Saying YES!!!!

There comes a time when you just have to make a Declaration. A Commitment. Saying "Yes" is what takes wishing and hoping to being and doing. Saying "Yes" is what causes a Girlfriend to be a Wife. Saying "Yes" makes a lost person saved. Changing jobs, helping others, making any change, begins with a point of declaration to accept the change. A Commitment starts with a declaration. Commitments to walk the dog, take out the trash, run an errand, volunteering, can be seemingly small and yet, if they are not made, they are not done. Commitments can be huge life altering decisions- embracing a new career, changing relationships, family planning. At some point, you have said, "Yes."
I recently had someone ask me how I finally overcame my fear and anxiety. I wish I could have given a Hollywood scripted story of how I prayed that one prayer or attended a church service that changed me, or that I had a dream I was healed and I woke up to that reality. My counselor and my mentor told me it would be a process and boy were they right! It certainly was a process.
Day by day, I learned, studied, prayed, received counsel, processed, memorized, struggled within, hoped and wished upon The Word of God. I liken the process to loosing weight...you don't notice the first pound lost or the second. It's not until the third and fourth pounds that you notice the loose pants. Before you know it, one day you step on the scale and you have lost 6lbs. People around you begin to take notice and you can feel it. You knew it, but you didn't feel the 6lbs drop. And yet, there is a day of realization of a new truth! You have lost the weight! Awesome!!!
I do believe God can bring a sudden healing, be it emotional, physical or spiritual. I have experienced those as well. God is our Healer and our Rescue. But God's ways are not man's way. His way is not found in The Handbook of Quick Fixes, which is what we all wish for. So, my friend asked me, how did I know I had been healed, that my bondage to fear was gone. I knew I was stronger. I had less moments of panic and despair and more moments of hope. Truth, courage, clarity, comfort began to fill me, leaving less and less room for anxiousness, fear or worry, defeat or despair. With every prayer, every study, every scripture memorized, I fought for the next breath of peace. My only hope was the Prince of Peace, The Living Water and my daily Bread. All I could do was focus on the basics of being alive. Weeks and Months passed and as I dropped each "weight" I was healthier!There came a moment when I had to declare, "I am free!!" I knew God had lifted "one pound" at a time off of me and I was ready to commit to loosing the rest and keeping the "weight" off. It was time to celebrate victory!
April 4, 2009 was such a day for me! Everything that I had gone through and learned about myself and my God, was ready to be put into practice. It was time to stand firm! I felt free and knew how to be free, and I just needed to commit to being free! Now, that prayer of declaration was a defining moment of change. It is like the moment the Groom slips on the ring of his Bride's finger. That was it. They declared it official as they turned around facing their family and friends and sealed it all up with a kiss! From that moment on, they would walk and live as husband and wife. That sunny April day, which happened to be my Birthday, I made that commitment. I chose that day whom I would serve. I chose to trust The Lord my God for my protection, provision and my peace. Feasting on The Word every day, and He strengthened me. It began to consume and direct my heart, mind and soul! My spirit has been set free from that bondage of fear!! AMEN!!!
Now, in that moment, I did feel the weight lifted off my heart! It was such a freeing moment. I wonder if Peter had that same feeling when he stuck his toes in the water and found a foundation upon which he could stand! Hope and Anticipation filled my once hopeless and defeated body, mind and spirit. That was Day One of a life set free from the bondage of fear and anxiety! My counselor and mentors were right, it was a process and I needed to keeping moving forward, hoping, trusting and faithfully focused on Christ alone! Besides, our lives are not even about us. Yes we are a Light and Ambassador of Christ, but we are living for God, loving on behalf of God!! Our very being is about and because of God!!! I was not created for me....but God!
Sure, there have been moments of anxiousness and times when fear has come at me, but I am remaining faithful to the commitment I made back on that Beautiful April day, to place all my trust and hope and strength in The Lord God Almighty who rescues, remembers, provides and protects!

What process do YOU need to begin healing of? What do YOU need to declare today?! Is there something you need to choose to get victory over? What do you believe has more "weight" in you- fear or faith? Doubts or The Defender? Bondages or Beauty? What in YOUR life do you need to commit YES to overcoming in Jesus' Name?

God, YOU are my VICTORY!! Phil 4:13

God, I WILL serve You!! Joshua 24:15b

God, I will TRUST You!! Romans 8:31-39

OUCH!

OUCH is right!! Boy did that one hurt! And yes, that IS a black eye, not make-up! (I actually received a lot of compliments on how great I looked with my "new make-up!" lol) This was my very first black eye. As soon as I fell, I felt the pain swelling up in me...literally!! It hurt. It was obvious. My eye and cheek began to swell immediately eventhough upon the initial impact it was flesh colored. As days went by, the swelling and pain diffused and it began to look more normal and eventually did heal. The array of colors lasted longer than the pain, praise GOD!!!!

That was back in 2009. The picture below was taken just last week and guess what....injury to the face, again. Adjusting some handlebars on my daughter's bike popped me good. Nope, no black eye...it wasn't hard enough to even cause an uproar or change colors but it sure hurt! I am the only one that feels the pain and noticed the tiny bit of swelling it caused. As recent as yesterday, it was tender to apply my foundation over it. 

That's how it is with hurts. Some are obvious and while others go unnoticed to those around us. Everyone can see obvious injuries but many little injuries go unseen. There was just no way for me to hide that peacock of an eye I had. I could only attempt to camouflage it with make-up and hair. Today, no problem, just a little extra powder, hair parted off to the side and sunglasses...good to go!

This was a good reminder for me today:

People are hurting (including this smiling face sometimes) all around us. 
Be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to interceed on their behalf through encouragement, prayer, help. Last week was a really tough week for me and a friend of mine walked up to me at church handing me a Panera Gift Card and said, "God put you on my heart this week and wanted me to encourage you." I cannot tell you what that meant to me. That my friend was being sensitive to the whispers of God. That she cared enough about me to follow thru. And that God cared enough and was saying "Yes Michele, I am here." 

Hurts come in all shapes and colors.
No hurt, betrayal, grief, pain, stress looks the same for one person, much less everyone. If God allows our pains as a testing of our faith, or a refining and pruning or maybe even a discipline, then in wisdom and faith, we can confidently cling to the hope that He is with us as we walk through the fire. There is a greater glory coming than this temporary suffering.

It takes time to heal.
I know, me too. We are hurt and we want to make the hurt stop asap!! However, if everything has purpose, then we cannot assume we are going to have a life of no pain. Our Lord who is perfect and blameless even endured suffering and pain. Not everything can be solved with a bandaid and a little oil. One time prayer may not be enough. We may have to uncover/reveal our hurt in order to process in a healthy way. We may have to get on our knees before the Lord day after day, week after week and maybe even year after year. Healing is a process as diverse as the colors in the spectrum. Until we finish that process till completion (whatever God has planned), it's going to be tender. But again, we can rest assured that He sees us, He is with us, healing is coming. Our ultimate healing and restoration will come in the throne-room of Heaven.

Action steps:
Give Grace. To yourself as you walk through the process of healing. To others who may have hidden hurts as they walk through their healing process.

Give. Just give whatever it is God tells you to give, to whomever God tells you to give, including to yourself. We can be our own worst sabotager. When you're not sure what to give, you can never go wrong with the gift of prayer!!


"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5: 2-5

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." James 5:7-9

Thank You Lord God, my Healer, Redeemer, my Refuge, my Savior and Friend. Your touch quenches these dry bones. Restore us to Your glory. Forgive us Lord when we doubt Your plan and question Your promises. Deepen our faith and trust in You. We praise Your Name and we believe that we have healing and joy through the Blood that covers us and fills us. In Your Perfect and Faithful Name, amen.