#1. Be sure to have a mentor in your life. Someone that encourages you and cares about you. I found that the best type of mentor is the friend that is kinda like a "Grandpa-teacher-forever young at heart-down to earth-can communicate with you by just looks, no words needed-go to for advice" type. Establish a lasting relationship with this person. Then, when you least expect it.... BRAIN TUMOR. Yep your mentor needs to be diagnosed with a brain tumor. And then... DIE within two weeks of diagnosis.
#2. Two days after your mentors funeral... rush to you friends side after you receive a phone call form her in which she states that she has been .:SEVERELY BURNED:. Arrive at friends side... determine instantly that she needs to go to the hospital.. not in a personal car but VIA AMBULANCE. Then convince her five children that it's ok to leave their MOMMA'S SIDE <3 Drive children away before they see their momma taken out on a stretcher...
#3. (I realize that this may seem really depressing but please keep reading... there is a happy ending. I PROMISE.) Upon your return from taking children to a burn unit five hours away so they can see their mother<<<<<<<<<VOMIT VIOLENTLY.. preferably while sitting on the toilet (not because it's comfy but because it catches other fluids coming from other ORPHEUS simultaneously as you VOMIT VIOLENTLY.) Don't do this just once. Do this at least twice an hour for 12 HOURS STRAIGHT>>>>>>>>
#4. Invite an 18 year old to move into your ONE BEDROOM HOUSE. Why you ask? PEACE of course. And because this option is the BEST OPTION. PERIOD.... pErIoD.
#5. Fight off a HORRIBLE UPPER RESPIRATORY nastiness. LOSE FIGHT. SHARE WITH HUSBAND. Repeat once or TWICE.
#6. MULTI-TASK. No I don't think you understand... I mean MULTI-TASK... Make sure you are on multiple committees, involved in groups...Even better LEAD THEM. Be the treasurer of something. DO book-keeping for a business... better yet YOUR BUSINESS. Go to meetings... church meetings, work meetings... dog meetings.... at least 5 nights a week for a month. Because you never know... someone's SALVATION might depend on YOU ATTENDING A MEETING. Go to school... Scratch that.. GO TO COLLEGE. laundry. dishes. MINISTRY. No ministrieS. Wife/husband. Daughter/son. Family. Bills. FrIeNdS? And work part time (minimum).
#7. Oh yeah. I almost forgot. While you are loading your mentor in the car so he can get treatment for his brain tumor in the big city... GET AN URGENT CALL saying your mother is in the EMERGENCY RoOm with a kidney stone attack. And then get a phone call a few days later from your mother... letting you know that she has LOST HER JOB... again...
#8. Watch the news. Once a month is plenty.
#9. Have lots of FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES... so that you can pray about their CRISIS. Because after-all who doesn't have something HORRIBLE going on in their life somehow (right this very second)?
#10. Don't sleep or exercise. Not by choice but by SURVIVAL.
#11. KEEP YOUR FAITH IN JESUS DESPITE STEPS 1-10 (or actually IN-SPITE). <<<You saw this coming, didn't you?>>>
Numbers 1-10 happened to me in less than 90 days. I purposely made what happened sound horrible. It was HORRIBLE. AWFUL. AWFULLY HORRIBLE. Truth is, some of them were much worse and much more involved than I described. #1 and #2 especially. And I realize that there are people in this world (possibly billions) that experience life much worse (maybe even a BILLION times WORSE) for ****YEARS**** (compared to my wimpy 90 days).
The God that I believe in... is a God of LOVE.... out-of-this-world-love... crazy lOVE... more than your first-love LOVE. Therefore, I do not believe that God causes horrible, awful, or awfully horrible things to happen. I just don't believe it. And I never will. Plus I believe a thorough Bible study would prove as much (this statement is based on the premises that you're open to such a Bible study). ###1 John 4:16 for starters.### (No, not everyone has to believe the same way I do. And no, I don't think you are wrong for believing different. Please grant me the same grace.)
But I do believe He (note the capital H) allows things to happen... (the word consequences would be added to this conversation... a conversation that I don't want to finish here... Well not now anyway).
God allowed me to reach a place where I *LITERALLY* could NoT worry anymore. Simply COULD NOT worry. Excuse me... I CAN NOT worry. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and several other "ally"s (or is it "allies") I just couldn't or can't do it any longer.
I reached a place where I MUST pray "God, this is your problem. You can handle (blank). I can not." yeah, sure I sometimes add in "Use me if need be" Or "show me what I can do." but ultimately it's now "All You" Capital Y because I'm talking to the Big Guy Upstairs. The least I can do is give HIM some capitals (He may not care but I do. RESPECT)
Finally... the point to this long blog post.... "6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." Phillipians 4:6-9
I gotta tell ya, I wouldn't trade this peace for anything. Not even to have my friend Blaine (see #1) back (as huge tears well up in my eyes). I'm praying that this peace LASTS. I realize that means God might allow more horrible in my life to maintain this reliance and peace. And I'm ok with that, that's what i've signed up for... whatever it takes.
Listen, I want to hear from YOU THE READER! What has God allowed in your life to give you PEACE? How is God working in your life NOW? What is your source of encouragement? Please answer these questions by commenting below. Got prayer requests?
Thanks for reading and God Bless!
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You are an amazing woman and I couldn't be prouder of you. And, now you're a college graduate too!! Love you very much, honey.
ReplyDeleteThanks Madre.... more like an UNDERgraduate... but I'll TAKE IT for now. <3
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vanessa, for sharing. Each of our lives is a journey. Thank-you for being so open about yours. hfleming
ReplyDeleteI'll try this again!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your words, Vanessa. They cause me to stop and think how I've been through a lot lately, too, with sickness and death surrounding me, but I keep worrying about trivial things and big things. I want that peace from God as well.
Ooh, ooh, here's another comment:
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I went to a workshop where the motivational speaker encouraged us to keep a notebook of Ten Things I Did Well Today. I did it for a while and then stopped. I started it up again. It can be a thankful journal, or a how-I'm-blessed journal, but what it does for me is force me to focus on what I do each day that is positive, so I won't be so negative about myself and others. It helps for low self-esteem, I suppose, but for me it helps me focus on thinking and doing positive things. Sometimes things on my list might include "I flossed today," which means I care about my health and this body that's supposed to be a temple of God, but other times I'm able to add things such as "I didn't get into an argument with so-and-so" (if that has been a struggle of mine); or "I listened to so-and-so instead of trying to offer advice or my opinion." It helps me follow what it says in James about being quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry. I think it is helping me find more peace in all the stress and madness. And it isn't something I share with anyone, so it keeps it from being a look-at-how-great-I-am kinda deal. Just between God and me.
Thanks for your comments Hali and Annie! Annie your last comment makes me think of a bookmark I just came across. The bookmark was at church, on the counter in the foyer. The bookmark has 101 reasons to smile. Such a simple thing but just what the reminder I need. Thanks again for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the original article and all the comments. I am doing this to see if my comment stays on. (some of you reported that not happen for you).
ReplyDeleteYes. People are slowly getting the hang of it I think.
ReplyDeletei love you babe you rock rt
ReplyDeletetehehehe... gotta love my husbands comment. <3
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I appreciate your testimony. I have many acquaintances on FB. I have seen so much hurt, broken hopes, great suffering experience by these people in such little time. I receive JD's prayer requests and realize that there is hardly a person on earth that is not touched with tragedy, hopelessness and grief. I have been in those situations myself, and know the terribly pain of loss, but I too know there is great peace to those who know GOD. If I can but speak encouraging words to everyone, with no exception, with whom I am brought into contact...May God fill my life with His love, that I may have unbounded, unlimited love to share with others as you have. God bless you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHi Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteI had the honor of meeting Blaine and Faith in August when I was visiting my sister, Linda, and her husband, Ed. I went to church with them and Blaine immediately came up to me in the lobby and wanted to see the braces on my teeth. I thought how unusual a request! But Blaine was one who was able to make a request like that and, at the same time, put that person at ease. Although I was normally self-conscious of my braces, I immediately opened my mouth and displayed all the hardware to him. I felt an immediate liking for him and the absolute youthful glow of life in his eyes. Every once in a while you meet a person that you don't know at all but you immediately like for some in-expressible reason. Blaine plopped himself steadfastly into that category for me. You must feel a great loss in your life but at the same time we know, without any doubt, we will see him again.