A couple of weeks ago, during my annual spring cleaning, I went around the house fixing things that were not functioning properly. This entailed replacing A LOT of lightbulbs. The main light that I fixed was the overhead light in my kitchen. The lightbulb had been out for about two years. It was an easy fix, but I had adapted to it not working, so I just hadn't done it.
I already talked about how much brighter my home is since I replaced the lightbulbs, but I realized something else. I am so used to the work-arounds that I keep forgetting that the light is fixed. I will walk into my kitchen and turn on the light over the stovetop and the light over the sink and completely forget the the overhead light is functioning now. I don't have continue using the other two lights, which really don't give me the amount of light I need, even combined. Sometimes, we do this in other areas of our lives as well. God heals a broken relationship, a sordid past, or whatever other damaged pieces are of our lives, and yet, we continue to walk around as though things are still awry. We continue to rely on our work-arounds rather than being confident in knowing that God had mended our woounds, forgiven us, and set us on a path to live out His plan for us. Maybe it is just habit to fall into our old ways. Or, maybe we don't even go back to the old ways, but we still cannot acknowledge God's gift of grace, so we live under a cloud of doubt and darkness. I think we sometimes don't really believe that we can be fixed. But, as we read in the Bible, the first step to being made whole is the desire to be made whole. Therefore, once you have given your brokenness over to God and He has healed you, you can walk in that light. It's done! You no longer have to depend on the shortcuts and old habits that you used to "get by." Now, you can walk in victory and GET BUSY! Be about God's business for your new, whole, complete life. And, even if you experience a setback, don't forget the fix! Ms. EV
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I am by no means a handy person. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and if it is broke, work around it,” is my motto. I usually have to be told that I need to fix something, for example, my dad tells me when my tires are low and my neighbor told me when I needed to oil my garage door. It’s not that I can’t fix things. When you have been single for as long as I have, you learn. It’s just that sometimes, I just don’t find it important to fix things.
About two years ago, the main light in my kitchen blew out. My mom told me to ask my dad to come fix it, but he is very busy and I did not want to be a bother, so I worked around it. I have a light over my sink and one over my stove that provided enough illumination for me to accomplish what I needed to do in the kitchen. I am really only in there when I am baking. So, two years or so passed by and the overhead light never got fixed. While I was on break from work, I decided that I would give my home a thorough cleaning and fix some things like all of the lights that had blown out. So, I went to the store and got lights for my garage door opener, my bathroom and my kitchen. (I know I let a lot of lights go out, but it was not an important fix to me; now the garbage disposal, that was an important fix!) After changing the light bulbs, I tested out my work. I flicked the light on in my kitchen and I realized that I really needed to mop the floor. I flicked the light on in the garage and I found my missing set of car keys. I flicked the light on in the bathroom and I thought a “Hallelujah” chorus was about to break out. I really wasn’t aware of how dark it was until I got these new light bulbs. I had a similar experience when I was fifteen and discovered that my vision had declined. I will never forget the day I got my first pair of glasses. We got home and it was dark. I looked up at the sky and asked, “Have there always been this many stars?” I didn’t know I was blind until I got glasses. I had just adjusted to certain things being blurry. What I realized is that, sometimes, we allow our lives to become broken and dark. And, instead of fixing the real issues, we make adjustments. Rather than seeking God, we seek out people. Rather than forgiving, we just find new friends. Rather than dealing with grief, we just learn to live in depression. We allow ourselves to be blind to certain circumstances in our lives because we are afraid to truly face them. We do not seek out light because we have gotten so used to living in the dark. That is not the life that God wants for us. He wants us to live and walk in His beautiful light. Then, He wants us to spread the light of His love to everyone He sends our way for His glory. If you are living in the dark, it is time to bring some light into your life. It may not be easy to face your shortcomings or painful situations, but take it all to the Lord and allow Him to be the bearer of your burdens and bring the light into the dark places. He will change your life! Ms. EV I was sitting in my classroom when I saw the breaking news that a school in Connecticut was on lockdown because a shooter was nearby. I kept the news page up on my computer and followed the story throughout the day. By lunch, I learned that 27 people were shot and killed by a gunman. Before the day ended, as we were to head off onto winter break, our principal made the students and teachers aware of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
I did not have all of the details, but I was stunned, as a teacher, to know that someone walked into a school and gunned down students and faculty. I began to pray. I really did not have many words, other than, “God, please help and comfort the families and friends of the victims.” We have seen so many acts of violence in our society that one almost becomes numb to it. We are incensed for a time, but then the catastrophe starts to fade in our minds, especially, if it does not directly affect us. I, like many, vowed to pray more for my kids (my students), to love all of the children in my life that much more, and to cherish each day that I am blessed to be with those I love. I think that sometimes I get so caught up in how much time I have left that I don’t think about the fact that I am not promised any amount of time with any of my loved ones here on Earth. I picked up my niece and she asked if I heard what happened and how something like this could happen. I told her that I had no words to really explain and I admitted to her that in times like these, when acts of senseless violence happen, it makes me say, “How long, Lord?” How long until you come back and rescue us from this evil? Because it’s hard to explain to an unbeliever how a loving God allows bad things to happen, but this is worse than bad; this is unthinkable, unimaginable. As I was saying this to my niece, I started recalling the devotion I read that morning about Job questioning God. So, then I said, “All we know is that God is a loving God. He loves all of us enough to allow us to have free will. Some of us use our free will to follow God and obey Him. Some of us use our free will to ignore God. It would be so much easier if God would just make us do what He wants us to do, but that wouldn’t be very loving, gracious or merciful, which is all a part of His character.” That God spoke those words in and through me was confirmed during the sermon when my uncle, whom I had not spoken to about the situation, spoke nearly the exact same words. He added, though, that in times of heartache and heartbreak like this, it can draw us closer to God or push us away and that God loves us enough to allow us to make that choice. I pray that I will draw nearer to Him. I pray that we all will draw nigh; that we will seek the face of the one, true God. For, He is the only one who has any answers and He is the only one that can provide the kind of comfort and peace that is necessary to deal with a calamity of this magnitude. So, I pray and I hope others will pray the words of Kelly Carpenter’s song to God, our Father: Draw me close to You Never let me go I lay it all down again To hear You say that I’m Your friend You are my desire No one else will do Nothing else can take Your place To feel the warmth of Your embrace Help me find my way Bring me back to You You’re all I want You’re all I ever needed You’re all I want Help me know You are near…Amen My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those whose lives were taken, with the community of Newtown, Connecticut, with victims and families of victims of gun violence and other senseless acts of evil. May the peace of God and the God of Peace comfort your souls now and forever. Ms. EV I wrote a song this past year that helped me work through grief called, He's Still God, I pray that it can bring some comfort to anyone who is hurting right now. Click play below to listen. How do you make it through when you are so broken that you don't think that anyone could possibly put the pieces of your broken life back together. What do you do when you're feeling a little like Humpty Dumpty? There are many circumstances that shatter our lives. Some of us have been abandoned by one or both parents, by a spouse, or maybe by friends. Some of us have been molested by someone we know, or raped by someone we don't know. Some of us have been beaten down by the words and actions of someone who claimed to love us. Some of us suffer from low self-esteem and shame. Some of us are our own worst enemy; victims of ourselves, our bad decisions, our mistakes, our bad judgment calls. Every time something bad happens, we break a little. The more devastating the circumstance, the more broken pieces.
Sometimes you feel so broken that you don't think you will ever reach your goals, or your purpose in life. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together and you've been through more than falling off your seat. So, how do you put the pieces back together? The answer is...you don't put the pieces back together. You can't. What you can do is sweep us those pieces into your hands and then place them in God's hands. He's the Master craftsman, He's got something even better than superglue for you. He'll give you a new Spirit, a new reality, a new life. Give God the pieces and He will put you back together better than you were before. Ms. EV For the past several weeks, I have not been interacting very much on my personal Facebook page. I have posted the blogs and devotions of the Elevated Values page and I would read a couple of things that looked inspirational, but I didn't go through my news feed and all of my lists to see what was up with various people in my world. I do this every once in a while for my own mental health and well-being As much as I love staying in touch with friends and family, I have to take a break from the social network universe, have actual interactions with people and have some “me” time. Well, I should say “me and God” time.
Last week, I began to look at my new feed again, and over the weekend, I saw some distressing messages about a terrible instance of heartbreak. I felt so awful for the person who was going through this gut-wrenching situation because I understand what it feels like. I am still in the process of waiting for God’s answer for what the right words are to say to this individual if there are any right words at all. Having been through this, I know that when your heart is broken, whether by someone or some circumstance, it doesn't make you feel better to hear bad things about the person and it doesn't help when family and friends say hurtful things to the person because when your heart has just been broken there is still a part of you that hopes it’s all a terrible nightmare or that the person had a lapse in judgment and can explain everything so your life can get back to normal. I personally am not moved in those moments of heartbreak by encouraging words or fighting words, especially when I feel like my dream has just died. And, even more so, if my identity at that point in my life was wrapped up in that dream. So, what could I possibly say to this person who is experiencing the excruciating pain of heartache? I am not sure what will help this person. When I think back on my most painful experiences, I can only say that God got me through it. Left to my own devices, I would still be in the corner of a dark room somewhere bawling my eyes out until I ran out of tears. I have grown enough to know that crying in tough times does not mean that you don’t love God anymore. Remember, Jesus wept. Nonetheless, like my pastor preached from Job 1 on Sunday, though I was down and I grieved, I also worshipped. I did not leave God out of my grieving process. I went to church when I did not feel like it. I sang and prayed when I wanted to just cry. I clapped and lifted my hands even when I felt defeated. I did not give up on God because I knew He had not given up on me. Each time, the heartache went away and I felt stronger and closer to the Lord. But, there wasn’t a magical formula. There is no specific time period. Sometimes it was days. For other instances, it was weeks. Still for some, it was months. Nevertheless, He brought me through it all. I lived to love again and to dream again. Every day is not sunshine and rainbows and if my heart is ever broken again, I know where broken hearts should go. Humbly place yourself in the arms of the Healer of broken hearts, the One, true God. Ms. EV Last week, I read a devotion that talked about the woman with the issue of blood who was healed by Jesus. The devotion posed the question about what readers thought happened to the woman after she met Jesus. In response, I said that I think it may have taken her some time to live freely in her new, healed and whole condition. This woman suffered for twelve years. She was seen as unclean. No one could help her; people took advantage of her. She just wanted to get her secret blessing by touching Jesus’ hem and go on with her life. Then, Jesus called her out and reassured her that He knew her plight and that she was now whole. I am confident that she was grateful and I am sure she told her testimony to anyone who would listen; it is just that I know in my life that there have been many times when God has delivered me from afflictions--emotional, spiritual, physical and financial--yet, it takes a little while to adjust to the new found freedom.
When my marriage began to crumble, which was almost as quickly as it began, I tried to make it work because I was afraid to look like a failure. I stayed and I tried not because I loved him, not because I made a promise before God and a church full of people, but because I was afraid of what other people would say about me. I had somewhat isolated myself from people who cared deeply for me. I had taken my husband’s side on many issues where I knew he was dead wrong to the detriment of some of my relationships, but I thought I was being a good wife. And, I felt that if I was a good enough wife, eventually, he would change and we would change, and it would become a decent marriage. That was not the case. When I decided that the marriage was over, my ex-brother-in-law told me that I was a sinner and that divorce was a sin for which I could not repent. At the time, I acted as if his words meant nothing to me and I pressed forward with the divorce, and with good reasons, biblically-backed reasons (if you don’t know what that means, look it up in Matthew 5). Even though, I had a way out and I was delivered from one of the worst mistakes of my life, I felt damaged. How could I make being divorced right with God? I went from feeling damaged to acting destructively. No one on the outside world knew because I am a fantastic actress, but I had been broken for so long that I did not think the pieces would ever come back together again, and that is a dangerous place to be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Eventually, after having my heart broken on more than one occasion, I realized that God had restored me, but I was still living as though I was a reject. No one who is a child of God is a reject. God helped me realize how much He cares for me. He helped me reclaim my title as a holy princess, the daughter of the Almighty King. Then, I was able to fully engage in life. Yes, there have been ups and downs in my life, but I know my value. No matter what situation arises my value to my Father and myself does not change. I am undamaged. Many times when we have been suffering or afflicted for a long time with some situation, whether it is health-related, heart-related or wealth-related, we have a tendency to continue to live as though we are damaged, even though we have been delivered. However, once we realize that we are His and His love starts to flow from within us, so that we can accept who He made us to be, and not give any thought to what others may think of our past, our present, or future, we cannot help but shout of His love from whatever platform we may have. I AM NOT DAMAGED! I AM NOT SHATTERED! I AM NOT UNDERVALUED! I AM DELIVERED! I AM REDEEMED! I AM LOVED! Ms. EV There is an old song that teaches to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. At a certain point in my life, I had become so adept that that skill that I only saw my positive characteristics as reality. In a parable, Jesus talked about a Pharisee that did the same thing. He said, “I follow rules…I pay tithes…I am a good person…I…I…I….” We may think the Pharisee was being ridiculous, but we do the same thing. We pick out everything that we are doing right, no matter what we are doing wrong, and believe that God should be satisfied with our good works and ignore our lapses of faith. We measure ourselves against others, of whom we are quick to see the faults and flaws. We figure, as long as we are not like these “bad people” and our good deeds outweigh the bad, then we are fine. God should be pleased with us and not hold our “little” day-to-day sins against (and that’s if we even recognize that we are sinning).
We need to be more like the publican in the story. This dude was a sinner and he knew it. He was not proud of it. He was humbled by the situation and he feared God. My dad always says, “Every time you purposely disobey God, you are saying to Him, ‘I don’t believe You are real.’” If we truly reverence God, we will acknowledge, rather than ignore sins. The publican knew that it was only by God’s grace and mercy that he was able to live. The Pharisee’s “prayer,” or rather listing of qualifications for a blessing, fell on deaf ears, but the publican’s prayer was heard. God sees and knows all. He does not need to be reminded of how good we think we are. He appreciates it when we live in reality, admit our shortcomings, and know that we are not perfect and that we need His love, His grace and His mercy. If you feel the need to accentuate the positive, tell someone in your life all of the things that you love about him or her, but don’t puff yourself up before God. Ms. EV I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for the last day of school! (Not even when I was graduating). This year has been rough! For those of you who don’t know, I am a teacher. Anyway, as I was clearing out my inboxes, I realized that at the beginning of this year, I was so unhappy that I was trying to find another job. Then, the tragedies started and seemed to come one right after another. The year was just marred with disappointment and sadness. And through it all, I held on to the fact that God still sits on the throne and is in control, but that doesn’t mean that it was not hard.
The result of the valley was that it caused me to look within and to cling ever closer to God. I had been in a relationship rut so to speak where I had lost the freshness of my intimacy with Christ and our time together had become more routine than real. As I drew closer to Him, things started to turn around. It was not all mountain tops, but, in the valleys, I knew to look to the hills where from which my help would come. Now, I am renewed, refreshed, revived and ready for what God has in store for my life. He has literally put new songs on my heart, given me new insight and new focus. And, I made it with Him. We made it! Sometimes, it seems as if the struggle will never end, but if you can just be still, you can come through the other side with Jesus as your Friend and Guide. Ms. EV How do you make it through when you are so broken that you don't think that anyone could possibly put the pieces of your broken life back together. What do you do when you're feeling a little like Humpty Dumpty? There are many circumstances that shatter our lives. Some of us have been abandoned by one or both parents, by a spouse, or maybe by friends. Some of us have been molested by someone we know, or raped by someone we don't know. Some of us have been beaten down by the words and actions of someone who claimed to love us. some of us suffer from low self-esteem and shame. Some of us are our own worst enemy; victims of ourselves, our bad decisions, our mistakes, our bad judgment calls. Every time something bad happens, we break a little. The more devastating the circumstance, the more broken pieces.
Sometimes you feel so broken that you don't think you will ever reach your goals, or your purpose in life. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together and you've been through more than falling off your seat. So, how do you put the pieces back together? The answer is...you don't put the pieces back together. You can't. What you can do is sweep us those pieces into your hands and then place them in God's hands. He's the Master craftsman, He's got something even better than superglue for you. He'll give you a new Spirit, a new reality, a new life. Give God the pieces and He will put you back together better than you were before. Ms. EV |
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