THE FIRST SABBATH OF THE YEAR

"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."  Psalms 29:2

Today marks the first Sabbath of 2018.  A brand new start.  A new beginning in my (and your) relationship with Christ.  Time to shake off whatever needs to be shaken off from 2017 and move forward.  New devotional studies.  New prayer lists and journals.  New, new, new.

The start of a new year is always a good time to stop, reflect and evaluate your life, and this includes your spiritual life as well.  It is a good time to see how God has blessed you in the year gone by, reflect on the challenges and trials that He brought you through, remember the loved ones you lost and rejoice in the new friendships formed.  It is an excellent time to renew your commitment to serve and minister in His name.  

I have spent a lot of time in the last week or so reading the social media posts of my friends and acquaintances who have shared about the difficulties they faced in 2017 and how they are looking forward to moving into the New Year with new hopes and expectations and desires.  I don't remember 2017 being an extremely hard year in my life.  Yes, there were some mis-steps and disappointments along the way, but overall, it was a pretty good year.  [It was an EXCELLENT year for my mother, who celebrated her 75th birthday ALL. YEAR. LONG.!!! But that's a blog story for another day - or may even be a whole 'notha book all by itself!]  I know I am blessed in that regard.  And let me tell you, where 2017 went out like a lamb, 2018 is roaring in like a lion!!

There have already been many challenges to this New Year.  Three losses in death in the past week.  A medical diagnosis of a beloved relative that set me back on my heels.  Hot water heater woes in the midst of frigid temperatures.  Back issues.  I could go on, but I have learned that when I focus on my BLESSINGS, the trials and challenges don't seem so ... challenging.  So, here are the blessings that I have already acknowledged and received for the New Year.  

1.  I started the year with my nuclear family healthy, whole and intact.  I am 53 years old and I count it a blessing above all blessings that BOTH of my parents are still alive and in good health relative to their age (they both turned 75 in 2017).  All of my siblings are still alive and doing well, and my brother, Kevin, showed up on my doorstep at midnight on New Years Eve to ring in the new year with my mom and I.  My "bonus mom", Brenda, is a blessing in my life and takes excellent care of my father, for which I am extremely grateful. There are several families that moved into the new year without a loved one in the family circle.  I am blessed.

2.  While I suffered through the crisis of no hot water for 5 long days, I recognized even through that experience, that I was blessed to have a home that had electricity and heat and a refrigerator (freezer and pantry) filled with food.  I might not have had running HOT water, I still had WATER and pots to fill and boil to make hot water as necessary.  There are millions of people in this world who do not have access to clean water.  I should not complain about the minor inconvenience I suffered.  (and I really tried not to).  I am blessed.

3.  I have been employed on my job for 17 years.  It is a good job.  Not too taxing.  My co-workers are great to work with and I am blessed to have relationships with most of them outside of the workplace.  It pays well and the money is used to provide my mother and myself with a home and transportation and food and clothes and trips and ... the list goes on and on.  Even though unemployment in the United States is low, there are plenty of people who want to work who cannot find jobs or are "under-employed" and even though they work every day, they still find it a struggle to provide for all of their basic needs and wants.  I am blessed.

4.  I am in good health   While I am diabetic, my recent lab results were better than they have been in a long while.  While I am not "dieting", I am striving to make dietary changes that will have better health results.  While I am not "exercising", I am taking steps towards better health with more mobility in my daily routines.  While I have not completely given up sweet tea, I am attempting to drink more water on a daily basis.  [Baby steps y'all, baby steps.]  Worldwide, people are facing health crises of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses and diseases because they do not have access to adequate, healthy food choices and medical care.  I am blessed.

5. I live in a country where the overlying political policy is democracy.  While the political events that have taken place in the United States since mid-2016 to present, have turned my stomach on a daily basis, I still recognize the blessing of living in a country where I have the right to vote.  Where I can express myself and my political approval or disdain without fear of imprisonment or death.  [That may soon change the way things are going, but for right now ... I'm going to count this as a blessing]

6.  I love and serve a LIVING God Who surely sees everything happening in this world and is making plans, even now, to come back, fulfill His promise, redeem His children and take us back to heaven to live with Him. [John 14:1-3]  Each year as I grow older, I recognize the blessing in having access to the Word of God, having knowledge of His love for me and even though, at times, I am cavalier with that knowledge, I fail to pray and study and commune with Him as I should - even when I act more like the spawn of the other guy than like His "favorite child" - He is patient and kind and loving and accepting when I crawl back to Him asking for His love and forgiveness.  I am blessed.

I could go on and on and on about the blessings of the Lord in my life.  As you read mine, I pray that you are thinking the blessings in your life:  about how, even if you had a "difficult year" in 2017, God blessed you - you made it to 2018, that is a blessing right there!  It is my sincere hope and prayer that as we move through 2018, we take advantage of the opportunity we have been given to "get it right" with the Lord.  It is my desire to draw closer to Him this year - to truly be a representation of His love, grace and mercy to all who I encounter along the way.  I look forward to the celebrations [weddings, graduations, births] ahead.  I cannot wait to shout about the victories over illness, depression, whatever challenges the enemy has planned for our lives.  [And believe me, he's planning some stuff, but nothing will come our way that God is not already preparing us to handle]  Pray for me, and if you see me messing up, ... pull me aside and let's talk and pray about it together.

Be blessed!
© 2018 Kristina E. Smith

PS:  Photo taken by me early one morning during Mom's birthday trip to Aruba in May 2017

My Testimony: January 24, 2014

Ever been hit – out of the blue – with some unexpected news that rocks you to the core and you wonder, “ok, now what?” Well, I got some news like that last night. It wasn’t TOTALLY unexpected (because, after all, when you are honest with yourself, you know there are consequences to everything [and I do mean EVERYTHING] that you do), but sometimes when you get the confirmation, you are still shocked.

Now, believe it or not, I’m an “ok, I can handle this” kind of girl, so while I was down, I knew I was not for the count and I went into “getting it done” mode. I started weighing the pros and cons, looking at my options, and trying to find solutions, printing out resource information about who I should call and talk to in the morning to resolve the issues – all of this, at 3:00 in the morning, when my brain was fried and probably not functioning at full capacity. Did you notice that I have yet to mention going to God in prayer about the situation? Yeah. Wasn’t the first thing I thought about doing. Shame on me.

This morning, when I woke up, I had two options: I could continue on the path of “handling it myself” or I could pause and read my morning devotion – you know, get it out of the way, check off one more item on the mental “to do” list. I decided to do my devotional before getting on the phone to handle my business. Before opening the devotional, I threw out my standard, done by rote, really don’t think about it anymore, prayer of “Dear Lord, help that what I read in my devotional will be something that I can apply to my heart and life today.” Boy! Sometimes we don’t know what we are asking in those “rote” prayers, but God does, and He answers.

Today’s scriptural verse was one I was not familiar with: Matthew 22:29. The author used the New Living Translation, which reads: Jesus replied: “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” I was immediately struck by this – marked it with stars and everything – and was happy to read the devotional (which really was kind of a let down after the scripture, but I digress). “ You don’t know the power of God” kept resonating with me though. Of course, I know God’s power! What are you trying to tell me, God? I said my prayers and got back into “Kristina beast mode.”

My first phone call of the day, I spoke with a lovely lady named Shannon. When she first answered the phone, I was put off by her very British accent and her over the top cheerfulness. Didn’t she know I was in crisis mode? All I wanted was some answers to some very specific questions and didn’t want to spend a lot of time explaining myself over and over again. Silly me. Within five minutes, she caught on to my problem and offered me a solution that was painless, immediate and would resolve the most pressing need I had. All I could do was sit there, phone to my ear, mouth open and mental thoughts of “PRAISE JESUS!!” running through my head. She provided me the information about who I needed to contact at my employer’s office to get the ball rolling, told me how long I could expect the process to take, what penalties and fees I would be assessed – all the information I needed to make a well-informed decision before moving forward.

“YOU DON’T KNOW THE POWER OF GOD”

I don’t know why I stress myself out the way I do. God has proven Himself to be faithful, over and over and over again. Before any of this ever crossed my plate, He’d put things in place to assure me that He is always there to take care of His children, IF we will just call on His name. I mean, think about it. The devotional book I am reading has a copyright date of 2013. Having published a book, and having been part of a collaborative book, I know you are talking a lead time of at least a year before that when the author of that particular devotional wrote what she wrote. (And in all likelihood, she probably wrote it long before even then). Yet, on JUST THE DAY that I needed to read it and then see it come to fruition, it was sitting there – waiting patiently between the pages of a book. Ain’t God good?

I don’t know what you may be going through. Need to a new job. Need some financial relief. Need peace in a family/home life situation. Need healing. I don’t know. But I do know that God is all-powerful and He cares for you. Trust Him to do what He will do in your life – at the exact right time.

Be blessed! ©2014 Kristina E. Smith

SERMON NOTES: “Suffering and Comfort” – Pastor John Nixon, II

I don’t take notes during sermons at church. Haven’t for a while. But today’s sermon, preached by our new Pastor at my church, was one that was heaven sent and noteworthy. When Pastor Nixon started his sermon, he remarked that “some of you will not like this sermon. But it’s coming STRAIGHT FROM THE BIBLE, so you know it will be true, and that will make it ok with you.” (Ok, my paraphrase of what he said, but you will see my point by the time you finish reading this.)

The scripture for his sermon was 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. When it was read in church, I was … put off. Don’t know if that is the right phrase, but Paul, the author of the book, has a way of tangling up stuff so that you don’t immediately know what he is talking about. (Ever heard of that verse: “the good that I should do, I don’t, but the evil that I shouldn’t, I do”? Yeah, that’s an example of a verse written by Paul.) Anyway, so I hear the verses read and go, “Ok, where is he (the pastor) gonna go with this confusing mess of scriptures about suffering and comfort and salvation?” Well, here is where he went:

POINT ONE: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: God does not say that you will not suffer, but He does say, that in your suffering, He will provide comfort.

All of us go through stuff. As Christians, that is just part of the package. There are some trials that you (and I) will go through JUST BECAUSE we are followers of Christ. For these trials, God comforts you freely in proportion to the suffering you suffer. (Ok, now I’m beginning to sound like Paul! Ugh!) In other words, as long as you are in the will of Christ, doing what He asks you to do, there will be trials. There will be people who will despise you JUST BECAUSE you serve God. As a result, they will persecute you, strive to cause you harm, make your life miserable. In these trials, you can rest in the peace and the comfort, that God gives you – knowing that He will work things out for your good.

But then there are the trials that are the result of our own stubbornness and foolishness and our will NOT to do God’s will. In those trials, we will never have the peace of God. Ok, when Pastor Nixon said this, I went still to my very core. I won’t go into details, but I KNOW a trial I am going through that is a direct result of my unwillingness to give up something that God has commanded me to give up. (Stubborn to the core). Y’all pray for me. Just because I am His Favorite don’t mean that I am not also spawn of the debla. And I’ll leave that there and move on.

POINT TWO: 2 Corinthians 1:5: God provides comfort in your suffering, so that you will provide comfort to others when they are suffering.

How many of you know that until YOU personally experience something traumatic: loss of a loved one, go through a divorce, miss a step in your walk of faith – you do not have sympathy for others going through that same trial? If you have never grieved the loss of a parent, you cannot say to someone who just lost theirs “I know what you are going through.” BUT ONCE YOU HAVE, you are never the same again. God uses our trials, our sufferings, and the comfort that we receive from Him during those times to help us be able to minister, strengthen and uphold others when they go through the same or similar trials. I didn’t have the heart I have for “caregivers” until I became one myself. I bet you can emphasize with this reality as well.

POINT THREE: 2 Corinthians 1:6-7: God allows suffering in order that you can find salvation in Him.

Some trials that we go through are placed in our lives for the sole purposes of drawing us closer to Christ in order that we can be saved eternally with Him. Now THAT is a paradigm shifting statement if you really think about it. We go through things – trouble in our family lives, loss of loved ones, stress on our jobs – because, it is through our trials, our suffering, our tribulations, that we draw closer to Christ and the salvation He offers us. Wow. How many of you know the TRUTH that when you are going through something, you spend more time in the Word, on your knees, and in the presence of the Lord? I know this is true for me. I wish it weren’t so, but when things are “going good”, it is easier NOT to do the things that strengthen your relationship with Christ so that you can handle the times when things are not “going good”.

So, that’s what I took away from Pastor Nixon’s sermon today. I wonder what else I might have taken away, if I’d taken notes.

Be blessed.

©2013 Kristina E. Smith

If you want to watch the sermon for yourself, see what I missed, our church services are broadcast over the Internet at http://www.decaturchurch.comcastbiz.net/decatur_rebroadcast.html. Search for today’s date (June 1, 2013) or the title SUFFERING AND COMFORT. I guarantee, if you open your heart, you will be blessed.