Sometimes We Don't Understand, But We Must Trust

Our youngest son, Drew had his tonsils taken out two weeks ago tomorrow. Yesterday, Drew felt good. We went to church and then to lunch. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get him a Halloween costume. When we got home Drew went upstairs to play video games. I was in the kitchen making chocolate protein bars for the week. All of the sudden Drew started screaming, "I'm spitting up blood, I'm spitting up blood! He was bleeding pretty bad! Trying to stay calm, I called the doctor on call and told him what was happening. He told us to meet him at the ER at Saint Francis Eastside. We got there in 15 minutes. Jody never drove so fast!

The doctor met us there and had to put him to sleep so he could go in and see why he was bleeding from the place he got his tonsils removed. This took about 30 minutes. The doctor came to talk to us and said that he had two blood clots, one on each side of his throat. They had ruptured. He stopped the bleeding and then had to pump his stomach of all the blood that he had swallowed. They pumped 200-300 cc's of blood off his little tummy. He could have got into some big trouble. Praise God, he did not!

Sometimes we may not understand why certain things happen, but everything that does happen, happens for a reason. God could have been using our situation with Drew to touch the heart of a hospital worker, or any person who knows Drew or our family. We may never know this side of Heaven, but we must always remember that He is so faithful to keep His promises. We must trust Him, even when we don't understand.

We can trust the One Who holds all the answers to the jarring question 'Why'? Just knowing that is enough.

In His Grip,
Dalinda

Age Is A Frame Of Mind

Young people don't get their grandparents, and the over-fifty crowd can't figure out their juniors...in some sense a standoff. But the truth is, there is beauty on both sides of the gap. Young people possess stamina and a passion for life, while those who've been around awhile are reservoirs of experience and wisdom. In God we are glorious at any age.

All of God's people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them.

Each age brings new opportunities. As believers, life is a journey. We want to move from point A to point B, and then on from there, all the while growing in our faith. Instead of focusing on the ups and downs of the journey, we should be looking ahead to the finish line....What joy will come when you cross it!

Blessings,
Dalinda

Conformed Or Transformed?

God has a plan for every aspect of your life, including your health. But He expects you to do your fair share of the work! God will not force His plans upon you. He has given you the ability to make choices. The consequences of those choices help determine the quality and tone of your life.

Health is a gift from God. What we do with that gift is determined by the person we see every time we look in the mirror. If we take it for granted, we do a profound disservice to ourselves and to our loved ones.

If you trust God, and if you keep asking for His help, He can transform your life.

Your journey toward improved health can be, and should be, a journey that you make with God.

The choice is ours. If we want to be a sold out somebody for God, we have to break away from the everybody crowd. The One who knows us best and loves us most is present to provide everything we need to continue on until He changes our circumstances.

In Him,
Dalinda

Diet Is Not About Denial....It's About Desire

Today, I am beginning my journey to create a healthier me. With the help of my internist and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ I will have victory. No food tastes as good as being healthy feels!

The time and energy it takes to eat healthy and exercise is well worth every minute. I am going to be strong in the Lord's strength, do my very best, and God will do the rest.

If I exercise and eat healthy to bring glory to myself, I will run out of willpower. But if I eat healthy to complete God's calling for my life and to bring glory to our King, I will see victory like never before.

For the next 12 weeks, I want to honor God with my body by following the nutrition and exercise plan my internist has given me. I commit to eat well, get proper rest, and exercise to bring glory to God, not myself. I pray God gives me self-control, helps me to be disciplined in my mind, my body, and my spirit.

Jesus can take our defective lives and make them effective! He can take our worst and add His best. Your life means more than you think it does. God is using you in ways you may never know.

My desire is to bring God the glory and to reduce my risk of getting heart disease. My Dad died of heart disease. My internist gave me a genetic test to see if I inherited the genes, from my Dad, that cause heart disease. The results came back showing that I inherited one of the genes.

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the US....Heart disease accounts for 1 death every 34 seconds....1 in 3 persons has some form of heart disease....800,000 people have a stroke every year.

I want to do everything I can to reduce my risk of getting heart disease and becoming one of these statistics.

Many times our battles in this life prepare us for our purpose. So the goal in our walk with God should not be to dodge the pain and problems life brings, but to learn to fight the good fight and finish strong!

In His Mighty Hand,
Dalinda

Who's In Charge?

One of the surest ways, and BEST way, to improve your health and your life is to do it with God as your partner. When you put God first in EVERY aspect of your life, you'll be comforted by the knowledge that His wisdom is the ultimate wisdom and that His plans are the right plans for you.

When you put God first, your outlook will change, your priorities will change, your behaviors will change, and your health will change. When you put Him first, you'll experience the genuine peace and lasting comfort that only He can give.

God deserves first place in your life....and you deserve the experience of putting Him there.

In Him,
Dalinda

Share Your Joy

To share your joy with others, to love others as Jesus loves you, is not only a form of thanksgiving and praise, but also a way to cause others to wonder what you are so happy about.

They say you can tell a lot about a person's foundation of hope by the way they handle a rainy day. Do they turn into a Gloomy Gus, wailing, 'Oh, woe is me," or do they make the best of a bad situation? A hope-filled person will realize that abundant life in Christ isn't about simply enduring the storm, but also about learning to dance in the puddles. So grab your galoshes, and let's boogie!

Joyfully,
Dalinda

True Beauty

Let me tell you a little secret friends. The actresses, the ladies who appear on those magazine covers and even the sixteen year old selling anti-aging make-up are just like you and me in real life. It takes an army of hair and make-up professionals 3-5 hours to get them ready for their close-ups and agencies still spend tens of thousands of dollars on airbrushing.

Our world today has so many misconceptions of true beauty. It's not high fashion at it's best. It's not a Noxzema smooth face every morning. It's not tighter, firmer abs either. It's a beauty that's so transparent that others see Jesus in you, working through you: A beauty that causes others to wonder what's different about you.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. A smile can brighten the darkest day. It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring the most important muscle of the body...the heart.

Others can't see Jesus until we let our light shine for Him! So SMILE! It increases your face value and guides and directs others to Jesus, the sweetest light of all.

Keep smiling (for God),
Dalinda

Falling Forward

Courage and fear. Those two attributes are strange bedmates. It would seem impossible to experience both of them at the same time; yet it seems that's the challenge of the believer's life. Fear tells us that life is unpredictable, anything can happen, but courage replies quietly, "Yes, but God is in control."

If we will stop for a moment during our cluttered lives to reflect, we will realize this is not a rehearsal. This is it!

I sin. I fall far short. I stumble. I listen to Satan's lies too often.

Why do I keep losing my patience with the kids? Why do some people's attitude annoy me so much? I should be more Christlike by now, shouldn't I?

Just the other day, I lost it when a driver cut me off, and I've been asking God to help me stop doing that. But do you know what He showed me? He is using all these unpleasant irritations to bring my hidden attitudes to the surface so He can deal with them. He will continue to change me, but it is a slow process.

As gold is refined in fire, likewise our attitudes are brought to the surface in trials.

Each moment of this life I long to look more like my Jesus and less like one of the Pharisees!

I pray that God challenges me to fall ever more before the throne of God begging for more of Him to show in my life and less of me!

In Him,
Dalinda

It's A Shakedown

Shakedown: to shake something in order to find a hidden treasure.

Sometimes we are shaken so that something better can be revealed.

Some ways we can be shaken are: our health, our relationships, our hopes, and our souls.

We cannot choose whether or not we should be shaken, but we can choose what we are standing on when we are shaken.

Never cast an anchor in shifting sand!

Sometimes our relationships are shaken so that we can see that Jesus is the only relationship we can truly count on. When everything seems to be falling apart that's when God is putting things together just the way He wants it.

To our heart-wrenched cries of Why? God's ultimate answer is, "Jesus," as He is glorified and magnified in our lives through our suffering. Trust Him. When guilt takes the edge off every joy....When there are no answers to our questions...Trust Him when you don't understand. Trust His heart. Trust His purpose. Trust Him when it is your heart that's broken. Trust His goodness. Trust Him beyond the grave. Trust Him to know best. Trust His plan to be bigger than yours. Trust Him to be on time. Trust Him to be enough. Trust Him to set you free. Trust Him, and Him alone!

The times when we can't trace His hand of purpose, we must trust His heart of love! Trust HIM!

For His praise and glory,
Dalinda

Life's An Ocean, Sail It!

We should give meaning to life, not wait for life to give us meaning.

You miss a lot of good things in life if you have the wrong attitude. If you look for the bad in life, you'll find it. Things turn out the best for people who make the best of the way things turn out. You are only a victim if you allow yourself to be.

Pessimism is more harmful than optimism is helpful.

Life is a struggle that must be accepted. Each stage of life has a learning curve, but what pains us, trains us.

Everyone gets the same twenty-four hours in a day, the difference is how you use it. Each individual has the choice to make their life either complicated or simple. It is up to us to take the lemons life hands us and make lemonade out of them. We can choose to let circumstances rule us or we can choose to rule the circumstances. God created us with a free-will. Part of that free-will is the ability to make choices. Lemonade is much sweeter and tastier than plain lemons, don't you think?

For His Glory,
Dalinda

Lessons Hard To Learn Are Sweet To Know

All things are difficult before they are easy.

Something is lost whenever something is gained. But sometimes when you lose, you still win in the long run. (Luke 9:23-26)

Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.

You will never be completely happy on earth, simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments of even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead.

Many in life don't grow wiser simply because they lived a righteous life, many grow wiser because the older they get the more they recognize how many times they've fallen short.

He who suffers most has most to give.

God has a greater purpose than our immediate comfort, than getting what we want, when we want it, is not always best or gloryifying to God.

Better to limp along the right road than to speed on the wrong one.

There is a heavenly reason for everything in life; may we always learn and grow from our experiences.

I am honored that the Creator of all, chose this beautifully crazy life for me!

Humbled and undeserving,
Dalinda

Keep The Faith, Tides Change

God will never leave you empty handed. If something is taken away, He will replace it with something better, if He denies your request in a certain area, it is because he wishes to give you what is best, if He asks you to put something down, it is so you can pick up something greater.

God will either give you what you ask, or something far better!

When you put Christ first in your life, tides change.

The cross is "I" crossed out. He is first. I am second.

I found this poem somewhere and thought it was good:

Doubt see obstacles
Faith sees the way;
Doubt sees the blackest night
Faith sees the day;
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high;
Doubt questions, "Who believes?"
Faith answers, "I"

Let's sail away on God's boat! The seas might get rough, but the Captain knows the way!

Blessings,
Dalinda

Let God Be God

We can worry about hundreds of different things, from what people think of us to what will happen to us as we age. Quite often, worry does not even have a basis or nugget of truth to it. There is no known reason to even think about the things that worry and then frighten us. Worry can become a bad habit. It is just what we do!

Some people say children are gullible, meaning they believe anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. But children are not gullible; they are trusting. It is children's nature to trust unless they have experienced something that teaches them otherwise. And another thing we all know about children is that they can enjoy just about anything, even turning work into games.

God wants us to know that we are His precious little children and put our complete faith in Him to care for us. He wants us to take His hand and lean on Him, continually asking for His help. But we must come humbly as little children - sincere, unpretentious, honest, open,-knowing that without Him, we can do nothing.

God has given us life, and our goal should be to enjoy it. As God's children we were never intended to live in bondage of any kind. Seek to become and remain childlike in faith with all the simplicity of a child and experience freedom to enjoy all that God has given us in Christ.

In His Love,
Dalinda

Are You In Over Your Head?

At various points in our lives, all of us feel we're getting "out of our depth" or " in over our heads." But the reality is that without God we're always in over our heads.

There are problems all around in this life: a job lost, someone dies, there is strife in the family, or a bad report comes from the doctor. When these things happen, our temptation is to panic, because we feel we've lost control.

I appreciate all the wonderful people God has placed in my life. My husband and my children are amazing. It was because of my parents' love for one another and love for God that I am the woman I am today. They taught me much ... not with lessons, but by example. They lived a life in front of me that permeates my being today. They were a kind, loving example of a family committed to God.

I depend on many people in my life to help me accomplish what I am called to do. However, we see constant change. People who we thought would be with us forever leave.

Every individual needs to believe that God is all you have to have. God is the only presence we can never do without.

God without man is still God. Man without God is nothing.

Don't venture out of your depth till you can swim, with God as your lifeguard.

In His Mighty Hand,
Dalinda

Don't Let The Devil Steal Your Joy

I don't know about you, but I want to prove to the devil that I can enjoy everything I do and that his tactics to steal my joy just won't work. 1 John 4:4 says, "Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world." I believe it glorifies God when we refuse to live in fear, worry, dread, or any other relatives of theirs.

If we allow fear in our lives, it breeds more fear, but if we practice walking in faith, it becomes easier to do it again and again.

It is important to realize that we are not alone in our battles with fear. The devil wants nothing better than to convince you that there is something really wrong with you and that other normal people don't have the same kind of problems. Don't let him do it; all of us experience fear.

God wants us to believe for great things, makes big plans, and expect Him to do things so great it leaves us with our mouths hanging open in awe. James 4:2 tells us we have not because we ask not! We can be bold in our asking. We can ask God for all we want to, as long as we trust Him to do it His way, in His timing.

Faith is knowing inside that despite what is happening on the outside, everything is going to be alright because God is on the scene, and when He is present nothing is impossible.

In Him,
Dalinda

Cracked Pots

Everybody is defective in some way. Only God can make us "run" like we were designed to do.

God works through jars of clay, or what Joyce Meyer often calls "cracked pots." This means we are flawed, so when people look at us and see amazing things happening, they know it must be God at work because it certainly could not be us. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says, "God chooses the weak and foolish things on purpose so no mortal can have pretense for glorying in His presence."

God will use anyone who has a willing heart as a means to advance His kingdom.

I found this analogy from Joyce Meyer and thought it was so good ... Imagine a pot with a lamp in it and a lid on it. Even though it may be filled with light, no one can see the light within it. Yet if the pot is cracked, the light will shine through the cracks. In the same way, God works through our imperfections.

In our weakness, the Lord's strength shines through.

Humbled and undeserving,
Dalinda

Living Courageously

Believers have every reason to live courageously. After all, the final battle has already been won on the cross at Calvary.

When you find yourself worried about challenges of today or the uncertainties of tomorrow, you must ask yourself whether or not you are ready to place your concerns and your life in God's all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving hands. If the answer is yes, as it should be, then you can draw courage today from the source of strength that never fails: your Heavenly Father.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

So what is courage? It is the ability to be strong in trust, in conviction, in obedience. To be courageous is to step out in faith, to trust and obey, no matter what.~Kay Arthur

For the child of God, suffering is not wasted. The spiritual principle is that in some way God uses suffering to transform ordinary, dust-clay people into...vessels that are strong in faith...vessels that display His glory to the watching world.

The truth is that our real strength lies buried at the depths of any wound we have survived.

Instead of denying our disappointments, hiding our wounds, rehearsing them, or judging them, we need to accept them as part of our story. There's an old saying that captures this principle well; "You've got to be where you are to get where you are going."

In His Mighty Hand,
Dalinda

Life Is Sweet

As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more.

I went to my internist this morning for the results of my tests and blood work. I got some news that I really didn't want to hear. The Berkeley Heart Lab test showed that I DID inherit the gene that causes heart disease from my Dad. But the good news is my heart scan was clear of calcium buildup and clogged arteries. PRAISE GOD!!!

I actually have several things going on. My cholesterol was a little high. I am also not getting the proper dosage of medicine to control my thyroid, so she increased it. My insulin was o.k., but she wants me to watch my carbs. Both my parents were diabetic so I have to be very careful. Some of my hormones were low considering the fact that I am 40 and am perimentalpausal...poor Jody! The "horror-mones" are talking. He will soon be saying that I have been lobotomized by the Evil Dr. PMS. ;-}

When I go back to my internist, she will coach me for 3 months, every two weeks, on proper nutrition for me. She says this is not going to be a diet but a way of life. She wants me to have another Berkeley Heart Lab test at the end of the 3 months to reevaluate.

Please continue to keep me and my family in your prayers. Today was especially difficult for me as it is still so fresh in my mind having to watch my Dad struggle with this terrible disease. I am also giving my life story in our church community group tonight.

Always remember, as long as we are still breathing our life story continues...

God Bless,
Dalinda

Celebrate Life

It is possible to live our lives just going through the motions of working, accomplishing, doing, but never truly enjoying life. This is true of unbelievers as well as believers who have not learned to enjoy the life God has given them. Jesus gave us life so we can derive pleasure from being alive, not just so we can go through the motions until He comes back for us or takes us home.

Enjoying life is decision that is not based on enjoyable circumstances. It is an attitude of the heart, a decision to enjoy everything because everything-- even little seemingly insignificant things-- has a part in God's overall "big picture."

As we believe that it is God's will for us to experience continual joy, we will discover a power that lifts us above our life circumstances. We will be free to leave our problems in God's hands while we enjoy His blessings.

Today I woke up and thanked God for life; then I vowed to live it as fully and enthusiastically as possible.

Blessings,
Dalinda

Let Go and Let God

Let go of the what-if's. Each moment is to precious to waste. He who looks behind will never get ahead.

Life is a long lesson in humility.

Remember the most important thing is not how we start, but how we finish. Be a fighter...as long as we are passive, Satan will torment us.

What are you clinging to...memories of the past, fear of the future, uncertainty in the present, lingering resentment, an unforgiving spirit, rooted bitterness, an old relationship, an old thought process, a wrong attitude, pride, doubt, selfishness. Let them go! Are they worth clinging to when they cause you to miss out on life?

How sad it is when we remain in bondage and settle for less than the life God intended for us to live. So don't wallow in your "why's." Don't throw a pity party. Don't remain in your misery. Don't stop short of all God wants to do for you.

Understand that you may not understand this side of Heaven. Trust God to sort it all out in the end. He can break the bonds of your suffering--now! Trust Him! He will bring you through.

Humbled and undeserving,
Dalinda

Sunshiny Days

Wow! What a beautiful day. I guess if it never rained, I might be tempted to take a day like today for granted.

With the seasons of the soul, thank God, for He is faithful in all circumstances, when the storms rage, God is there. And when the sun brightly shines on an early fall day - or in your life - we have one more vivid reminder that storms pass, but God's love always endures.

Have a blessed, sunshiny day!

In Him,
Dalinda