Friday, June 29, 2012

How to Start Your Day

There are some things we all need to know in order to get through our day (and to do it successfully).  It's equally important for people who have disabilities as for those who don't.  The very first thing is to know there is a God.  Not just "a" God, but "THE" God.  Everyone knows that if the compass is not set properly, the destination will not be reached.  When I think about things from this premise- when I start out my day from this point - I have the right perspective. My starting point is grounded in Truth - not fact or fiction. I find that my center becomes God instead of me, myself and I!  From there, I remember that He is the Creator - MY Creator.  I find my purpose in Him.  I realize that He has work for me today.  I am not left with empty desires or fruitless jobs, but if I stay tuned into Him, I will be about His work.  At the end of the day, I will have a sense of accomplishment and contentment.  When I am doing those works He has designed for me, I find that I have sufficient strength, hope, faith, love and inspiration to work.

Does this mean I never experience fear or fatigue?  Does this mean my faith is not challenged or that I never lose sight of what's real?  No, that's not what it means.  If I make a mistake and make the wrong choices, I will see warning flags like confusion or guilt or remorse.  I am to take that directly to Jesus, Who will forgive, cleanse me and reset my compass.

I will have stress and difficulties along my path.  I will have to give up some of the things I would rather not in order that I may possess the better things. 

When the Israelites sent spies into the promised land, all but Joshua and Caleb were cast down and lost the vision that God had given them.  They looked at the situation from a strictly human perspective and as a result they saw giants.  They forgot Who made them, guided them and empowered them.  They forgot all God had done up to that point to beat the odds and to deliver them through EVERYTHING.  They forgot that even the Egyptian Pharoah and his army had been annihilated when they held God's people in bondage and would not let them go.

I'll speak more tomorrow about giants and what they represent and how we can deal with them....

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Thank You, Daughter

I just returned from a visit with my daughter and two grandsons.  Not only did I have a wonderful time with  them, but also enjoyed my daughter's bee hives, garden and excellent cooking.  I'm home now with renewed inspiration to prepare healthy foods and enjoy eating right with my family.  I've been going through a book (called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig., PHD) that my daughter gave me to find some new recipes, but I was a bit overwhelmed at the huge amount of information along with tasty dishes.  So I decided to learn just one new thing at a time.  I have chosen chicken stock which is used in many different things.  It's incredibly nutritious.
At times I am tempted to think it's a waste of time for me to eat nutritiously, because I have already suffered much damage to my body with the Parkinson's Disease.  What good is it going to do now?  But I am going to throw that thought away.  I believe that nourishing my body now can only fuel it to heal itself.  It may slow or halt the progression of PD.  It makes sense that it can only be beneficial for me AND my family.At the very worst, I will enjoy eating what I prepare with my family. 
I have already found that I am energized as I put good things into my body.  Join with me in this endeaver.  Share with me any recipes made with organic foods that you have, and let's get to work getting healthy!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Who Will Be There?

We never know what another person goes through just t get through the day.  We may know what it looks like on the outside, and we may think we know how we would feel in the same circumstances, but in reality it's only our best guess.  How can we understand the miles a person has traveled from their beginning until now?  How can we know the toll it has taken - this journey?

On the other side of that coin, how can  we expect another to comprehend what it would be like to live in my skin? 

When I am feeling unappreciated or misunderstood I have to remember it's God who supplies my needs.  People cannot fill my void, or take away my low self-esteem or any other sense of inadequacy.  They can certainly minister to me, but in the end only God can "fix" me. 

People can make things more pleasant, but sometimes I'm surrounded by people who have their own problems and are already overwhelmed by the needs of those around them.  Sometimes we don't have the loving support of our families or even friends.  Sometimes we are rejected and cast away because of our own sins against others.  We know we don't deserve anything better, but we NEED to be loved, forgiven, helped. 

Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn't feel lower or more unloved and devalued than you already do?  I'm pretty sure you have.   And if you don't already know it, I have a word for you.  Jesus is your answer.  He says that He will never leave us or forsake us (though people sometimes will).  He says that nothing can separate us from His love. He says if we confess our sins He will forgive. And His Word tells us that He is love, and has all power with all wisdom and knowlege.

You have to want what He offers to you.  But what He offers is real.  Try turning to Him when you are hopeless and helpless to change.  Give Him your difficult life along with your disappointments.  You don't have to wish for a perfect family, or a perfect spouse or SOMEONE to be there for you because no one else is.  Just turn to Him.  He's right there

Monday, June 4, 2012

Cool and Cloudy

Today is unseasonably cool.  It's cloudy with temperatures in the 60s.  Definitely sweater weather!  This is not my idea of a typical June day. 

Emotions are sort of like the weather.  One day you are hot only to be cool the next.  Our comfort levels change as circumstances outside of our control may be all over the map.  In other words, we are directly affected by the "weather" around us and we have no control over what may come. 

Certainly, for people with PD we are faced with new problems, new circumstances and unforseen events every day.  It can be more than we can handle at times.  So how do we stay steady and remain grounded in an unpredictable climate?  I do it through my relationship to Jesus.  If I didn't know that He is all powerful and loving I know I wouldn't make it through my crazy days!  I know that He has all knowlege and that He is merciful and forgiving.  I may not understand the why of what He does, but I don't have to.  Knowing who He is will be enough. 

When the weather turns bad suddenly, I know He is my shelter.  I trust Him to know what I don't, and I trust Him to be who He says He is.  Read your Bible today..........  You'll learn something new about Him.  It's all there - in the Bible..........  The answers....