Tag: testimony

Thankful That I’m Not Lonely

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

When I graduated from college almost five decades ago, I was able to find a teaching job about five hours away from my hometown. For the first time ever, I was going to be living on my own! I was thrilled, filled with adrenaline spikes and scared. That was for about the first week or so. Then, I was lonely. Not at school, of course, because there was plenty of action and lots of other people there. No, I was lonely at night, alone where I was living. At first, I lived with an elderly lady who was very kind but she was also an alcoholic so she spent her evenings imbibing while I spent mine alone. After a few months there, an apartment became available and I moved in, happy to have my own very small space but taking my loneliness with me. My fiancé was stationed a couple of hours away, so we saw each other on weekends when he could get away. But the weeknights were dark and I was totally alone. I was delighted when the neighbor next door introduced herself and started a short conversation daily. She is the one who told me about Jesus, gave me a Bible to read (“THE WAY”) and who once and for all offered a solution to my loneliness. I read the Book of John as she suggested, confessed my sins, repented and started going to church with my new friend. I became part of the family of God, a family more loving and kind than I thought was possible.

Not only did God give me fellow believers as brothers and sisters, he also led me to get married a few months after Harry and I became Christians. Again, more reason not to be lonely. Except my new spouse traveled with the military a lot and I stayed behind. Once more, God showed me the importance of my church family. We moved a lot while Harry was on active duty (25 times in 23 years), so I got accustomed to finding a new church each time we moved and plugging myself into the fellowship and camaraderie there. I’m so thankful that after years of being lonely and feeling like there was no place that I felt accepted and as though I never belonged, I found a family with the people of God and have been with my family ever since. God sent that neighbor to me and He established me in His loving family. He saw my heart and reached out to me before I even knew what I needed.

God is always one step ahead of us if we allow Him to take the lead. I’m thankful that before I knew Him, He knew me and extended His mercy, grace, forgiveness and love to a lonely young woman in a new place. I am so thankful for Verna, the kind neighbor, who was obedient to the Lord and befriended me. I was never truly alone because God was there, but I didn’t know that. Now I do, and because I know that, I have never been really alone since that night in February, 1973 when the Lord became my Savior and my best friend forever.

May the Lord bless you with friendships, love, peace and joy. He is only a prayer away.

Refreshing

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

There are commercials frequently about how refreshing certain beverages are. But there is also spiritual refreshing. What is refreshing? According to the online dictionary, it means stimulating, reviving and to give rest. How do we as Christians get that refreshing?

Going to the throne of God once is not enough. We have to keep prayed up and consistently repentant. God forgives us each time we fall, but our responsibility is to be alert to sin and when we notice it encroaching into our lives, we have to repent and turn away from it. Then, we can experience the refreshing that comes from being in God’s presence.

Once we are refreshed, we don’t just sit back and wait for the next blessing to come. It is our duty to then go out and refresh the hearts of others. We can do that by sharing our testimony or by sharing truth from God’s word. It is refreshing to me to write my thoughts on scripture verses here in this blog. It is equally refreshing to read blogs of other believers who encourage me to continue in the faith.

May you truly be blessed today with a refreshing of your soul, mind and spirit.

Holding Onto Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I don’t get on scary rides at theme parks very often, but I have a couple of times, once when I was assured that it was a “mild rollercoaster.” Well, mild is not the word I would have used as the ride slung me from one side of the seat to another as I tightly grasped the bar in front of me. My hope was that the bar would hold me in my seat so that I didn’t tumble out into an unknown abyss.

Isn’t that what our hope in the Lord is all about? We hold tightly onto the hope that we have in Him, the sure knowledge that He is bigger than all our problems and that He will be with us through everything we face?

God is always faithful and always keeps His promises. We can count on Him not to move away from us and leave us hanging over the challenges that life tosses at us.

But there is another reason to hold onto hope. Others are watching us and how we react when the storms of life assail us. Do we behave like those around us, kicking and screaming about the unfairness of life? Or do we quietly pray and ask for God’s help to get through the situation or to remove it, whatever is best for us in the long run?

I want others to be glad to see me because they know that I put my hope in the Lord. How do they know that unless I have shown them through the faith that I live out daily? We are a walking testimony, either showing others the faith and hope that God has instilled in us or the fear and anger that man daily inputs into our lives. I choose faith and hope and pray that each of you does the same, knowing that others are always watching.

I screamed on the roller coaster and I even have a photo record of my terror. What would it be like if each time I face a new test in life, a photographer were to capture my reactions? That is certainly food for thought, isn’t it? May my reactions be consistently Godly, representing the Christ whom I serve!

Have a blessed day as you hope in the Lord and give those around you reason to rejoice!

Thankful Every Day

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Who is the “them” in this verse? We, the ones the Lord has redeemed by His blood, are the ones who are to give our testimony to others. This is a sacred responsibility that we should not take lightly. We are able to be thankful because He already showed us His love that never fails and does wonderful things for us daily.

Who is this foe that God has redeemed us from? Sin and its consequences, death. Telling our story may plant a seed so another person can be redeemed by God, set free from sin and ready to receive His love and forgiveness.

So, today and every day is a day to be thankful, a day to lift up the name of God and to bless His name before others. No matter what our current circumstances are, there is always something to be thankful for, not the least of which is that He has counted us among the redeemed.

Ready or Not!

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Remember the old game we played as children called Hide ‘n’ seek? Some hid and one child would count and then call out loudly, “Ready or not, here I come!” As Christians, we are supposed to always be ready for Christ to return. But there is more to that statement because as the Bible reveals, we also have to always be ready to tell others about Him, the hope who lives within us.

It’s easy to converse with others and not bring up God because we are very self-centered. Recently, I spent a week with my sister and got to give the testimony of God’s grace and goodness in my life, particularly when I had my stroke. I found myself veering off topic and talking about how quickly the ambulance arrived, how I got the clot-busting shot just in time and how my beloved husband slept on the floor alongside my bed in the ICU. Almost as an after-thought, I found myself saying that God was good to me and set everything up perfectly for me to be saved and alive. An after-thought! After all that He has done for me? What was I thinking? The truth is that I wasn’t. I was just telling the story and forgot to make God the center of it when He has been the center of my life for years. Apparently, though, I was not ready to give an answer that included Him until the end of the story. I’m resolving from now on to make Him the beginning, middle and end of the story and the rest of the story (the “fluff”) can go wherever it fits, if it fits. I don’t want to miss out on other opportunities to give God all of the glory!

How about you? Have you missed out on opportunities like the one I described? Good thing that God is the God of second chances (and third, and fourth, etc.). I have no doubt that He will remind me of this incident and help me the next time that I am giving this testimony to give the answer that is the real reason that I’m alive and recovered from a massive stroke. God was right there with me, from the ambulance ride, to the ER, in the ICU and in rehab. Every step I took and every skill I had to learn, He was there with me, encouraging me with His love. He is certainly always patient with me and wants me to get better at giving an answer. Thus, I have started my answer on this page. I’m ready now!

I hope that your day is blessed with opportunities to point to God and give the only answer to the hope that lives within you.

The Soil of Uncertainty

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

In my “Mornings with Jesus” devotional this morning, Jeanne Blackmer’s theme was faith or fear. She presented an interesting analogy, saying that uncertainty is the soil that either grows faith or fear. Think about it. We have that choice, to face uncertainty with growing fear or with growing faith.

With our oldest granddaughter just out of ICU, my faith was sorely tested this past weekend. We were visiting our other son in Maryland and I strongly felt that we needed to head to Virginia right away and be with Scott and his family. Praying before we left, I felt a calm peace wash over me. Of course, I cried a lot as we left because it meant I would miss the birthday of little Nathan, our youngest grandson who just turned one. Nevertheless, God’s Spirit was telling me strongly that we needed to go see Iris. We prayed as we traveled, for traveling mercies and for Iris to be okay. When we got to the hospital after almost an eight-hour trip, Harry and I were both running on adrenaline and a lot of faith. Melissa, our daughter-in-law said that Iris was doing well except she wouldn’t eat. Melissa couldn’t leave the hospital to get Iris some of the food she likes because Iris would pull out or bite her IV. So, we took Iris chicken, fries and hot sauce along with her favorite tubes of yogurt. She gobbled up all of the yogurt and ate the chicken and fries eventually. Of course, we also took Melissa some food. This seems small but it was confirmation that we were needed in Virginia to help out, particularly since our son Scott was flying back from Kansas City that day and would not return home until about 8 or so that night. We were filling the gap of his presence and being there for family. The uncertainty of what we might find when we got to the hospital was overwhelming at times, but we chose faith, praying and believing that God was going to touch and heal Iris’s lungs. For those who missed my earlier post, Iris is nonverbal autistic. The activity that she loves the most is going to the gym to swim and on Friday night, she had a seizure while swimming and sank quickly to the bottom of the pool. Her mom always watches her carefully in the water even though Iris swims like a fish. She saw her sink to the bottom, quickly got to her and lifted her out of the water, getting her onto the deck and on her side with the help of another patron who was swimming at the time. The ambulance came and whisked Iris away to the ER where she was evaluated with water in her lungs, sedated and put on oxygen and into the ICU. Now, for the amazing “God is good” part of the story. During her seizure, Iris’s windpipe contracted so she did not inhale as much water as she would have. Instead, the water went down her esophagus and into her stomach, so she had an upset stomach but not lungs filled with water. Yes, she had some water in her lungs, but not enough to cause a great deal of damage. She is home now and is taking a larger dose of seizure meds and an antibiotic for a possible lung infection. We are so blessed that she is okay. The fear that gripped me when I heard the word ICU was replaced with faith as we prayed and traveled. God heard and answered our cries for help for Iris. The nurse at the ICU, when she was discharging Iris, said that she was their youngest patient ever in that ward. Iris is eighteen, but I’m guessing that the ICU is filled with the elderly after strokes or cardiac events. After all, that is where I ended up after my stroke seven years ago. I’m so thankful that Melissa got to Iris quickly, that the man was there to help lift her onto the deck, that the ambulance arrived right away, that the ER doctors treated her quickly and thoroughly and that she now has a new neurologist who will see her more often than once a year. Uncertainty in this case provided the soil for faith, but it could just as easily have been fear. We had a choice and we chose faith and prayer, trusting God to take care of the situation.

Iris and her daddy Scott when he made it to her ICU room later Saturday night. The O2 was gone and she was much more comfortable and thrilled to see her daddy who had been away all week.

I pray for each of you to face the uncertainty of the future with faith. As someone said: “I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know Who holds the future.”

Have a blessed day, my friends. I hope that this testimony encouraged you.

Thankful

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

This was in my devotional this morning and it goes along with my post about not boasting yesterday. If we truly realize that everything comes from God, and are thankful for it all, then we will not be boasting. I am very thankful today because we are spending the week with grandchildren and bonus! My brother is coming for a few days from Colorado. I usually only see him every couple of years, but this is an extra visit since he had to come east anyway for a memorial service for his wife’s stepfather. Be that as it may, I get to see Steve and Lee again and introduce them to our youngest grandson Nathan, the little one I took care of for a while in the fall and who turns one on Friday. So many things to be thankful for! What are you thankful for today?

Have a blessed day, counting your blessings and being thankful to God for each of them!

Our Testimony

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Have you ever tried to tell someone about Jesus and the gift of salvation and they just turn away? They act as if they have heard it before and just don’t want to hear it again. I think it’s because our actions (or the actions of those who have gone before us) have spoken so loudly that our words have been muted. The Bible gives sound advice about how we should be acting and speaking.

One of the words that I see online a lot is “karma.” The folks using it seem to think that “karma” is their ability to call on the powers that be and await the results, on the other person, of course. What the Bible teaches is that we are not to wish bad karma on others but instead, we should be blessing them, asking God to bless them because in blessing others, we are blessed. It sounds really strange, doesn’t it? Remember when Jesus reviled the sinners and called the angels down to rain bad karma on them because of their unbelief? No, you don’t remember it because it didn’t happen. Jesus didn’t condone their sin but neither did He condemn them. He had compassion on them and offered His free gift of forgiveness. He blessed them with healing, miracles of provision and wisdom from above. Not once did He rail at them that they were all going to hell unless they straightened up and flew right. Hmm. And yet somehow, we think that our hellfire and damnation speeches will convince people that Jesus is a loving God who died for them. Perhaps the way of Jesus is better…a blessing and not the insult. This is the example of the words we should use.

Next, how do we live? I have lived for over seven decades and I have never had the Lord remove me from a situation that was difficult and away from non-believers who were annoying me. He has been much more likely to place me in the middle of them and then wait for me to act the way He has been teaching me to act. I cannot take advantage of every opportunity to be a witness if I’m so busy thinking I’m so much better than those around me just because I’m a Christian. I’m just a sinner saved by grace. They are sinners who still need to know that grace is available to them. I’m the vessel through which they can hear and see this grace, so I am responsible for my actions in front of them. Our testimony is not just what we say, but it is also how we act.

I still have a lot of work to do in my life on myself. God did not put me here to fix other people but to tell them that He can fix them. He can mend their broken hearts and lives and give them a hope for eternity with Him. I can show them how He has fixed me and tell them how He is still repairing all of my broken parts. I’m not perfect yet, but one day, when I’m with the Father, I will be. That is my testimony that I want others to know. God works with us right where we are to make us what He knows that we can be…our very best selves.

Have a beautiful and blessed day, my friends! May you ever be mindful of your testimony, both in word and in deeds.

Are You Ready?

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Are you always ready to tell people about the Jesus who lives inside you, the One who gives you life and hope and love? The One who changes you from the inside out? God’s Word tells us to always be ready. We should always have a testimony to give of God’s grace and goodness and mercy in our lives. God’s mercy is new every day and Jesus is living inside of us, so our testimony should be a living, changing witness to God’s working in us daily.

Just a side note to my faithful readers: I am going to Maryland to visit family for birthdays for a son and a granddaughter. I’m not sure that I will have time to post during this trip but I will hold you in my heart until I return.

Have a blessed and wonderful day! Don’t let anyone steal your joy…it is a gift from God! Now, go out and be a blessing! ♥️🙏🏻♥️

Remembering

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

As I have aged, I have discovered that I am not as capable of remembering things from the past as I once could. The fog of having had a stroke has not helped, so that has been my go-to excuse when someone says, “Remember when…?” Most of the time, I honestly don’t remember. But one very important thing that I want to always remember is God’s steadfast love for me and all of the miracles that He has performed in my life.

One of the ways we can recall all of God’s wonderful acts on our behalf is to testify about them, to friends, at church, in a journal. Just put the words out there so that others can share in the joy you had when you saw God working on your behalf.

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is healing from my stroke. In January of 2015 when I had a massive stroke (the occupational therapist told me that it was a 19 out of 21 on their scale, whatever their scale was), I could not move most of my right side, could not speak without stuttering and lost my memory for speaking Spanish. The OT encouraged me that the brain is made in such a way that it would find new pathways to get around the ones that had died when I had the stroke. Well, she didn’t say it, but I did, in my mind. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and God would make a way for me to function again. I had to practice walking, telling my legs to take steps until it became natural for me again. I practiced reading, much more slowly than I had ever done before, but I could do it. And I got out old Spanish books from my high school years and practiced my Spanish. Oh, yeah, and I couldn’t write except for illegible scribbles. My physical therapist was a real gift from God. He had been my therapist after my knee surgery and my broken elbow and when he saw on the schedule that a patient was coming in who had had a stroke and saw my name, he told me he didn’t know what to expect. So, with love and patience, he worked with me in all ways possible. He brought out a whiteboard for me to practice writing on. I did OT puzzles and other exercises to build my dexterity in my hands. It amazed me that my left hand was faster than my right because my right had to be trained again. After about three months, I was able to return to teaching part-time and by five months after my stroke, I was working full-time and discharged from PT. Amazing, right? God is the God of miracles and He gave me back my speech, my ability to walk and my ability to use and teach Spanish. Some would say, “Well, of course. The OT said that your brain would find new pathways.” There is no “of course” to it! My PT said that my progress was like a miracle because I progressed so rapidly. To this day, I know to Whom to give the credit for my recovery. God gets all the kudos because not only did He make me to begin with, He healed me when I had an unimaginably scary stroke. I will admit that sometimes my brain fogs and I know that’s the sign that I need to rest, to pull away and just be quiet, whether that means napping or going to bed extra early. But I continue to be amazed each day that I awaken because I know that it is God who loves me enough to allow me to still be here on earth. Since my stroke, I have had four new grandchildren born, and I am so blessed to be able to meet them and get to know them. In fact, Penny was born only a month after my stroke and I told my PT that I needed to get better so I could go meet her. I did! I met her in March, when she was only a few weeks old. Why am I writing all of this? I’m writing my testimony for me to remember and for you to know what a miracle-working God we serve. I am thankful every day for my life that He gave back to me, and I hope that each of you is thankful for all that he has done for you.

I am so thankful! God is no respecter of persons and what He did for me, He can do for anyone.

“You Are Faithful” by Hillsong Worship