I'm still here.  I've been very busy with summer activities,  trying to do some catching up around the house, and do school planning.  I have been enduring several health issues as well, so I have been trying to get well from those.   I'm learning that it is VERY HARD to walk through trials, especially several at a time, when you don't feel well.   I have either fractured or broken my arm and am waiting for an MRI on Friday morning as the doctor thinks there is something suspicious on the xray.  It's hard to type with one hand, so I doubt I'll be on here much.  Please pray for good MRI results and that what he sees is nothing but scar tissue from a lesion that was in the same area.  I honestly am tired from all these trials and am trying to live what I have shared on this blog.   Some days I just fail, but I am still human.  It's hard to count it all joy when you face trials.  Some days I can walk this walk of faith and some days I battle my mind in a BIG way!  Thanks for letting me be transparent and real and share how it really is right now.

Your prayers are appreciated!

Blessings until I post again -

Molly

Perfect and timely devotion for this season

"Now to him who is able to keep you from falling" …  Jude 24a

When the bottom is dropping out, we have a source of strength that can keep us from falling all the way.  God is our safety net, a very present help in times of trouble.   When we feel as if we cannot find our footing again, God catches us and carries us when we cannot walk the path on our own.  When we find ourselves in a free fall, there are arms already reaching out for us to lift us from our distress.

When I think about it, I do know that you have reached out to catch me before, dear God.  I have been rescued in more ways than I can count.  I am grateful for that and I pray for the help to remember those times more and more each day.  Amen. 

Blessings,

Molly

Just need to say this....

I've received comments since I started this blog about how strong I am and what a great attitude I have about all of this.   I just need to say that I don't want anyone to think I have conquered this situation.  I do have days where I am really battling my flesh while fighting this fight.   I have had times where I have soared through the day with amazing faith.  I have also had times where I am down in the dumps and fighting hard to walk by faith.   This is by far the hardest thing I've ever walked through.   These posts are written to encourage myself as well as anyone who reads this blog.   I often go back and read through them to remind myself where we have come from so I can see God's faithfulness in this journey.   I must remind myself of the great things God has done for us and what I've learned through this.   I'm thankful that my Father is strong when I am weak.  I'm also thankful that He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  He is with me always.    May God continue to grant us strength for the journeys we find ourselves walking.  

Blessings,

Molly

Consider it joy when you face trials of any kind.

When we found out I had cancer, I can tell you that we experienced a peace that went beyond understanding.   It enveloped our whole being.   I had never experienced that kind of peace before, but it was very precious.   It gave me the energy I needed to press through each day, to have an attitude of gratitude and joy for each new day I was given, and to be able to deal with the unknown future we were facing.   It was a precious gift.   I still have peace, just not the same level as when all this first happened.   God has been very good to us and I'm so thankful for the grace He gives us.  I'd like to share this devotion with you.   May it encourage you along the way!

"My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy."

 ~  James 1:2
Don’t mistake what this passage means. No one expects you to be happy about your difficulties.  The word happy comes from the word “happenstance”, meaning our feelings depend on what happens to us.  But we are expected to strive for joy.  Joy is a sense of well-being, a sense of security, a sense of peace, no matter what happens to us.  Joy is the feeling we want to achieve.  Joy is feeling secure and content in every situation, in every challenge and in every way, knowing that God is taking care of us even in the most difficult of days.

God of joy, help me to know your peace which passes understanding.  Help me to feel your security beyond compare.  Help me to be well within my spirit no matter what challenges come my way. Amen. 

May your day be blessed beyond measure -

Molly

An attitude of gratitude

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ~   Philippians 4: 8

Our thoughts have deep significance to our well-being.  When we put our focus and energy on what is wrong in our lives we do nothing but stand against something.  It paralyzes us when we are focused on all the bad in our lives.  But when we put our attention on all that is good, on all that is right, it helps our attitude change and it changes our lives.   There's enough bad going on in the world today that affects our lives daily IF we let it.   We must make a choice to have an attitude of gratitude every single day.    An attitude of joy and gratitude will always enable us to do so much more than one of opposition and defiance.  Each new day is truly a precious gift!

Thank you, Lord, for the infinite ways in which my life is good.  Help me to focus on them so I see my life in a more positive and triumphant way.  Amen.

Blessings,

Molly

Reflecting on what JOY truly is.....

In this busy life we live, it's easy to get caught up in all that busyness and lose sight of the purpose so quickly.   I recently received this in an email and wanted to share it with you.

Here’s how to take back the joy you’ve lost: 

1.  Understand what joy is 
Joy is not the absence of problems or stress.  We all have troubles in daily life.  Joy is the understanding that in spite of those troubles, we know we will be okay.  It is holding onto a sense of peace and strength, security and ultimately goodness, even in the center of the storms.  It is an intangible feeling that we will be carried through until we reach the other side, until better days come.  It is a feeling of serenity that we are not alone, nor will ever be left all alone, to face our struggles and fears.  Joy is the gift of peace that comes from knowing that no matter what happens to us, we are being given the ability to get through the challenge, to grow, to emerge to a better and healthier life.  Joy is one of the best gifts we can ever create and receive.

2.  Reflect on joyful moments Even if you are going through a painful period right now in your life, make an intentional effort to think about the positive, touching, grateful moments you feel.  Those moments do come to us every day.  Even in the midst of sad, challenging or devastating times, there are always at least little moments of light and grace that temper the difficulties and bring some balance into each day.

3.  Create time for joy now If only for 10 minutes at a time - take a short walk, read a magazine article or story, watch children play, listen to some favorite music, view a part of a funny TV show, stare into space, look at a photo album, concentrate on something beautiful in nature allow yourself to focus on what pleases you.  It will help you to transcend for that time the stresses you are facing.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12

I wanted to share this devotion with you.   I pray it will encourage you as you press on to run the race that is set before you.   


Sometimes the key to survival is simply "setting our jaw" and going on faithfully trusting that God is there helping us, despite the apparent and outward circumstances. Choosing joy through hope rather than despair, choosing patient endurance in times of affliction, and choosing faithfulness in prayer are all decisions of the will trusting that the God who raised Jesus from the dead can also change our circumstances because he hears our voice.

PRAYER:
Create in me, O Mighty God, a resolute and steadfast heart so that I might persevere with joy no matter what the difficulty. This I ask in the name of your faithful Son. Amen.


Blessings,


Molly