Philippians 2:14
Scripture
Continued from here.
Are we only
I
never
grumbled
about
having
triple
negative
breast
cancer.
Instead
I prayed
for
strength,
courage,
grace,
wisdom,
discernment
to
minister
to the medical staff,
my family,
loved ones,
and myself.
Something to ponder.
Something to really ponder.
Are we only
aware of our reactions
in times of great stress?
How about in the little things?
Can God trust me to
live without grumbling?What would happen if,
instead of grumbling,
we prayed
for
strength,
courage,
grace,
wisdom,
discernment
to
minister?
Prayer
LORD, how I love You
and trust You as my loving Father!
You are so generous to give me
this time in my life
when I can
this time in my life
when I can
study, ponder, and apply
Your Word to my life.
But, to be honest,
this morning,
I feel like
I've been run over by a God Truck!
Joyfully and with growing awareness,
I'm seeing a behavior
that needs to be changed.
As You well know,
I'm pretty talented at grumbling!
So, LORD, help me to begin
this new "grumbling-free" journey.
Please help me to
pray instead of grumble,
to lean on You, instead of myself,
to encourage rather discourage,
to encourage rather discourage,
to eagerly watch You work things out,
instead of doing it myself.
To trust You even more.
Abba Father,
I love You!
And I know You're
sitting right next to me grinning.
I'm grinning with You.
Kinda.
I Love You. :)
Amen.
2015 $7.50 Quilt Finished!
In
my hometown, we are blessed to have a local, brick and mortar quilt shop:
Bernina
Sewing and Design.
It’s a non-alcoholic version of the TV series, “Cheers”.
Everybody
knows your name.
They
will drop everything to
hug
you,
pray
with you,
laugh
with you,
or
cry
with you.
I
love them.
I
really do.
And
they love me.
They
really do.
2015 was also the year of the fight for my life. Completing a block every month was difficult. Tears, late nights, phone calls to friends for help, chemo side effects and fatigue were certainly involved.
But so was God, determination, courage and love.
I presented this quilt to my dear husband
as a thank you/36th anniversary/Valentine's gift. I told him how much I appreciated him taking care of me.
I remember him
waking up for work at least 45 minutes early to feed me at least a quarter of a thin bagel with an egg on top,
gently bathing me,
tenderly holding me as we both cried,
ferociously battling the insurance company,
tirelessly driving an extra 1.5 hours a day for six weeks to stay with me in our hotel during daily radiation treatments,
and not one grumble.
I am so very blessed!
He shed a tear or two when I gave it to him. So did I.
 |
| My husband and son holding up the quilt on a cold, windy afternoon. My Sammy is supporting their efforts! |
 |
| The backing is made from my favorite fabric used in the quilt. |
I'm linking up to
Eloquent. You shared your story with such strength. Your husband took his vows to heart, and showed his love and devotion the way you would have. It's a miracle of sorts when two people find each other. You helped me see the difference between grumbling and standing up against injustice, and also how important it is to listen to one's own words. When we marry we vow to stand up with that person through sickness and in health. Then we just do it. We have integrity and love and do it gladly. Your husband would do it all again as you would for him. Happy to love you, to care for you, as you are his person. Thank you and stay healthy. Keep writing. LeeAnna
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lee Anna! I so appreciate your thoughtful, heartfelt comment! Yes, my dear husband did indeed take his vows to heart. We were young teenagers out on a cruising night when we met. We lost each other and then, miracles of miracles, found each other again! I'm so glad this post helped you! It has certainly got me thinking. I love your description of marriage! It's so true! Thank you for your encouragement to keep writing. I'm definitely encouraged and cheered by your sweet, strong comments! Thank you for visiting!
DeleteWhat a beautiful quilt you have made for your husband! It is a real testament to triumph, perseverance, and love. Your Bible verse hit me hard when I read it because for the past 6 months I have been a champion grumbler while dealing with an issue that is not nearly as scary or disruptive as your fight to overcome cancer. You have inspired me to take a different look at my circumstances--and how they have changed my life for the better. I looked up what you had to do to make that quilt for 7.50 and admired it and you all the more. It must have been daunting at times to follow the rules, but you did it! I wish you and your husband well and pray that you will remain healthy for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteOh Janine! Thank you so much for your kind words! You know, Janine, we all have challenges in our lives and they are all huge and important. Your issue is just as important to God as mine is. I believe God uses our various issues and crossing of paths to enlighten us to the work He is doing in our lives. I'm so glad to hear that this post inspired you to realize that all things work together for our good.
DeleteYes, it was extremely daunting at times...that's the perfect word!
Thank you for your blessing and prayers! They mean so much to me!
You, Janine, are my blessing!
Thank you for stopping by, for commenting and allowing God to use you to bless me! :)
Aww, that is the sweetest quilt story!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! So many people contributed to the making of this quilt....in my next post I gave major kudos to my longarm quilter! She's a jewel! And so are you - just saw your most recent post! Beautiful work! Thank you for stopping by and visiting!
DeleteYour victory quilt is so pretty! I'm sorry you went through such a hard time. Cancer is AWFUL!!!!! That dread when you find out you have it is incomparable. Praises for your remission!
ReplyDeleteYes, Lynette, it was a hard time, cancer is awful and those first few hours and days after diagnosis are horrible....but you know? I wouldn't change it for the world! So many blessings came out of it...this blog, my faith is stronger than ever, I love deeper, fuller and more fearlessly....meeting people like you! Thank you for celebrating with me! Praise God He uses all things for His glory! Thank you for stopping by!
Delete