Facing the tests of life

“Unemployment. Divorce. Infertility. An unknown future. The death of a dear one. The illness of a child… The cruelty of an acquaintance… (You name it…)

There comes a time when our faith is tested deliberately by God, not so we will be overcome, but that we might grasp the validity of our faith and know it to be real. From God’s hand comes the cumulative exam designed to reinforce our learning about him and his work in our lives.

Someone likened this process to the kite flyer who takes the string of a kite and runs until the kite ascends into the sky. The kite will not rise without the wind. Wind is necessary to flying a kite, and kites rise not with wind, but against it! So it is with us. We will not rise to patience and maturity unless we ascend against trials.

We must meet our test not with the bleary eyes of a worried novice but with the confidence of a student who is well-acquainted with the words of the professor.

Layer upon layer, God is educating us about how he has worked in our lives and in the lives of those we love!”

Mom’s Devotional Bible

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Sunshine where are you?

Today, it’s snowing AGAIN on Vancouver Island! Not that I don’t like that, I love watching the snow flakes falling from my living room windows.
Well, this is what worries me…

Enjoy your day: snowy, sunshiny, cloudy, rainy…

Mine is going to be white!

 

 

 

 

A Picture of PEACE

Today, the sun is brightly shining, six adorable kids are running, screaming in the house and playing football outside. My husband is on call (work) but is home and able to help around cleaning the garage. Life is great right? But, you know what, I feel agitated… The reason? Dear friends are in the hospital right now fighting with their 16 years old boy recently diagnosed with Leukemia…

“The story is told of a kind who held a contest to find the perfect painting of peace. Extraordinary works of art were entered, but the winning painting depicted a raging storm on a mountainside. Lodged in a crevice, a mother bird sat on her nest, protecting her young.” What is wrong with this king? Where is peace in that picture?

Oh wait, such a picture of peace resembles the one I read in my Bible: Mark 4:35-41. The disciples and Jesus were in a boat on the sea of Galilee. Jesus was sleeping when a wild storm came up. As the waves broke over the boat, threatening to sink it, the disciples cried in terror to their sleeping Teacher, “don’t you care if we drown?” At this, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the waves and questioned the disciples. Did they have no faith?

Well, my agitation, the raging storm our dear friends and their son are going through, the king incomprehensible choice have their meaning in Jesus response to the storm and his question to the disciples:

Peace is Jesus asleep in a boat in the middle of a storm.

Peace is a calm trust in God in the midst of irritation rather than its absence.

Convinced of God’s control over every detail of our lives, PEACE is the presence of FAITH even when the world around us screams that there is no reason to believe!

PS: This is going to be a long journey for our friends and their boy, If you would like to know more and would like to help, here is the link to the page https://www.youcaring.com/lucas-neudorf-and-his-family-496036

God bless you!

 

 

“Daniel” Women

Yesterday I turned on the tv to watch the news, you know, to stay “informed.” Then, I felt overwhelmed by so many weird and scary stories… The thing that stoked me the most was this obvious sins of all kinds all around us. Ok, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m perfect and never did something weird or stupid or may be horrible, but at least I have learned with God’s help (like most people) to listen when his Holy Ghost rebuked me and to do my best to change where it is needed. Also, I learn from my mistake or other’s and try hard to avoid it next time.

But, our world seems to just enjoy sin, harming others and themselves and never ever learn from its mistakes! Sins of all kind are around us and inside us. How can we break free from them and be distinctive people in Christ? Daniel, in the Bible (book of Daniel) is part of my favorites characters. Not surprising, our oldest boy is called after him!

Now, how as a woman can I be like Daniel? How to Be a “Daniel” woman? Well, my devotional book says this: “The “Daniel” woman doesn’t walk out on her husband (I add, except in particular circumstances mention in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 7 & Matthew 19:1-8 ), she doesn’t hang up on her mother (God have mercy, I did that sometimes to my mom when our arguments got out of hand, instead of just shutting up or calming down…there’s always another way right? Proverbs 15:1) She doesn’t ignore the needs of her neighbor (to be kept in mind every day, especially in that Christmas season.) She doesn’t insist on playing the game of life by her own rules (sigh…), but rather chooses to play consistently, obediently, sometimes even painfully, by God’s design. She recognizes and respects the bonds of a pledge.” The list can go on…

Dear friends, (Guys, this applies to you too!) a woman who listen to God, disregards the popular beliefs of her day and lives instead by God’s standards (as Daniel did in his day), stands by her commitment, fights for healthy relationships is a “Daniel” woman: a distinctive person of Christ Amen!

 

 

Digital or Mechanical ?

Since March, I decided  to go on a diet to get rid of 5 kilo. You know, spring cleaning!  On this side of the continent (Canada), it doesn’t look like spring yet, but it  is coming! And when Spring will show up its sunny face, colorful colors and mild temperatures, then Summer will certainly follow with its warmth and good humour …

 But, in the mean time,  my problem is that I have doubts about the accuracy of the scale  in our bathroom. It does not seem to cooperate with me to meet my goal. Some days, it likes to add kilogrammes or pounds.

So, I really miss  the  mechanical scale, the one with the needle, I could manipulate, change the needle’s position to get a few pounds less 😉   Now, I guess you guys would say: “My dear Debora, if you are  XL or XXL and beyond, changing your  scale numbers,  will not effect the image you’ll get from your mirror and  that little spring dress will  remain stuck at your shoulders 😮  Either, you accept yourself as God sees you or just respect your diet! ” True! !

Isn’t that what we often do? Manipulate, use, change in our favor the moral law given to the protection of our society, our family, our world …? Then, we call it “freedom”, “empowerment”, “tolerance”, “evolution “,” innovation “and so on. But very often, all that is just sin and the bondage of sin. (Romans 6:16-17, 2 Peter 2:9)

For God, whose scales are always calibrated, too many pounds is too many pounds, what is good is good, what is bad is bad. He is an absolute God (Malachi 3:6)  You can’t compromise with His laws, change  or manipulate them according to your moods and your own pleasure with these kind of arguments: “God is love, He is a forgiving God, God understands my situation … “(which is true, but used wrongly)

Finally, I will choose to keep my digital scale and abide by the rules, the terms of my diet to lose those pounds and kilo and welcome the summer in good spirits and good health!

What about you? Will you choose to keep, observe, obey the laws and requirements of the Absolute God for the salvation of your soul, your society, your family …?

Take Care !