A Shield of Prayer

This week I was blessed with yet another hair appointment with a dear sweet client and friend. I have been enriched with relationships short and sweet, but also those that have been on my 13 year scissor journey from East Side Hair to ownership, and ultimately to here at home. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment (well most) and the friendships that have blossomed through a foil or simple haircut. I have seen kids grow up, young couples become engaged, marriages begin, babies born and families grow. Being the social person that I am, this career has been perfect for me. I never realized how perfect until this week. You see, God has brought me on a painful and public journey for many reasons, but also for important lessons and building blocks for my faith character. 

I value each of my few clients and have had the pleasure of sharing with each of them about God's faithfulness in my life and within my marriage. On the other hand, they too have had opportunity to laugh, cry, rejoice, and grieve in my chair. This week, my client and I grieved and embraced one another because of satan's slimy deceits, attacks, and victories. 

When I hear of the devil attacking at a husbands heart, mind, or addiction it makes my blood boil and heart break for the marriage and the broken wife. My stomach twists and turns at the raw feeling and reminders of what it felt like at the point of confession and defeat in my own marriage. I listened to my friend share her horror story from the past few months this week and wanted to promise happy days and dry eyes, but knew that would only be lying. This time it was the bottle that crept in and took victory over a mans life leaving his spouse empty, hopeless, and full of deceit and broken trust. Trust that takes years to build and minutes to crush. Memories that turn sour and the future that looks bleak. 

I listened as I heard fear, uncertainty, brokenness, loss, and pain weep into the very hands that held her husbands years earlier as they shared vows and celebrated life together. My heart sank as more truth was shared and tears shed. I knew this pain. I knew that feeling of "Are the tears EVER going to stop?" I knew the emotion that cuts to the bones and leaves you completely cold and empty. 

BUT...

There is hope. 

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

It says in Revelation 7:17, that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. I believe it. I've witnessed it. And my prayer is that in the darkest moments of this broken wife's days, she feels God wiping her every tear shed...one after another. 

It angers me to see satan winning over too many marriages and families. I see it too often and pray it another way. The lives of young children are shaken up as parents split and misconceptions begin to sink into their thoughts. Trust that was solid as steel cut and bent to an ugly tangled mess making it sore to the human eye. Temptation, when given in to, becomes the barricades within relationships and leads to a series of spiraling decisions to destruction. And, if not won over, the devil celebrates at another victory of defeat. 

Today at church, Pastor Kurt was teaching about prayer and the need to use our shield more often. 

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."  Ephesians 6:16,18

I find myself having a daily dialog with God about all the little things in my life at all times of the day. I pray fervently when My Honey is traveling for work and temptations creep in at his toes. You can't delete all the negative in the world and addiction will always be there waiting to devour it's next prey. I pray for his mind, his eyes, and for his shield to be strong to fight against the flaming arrows satan aims his direction and also mine. No doubt satan attacks the weak and when my heart is hurting and trust seems thin, the attack will be near. Yes, we pray and ask that God will give us that "force field" around us but evil is everywhere. 

But we are told to pray on ALL occasions...so are we?

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  James 5:13,16

When I hear of another broken marriage I find that anger is one of the first emotions I struggle with in my heart. It angers me to know that evil is creating too much pain in Christian marriages and families. So I strongly believe our prayers need to be more frequent, more desperate, and pleading with God to stand between the temptations of life and His people in the cross fire of evil arrows. 

Wives, we need to be praying for our husbands eyes, minds, and their hearts to be in line with God's divine plan for marriage. Praying that the whispers of lies to become silent and that temptations become weak. We need to be praying for our young fathers as they travel and work to become the next generation of believing leaders setting examples for our kids. Praying for addictions to be broken and healing to be found. We need to be praying for our husbands to take up the shield of prayer and stand firm in the truth of God's word. 

This will not be a guarantee that pain will never be felt within the vows, but we are promised that doors will be opened if we knock. Let's stand together and knock down a few doors for the marriages that are experiencing lost hope, chilling emptiness, and deceit. Let's pray that men (and women too) can be strong enough to resist the evil prowling outside the marriage boundaries. Pray for marriages to be strong enough to stand the test of addiction, temptation, and broken roads. 

And in the end, find restoration, healing, and God's beautiful faithfulness that "He will overcome."

I pray that my friend can feel God's arms wrapped ever so tightly around her as she weeps and grieves for the marriage that seems hopeless. I pray that she, and so many others a like, can feel God's warmth and love carrying her through the darkest valley. I pray that she can allow herself to cry, laugh, and soak in God's richness and truth. I pray for healing in her husbands life and for addiction to be broken and the bonds of oppression in his life to be set free. I pray this for so many others as well and in the end that God WILL be glorified. 

Even if it starts with a few foils, hair color, friendship and conversation. 

Forced Field Protection Among Us

So often I read, say or hear other parents like me say the phrase, "If only we had the eyes of a child."

It was in the sweet, tender moments of last night that made me realize I need to stop, pause, and see things like the eyes of my children. 

Lately, when it comes to bedtime routines, there is a similar pattern that has been on the rise and concerning me more each night. You see, our Sweets has been having more nightmares and has become scared at night as the shadows pass by, the noises make creaks, and the mind plays creepy games on the eyes. Addison has, almost nightly, become teary eyed as she lays in fear of the "what ifs" of life and the things unseen; kidnappers, robbers, health, bad people. It usually begins with me and ends with Tim turning on the lights, looking under beds, opening closet doors, and proving that windows and doors are all locked securely. Unfortunately, I was the same as a child, but not to this extent. The reassuring prayers are spoken and guarantees of coming back in five minutes are promised. Hallway lights kept on and doors opened. 

Chuckles hasn't had too much of this nighttime fear until this week. Robbers. The talk is all about robbers and whether or not they have guns, knives, or ways to get inside our home. It amazes me what a child's mind hangs onto as our neighbors were robbed three years ago during the week of the fair. For some reason, this has played a huge role in longer snuggle times in the evening. 

As I was securely tucking in Charlie last night, closing his blinds, wrapping him in his Star Wars sheets he says to me, "Hey mom, are there angels outside my window? It's not bright."

"Yes! They don't always shine bright white. When we get scared we just have to ask God to surround us with His hand of protection and the angels create a bubble outside and on top of our house keeping us safe at night and during the day. Remember how mommy tells you to say out loud when you get scared, FEAR NOT! FOR THE LORD MY GOD IS WITH ME!!! Well, when we say that God hears our hearts cry when fear creeps in. Does that make sense?" 

And like any five year boy who is as much of a Star Wars fan as Charlie, relates this intimate conversation to non other then that. 

"So the angels are like force fields!"

How simple is that? I get caught up in continual prayer and conversation with God that I forget the immeasurable amount of "force field" God grants me in protection, healing, peace, grace, and forgiveness.  God puts a wall of protection around me when my fears creep in and spreads through my veins giving me chills of mistrust, eyes of the world, and insecurity that plays mind games of inadequacy. If only I would just trust that the "force field" in my life that covers and wipes all worries, stresses, and fears. 

Be united with other Christians. A wall with loose bricks is not good. The bricks must be cemented together.   Corrie ten Boom

It was coming to my sons level that calmed his nerves, stopped the tears, and put a smile on his tired face. And with that, came the reminder to always remember that God has my best interest at hand. We can do what we can to protect ourselves by making a home safe, but the ultimate protection comes through prayer and seeking God's hand in our lives. To sit in His presence knowing that there is danger outside and people in our ways of life that want to rob us of the joy that comes in having Christ cemented in our walls of protection. 

"The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful."  James 5:16

God, help me to trust in YOU more as you provide a force field around my family. Thank you for guiding me in the direction You planned for me and help me to entrust my life entirely; mind and soul; to your Word that teaches me that angels do really have my life in bubble wrap. Help me to teach my kids that the stronger our relationship, the more Word cemented in our hearts, and the more joy through our smiles, creates a taller, thicker force field that no man, robber or thief can ever break through. Give our minds peace in the dark and settle the nerves as we rest safely in the shelter of life. 

Thank you God for the eyes of a child and give me child-like moments when life seems all too complicated. 

AMEN...

So as they say on Star Wars...

 may the force be with you.

++ Positive

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1

I've read this verse so many times and probably had to memorize it at Sunday school as well. It never had such substantial meaning until this past weekend as I completed my first half marathon...literally. Within the first mile, myself and those running with me, tossed our first layer to our cheerleader (My Honey) on the side as our rain jackets were hindering us from running without over-heating! Mile markers gave all us runners the indicators that we were in fact making progress on the 13.1 mile journey to the finish line. The weather pending against us; trying to stop the enthusiasm, but the race carried on. Every runner had a different reason for running, but I left no question who I was running for. 

The race My Hero has been pacing herself on for the past six and a half years, awards her with the medal of endurance, patience, strength, and steadfast faith. It is a race of perseverance with what feels like a blind race and no finish line in sight at times. Trust in the oncologists treatment plans, surgeries, and medications can be daunting, exhausting, and in a rare moment celebratory. Finally, for the first time in a year and a half, we had reason to celebrate as lab results stated tumor markers were both down proving to us that the treatment plan is working. PRAISE GOD!!!

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."  Isaiah 58:11

As every runner hydrates along the race before and after, so does My Hero who fights for victory against a battle. Never has God left us alone and afraid over the past six years. Never did He desert us without our basic needs. The water of life; the hope that wells from within; it has been the fuel to the finish line. Just one sip of God's goodness is enough to climb the highest mountain, run up the steepest hill, or sprint through the toughest battle field placed before you. 

The level of anxiety in me has been at it's greatest and with the accomplishments of this weekend I feel burdens lifted. The tears of complete joy brought out the ugly cry at the finish line. During the race, I was the runner chanting, "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength" but, it was My Hero's face telling me I could take one more step that gave me the endurance to finish. Oh, I'm confident some runners thought I was a nut case as I talked to myself, sang to myself, prayed, and gave a "COME ON!" shout out to myself when my muscles wanted to stop. (there may have been a few WOO's too after mile nine)

It wasn't until I was about to round the last corner and head down a hill, which I might add is silly after running all those miles...jello legs and hills are usually not a perfect combination...that all the reasons I ran for hit me. I had the ball in my throat and honestly tried to put the tears away but rounding the final shoot and seeing the finish line was a success in many ways. The emotion that welled up from within was celebration of My Hero and her fight with cancer. It was for me and the healing that I've had to overcome in my marriage, my heart, and my mind. It was the personal achievement of something I never thought I could do and the example it gives to my little blessings of health and physical strength. It was a thirteen mile run of chatting with God and giving Him my pity parties and celebrations. 

I did it. Two hours and nine minutes later...

{ You can't see here, but there were tears streaming down my face as I greeted My Love with carbs and hydration }

{ BIL & SIL completed their first full marathon...makes this SIL so extremely proud }

{ Jackie and Melissa: running buds. }

When I stood at the base of a sheer cliff in my life, Jackie was there to listen, support, and carry me up the hillside.  We've been friends for years and she is a blessing in my life. I'm so grateful to God for giving me our friendship, to be able to live life together, and to stomp the pavement out and gain some miles on our Nike app whether on the trails or county roads.  She pushes me to be better, brings truth to my life, and is always ready to get her craft on with me! Thank you Jackie for being you, enlightening me with a little J. Buffet and running the rat race of life together. 

God has blessed me with so many amazing cheerleaders in my life; those that bring hydration to my soul in seasons of drought. 

{ My Mommy runs for our ROCKSTAR Auntie }

 It is in every race from here on out that I run for myself, but more importantly, My Hero. It states it on the cheerleading team's shirts and beams with pride for a race ran with only super-hero strength. We never know what the next day may bring but I'm comforted in knowing that God WILL provide my basic needs when all else fails. In a time where our government seems to be at daycare and GOD gets squeezed out of our rights and laws, I'm promised that stunning rainbow of truth and freedom. My God saves not only from personal agendas but from a fallen world and wrong turns taken. He can take the most messed up situation and turn it into something so beautifully made. A marriage that seems irreparable; He makes stronger and more intimate. A body broken, twisted, and bruised; perfect in His image. A lie so intertwined and believed made fresh and given new beginnings.

Life feels like a race and there is no one but God who I would want beside me telling me to "pick it up, just a few more steps, almost there, it's just around the corner"...and then...the promised rainbow.

The twig and sign of new growth. 

 This weekend truly was a double positive: a promise of healing to both of us. 

{ Surprise cheerleaders for Auntie's special medicine last week. No amount of money does what these to do for My Hero }