and seeking His guidance.  It's truly a love relationship.  And I haven't been the same since.

     I started posting things on Facebook and people would "like" what I had to write, or share, but one day someone posted saying she liked reading what I posted and it was usually something she needed to hear that day or something she thought someone else needed to hear, so I got this crazy idea of starting this "journal" so I could revisit my thoughts and share my thoughts with others in a less chaotic way.  And if this helps someone else on their journey then my "gift" hasn't been wasted.  I welcome constructive and encouraging comments and prayerfully hope that you will find peace and inspiration to help you along your journey as well.