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....

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!

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

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....

Spiritual Ticks

I was recently doing some reading on Lyme's Disease. I read that some people with Lyme's have been misdiagnosed as having PD. I don't know whether that's true or not, but it got me thinking of spiritual parallels. Just like the danger of getting a tick bourne disease from a walk through the yard, we must be aware that there is much in the world that is evil. Unsuspecting the risk, we go through our day without a thought for the scheming the enemy (Satan) has done and the pits he has dug to try and trap us. He wants to shut us down – put us out of commission. He lurks in unsuspected places.



But thinking we are safe - and that there is no risk – and that we have matters under control – we are unaware of the danger. Evil does exist and it is sometimes unseen, or invisible to us just as a tick bourne illness that resides in the infected tick is not seen. Though small and undetected, it is not to be underestimated.



I'm not trying to scare you, and I'm not suggesting that behind every encounter or opportunity lies something evil. I'm merely suggesting that we are more dependent on God to keep us safe than we know.



Evil predators searching out a victim rove back and forth across all of creation – quick to detect our movement or catch our scent. Feeling the warmth of our breath these parasites stealthily follow our trail.



Just don't forget Who has you in the palm of His hand. Don't forget Who gives you armor for protection. Don't forget Who gives you warnings in His Word and tells you how to live and avoid calamity. He is at work protecting us even when we don't know it. Where our bodies are weak, He is strong. Let that encourage you today. He will never leave you, or forsake you!



Be as wise as serpents, but as innocent as doves.

Talk

How are you with talking to people about your disability?  Maybe you're embarrassed, or fearful to talk about it.  Maybe you feel like if you can ignore it or talk around it then somehow it's not as bad, or not there at all.  Maybe it's somehow not real if you ignore it.

WRONG!

When we tell others our stories or share some of our problems with friends, it somehow lightens our burden.  Others are blessed when we share a little bit about OUR burdens.  Some are inspired by our courage and strength, and some are an encouragement to US.  Don't waste all that you have learned by not telling.  Let others in on the lessons that you have had to pay dearly to learn.  Lighten your burden by sharing and bless someone by acknowleging your struggles. I believe that's part of our purpose here on this earth.... taking what we have and giving it to someone who needs it.

I have realized anew that life is not all about me.  I am a vibrant and necessary part in this world, at this time, and so are you, but there is so much more.  It's actually a relief to realize that and forget my inhibitions or discomfort for a while and speak freely.

So, now having said that, I'll touch on opportunities to share.  I find that God almost always brings someone to me, and they will usually lead the conversation quite naturally in the direction of an openning for me to share.  Pray for opportunites like that.  He is just LOOKING for someone to share our life in Him with someone who needs to hear it.  Ask Him for a chance to do this.  If we are willing and make ourselves available, He will honor that request.

No matter if you are sick or what your burden may be, you have something to share and somebody has a need to hear it.

Put Gas in My Tank

The day has ended - it's done, and I must say my head is spinning.  The daylight hours were filled with prayer, Bible study, friends, family, chores,  and more.  The "more" part was quite a lot.  If I didn't love those people in my life that are in the "more" category so much it would have been an easier day - certainly a happier day. 

Today, I scaled some mountains, went through the fire and let my heart break for some of my loved ones.  Somehow I remained steady.  How?  Well I kept refueling with every prayer, with every grateful thought, with every kindness; and I knew where to go with the parts that were bigger than me.  Even so, my head is still spinning.  If you are so inclined, I sure could use a little prayer....  Or maybe a big prayer.  Either one is welcomed.  But when you pray for me, keep in mind that He can do ANYTHING for ANYBODY no matter what place we or our loved ones are in, and no matter how they got there.  God can untangle ANY mess.  If this weren't true, there would be no hope for my crazy problems.