Do Not Be Overcome! The Power of Forgiveness

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"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

"...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (words of Jesus, John 16:33)

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How do.

Here's a poem for you.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

If anything is broken around here,

Ben did it.

The End.

Dear friend, beware! Be very, very ware. The three-year-old male is a creature quite beguiling. Baby lamb eyes, kisses, and words of endearment are common in this species. But, underneath it all lurks a contrariness so terrifying...

...the faint of heart cannot hope to survive it.

Then I think about this touching scene while I eat some mashed potatoes and suddenly everything's fine! Really. Also, bacon and chocolate cake don't hurt. And cookies. All kinds. Except gingersnaps with double ginger.

Now, do you understand what I'm trying to say here? You do? Good. This post was easy. I'm going to bed.

Wait. I can't just leave like this. My point is dangling all naked and cold. I didn't even make a point, did I? Okay, here's my point. My point is...forgiveness. Yeah, forgiveness. You've got to do alot of it when you're a mom. Also, if you are a person you will need to do alot of forgiving as well. Did I just make it sound like moms aren't people? That was no mistake!

 Moms are superheros. And don't forget it. Go give your mom a hug and then come right back and finish reading this, 'cause you might learn something.

Forgiveness isn't really that hard when the person you are forgiving is three feet tall and has a cheesy grin on his face. But when you have been hurt by a grown-up it's not so easy. At least that's my story. And I'm stickin' to it. I tell you, unforgiveness was like a rock in my shoe for years. It gave me a spiritual limp. And a blister. I couldn't go anywhere without being reminded of it. I couldn't have true peace with unforgiveness in my shoe. I mean, my heart. 

The two people in my life that were the hardest to forgive are also the ones I can't tell you anything about. They were my two broken relationships. I knew I needed to forgive them. I wanted to forgive them. But I couldn't. Not on my own. Not that I didn't try! But I know now that I was striving for a feeling. I wanted to feel like I had forgiven them. But I still felt really poopy about what they had done to me. I was still mad. And if I couldn't be mad anymore, what did I have left? My pain was hiding out under a protective shield of anger, avoiding exposure at all cost. 

Well, eventually I had to stop, take off my shoe, and dump the rock out. I had to forgive for my own well-being, and also because I love Jesus and He told me to. So, here are some things I learned on my journey of forgiveness:

Numero Uno: Forgiveness is NOT a feeling. It is an act of obedience toward God. This plain and simple girl appreciates this plain and simple truth. What a relief it is that I don't have to first be rid of all my yucky feelings about someone in order to forgive them. That can come later, with time and healing. Forgiveness is more about me and God than it is about me and the other person. Saying yes to forgiveness is saying yes to God and His ways. Obeying God allows His blessings to flow in our lives. So, practically speaking, Numero Uno sounds something like this: "Okay, God. I'm feeling really hurt and angry. Your Word says I am to forgive, so I want to obey You. I am choosing to forgive this person now."  

Part B: In God's economy, a little bit goes a long, long way! This is such a cool thing about God. When we make up our minds and hearts to obey Him, He takes our tiny little offerings and multiplies them. I like the story of the widow at Zarephath in I Kings 17. Elijah the prophet was hiding out during a famine. When his brook dried up, God told him to go to Zarephath. God said, "I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."(v.9) Well, guess what? That widow had practically nothing. She had enough flour and oil to make a little cake of bread for herself and her son, and then she planned on kicking the bucket. Seriously. So, why would God command her to provide Elijah with food? Why would He ask her to do something she obviously couldn't do? Why didn't he ask the rich lady down the road to feed Elijah? Huh? I'll tell you why! Because God is so super cool, that's why! He loves it when we trust Him, obey Him, and partner with Him to accomplish His purposes. It wouldn't have been any fun to ask the rich lady down the road to feed Elijah. She could have done it all on her own, and then God wouldn't have had the joy of showing off another one of His totally cool miracles. This poor little widow got to be part of something amazing because she obeyed.

She did not feed her son and herself with her last piece of bread. She gave it to Elijah. And with that act of obedience, God's blessing poured in, and there was enough food in her jars every day to feed the three of them! 

We all have something in common with this widow. God commands us to give something we don't have. He commands us to forgive each other!(Colossians 3:13) We can't manufacture this stuff. It comes from God. But just like the widow, we can take what little we have--a willingness to obey Him--and watch Him supply all we need. I can tell you that this happened to me. I had nothing. I couldn't muster up a smidgen of forgiveness for O. U. Didmewrong. But when I prayed that prayer up in Numero Uno, God honored and blessed my obedience. He provided me with love and compassion for this person. And like the widow, I got to be part of something amazing, too! Seeing God take this relationship that I thought was forever broken, and restore it back to health, was something I never expected.

Section three:Asking for help is okay! Having trouble with Numero Uno? I was. I did not want to pray that obedient prayer for such a long time. But I wanted to want to obey. Does that make sense? Here's another cool thing about God. Anything that He commands us to do in Scripture, He will help us do! He doesn't ask us to do anything that He won't help us do. Any prayer asking for help to do something required of us gets an automatic "YES!" answer. So, if you cannot pray, "I choose to forgive O. U. Didmewrong," then pray, "Lord, please help me have the desire to obey You in forgiveness." And He will! This is an automatic yes. He wants this for you. He helped me. He will help you. 

Item D: I have been forgiven much! This is huge. This changes my perspective. When I stop focusing on what O. U. Didmewrong did to me, and think of how much Jesus has forgiven me, it softens my heart toward those I need to forgive. He has forgiven me everything! How can I not, then, forgive others? "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) I have freely received forgiveness, and I want to freely give it. How freeing!

Forgiveness is a necessary tool in our overcoming backpack. See Bob? He's pointing to our destination, Overcomer's Peak. There's not really an overcoming backpack. I just now made that up. But you get my point, now, right? Be encouraged! Forgiveness is not impossible. It is within your reach. Ask Him for help. Decide to take a step of obedience and faith. Get that rock out of your shoe. My heart longs for you to walk freely in forgiveness! 

This post is so long, I must bid you farewell. But I do have a forgiveness story that I have permission to share with you. So, I will do that next time. 

I'm praying for you!          



The December Battle

I'm interrupting myself after only one installment of overcoming to bring you this special word:

If December makes you feel like this poor lady, you are not the only one. Every November, I promise myself that this Christmas will be different. I cheerfully declare that I will be organized, efficient, and full of expectant joy. And every December, despite my good intentions, I find a war wages within my breast. Two sides battle within me. Oh, the ferocity! The blood! The guts!

The exhaustion.

The side I root for is the one that gets goosebumps at the thought of Christ, flesh and blood, a precious baby, yet fully God, come to this earth to save all mankind. Oh, the thrill! The wonder! But the other side! Oh, the other side is in such a state. It is in a panic about all that must be accomplished before December 25th. It's almost enough to make me want to sleep the month of December away. It might be kind of fun to wake up in January and say, "So, how did December go?" 

There are moments that shine through the cookies and wrapping paper and blood and guts, though. This morning, the words of Job stilled the battle within, if only for a time. As Job sat in his poor little ash heap, having lost everything, he lamented bitterly, cursing the day he had been born. And then, speaking of himself and God, he said in chapter 9, "If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more."  

Poor Job! If only...if only. I can almost hear the longing in his voice and feel the pain in his soul! Job's deepest longing is our reality! This is what Christmas is.

The Nativity Story

Sweet Jesus. He is our mediator. He brings God and man together. We can approach God without terror. This is a most precious gift. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time." (1Timothy 2:5-6)

Be still within me, December battle.

 Zion's Daughter, weep no more,

though thy troubled heart be sore;

he of whom the Psalmist sung,

he who woke the Prophet's tongue,

Christ, the Mediator Blest,

brings thee everlasting rest.

In a garden man became

heir of sin, and death, and shame;

Jesus in a garden wins

life, and pardon for our sins;

through his hour of agony

praying in Gethsemane.

There for us he intercedes;

there with God the Father pleads;

willing there for us to drain

to the dregs the cup of pain,

that in everlasting day

he may wipe our tears away.

Therefore to his Name be given

glory both in earth and heaven;

to the Father, and the Son,

and the Spirit, Three in One,

honour, praise, and glory be

now and through eternity.

(from the Oremus Hymnal)



Do Not Be Overcome! The Power of Receiving Love

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"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

"...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (words of Jesus, John 16:33)

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It is no secret that life is hard. We can get pretty beat up living down here. I've shared my disappointments, and I know you've had yours, too. My turning point came when I decided not to take it lying down any more. I was ready to trade in my self-pity and victim mentality. If the Bible teaches me to overcome evil with good, then I want to fill my arsenal with all the good that He will give me. I know for certain God does not want me to fight evil all by my lonesome with my own makeshift weapons. Rubber bands and balls of paper aren't going to cut it. I need the real deal.

 I need a Barrett M107 Sniper Rifle. This baby makes an AK-47 look like a popgun. Just trust me on this. I have sources.

So what exactly are these weapons of good--these overcomers of evil? And how do we get them? I'm so glad you asked! God has been teaching me some things I can do to overcome evil. They are not your typical weapons, but I'm learning that's par for the course when you follow Jesus. I love how His words and ways always seemed to perplex those who were trying desperately to catch Him in some misdeed. His answers to our toughest questions are not always what we want or expect them to be, but they are always so perfectly fitting to our situations.

I know there are more than seven weapons available to us, but these just happen to be the ones He has been talking to me about. These are the ones that have moved me to the offensive side. And they are helping to release His healing in my mind, my emotions, and my relationships. I am an overcomer with these weapons! 

Love is the first weapon Jesus gave me. It is really the foundation for everything else He has given. Receiving love from God must happen first for any of the other weapons to work right.

Love doesn't sound like much of a weapon, does it? It sounds warm and fuzzy and cute. It sounds like a bunch of bunnies hopping around a meadow full of buttercups. But real love--the God kind of love--is strong and powerful. And learning how to receive His love is changing everything for me. It is a most powerful weapon for overcoming adversity.

But why is love so powerful?

One reason is because it is the number one cure for fear. There simply is no better remedy around. Remember my run-in with this old enemy? I hate fear's guts. It has kept me awake at night. It has stolen my joy. It has made me dread my future. It has rendered me useless to accomplish much of anything.

 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."(1John 4:18). Love drives out fear! That sounds like a weapon to me. So, I cannot be both full of love and full of fear. This simple little fact is very comforting to me. If I focus on being full of God's love, I don't need to even give fear another thought. You are simply not worth my time, fear. You are not a friend to me, and I am done with you.

Another winning attribute of love is that it covers. You know the rock, paper, scissors game? Paper beats rock because it covers and smothers it, right? In this game, we could pretend that the rock is our sin and pain; love is the paper. Proverbs 12:12 says, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." Love beats all the bad stuff! This is completely wonderful. God's love is expressed to us in His son, Jesus, and this love covers over all my sins and failures. And all the wrongs done to me? Covered. He's got it covered. Nothing is too horrible to be touched by His love. Do you think this is as fabulous as I do? His love thrills me. 

So, how do we go about receiving His love in our daily lives? I'm glad you asked. One morning as I was wrestling with my list of disappointments, trying to pin it to the floor once again without success, I felt the Lord speaking to my spirit, "Look at it from My point of view." And in that moment I saw how sad it makes Him when I turn my back on his open hands.

I want to be careful not to humanize God, because He is perfect, but He is not without emotion! The Bible is full of evidence of His emotions toward us. This particular morning I imagined what it would be like to give a gift to someone I loved. The gift was a great sacrifice to me, but I offered it willingly because I loved this person so much. But she wouldn't take the gift. She looked at my outstretched arms, the gift in my hands, the love in my eyes, and she turned around and went back to what she was doing. What sorrow I would feel if this really happened! 

The Passion of the Christ

This sorrow is real for the Lord and is multiplied many times over when we reject His love for us. We may even think we are being noble or humble in turning Him down. We may think we can save Him from wasting His love on us, so unworthy are we to receive it. But this simply isn't true! Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. It's too late for us to escape God's love. He already did it. He already loved us. Too late! Try as I might, I just can't make Him not love me. But I can choose not to receive His love. 

The flip side of this, is that you and I can be active receivers of His love. I decided in that moment that I didn't want to be a passive lover anymore. It's no fun being in a relationship with a passive lover. When we love someone, the give and take makes it exciting. My husband loves it when I respond to him. And that's all I will say about that, because this blog is rated G. But God loves it when we respond to His love! And He responds to our responding. And so it goes. Giving and receiving. Back and forth. And this is a called a relationship. Duh, Rachelle! It's so simple, it almost sounds stupid to write it out like this.

By: earl53 at morguefile.com

But I realized how little time I had actually spent just loving and being loved by Him. So here's how I do it. This is my big secret to receiving God's love: I tell Him that I do. That's it. I wake up in the morning and I say, "Lord, You have so much love for me today, and I'm taking it. Go ahead and fill me up. It's mine, so I'll have it. And I'm so thankful. And Lord...I love you back. With the love you give me, I love you right back. Let Your love spill out of me onto the people you put in my path today." And do you know, He loves this! He just wants us to believe Him. When we tell Him that we'll take the love He has for us, it shows Him that we believe His love for us is really real. This is faith! Faith pleases Him. And He responds to our faith with even more goodness. It's overwhelming, I tell you.

So that's it. It all seems too simple to be true. But it is true. I certainly don't want to simplify or minimize any problems you may be facing right now. I know how tangled up things can get. But when I am feeling overwhelmed by life, I find the simplicity of Jesus refreshing and so comforting. Do you remember what Jesus said to Jairus when some people told him his daughter was dead? Mark 5 says that Jesus ignored them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe." Just five little words, and yet aren't they powerful?

If you have been struggling with something that has you feeling overwhelmed or afraid, I want to encourage you to believe that your Creator loves you. Don't be afraid. Just believe. Get active in receiving His love for you. Tell Him that you want it. Tell Him you'll take it and thank Him for it. It's yours! It's free! Ask Him to fill you to overflowing with His love. Say, "I am full of the perfect love of God," and pretty soon you're not gonna know what to do with all the love.

Watch out evil. We're overcoming! Weapon number 2 is coming soon.

Two Winners

Did you have a nice long Thanksgiving weekend? I sure did. I have so much to be thankful for. One of them is this train, which keeps the kids entertained for hours on end.

Another one is all of you lovely friends who read this. Thank you so much for every wonderful, meaningful, honest, and funny comment you have made, here on the blog or otherwise. And a special thanks to Heather, who has generously offered to add one of her books to the drawing, so that we could have two winners! Thanks, Heather. I love you, and am thankful that you obeyed the Lord's call to write your story in book form. 

And so, our first winner will receive a copy of "Dancing on My Ashes" with the bag and the second winner will receive the book from Heather and no bag, because I played with my family all weekend and didn't touch my sewing machine. But take heart, second winner. The book could change your life; the bag, not so much. 

Okay, dum da da daaaaaaaaa! I prayed over this drawing, like I always do, and the first winner is Vivian! Congratulations to Vivian, my sweet friend from Kansas. We used to do church together back in the day and she and her husband were always so faithful and devoted to the Lord. I hope you enjoy the book, Vivian.

And our second winner is Sarah, also from back in the day! Congrats to Sarah, who used to be a leader and teacher to me in the days of my youth. But she is not old. No, no. She is still the same age she was when she was my youth leader, right, Sarah? And I know Sarah has a heart for people and will see that this book gets into the hands of her friend, who needs to read it. 

Now, if you didn't win, and want to read the book, you can find it easily on Amazon. Ask for it for Christmas! You won't regret it. 

Next up, I'm ready to overcome. I shall not be overcome by the circumstances of my life and neither shall you, my friend! Come with me on my seven part journey of overcoming.

P.S. I love you.  

A Thanksgiving Wish

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which was my dad's favorite holiday. He liked to root for the underdog, and Thanksgiving is sort of an underdog holiday. It does get rather trampled on by Christmas. But my dad was a thankful person who loved spending time with his family on a day uncrowded with gift-giving and other flurrious activity. If you think flurrious isn't a word, you are probably right, but this is my blog, and I will make up words if I want to!

Here is my Thanksgiving wish for you:

May you not burn your sweet potatoes for the fourth year in a row and get banned by your family from ever making the sweet potatoes again,

May you linger around the table with the people you love,

(turkey-induced stupor, circa 1996)

May you crash out on the floor like a lazy dog and take a good, long nap,

May you successfully teach your children to gobble like the turkeys they are,

And no matter what you are facing in your life, may you be able to say: "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."(Psalm 103:1-5)

~

P.S. You still have time to enter the giveaway if you haven't yet! 



Giving Thanks: A Giveaway!

Hi! Do you want to know something? I am thankful for you. Here. Have some kabobs. Happy Thanksgiving. What? Don't you eat kabobs for Thanksgiving? I love Thanksgiving and I love being thankful. It makes my heart feel all squishy and full.

I'm so thankful I'm at the end of the story about my life's disappointments! I want to start telling the God part of the story. If you haven't read yesterday's post, go ahead and read it now, so today's will make sense.

So, here is the sick truth. I am holding nothing back here. By the time Bob had his "incident" I was walking around wearing this warped badge of honor. On this badge that I bestowed upon myself was my list of all the wrongs, the hurts, the injustices, and the disappointments I had endured. I was developing an unhealthy pride in the list and felt I surely deserved something for all of it. But what did I deserve? What was it I wanted?

I tried chocolate chips for awhile. I ate them by the bag. They were not good friends to me, though. So I tried letting my normally frugal self go a little wild and buy things just for fun. I figured I deserved to do at least that with a husband who worked so much. I tried losing myself in books and sewing projects. I stayed up for hours searching the Internet for anything entertaining. I watched all the old episodes of "Mary Tyler Moore," "I Love Lucy," "Little House on the Prairie," and "Dr. Quinn." Don't be makin' fun, now! 

I felt sick and disgusted with myself. I knew exactly what I was doing, and yet I continued in it. I was avoiding intimacy with God. I was filling up every silent moment with stuff, so that I wouldn't have to face Him. I knew that if I did face him, I would be completely raw. I would be totally and utterly exposed, unable to hide a thing. And I knew that would make me feel things I did not want to feel. Pain. I did not want to feel the pain.

I love so many things about the Lord, and one of them is that He uses other people that he has encouraged to encourage us, in turn! Check out 1Corinthians 1:3-4. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." Ahh. God is the original author of "pay it forward." 

And this is exactly what happened to me. He used two sisters who had suffered many troubles to encourage me with the encouragement they had received from God. In fact, He has used them to encourage many people who are encouraging others, and so on it goes, and isn't that wonderful? He is a wonderful Redeemer. 

I will never forget the day I heard the news that Holly and Heather suddenly and tragically became widows in their twenties. These two sisters and I had grown up alongside each other at church and school. I was so moved by their loss, I can still remember the spot on my living room carpet where I sat stunned, crying and praying for them. Little did I know that more than ten years later the book that they would write about their experience would be the spring board to launch me out of my own pit of misery.

A good friend loaned me Holly and Heather's book months before it was officially "out" and I read it in one day. I read into the wee hours of the morning, not interrupting what the Holy Spirit was doing in me as I read. For me, it was similar to ripping off a bandage, and I just wanted to get it over with. I didn't want to cry. But I did. I didn't want to relate to their thoughts and feelings. But I couldn't help it. 

These two women are beautiful examples of what God will do with a life fully surrendered to Him. He will redeem, restore, and reconcile. I like that "reconcile" means "to re-establish a close relationship between." It holds within it the hope of second chances with God. Reading this book helped to start me on the path of facing the God who loves me and being reconciled to Him. I was at last ready to let Him help me take off my sick badge of honor and replace it with a crown of beauty, the oil of gladness, and a garment of praise (Isaiah 61). 

By the way, besides having a beautiful testimony, Holly and Heather also have beautiful singing voices that they use to minister to the Lord and to others. They have just finished a season of women's retreats that I hear tell have been wonderful! I'm not sure if they have more of those planned for the future, but you can read a little more about the sisters and their book here.

So, because I love you, and because it's Thanksgiving, and because you should read it, I'm giving away a copy of this book!

 Also, I had some scraps of Christmas fabric and an old sweater that sort of threw themselves together and became a bag that I am also giving away.

 You could put the book in the bag! Or you could read the book and give the bag to your niece for Christmas. Or, if you've already read the book, you could give it to your friend for Christmas and keep the bag for toting around all the baked goods you will be handing out to your neighbors because you are secretly related to Martha Stewart. 

Here is a hint for you: do not think that you have to have gone through a tragedy to read or enjoy this book. No, no. This book has something for everyone, simply because the Holy Spirit has anointed it. And if you have never had a troublesome day in your life, one is coming, I can guarantee you that. So, go ahead and leave a comment, so that you will have a chance to win the Book in a Bag! You can stay anonymous, if you like. And if you want to have fun, when you leave your comment, tell me your favorite Thanksgiving food.

Mine is...the mashed potatoes, of course! The turkey would be naked without it. 

Disappointment With Life, part seven: Fear

Do your kids like to pretend they are afraid? Here, mine are faking terror at the T-Rex Cafe. I suppose pretending to be afraid is thrilling when you know that you are really safe. I used to be the same way when I was a kid. True fear, however, is anything but thrilling. Fear is my enemy. It is disabling and takes my focus off of what is good and true.

I have struggled with fear off and on in my life, but a recent series of events brought it all to a head for me. My biggest fear has always been losing the people I love. When my dad died, I was afraid that my mom would die, too. When Bob's dad died a year later, I worried about who was next.

(the house where Bob grew up)

Bob had just accepted the manager position at his office, which meant more stress and more hours for him. He had been spending every weekend with his dad during his illness.Then after his dad died, every weekend was spent at his childhood home working on going through things and getting it ready to sell. I was afraid all the stress and grief would make him sick. I was afraid the lack of sleep would cause an accident on the road with all his traveling. And I was afraid that our family would be negatively affected with Bob being gone so much.

In the spring, things started to look up a little. The house sold, and Bob could be home on the weekends again. I thought that maybe things might slow down a little so we could lick our wounds and finish grieving. I was tired of grieving. I wanted to be happy again.

By: mconnors at morguefile.com

And then, the unexpected happened once again. Early in the summer, Bob came home from work around 8 o'clock in the morning. He had been up and to the office at 5 am, which was not unusual for him. I knew something was wrong when he walked in the house at such an odd time.

He looked me in the eyes with seriousness and told me that he had just been robbed at gunpoint. Two men assaulted him at an ATM, forced their way into his car, and ordered him to start driving. So, with a gun jabbed into his neck, Bob drove, trying to shut out the screaming demands of his attackers and think about what to do next.

Thankfully, the men had Bob drive to a certain location where they fled on foot. And after calling 911 and meeting with the police, he came home to me. Safe and sound. How thankful I am that he is alive. It brings tears to my eyes. I know it might have turned out differently, and I am grateful that God protected him from death that day.

Bob took it all in stride. He was a little jumpy for awhile, but mostly he was thankful to be alive and had a new appreciation for what really matters in this life.

Well, I'm sorry to report that I was not as mature about it. At that time, I only focused on this terrible thing that had happened to my husband. I played it out in my mind and wondered what it must have been like for him. I imagined different endings to the story, and I became more and more frustrated with life. Hadn't we been through enough? What terrible thing was going to happen next? If someone had told me that in 9 months I would develop a mysterious brain lesion, I think I might have gone ahead and had a nervous breakdown.

As it was, I was plenty fed up and sick and tired of living. "This world is dumb and stupid," I said. "Bad things happen, and we have no control over it. Anyone can die at any time, and I have to just take it!" Yep. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. And afraid. I was so afraid of all the other unknown terrible things that were going to happen to me. I was very focused on myself, to put it mildly.

And then, my hero stepped in. The Lord saved me from myself. He spoke to me and woke me up from my self-induced nightmare. I love Him so much. There are no words. 

Tomorrow I'm going to tell you what happened and also give something away, so come back!