Stairway to Heaven

EDNA

Last year, for Edna’s homecoming service announcement, Cousin Elaine posted a picture on Facebook of her with the notation “Stairway to Heaven.”  I immediately began to think about Michael Landon’s show “Highway to Heaven.” In the show he is an angel who has a human ex-cop working with him. As they travel along “the highway,” they are given assignments by God that they are to complete.

Their impact in a person’s life was always positive and uplifting, but definitely life changing. They had purpose for each assignment even though it wasn’t fully understood until they were involved in a person’s situation. The ex-cop was as human as human could be; doing all that he could to help through many blunders. He learned something through each assignment and grew spiritually as a result.

Well, those of us who really knew Edna, knew that she was a woman who took her daily life assignments very seriously. She considered them God-given and wanted to please Him and fulfill her reason for existence. She went out of her way to impact people with the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ; family, friends, neighbors, church members, and strangers.

She was human in her ways, like the ex-cop, not perfect, but purposeful. She was like an angel in how she reached out to so many people in so many different ways. She did in my life, and I am sure, many of yours, what God assigned her to do. She gave, whether it was time, effort, money or some material thing, she gave.

Edna rarely missed an opportunity to share the Gospel, teach something positive or have a friendly moment with a stranger.  She was always looking for ways to uplift and encourage someone in their walk with the Lord. And, she loved to pray.

She worked very hard at every job that she had because helping people to benefit or improve was always her goal. And she did it, one step at a time, a few people at a time, Backyard Bible’s studies, women’s meetings, and other ways, but she did it! She made impact for Christ.

She climbed the stairs to her heavenly destination while here on earth, and she made it! Though the last days were difficult and steep, physically speaking, she continued to smile at us and wave at us. She remembered that God was her Maker.

She determined to accomplish some “bucket list” desires even through her pain, then she went to be with Jesus. The song that she sends to us today, on her earth birthday, is that song “IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW,” By Don Moen. She is with the Lord! No more suffering, no more pain, she has achieved her heavenly gain. Standing tall and whole!

She was fast in her pace and she finished her race! She overcame. Can you picture her? Smiling and waving, full of joy, standing and laughing in the Presence of the Lord! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDNA! We love and miss you!

A “NEW” YEAR

Happy New Year 2014! to you before I begin this short piece.

The word that caught my attention was “new.” Many of you know that I and my family are walking through (catch the word through, we will come out of this), a season of grief. And anyone who has gone through healthy grieving can attest to the fact that it has no real structure or pattern that you can look at and say, “oh, now I am on step 2,” because the next day without giving your consent, you may be back at step 1, if there were a such thing. Just one day, how many days, months, or years that may be, you begin to recognize that you are no longer mourning (the outward activity of grief).

Well, anyway, I shared that to say, that “new” doesn’t always come with gladness. “New” comes no matter what. Like the “new year.” It will not stop because you aren’t ready for it to come. It comes anyway!

“New,” looking at a few dictionaries I found the following definitions: “not existing before; start of a period of time; recent; just found, discovered or learned; not previously experienced or encountered; different from the former or the old; never used or worn before; clueless.” When I think of the word “new,” I think of “a change in perspective” or “different,” as one dictionary defined it, or “something is no longer the same.”

So, what’s my point? : ) I’m getting there; this is it: When we encounter something new, we cannot deal with it, handle it or look at it as we did something old. That’s the first point. The second point is that “new” comes to us everyday; we have to choose to see it. We must be willing to make the adjustment to the “new.” We must be willing to accept the reality that “new is new.” This means that we must be willing to change. Whether it is a change in perspective, a change in lifestyle, a change geographically, etc., etc., we must be willing to change!

Change is no easy matter. To have the courage to change is a choice because it is often hard, tough to do, or scary. But you, I, we can do it!

I am currently being challenged by this verse in the Bible, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7) Faith, meaning putting all of my trust in God for the “new” that I am facing. And, in trusting Him, my goal is to please Him above myself because He is my Creator and the One in control. His promise is that “He rewards those who please Him,” however “without faith, we cannot even begin to please Him.”

We are all at different places when it comes to faith / trust. Some have not yet chosen to have faith in God, while others are just beginning to trust Him, or others like me, who have had 30 years of “walking by faith” and recognize that, “wow, here I am again!” To live out this life with success from God’s perspective, we must learn daily, continually, always, to rely on Him, complete dependence is the aim! Because He, and He alone, is the One who will bring us through the “new!”

Choose to, make a point to Enjoy the “New” journey! He Is (is underlined) with you and me, and will see us through! Let us choose daily,  to trust Him, that is, to put our faith in God gazing on His promises.

Because of God’s amazing GRACE….
Roz

Rosalind Stanley, MA, LPPC
Licensed Professional Pastoral Counselor

There is a Time…

There is “a time to give up” according to the words written by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:6. Meaning ” to let go of” a particular thought, desire, expectation, relationship, etc. For whatever the reason, an active ingredient in walking by faith is yielding to the seasons and or timing of God. Recognizing this then choosing to yield to it are the “dying to self” activities that tend to hurt and are hard. It requires a growing sensitivity to the voice and nudgings of God.

Whatever is the season or time in each person’s life or each family, church, business, or ministry, God “makes everything beautiful in its time.” This is like Romans 8: 28 where it says, God turns all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

The thing that I (and we) must reconcile in our hearts is that God’s time is not like our time (2 Peter 3: 8) and His ways and His thoughts are not like ours (Isaiah 55: 8). What we expect and especially the way we expect what we expect to happen, is not always the way God planned it or purposed it. The timing of it may not come about in the time or season we hoped for or the exact way we thought.

But if we are to live our lives in the abundance that God promised in John 10:10, (unfortunately abundance doesn’t necessarily mean without problems) we must choose to believe that whatever God says will eventually come to pass. Not necessarily what we think should happen or what we desire in our human natural way of thinking.

“The rain and the snow come down from the
heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause grain to grow, producing seed for the
farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same
with My word (God speaking). I sent it out and it
always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want
it to, and it will prosper everywhere I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 (NLT)

How we choose to believe is by allowing God’s word to take effect in our hearts and lives plus renewing our minds to His word (reading it) so that we can have the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 2:16). And we cannot pick and choose what we think or someone told us is or isn’t God’s word. Everything written in the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament was from God as He inspired men that He chose to write it. (Romans 15:4, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

When we do this we will live in peace and joy regardless of the events and tragedies that surround us; even when it hurts, even when we are mourning, even when we do not understand. That is because the Kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 55:12, Romans 14:17).

It’s a matter of perspective: the carnal/human mindset versus the God-like/spiritual mindset (read Romans 8:5-14). This is no easy task. It takes relationship with God through accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (the easy part) then daily developing that relationship by really getting to know Him.

Making relationship with God our priority leads us to a peace that passes all of our understanding ( Philippians 4:7) and a joy that gives us the strength to endure whatever we are facing (Nehemiah 8:10). This developing relationship with God enables us to live out this life on earth according to His plan for us individually with an eternal perspective instead of thinking that the world and this life on earth is “the best it is gonna get.”

God has a plan greater than our human minds can comprehend! Don’t be afraid to wrestle with God to get to the place He has chosen for you. Just don’t wrestle too long because no one knows the day or the hour for eternal life (versus eternal damnation) to come for you.

In loving memory of my dear and sweet sister and brother:

Dawn Bonita Generals Patterson
(January 28, 1969 – April 24, 2013)

Walter Leonard “Lenny” Caldwell
(September 15, 1961 – April 29, 2013)

And

Jennifer Caldwell (Niece, Keith’s wife)

Edna Mae Williams (aunt)

This Journey is Way Too Long!

Many of us are dealing with something or some things that are taxing our patience and our faith. The thing (s) seems as though it will never change. At times, you may wonder if this is the life you will have to accept possibly causing you to lose hope. But God! God is able to lift you up in the midst of your situation and turn it around! (Romans 8:28) As I share with you, I am being encouraged too.

“…then the people became impatient with the journey and began to speak against God and Moses. ”

We have to be very careful as we journey through life, particularly when we are on a seasonal journey. Our timing and God’s timing don’t always coincide; rarely do they. His timing is often longer then we anticipated (at other times, quicker than we are ready to move along).

Whatever the case, our speaking against God or those having some level of influence or power (feels like control) in our lives, is not always direct. When we begin to complain, murmur or have the wrong attitude, allow resentment, bitterness or unforgiveness to operate in us, we are essentially speaking against God! We are indirectly saying that we do not trust Him with the journey, especially the details of it, and do not believe that He has our best interest at heart!

We don’t mean to do this, but we tend to when the going gets rough or when the resolve seems to be slow. No one is exempt. Regardless as to your status or station in life, we all hit a place that challenges us in our faith. When the journey gets to be difficult and we feel like we cannot take ” it” anymore, this is the exact time that we need to take a break to P, that is, Pause-Pray-Praise.”

PAUSE to collect yourself and your thoughts. Acknowledge wrong thinking and negative feelings, actions or attitudes. You may need to engage in some form of stress reduction like taking a few slow deep breaths or silencing your self and your thoughts to get a better handle on the situation.

Taking a few moments to hear the voice of God, that is to let His Spirit remind you of His Words, His promises, His Truth, is essential.

PRAY a prayer of true repentance (means turning completely away from that wrong way to God’s way asking for His forgiveness and grace.) Also, pray a prayer of surrender and submission ( means you are relinquishing what you consider your rights or what you deserve and submitting yourself and your journey to God’s care ( totally with no holding back) with a willingness to wait and to trust. This does not mean being passive or allowing others to intentionally do you harm. This is a time to choose to trust God with your journey.

PRAISE God for His goodness, love, and mercy that He continually extends to you (His love never fails!). Praise Him for the lessons that you are learning from Him while on this journey. Praise Him for His supernatural activity on your behalf and for the tremendous resolve that will come in His timing. Praise Him for never leaving you helpless. Give Him a sacrifice of praise rehearsing before Him how Great He is. (Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world.)

God’s word was written to help us to prosper in all we do and to keep us from making the same mistakes over and over again or committing the same sins as our forefathers (murmuring, complaining, or choosing the wrong ways to handling your journey).

“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Romans 15:4 (NLT)

God is with you / us on the journey and will see you / us through! Keep in mind that the devil, the enemy of God and your soul, does his best to trick you. His goal is to watch you carefully to see when or how to trip you.

So you be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work (the ways) of the Lord… (I Corinthians 15:58) and choose to find joy on the journey even in the midst of the toughest trials. [see Ecclesiastes 9:11]

(C) 2013 Rosalind M.Stanley

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