Those Who Seek Will Find

Who remembers playing a good old fashion game of hide and seek when you were kids?

This game was a classic from my own childhood. Many times it was played at birthday parties. One party in particular I thought it would be a good idea to hide inside my friends dryer.

I sat in there for what felt like forever until I started to think they had given up on me, so I began yelling out, “Over here!”

The seekers came running in the laundry room as I was tapping on the inside for an extra clue of where I was.

They laughed at my unique hiding spot and from that time forward we would always be sure to check the dryer when the game first began.

Many years have passed since those innocent childhood years and yet I still find myself playing a game of hide and seek with God more times than I like to admit.

The only difference is, God who is Sovereign and Omnipresent, already knows my heart, my motives, and my every move before it’s ever even made. Yes much better than I myself even know it. He doesn’t need to seek, rather it’s the one who is hiding who has to seek for the seeker Himself.

He being the seeker and I being the hider have a relationship much like the game. If I do a “good”enough job in life, keeping silent and refusing to cry out for help through repentance and prayer, the likelihood is good that God will be far from my heart.

However seeing that Gods Will is for each of us to establish a relationship with Him who gives us life, He is truly there for all who call upon Him.

What does this look like? Does this mean we ask Him for promotions? Ask Him for fame and glory? Ask Him for outer beauty? An abundance of material possessions and funds?

When we come down with the slightest bit of discomfort in life we want Him to heal us so we can get back to life where we were before. Never wanting to face trials. Perfectly content doing things our way. Same old same old routines.

Maybe we’ve been taught that God helps the ones who help themselves. Push on forward never showing weakness, as weakness shows mercy and mercy isn’t for the proud at heart friends.

Yes I believe we have it wrong. I’m guessing you’ve all played the game yourselves and most of you would get tired of sitting alone waiting for the seeker to find you. Only those too proud of their unique hiding spot would refuse to be found.

I think it’s safe to say that few playing this game would actually sit in a hole waiting to be found any longer than a few minutes, much less a few days, months, or even years. We would cry out as I did or come forth into full view exposed so the game could continue on.

Yet when we stop viewing our life as a game of hide and seek and really inspect it under microscopic vision, we see that most humans refuse to be found. They refuse to call out. If they do choose to do so, it’s during their own timing. Once they have taken what they need to restore themselves they quickly forget about our Father who provides us with our entire source of eternal hope.

Jesus says to us , “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:7-8‬

We must stop thinking life is found through our own accomplishments. That our status in society will reward us with a place in heaven. This is just not so. God rewards those who choose to seek. Those who want to know the truth. The truth truly will set us free.

After all it’s not much of a game of hide and seek if the one who is being sought, refuses to be found.

-Abby

Withered to Wondrous

Many women I care for receive beautiful arrangements of flowers after their precious sons and daughters are born. Oftentimes they load them up with their belongings and off into the world they head!

Sometimes though, these women leave the arrangements behind for us nurses to enjoy. It’s always greatly appreciated, as they add a touch of the wonderful outdoors to our unit.

The first few days the bouquets are fresh and full of life. Quickly though time passes and the vibrant blooms begin to wither and fade.

Pitching the dead flowers and washing the vase, the spot where the arrangement once stood now seems abnormally bare. I get used to not seeing the extra color and before long another vase full of fresh flowers replaces it, but unfortunately the cycle repeats itself.

It’s been just a little over 7 years since my father-in-law Fred died. After receiving a cancer diagnosis January of 2013, he quickly lost his battle six months later in July.

We watched as his strong 59 year old body began to fail him. His body withering before our eyes.

Surrounded by his wife, son, daughter, and mother-in-law, he went to be with the Lord. Just as a flower fades and dies, so did his.

If I only knew then what I know now, my heartache wouldn’t have been so self centered. It would have been tears of joy, rather than tears of sorrow. Oh how I would have been able to comfort the hearts of his immediate family in a more surreal and encouraging way.

Fred knew the Lord. His character was proof of that. His speech was seasoned like salt. His behavior was kind and selfless.

My husband and I have beautiful memories of him helping us renovate our first home that we tore down to the joist and all. His decades of carpentry experience in full display with every window hung and floor board placed.

Unfortunately he didn’t get to see the finished product, but the knowledge my husband gained from their year working together has been carried with him and something that he has built on ever since.

Yes I’m sure indeed that Fred received his gloried body that late summer evening in that dreary hospital room. If our view of God wouldn’t have been so human. If only we could see the spiritual blessings surrounding us despite what felt like terrible tragedy.

Gods promises to us are to be used for our joy, not for our sorrows.

1 Corinthians 15 verses 35 through 49 paints this beautiful picture for us here friends.

We aren’t to take this body we possess here on earth with us. Which is why it turns back to dust. Death is the final trial we face. If we have hope in Jesus, the dead seed he plants, your body, is then transformed into the beautiful gloried body God always intended for it to be.

No longer fading. No longer withering. Eternally wonderful and exactly as God promised to all those who love Him.

Praise God for He is truly good. Pure. Holy. Blameless. Selfless. Righteous. Love.

Withered to Wondrous.

Loving Your Neighbor

Hello Friends. I’m spending a little time with my family watching them run around my house before I head in for my third nightshift at work. Lots of babies being brought onto the earth. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know some wonderful men and women this last week and to be apart of their birth experiences.

I tend to get sleep deprived, so please pray that I will have the energy to continue on doing the Lords work. Being patient and useful with my hands. Treating all people with love and kindness.

Oftentimes we humans lack faith. Myself included. Each day I strive to grow stronger in my own faith. Some days I’m on fire and other days I am discouraged for how little faith I myself possess. However today, I am reminded to not worship the created, but rather the creator Himself.

We, as Gods children, are not here on earth to prove Gods existence by factual arguments. Although I give the Lord praise for the individuals who devote themselves to apologetics. Reading about historical evidence continues to help build my hope and faith in God nontheless!

But we as Christians saved by His Grace, are called to love and to serve! Our service should be centered around Gods greatest command, loving the Lord with our whole heart, whole mind, and our whole soul.

What comes next is just as important. For to love God with our whole heart is to do our best to keep His commands.

No we are no longer held captive to the law, but by Gods Grace. But to be born again by the Holy Spirit, is to see our sins for the filthiness they are and repent of them. To praise God, loving His Holy Commands. For they are the way of truth and life for all humanity! Praise God for revealing Himself through His Son Jesus Christ!

Let us then honor His second command.

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:39‬

Let us not grow discouraged in doing good, loving people. Showing compassion and respect to all individuals, even when they are not like us. Judging righteously rather than by our own human standards.

If we loose sight of loving all people, let us then ask ourselves the question. Is there really anything worth living for?

Shades of Blue

I recall like yesterday going to our local Walmart, school supply list in hand. Backpack. Notes book. Crayons.

Those 95+Crayola boxes always caught my attention, but my mom always reassured me that the 8 pack would be sufficient.

I wanted ALL the colors though. The box with 8 had the essentials, but I wanted more than just plain old “blue”. I wanted turquoise for the ocean and navy for my denim jeans. Plain old blue just wouldn’t cut it.

Leaving discouraged after buying the simple box of crayons, I would pout on the ride home and then forget all about it while I excitedly filled my backpack with all my new supplies. Off I went to school Monday through Friday, August to May. I learned a lot about numbers and the building blocks of abcs and a little about real life.

It’s been 10 years since I graduated from public school. I can count on my two hands the number of times I’ve seen the people I grew up with 13+ years in those 20 x 20 brick rooms. Thanks to Facebook, we are however still able to keep tabs on each other.

Thankful is the word I would use for each teacher who invested their time in myself and my classmates over the years. With this being said though, I think most of my teacher friends would agree that there are more shades of blue than just one in a box of crayons. The same goes with children, seeing how there are multiple personality’s in which our children can possess when it comes to learning.

Each child uniquely made, not all gifted with the logic smarts that it takes to ace those standardized test the schools are mandated to issue each year by our government.

My experience with public school was fine. I managed to skim by with a few As, mostly Bs, and some Cs to keep my standing to participate in extracurricular activities. However, I wasn’t engaged. Living selfishly for myself I would make statements like, “When will we ever even use this?”

Usually our teachers agreeing, would respond with, “Yah, well I’m teaching it anyway.” It was during those difficult to relate to topics where I found myself daydreaming about riding a horse and whether we would drop the baton in our relay race in a few short hours, rather than the words that were in front of me in my book.

PS I was 23 years old in nursing school when I realized I learn best when reading out loud. By now my husband should know all about what’s required to be a nurse from my hundreds of hour of out loud story time.

What if we didn’t have to learn all that unneeded “stuff” while in school though? What if we weren’t under the authority of the government? Being told what should or shouldn’t be taught.

What if the Word of God was our user manual to raise up our Children. Their education coming directly from what’s written in Gods Holy Word. What better history is there than where it all first began?

Teaching them the fundamentals of how to grow a plant from seed, bake a cake, change their oil, and drive a nail.

Incorporating science in with the microorganisms found in the dirt and the mechanisms that go into making a motor run. Math is seen in full affect while mapping out dimensions for a house, hanging windows, and cutting tile for your bathroom floor.

How can we get back to the fundamentals of life?

I believe the only way this will be possible is by teaching our children ourselves. No longer putting this task on individuals who I’m sure with the right intentions are however not allowed to teach what they themselves believe is fundamental to harvest healthy and God honoring future adults.

When my eyes were opened to this reality, it was a sad day friends. My lifeboat was shaken. Thanks to our Lord Jesus I have a solid rock to still stand on. Doesn’t mean I don’t sometime need a life raft thrown out, but He will ALWAYS sustain me. He is ALWAYS faithful to provide.

So if you agree that there is more than one shade of blue, I’m sure you’ll agree that no child is created the same. Each fearfully and wonderfully made.

How can we prepare our children for their futures that lie ahead? More importantly, their eternities ahead.

It starts at home. Where love is planted and God harvests when He and He alone sees it fit.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Monday morning after working a 12 hour night shift two coworkers and myself took a 40 minute brisk walk around the beautiful downtown Effingham.

I must say, peer pressure is not always to be viewed as a bad thing, especially when it’s going to benefit you physically. So thank you Lara for the encouragement to tag along and thank you Ashley for setting the pace. (FYI My calves still hurt.)

We enjoyed ourselves and were able to do some catching up on our bible study we are doing together on Psalm 23 The Lord is My Shepherd.

Studying Gods Word together is wonderful. Each taking away something different. Each able to use ones strengths to help another woman who may be weak at the time in an area of their life.

All with ultimately the same common interest of wanting to get to know and become more dependent on Him, our Father, who created all that we know.

Life on our unit during the months of June and July is usually pretty steady. Taking the time to connect with coworkers outside of the chaos that lies behind the hospital walls is refreshing.

This time is a good reminder to me that each person has a life, interests, and hobbies for themselves aside from helping bring babies into the world along with all the blood, sweat, and tears that comes with this profession.

As a unit we are a whole. The unit however is composed of many unique individuals who all bring something different to the table. No one nurse identical to another. Once again relying on each other through our strengths and weaknesses to do the Lords work.

I told the girls that morning that soon enough we would see the unit be busier. If going off of numbers in past years, babies would soon be on their way!

One thing I’ve learned in my few short years in OB is the Lord never gives a nurse more than they can handle. At times, it may seem as if that statement isn’t true. Reflecting back though, it’s very clear He has a way of conditioning us. I give Him praise for that.

To keep your unit functioning as a whole, at times you have to be the nurse who lengthens her stride to keep up with the pace. Getting outside your comfort zone to do the work God calls us to do.

Sometimes though, you have to be that nurse who slows down so the others don’t get left behind. Offering words of encouragement and realizing that there is truly is no I in TEAM.

Yes it takes a village to do the Lords work.

One things for sure though, He doesn’t want us to go at it alone. When we look to Him, He will offer His tender guidance and as a reward, a life of Quiet Rest that no one or thing ever could.

It’s during those stressful nights that you see the importance of unity together as humans. Those nights when you exchange hugs of appreciation after saving a life. It’s these moments when I’m reminded how beautiful and precious each individual, each life truly is.

One nurses weakness just may be another’s strength. All coming together to do the Lords work in which He calls us to do.

Bees are always busy doing the Lords work of making precious sweet honey we enjoy, so let’s look to them as an example.

Each role is important. Each not functioning without the other. The queen is important, but the Creator is who truly deserves all the praise.