Hope you had a great Independence Day weekend! It’s vacation time again!

My husband and I were just talking the other day about all the fun we used to have camping during the summers when our boys were little. One of our favorite spots to camp was Coneross Park on Lake Hartwell. One trip especially sticks out in my memory, probably because I may never get over it.

Scott and I and our boys were sitting under a shade tree by the lake passing the time with our dear friends, the Lawsons and the Hendrixes. The topic came up about getting older and our kids growing up. Taylor, who was 9 at the time, said, “Mom, I can already outrun you.” Of course, I wasn’t going to admit defeat. I immediately rose to the challenge. I hopped up, turned to our friends, winked, and said, “Watch this, y’all!”

I took off running up the gravel driveway. Taylor quickly joined the race. About ten feet later, I tripped and wiped out, face first in the gravel. I skinned my knees, my elbows, my chest, and my face right there in front of God, my family, Butch and Judy and Mike and Angie. Needless to say, Taylor won that race. I was beaten in more ways than one.

Although my body wasn’t hurt (okay, it did hurt … a lot), my pride sure was. I limped to the bathroom to clean up my bloody self, then returned to the group. After everybody found out that I was okay for the most part, we all had a good laugh about it. I’m sure if you said the phrase “Hey, watch this y’all!” to our friends today, I would immediately come to mind and they’d fondly chuckle.

I will speak for myself here—sometimes my mouth writes checks that my behind can’t cash. The race that day was a shining (rather shameful) example of that. It is funny now, but when I hit the rocky ground, not so much.

Sometimes despite our best intentions in life, we fall face first. We don’t finish first. Things don’t work out as we planned. Even when we come in last, even when we fall hard, we’ve got to get back up and keep trying. We can make it with God’s help. Life is about falling. Getting back up is living.

After I recovered from that day, I still raced Taylor and actually beat him a couple more times (that was years ago). I’d rather him remember a mom who tried, fell, laughed at herself and got back up, than one who didn’t try at all.

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Dear Lord: Thank You that You never give up on us. Please give us strength and courage to get back up when we fall and to try again. May we follow Jesus’ example when He didn’t quit on His journey to the cross for us. We know that if we trust in You, only with Your help, we can live our lives victoriously and run the race that is set before us. Amen

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“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Have you ever flown and been surprised by how everyone tunes out the stewardesses as they go over the safety features to follow in the event of a crash? They direct you to the safety cards located on the backs of the seats, but no one pulls them out. No one even looks at the stewardess giving the demonstration. Everyone just continues to talk or look down at their electronic devices with their thumbs flying in the breeze. Stewardess A nonchalantly continues to read through her monotone monologue while Stewardess B routinely does her daily aerobic arm exercises using the life vest as her prop.

Sadly, I admit that sometimes I’m looking at my phone too. One thing I do remember is that you always put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help anyone else. You have to help yourself before you can help anyone else.

In Luke 10:27, we are directed to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”  In this scripture, we hear the “Love your God” part and the “Love your neighbor” part, but what about “as yourself”? If that part is understood, why don’t we act like we understand it?

I am trying to do better in caring for myself since I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. Infection was once the leading cause of life-threatening illnesses, now it is stress. I am pretty confident that stress was a factor in my cancer. Too many times in my life, I have given to others from a well that was dry, leaving me drained and empty.

In May of 2002, I suffered an emotional breakdown where even the mud in the bottom of my well was rock-hard clay.  When you’re at the bottom, one thing is for sure, there is only one way to go—up. And the only One who can fill your empty well again is Jesus.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Everything we are, everything we do, and everything we give springs from our hearts. Our behavior, our attitudes, our words, our character and personality flow from our hearts. We are what comes out of our mouths. So we need to protect our hearts to keep them from becoming dry and empty, bitter and stagnant, poisoned and polluted. This is not just for ourselves, but because it impacts those around us, our loved ones.

What I have learned is that everything that we have to offer to the Lord and to others comes from Him anyway. Jesus died for our sins so that we may receive his precious gift of eternal life. My well has to be filled with His living water to create my wellspring. I can only give my best, when I have the Best inside me to give.

When we are on zero, what we are really needing is healing, comfort, forgiveness, mercy and grace from God. There is no substitute.

Here are a few ideas for opening your wellspring to let God refill it. It’s the perfect time of the year for some of these.

1. Enjoy a sunset or sunrise. Do more than just get your mind off your troubles. Bask in the light of the love of God’s Son (For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.). Give Him your worries (Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7).
2. Visit the ocean or the lake. Sit and look out over the water, and let Him wash away your sins and burdens into the depths of the water. (You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19)
3. Watch the birds and hear them sing, knowing that if He cares for them He will care for you. (Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26)
4. Take a drive to the mountains. Spend time breathing in the fresh air of God and breathing out self. With gratitude, take in His majesty. (I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2)
5. If gardening is your thing, go stick your hands in the dirt. There is no better therapy. Plant things and watch God grow them. Experience His love through life-giving renewal and provision. (Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Genesis 1:29)
6. Look up. Whether you’re watching big, puffy clouds float by, a clear blue sky, a storm blowing in, a billion twinkling stars, or a full orange moon, they are all part of the handiwork of the Creator who loves you more than the Universe He created. (The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1)
7. As a child of God, we all have gifts. Maybe yours is singing or playing an instrument. Maybe you can draw or write. Maybe your gift is encouraging others who are less fortunate. Maybe it is being a good listener. Whatever your gift is, it will bring you great joy when you use it for the glory of God. (A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. Proverbs 18:16)

Dear Lord: Without You, our hearts are drained and empty, and we have little to give. Help us to be still and receive Your love that helps us, in return, to love You back, to love others, and to love ourselves. Thank You that You are the Living Water and only You can fill our wellsprings to overflowing and bring unspeakable joy into our lives. Amen

My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long? Psalm 6:3

I love Comedian Mark Lowry. He says his life verse is “And it came to pass.” Boy, I must say that is one of my favorites too.

This phrase is used nearly 400 times in the Bible. It always comes before something else, like the great flood, God giving Moses the ten commandments, or Jesus praying all night. Some of it is good. Some of it is bad.

Most of us believe the phrase means, “It happened.” But if you look a little deeper, it doesn’t say, “It came to stay.” It says, “It came to pass.” Praise God!

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I couldn’t wait for something to pass. There have been times in my life when I could not hold on for one more minute, and then in God’s faithfulness, it passed.

I went through an eating disorder for years. It passed.

I went through the heartache of a divorce. It passed.

My husband was laid off at work and was unemployed for months. It passed.

We went through infertility. It passed.

I went through breast cancer and multiple surgeries. It passed.

I went through melanoma. It passed.

I went through changes with three business partners leaving my business. It passed.

I went through an employee stealing from me. It passed.

I went through another employee stealing from me. The second time it was more, and she was my closest friend in the world. It passed.

Time and time again, either God healed me, helped me or held me as I went through it. Sometimes he did all three at the same time. It came to pass. Each time He taught me something, or He tried to. Sometimes I know I missed it, but He’s never given up on me. He promises He never will.

As I look back, I can say my success rate for getting through the hard times up to this point has been 100%. This is not because of anything I did, but because of Who my Big, Big God is. I am still here, and it is only because He is here with me.

Here’s where I stop and say that there are still trials I am going through—my daily chronic pain illness, grieving both my parents (I lost my dad in January and Father’s Day is coming up), and a couple of other weighty ones that I just can’t mention right now.

God knows. And these things will either pass, or He will hold me one day at a time while we endure them together.

While bad things are coming to pass in my life, so are good things, like all the indescribably happy times with family and friends and more blessings than I can conceivably count in my lifetime. Such is the abundant life that God intends for us to have.

No matter what comes to pass in my life, there is one thing that will never pass. It spans all space and time. And that is the saving grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and because of His sacrifice, I have all eternity to praise Him for that.

Dear Lord: Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are our hope when we face trials we can’t bear, our help when we have nowhere else to turn. When we realize You are all we have, we find You are all we need. Please be with those reading this today who can’t hold on for one more minute. May they find comfort and peace in Your loving arms. Amen 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. 1 Peter 5:10

Are there trials that God has helped you through in your life? Or is He still helping you through trials today, one day at a time?

We would love to hear your thoughts, comments and encouragement for others. Please reply below.

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I had been waiting for the call to hear the results of my breast biopsy. When my cell phone rang that morning, deep down I already knew it was bad news. Whether I knew it or not, nothing prepares you for that kind of news. The c word is scary stuff. Hearing for the first time that you have cancer is a little like being pushed off a cliff and freefalling toward the ground.

Amazingly, you instantly get a bird’s eye view from up there of your life and how things are ordered, or should be ordered. My first thought was my family. My husband and our sons, who were 10 and 16 at the time. How were they going to handle this? How were we going to handle this? Who would run my business? Had we planned well enough financially for something “like this” to happen to me? Was I going to die? Fear struck me deep in my heart.

Then, it happened. God’s peace flooded me like a big safety net springing out in every direction underneath me. In my shock, I was forgetting Who was in charge. At that moment, I didn’t know the outcome but I knew it would be all right. No matter what. The Lord reminded me that this cancer did not come as a surprise to Him, and, like He had done so many times before, He was either going to catch me or give me wings to fly.

What followed was nothing short of miraculous …

Because of my family’s history with multiple experiences with breast cancer (including my mother’s), reluctantly and brokenheartedly, I opted for radical bi-lateral mastectomy surgery.

After I was home recovering, going through one of the worst times of my life, God sent me and my husband an angel to help us. My sweet friend from church, Lisa Johnson, an oncology nurse, had offered to come by when she got off work every day for awhile to help me dress my wounds so my husband would not have to.

During one of her visits, she noticed a suspicious mole near my spine on my lower back. She told me it was probably nothing, but recommended that I get it checked out.

After a few months of recovery from my breast surgeries, I went to my dermatologist just to check this off my list. A few days later, they called me back. I nearly passed out when the nurse told me I had melanoma. What? Those scary questions started playing all over in my mind again. Was I going to die?

The questions were soon followed by an overwhelming sense of relief as I put it all together. I had had that mole for years but had never noticed it as a problem. It was out of sight, out of mind, and I don’t think I would have ever given it attention until it had spread. Had I not had breast cancer and had God not put it on Lisa’s heart to help me, and had she not have noticed and  had she not have told me about the mole, I believe I would have probably died from melanoma. Too much in these sequence of events to be a coincidence. God had a plan for my good and for His glory.

And I am still here and I will celebrate my 5th year being cancer free on June 8. I cannot praise Him enough.

Dear Lord: Thank You that You are the great Physician and that, not only can You heal us, but You do heal us. May You receive all the glory for that, and may we always remember that You are sovereign and never take Your love for us for granted. Thank You that You gave Your Son Jesus to die for us. By His stripes, we are healed. Amen

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Thank you for reading and sharing my posts with others. If you have comments, please reply or send me a private message. Please remember to subscribe for future posts on the upper right of this page. Lastly, May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Don’t forget to Slip! Slop! Slap! And Wrap! Find out more at http://www.cancer.org/healthy/morewaysacshelpsyoustaywell/acs-skin-cancer-prevention-activities

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-58

There is not a single struggle that I could ever go through that Jesus doesn’t understand. But there are many struggles that He endured that I could never understand—struggles, not because He had to, but because He loved me. He is God, and He gave up the comforts of Heaven to be born in a stable, live a meager existence, sometimes sleeping on the hard ground with a rock for a pillow, and die a painful, cruel death for me. What do I know about struggles?

Truly following such an awesome and loving Christ is not for wimps. If I am going to follow Him, I have to acknowledge that He is God and I am not. Sometimes it takes beating the “old” man down daily to make this happen. It’s simple in theory but harder to do. I can’t follow Christ if I put myself ahead of Him. I can only follow Him if He is first in my life. As Tim Conway puts it, if following Christ has never cost you anything, then you’re not following Christ.

Salvation is free but true discipleship costs us everything. Our possessions. Our selfish desires. Popularity. Our relationships. Our lives. We are bought with an enormous price. He died for us, and the least we can do is live for Him.

C.S. Lewis said, “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I don’t recommend Christianity.” Christ expects the best from His followers. In Luke 9, Jesus tells a follower not to bury his dead father first, and another, not to tell his family goodbye first. In Luke 14:27, Jesus says “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Let’s face it. If we want to be like Jesus, it’s important for us to remember that He suffered. If we want to follow Jesus, well, He went to Calvary to shed His blood in a torturous, abusive death.

Why? Love, that’s why. Jesus was a man on a mission. He was the ultimate world changer. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Jesus’ mission was clear, to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins and to get the Word out as effectively as possible in His 3-year ministry. Part of that plan is for us to continue to get that message out today.

Has Jesus changed your world? If not, He can do that for you starting today. Just accept Him as your personal Savior. Believe that He is the Son of God. Turn from your sin and commit to live for Him. If you are saved already, is there something standing in Your way from being a world changer for Christ?

Thank you for reading and sharing my post. Please comment by replying below or write me privately. I would love to hear from you.

Dear Lord:   Help us to remember that no price that we pay in your service could ever be as great as the price Your Son Jesus paid for us to save us from our sins. You never said true discipleship would be easy, but You promised in Your Word that it would be worth it. Please give us the strength and the courage to take up our cross daily and follow hard after Jesus. Like David, help me to never be willing to offer You any sacrifice that costs me nothing. Amen