Monday, January 10, 2011

Monday Manna - Help for times of adversity - Pt. 1


Jesus Said, "I have told you these things,
 so that in me you may have peace. In this world
 you will have trouble.
 But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

Good Monday Morning

Sweet Friends,

Hope you had a pleasant and restful weekend!

Ours was pleasant and restful, and we also had a
day out on Saturday grocery shopping and then
did dinner at Red Lobster,  so that was a very
nice treat,  and cost us Nada, Zip, Zero,
So thankful for gift cards from the family, 
 they are a very Good thing!! lol

As I told you last week, I felt like the Lord was
 leading
 me to do some posts on things that have helped us
 during this season of layoff that so far, we are almost
 8 months into. I awakened this morning (actually that
 was a week ago Saturday when I wrote this part) with my
 mind whirling with thoughts that I believe the Lord has
 generated, so I came and just started writing them down.
 As I have been writing it has occurred to me that these
 things are not just for this situation of a job loss, 
but they really can help for any adversity. 
 So hope you will read on..... even if you aren't without a
 job or know someone who is.

I tried to prioritize these in some way, but it was sort
 of difficult as they are all important things to know and
 take to heart.  So just started listing them,then moved
 them into priority as best as I could, so if they seem
 out of order to you, that is the reason... and bear with
me,  as something you might think should come next
might come later on in the series.

As I looked over what the Lord gave me, I think there 
is a pattern here,  and I feel the pattern is the Lord
wants us to deal with the way we look at things first.

So...........Here we go!!

#1
Realize that what has just happened to you may have 
taken you totally by surprise,but it did not take God by
 surprise, he knew it was going to happen before you 
were even born.

your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days
 ordained for me were written in your book before
 one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:16


#2
Realize that losing anything is usually traumatic,
 because it is a loss,  and losses are painful and cause us
 to grieve and we need to allow ourselves to grieve that loss.
With a job it is the loss of employment, and maybe the 
thing  you love to do most, loss of financial security, and 
Insurance provisions, and sometimes identity, loss of 
friendships and familiar relationships, also the loss of
your daily routine, and leaves you with a what am I
 gonna do now feeling, and sense of powerlessness.

  Know that you are gonna have times of grieving
 and
 that is normal, good, and it is okay,  but you don't want
 to let that grieving engulf you,  so if it goes on too long 
you might need to seek some Godly counsel, to help you
 get a new perspective because I believe if you are able to
 see it from God's perspective it will make a tremendous
 difference. That is why I felt the Lord led me to do these
 posts.  Cause knowing and employing the truth of God's 
word has made all the difference for us. This is our
5th time of going thru this in our 40 years of marriage.
The 3rd time since we have been walking with the
Lord,  each time has been for a longer period of
time,  and each time has been somewhat different
with different things the Lord wants to teach us
or do in our lives,  but there is no doubt that
God's word and prayer have pulled us thru in
good stead each time.

So after you have allowed yourself some grieving time
 a few days or weeks, then you need to determine in your
 own heart that you are not going to allow the enemy to help
  you feel sorry for yourself. ( I am talking about a job loss
here not a major loss of a family member or something
 like that) but even in those events I believe there might
 come a time when you have to decide this too!


We have to decide.........I remember Joyce Meyer
saying something that has really stuck with me.
She said she used to love having pity parties for
herself,  and one day the Lord told her Joyce, 
you can either be pitiful or powerful,  but you
can't be both,  so you are gonna have to decide!


and we can decide!!

Well,  Sweet Friends,


I am gonna leave it here for today....
Come back next week as I will continue
 with Part 2.   Next week...........We'll  talk about fear!  

Have a Great Evening Loving on your Family!

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs N' Special Blessings to you!
Nellie

10 comments:

  1. That was some very useful information. I try to remember that "If the Lord leads you to it He will lead you through it". I have no idea who said it but it's written in the front of my bible. Have a wonderful evening.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Losing a job is always traumatic for the whole family. We are not creatures who like drastic change. Even when something fantastic is happening your mind always wants to be scared of the unknown. That's just human nature. God is the only one who can take that fear away. Love ya! Keep on keeping on!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post, Nellie. Certainly God allows us to walk certain roads for many reason - but one is definitely to be a help, an encouragment, and a teacher to others who will walk that road after us. What a blessing that you are following His lead to share what you have learned. I know He will bless -

    Oh, and double woo hoo for "free" groceries!! What a blessing:) Hugs, friend

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nellie, I am sorry that your husband is still off work. I wonder if part of his being out of work is so you can share what you all have learned. This was a good post and it leaves me wanting for more. Thanks!
    Beth

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful words of wisdom and a beautiful attitude.....Praying that God will bless you in many wonderful ways in 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  6. When Alice and I went to one of Joyce Meyers presentations, I remember just what you brought out in your teaching, "You can either be pitiful or powerful!" You reminded me and it came back as clear as if I heard it from her again! It means just as much whether out of a job or struggling with stress or anxiety.

    Today, I started down the "powerful" path. I planned out my meals, ate 5 today, walked about 3/4 of a mile today with the kids down to the library and my stamina has changed. The ache and pressure (because of my stomach) is gone; I'm more refreshed and did not feel tired and ready to plop and sleep when I got home!

    I'm waiting for your next week's teaching!
    I love you all so much!
    Susie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nellie, I sure do love you. You are a light to all who know you. This is great for everyone to be reminded that we were never promised an easy ride here on earth. Adversity builds our strengths as we let God mold us into what we can become. As I said in my post today it is not a question of if we will have adversity, but when. And then we need to prepare. Being proactive instead of reactive helps too. It reminds me of the poem Footprints also. If we have faith He will carry us when we need it.

    I love these kinds of posts where people speak from their hearts about important issues and personal experiences. Good job!

    Love, B

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome! words of wisdom Nellie. Your attitude about situations in life just amazes me, I often wonder about the things that we go through, and believe that as CHristians it is allowed so that we might be able to help others on this journey. You are so right these things that happen never take God by surprise, and I believe one reason you have weathered this storm is because you really do know this and live your life this way. God knows who He can trust to share His truths!!! You continue to inspire and encourage me, and I count myself most blessed to call you friend.
    Much love,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  9. I forgot to mention how much I liked what God told Joyce Meyers! so true. I also like your new years saying about the whining and cheese. lol
    Hugs,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete

Special thanks to all who take the time to leave comments..........They are very encouraging and very appreciated. I enjoy every one of them so much!!
May the Lord Bless You!!
Nellie

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