TURNING TRIALS INTO GLADNESS AND PRAISE?

It is hard to believe that I am back to life, working, mom, wife, we even bought a house! When I think about this year, it is probably the most changing year I have ever experienced. At least I hope it is!! Bleed, hospitalizations, selling our house, moving into the farm house rental, and major surgery, now buying a new house! Wow!

Tomorrow it will be 10 weeks since my surgery and it already seems like years ago. I believe that is the way the Lord protects your mind and memory of the painful times. Look at us moms (or should I say SOME of us that didn't get it easy) we give birth sometimes taking 20+ hours, breaking our pelvis, almost dying and then we decide to do it all over again! The mind tries to erase those memories and time heals....

Have you ever thought about thanking God for sending trials or struggles in your life? Last week was one of the best feeling weeks I had. Really minimal pain and I even was going for walks with the dog and kids, and I had to admit that I am glad that the Lord brought me thru this and got my "attention". Wake up Lisa!!!

You see, for years I think us women spend wasted time and energy, stress and worry about things that DO NOT MATTER! We look at other "things" to fill the voids in our hearts that the Lord puts there for a reason in EVERYONE but that only HE can fill. I was looking for mine in my boyfriends, wishing I was prettier, skinnier, ex-fiances (ya 3 of them:) I call myself the runaway bride and when they didn't make me happy I would toss them aside) my husband, kids, job, friends, and even my own family and when they would let me down I was down. I often wondered why life had to be so hard? I never turned to God in those times NEAR like I should have but thats b/c I didn't really know Him. You can call yourself a christian all your life but if you don't have a relationship with Him, its no good, your life will still be looking downward and you will constantly be chasing something whatever it is, to fill that void.

I can honestly say that I don't have that anymore today. Because I have learned to fill that void with God. Friends have let me down and will contiune to do so, some friends come, some go, jealousy? Envy? Anger? Arguements? I don't know why, but it is a fact of life, women are so hard to get along with! I think that many of them are unhappy. That is why someday I want to write a book called "FINDING YOUR MISSING PEACE" and the cover will be displayed with puzzle pieces. You can look all over this world for that piece: clothes, shopping addictions, alcohol, spouse, children, friends, job success, the cars you drive, the house you live in, the perfect wife, CONSTANTLY trying to impress people. Who cares???? Do You think that if you died tomorrow you would care? Do you think anyone would remember you by that "stuff"? I know they won't! You can try to find all different pieces trying to put your life "together" perfectly, but it will never happen....Until you find the piece "GOD". That my friends is what makes your life complete and will change your life forever, that is when you will experience PEACE. It is awesome!!! You won't care about all the things you used too, and when your spouse lets you down, you will be ok b/c He isn't there to be your everything, quit putting him on a pedestal to fill your every need, God is. When your kids fail, and trust me, no one has perfect little bumbeenos, you will be OK, b/c our God loves you anyways and we aren't measured by what accomplishements we make in life in Gods eyes. Moms are never going to be perfect, we all will have our failures, but we can still keep going with a positive heart b/c we have each other and we have a Lord that loves us more than anything.

I honestly have had a complete transformation of my heart through this whole experience and for the first time ever, I actually said "thank you" to God for allowing it to happen. Some of you reading this might be rolling your eyes and thinking "ya right, whatever", and thats ok! I used to do the same thing when others would talk about the Lord and what He is to them, b/c I didn't understand. Roll your eyes all you want, you don't know me, you don't know my heart and my relationship with the Lord. It is something personal, something that must happen to each person in their own special way, and its possible thru a wide arrange of occurances in your own life if you recognize it! I am a better Lisa, wife, friend, sister, daughter, worker, because of it. Oh sure, I will have my failures, my faults, my sins, I will disappoint others, I am by no means telling you that I can now be perfect and I don't want to be. I want people to accept me for who I am on the inside, Don't judge a book by its cover, you know the saying.... b/c you just might be surprised what you actually find inside if you just allow yourself to try! I will have my struggles, and I will have to work constantly at staying close to the Lord but this time I WANT too. B/c when I am with Him I have peace and it is something that nothing in this world could ever give. I pray that I never forget this journey and what has been done, and the blessings the Lord has shown to me, to try my hardest not to take a day for granted, fill it with complaining, or being "down" b/c I have absolutely NO reason too, but rejoice! Look to the positive in all situations.

Yes I once wondered Why God allowed this to happen to me, It will forever and always be a part of me that I pray will keep me alive, but I know He did it for me b/c He loves me and I needed to learn to love Him. With the Lord we always have Hope. It taught me to rely on Him b/c really we have no one else. Only He can do all things and He reveiled himself to me in soooo many ways that there was no way that I could deny him any longer. I know that I will fail and have valleys again but I also know that I will make it through anything as long as I rely on Him. Where will this journey lead me? No one knows but Him but I believe that the Lord will use this experience for good. I am going to do my best to Share my experience, Serve Him and others (from my patients on my table, to friends, family, church and more), Grow more intimate with Him each day, and allow Him to move me in the direction He wants me to go.

You can do it too! find that missing Peace if you don't have it today! I will help you! Read the truth in the bible b/c it will never let you down, whatelse in this world can do that? All it takes is a single prayer...He will do the rest if you allow Him too.