God's Provision

When I left the Chicago area, I had experienced a tremendous growing time in my life. I had become aware that I was capable and had gifts that could accomplish much when I set my mind to doing something. For most of my working career, I had been associated with education in some way.

With my new found self-awareness, when I moved to Florida, I wanted to do something totally different, so I opened a retail store in a mall where I sold snacks, drinks, and lottery tickets. I was very successful and God used me mightily during those nine years. (You can read more in my Sept. 13th testimony blog called "A summer miracle". or listen to the podcast of Mall Order Bride). The end of that season came when the mall closed.

I stayed home, cleaned the house, home schooled one of our daughters, and after one year, John invited me to work with him. He was a painting contractor. I learned how to paint, caulk, pull hoses, and whatever else he needed. I had a great time working with him. We worked together for seven years. As the years went on, I realized that we were getting older and John had back problems. So the last couple of years I began to pray, not every day, but consistently. I said, "God, I want to be John's best helpmate, but I can't finish a painting job by myself, so that can't be the way. You gave me a great education, so I know that at some point You will give me opportunity to use it." Then I waited.

Our daughter wanted to leave the regular public school to attend a new military charter school that would teach the core subjects as well as leadership through JROTC. We wondered if this would be a good move, so John and I decided that I should attend the informational meetings to learn more about the new school. At first, it seemed like a good idea, but after the third meeting, I came home and told John that I would love to be the guidance counselor for the new school. So, in spite of the fact that I hadn't been in education for a few years and did not have my masters degree in school counseling, John recommended that I write to the principal to request that I be considered and include my letters of recommendation.

Amazingly, I was hired to help out in a variety of jobs and then during the second year of the school I became the guidance counselor. The requirement to keep the job was to return to school and complete my masters degree within three years. So, at 55 years old, I returned to school, earned my masters and continued at the school for nine years until I retired the first time. Getting the job was the first miracle.

Passing the state exam was the second. I was so nervous as I drove to Tampa to take the test. Then I realized this: God put me in this job. If He wants me to stay, no matter what, I will pass. If He wants me out, no matter how much I know, I will fail. I relaxed, knowing that the results were all in God's hands. I finished the test one hour early and passed. Praise the Lord!

After retiring, I wrote my first book. After three years, I realized that I wanted to return to work in some capacity. I was at lunch with a friend who had a prayer journal. She would enter prayers in her journal and then highlight them when they were answered. She asked who needed prayer. I said, "I want a job where I can use all my gifts, get paid a fair wage and have no stress." Of course everyone laughed. Who gets that?

Within one month, I had two part-time jobs that fit that criteria completely. Praise the Lord! When I reflected on how I received those two offers I realized that God had prepared the way.

In one case, perhaps seven years prior, when the school was starting a high school, I helped the person who was providing guidance with any resources and knowledge I had. Consequently, when she was going to a different position and the school needed a part time guidance counselor, she remembered me and recommended that they hire me.

In the other case, someone I met only once asked if I knew of any part time guidance jobs. I thought that was peculiar since my experience with guidance was always working overtime. The next day, I drove by a sign that offered a part time guidance position. I thought that was incredible. I applied for the job, but was not hired. Two years later, when my friend prayed, a more appropriate job opened up and the person hiring remembered me and offered me the new position, which I took. God's timing is truly incredible!

Remember that God is all powerful. He has all the connections and can prepare the way for you also. Pray, listen, and wait. God will never let you down. He is always with you and as is stated in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I stayed at those jobs for six years and am now retired once again. I am now trying my best to live in the moment, be open to the leading of the Lord, and use my gifts accordingly. It is my joy and pleasure to share what I can with all of you. I hope you are blessed also.

When the Student is Ready...

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. What does that mean? Think about various times in your life when people tried to guide you or give you advice. Sometimes you listened and sometimes you didn't. What was the difference.?

During the times you listened, you were ready to hear. At other times you were not. A line in the 1948 Academy Award winning movie, "The Song of Bernadette", says, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." In my mind, this means, that if you are not ready, no matter how many teachers come your way, you will not listen.

In my walk with the Lord, until I was around 40 years old, I was not ready to listen. I was self sufficient and prideful. I knew what was best for myself and everyone else. Then tragedy hit my life. How would I handle it? I didn't know what to do. I suppose many people were praying for me and God started bringing people into my life to introduce Him to me so that I could realize how much He loves me and that if I chose to follow Him, God would bring peace and joy and more into my life.

Since it didn't look like I had many options: be miserable and stressed or have peace, I chose to listen to those Christians and believe what they told me with the hope that the peace would come. I have followed that path for over 30 years now and can say unequivocally, that I made the right choice and even though through the years there have been times of trial, I have always had God's peace and He has seen me through every difficulty.

Looking back, I realize that my heart was ready to receive some excellent teaching. I continue to keep my heart and mind open to further my walk with God. How about you? Have you prepared your heart and mind to receive the goodness of the Lord? If not, or if you don't know how, just ask the Lord and He will help you. He is such a gentleman. When you open your heart to Him and pray, He changes you in such subtle ways, that you are not even aware of it until a situation arises and you react in a different way, a better way.

Try it and you will be amazed. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear and you will be forever changed for the better. God bless you.

Love and Grief

It may seem strange to write about grief during February, the month of love and Valentine's Day, but if we never love, we cannot experience grief. Although grief is devastating, a life void of love would be even worse. So although I am processing my grief from the loss of my husband, I cherish the times we had together and how much he enriched my life and the lives of my children.

The Mayo Clinic describes grief as “a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people, regardless of whether their sadness stems from the loss of a loved one or from a terminal diagnosis they or someone they love has received.

They might find themselves feeling numb and removed from daily life, unable to carry on with regular duties while saddled with their sense of loss.

Grief is the natural reaction to loss. Grief is both a universal and a personal experience. Individual experiences of grief vary and are influenced by the nature of the loss. Some examples of loss include the death of a loved one, the ending of an important relationship, job loss, loss through theft or the loss of independence through disability.”

We all handle our grief in different ways and for different lengths of time. For me, when John died, at first my grief was so overwhelming that I felt as if I were in a deep dark hole with no way to get out. I knew that if I didn't do something, I would not make it.

Then I remembered how devastated I was when my ex husband left us. Feeling what I felt now that John was gone was so much deeper. Although the divorce was not the same cause of the grief, it was a great loss when it happened and the worse thing I had experienced up to that point in my life.

At the time of the divorce, although I was a Christian, I didn't really know much about God. People kept coming into my life to tell me about the love and goodness of God. I believed them and sought after God with the intensity of searching for a great treasure. God has never let me down. By the healing of the Holy Spirit and through the people He encourage to come into my life, I received His peace and was able to persevere and become whole.

So now, when John died, and I was feeling so broken and empty, I remembered how the Lord had healed me in the past, and I turned to Him completely. I knew that He was the only one who could pull me up out of the depths of despair. It's not easy, and I still have a way to go, but the Lord is helping me every step of the way.

The Bible has several scriptures encouraging us to trust in the Lord during our time of grieving. Here are a few.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

If you have suffered a loss of some kind and are hurting during this time, I would encourage you to seek the Lord's help in your restoration. I know from experience that He will never let you down. He loves you more than you can imagine. Below is a song that shares my beliefs. I hope you are blessed by it. May God bless you with His peace and love.