Thursday, March 8, 2007

There is a time for everything

Tuesday night a six-year-old boy from my church was crushed under an iron gate that fell off of the rollers. He is in critical condition with chest and head injuries and the doctor's have been saying that it will take a miracle for him to survive.
I know that God is a God of Miracles and I have no doubt of that. I also know that God is the Great Physician and could heal him in ways that far surpass the advances of modern medicine and technology.
I also know that God is the Giver and Taker of Life and it is a very real possibility that Our Maker is calling His child home. It is hard to think about that, since he is such a baby, only six years old. And we prepare to grieve for that loss, our loss; not his. If God takes him, then that little boy is going to be in a far better place then any of us can ever imagine. He is going to Heaven!
However, we are praying for a miracle. We have seen God's work already; the little boy has moved his fingers and has survived a successful surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain and reduce the swelling. They are draining blood from his lungs and this of course is what the doctor's are working on.
I am asking for prayer. Pray that our Great and Awesome God be glorified in this situation, that His will be done, that He comfort those that are hurting, and give strength to those that are weary.

Wednesday afternoon I found out that my husband's hours are being cut to 32-35 hours a week. Mine have been cut back to 32 for a couple of weeks now. I thank God that we both still have our jobs, but I believe that God is moving us into a new season.
We have been very comfortable, perhaps too comfortable, with our financial situation. We have wanted for very little and we have spent friviously. We have enjoyed the 'freedom' of being able to financially meet our needs and some of our wants. We were living with a false security that our income would remain as it had been.
It has come to a time where we need to seriously prioritize our budget. We need to eliminate unneccesary 'needs' from our life. I am glad for it, as I know that if I trust Him, God will do great things through this time.
It sounds almost silly to be talking about where God is financially leading us at just a cut of a few hours. I realize that it pales in perspective to those that have been laid off and have no jobs at all. I know that those people will face hardships far greater then what I am being asked to face right now.
However, I realize that this is an area that needs refining in my life. I need to handle the money that I have more responsibly. I have been careless and irresponsible. I need to realize that money is not the answer or the solution to life's problems. I need to stop relying on what it can do for me.
I am certain that God will reveal many more things that He wants me to learn during this season and I am praying that I stay willing to hear and open to learning them.


There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Thursday's Thought

Men are not against you; they are merely for themselves.