My Words

 Palm Sunday, our church washes feet.

I loved washing Raylea's this year. She better understood the meaning and act of it.

 

Raylea loving on Gracie after she washed her feet.

It was Aunt Betty's first foot washing service to ever miss she said, so we took the kids by afterwards and let them wash her feet. The only pan I could find was this little one. She said, "I cook my beans in that." HAHAHA.

This post has zero to do with foot washing. I just thought some would enjoy the photos.









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Words have a lasting effect.

 

I have a saying next to our kitchen table, which is where we do our homeschooling, which says...

 

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

 

 

That is true is MOST situations.

 

 

But, I can remember a handful of one liners throughout my life that I have truly never been able to erase from my memory, as hard as I have tried.

 

Whether I said it, or was on the receiving end...

 

Remember, that saying says, "THEY MAY..."

 

Not, "They will."

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on the individual's soul, I believe that determines whether or not their death will be a tragedy or a triumph.

 

 

 

Death comes in many forms.

 

 

I read this past week about a little four year old boy who drowned in a neighbor's pool after wandering away from home.

 

 

 

Two mornings ago, an NFL star ended his own life in his jail cell after being sentenced to life without parole.

 

 

 

A crazy mad man shot and killed an elderly man on Easter Sunday and posted it to his Facebook page. He later turned the gun on himself while being chased by police.

 

 

 

 

My Grandpa died of cancer 10 years ago, this August. He was my good buddy.

 

 

 

 

Last year, I am pretty sure it was in April, a man who was a spiritual hero of mine, was diagnosed with cancer and he passed away three short months later.

 

 

On Thanksgiving this past year, Uncle Darrel came out and met our new baby, Arrow. Four days later he died from heart complications.

 

It was her first Thanksgiving, and his last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death used to scare me.

 

 

As I shared in a recent post, I dealt with depression for 6 months and was delivered from it in January of this year.

 

 

During that time, death frightened me.

 

 

But, oddly enough, I allowed the devil to lure me into entertaining the thought that if I were dead, this world would be a better place.

 

 

Truly. I felt that some days.

 

 

And that takes me pushing down a lot of pride to even be able to type that.

 

 

That I felt that low. Worthless. Unloved. Alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tend to struggle with words...

 which may shock you.

 

 

I feel much more comfortable writing to someone about how I feel, whether it's good, bad or ugly, on paper. I even wrote the devil a note once! No lie! I gave it to my mother in law, which that actually cracks me up to type, because those of you who don't know me are probably thinking, "What?? Your mother in law is the devil?? I thought that was MINE!!"

 

 

Ha. Well, far from that.

 

 

Rhonda Lea Ledbetter is one of the BEST friends I have. My mom said to me years ago, "you and her are like Naomi and Ruth!" And that is exactly what we call each other.

 

 

So, I gave that letter to satan to her because I wanted her to keep it safe incase I needed reminded of what I told him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've also made the mistake once by writing/texting someone how I felt about a certain situation and I learned that there are some things left better to be spoken about in person.

 

 

Just another "life lesson" we all should remember.

 

 

 

 

As a little girl I remember writing my prayers to God down on a paper and walking out into the field back behind our house and tossing it up in the air, thinking it would just magically fly high into the clouds and then go out of sight, kind of like a movie scene.

 

Nope. My prayer flopped down on the ground in front of me that day. I remember thinking "Oh, well, He will still get it."

 

 

 

During the time I was depressed, I had a lot of days I felt my prayers were just flopping down and splattering out on the floor, so to speak.

 

 

I wasn't thinking "He will still get it, " on those days...

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband has received so many cards and letters and texts from me since we first met. I could compile them and make a book!

 

 

I would likely leave out the ones where I was being slightly hormonal and complaining about the trash not being taken out or his dirty socks at the foot of the bed... or something else that wasn't going to matter in 24 hours.

 

Ya, if you're a wife, you've been there too.

 

 

 

 

I wrote my vows to him that were read on our wedding day.

Something that I remind him of often that was in them is that I would fight a tiger for him.

And I mean it.

 

 

I would lose.. but I would fight.

 

 

 

 

 

I write a journal to all my kids, including August.

 

I also keep one for Grant, and I started it back in May 2008. It's full of lots of goodies.

 

 

 

I enjoy writing to people and I often encourage others to write down how they're feeling by getting them a journal or notebook of some sort.

 

 

I said all of that to say- I have used my "gift" for words 99% of the time for good. For God.

 

 

I don't have a ton of extra time to sit around and type on a keyboard like I am right now. Truth be told, I have all three of my kids parked in front the TV watching a kids movie on Netflix. That'll distract them for maybe 12.5 minutes... so, as you can imagine, I'm typing as fast as these short little fingers can go.

 

 

I DO find time though because I know it is helping someone, SOMEHOW... somewhere.

 

 

For one, I like to check my stats a few days after I posted a new blog post and I can see several (usually around 5 or 6) countries who will have people from there who read that particular post. After the US, usually Russia and France and Germany top the list. Right this moment, someone from France is reading...

 

So, BONJOUR to you!!!

 

 

Good thing I am typing that, not saying it, because with my slight hick accent mixed with French... well, that just isn't very cute.

 

 

 

I write because of YOU.

 

 

You, person.

 

 

You, man.

 

 

You, woman.

 

 

You, lonely wife.

 

 

You, abusive husband.

 

 

You, depressed teenager.

 

 

You, getting a divorce.

 

 

You, dying of cancer.

 

 

You, sinner.

 

 

You, Christian.

 

 

 

 

I WRITE FOR YOU.

 

 

 

I get pretty much zero pats on the back for this. No pay check. I opted out of getting ads on my blog, even though with the amount of traffic I get, I would make a little money at it, but I never want money to be connected to the reason I am giving of myself. Not that it's wrong to have ads on your blog... but I personally don't want them.

 

 

 

I genuinely write because in the back of my mind, I imagine some person sitting across the world at their computer or on their smartphone, and somehow they stumble across this page.

 

 

They were feeling helpless and hopeless. But, maybe after reading a post I wrote a year ago, they decide to live another day. They realize the devil is a liar. They read about how God delivered me from not only depression this year, but better than that, delivered me from hell when I accepted Him as my Savior as a 17 year old girl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not perfect. I am saved. I try every day to please the Lord.

 

 

In my actions. In my attire. In my attitude. In my relationships. In my roles.

 

 

 

 

 

But, evil is real. The devil is mad. He wants you.

 

 

 

 

BUT. BUT. BUT.

 

 

 

 

GOD is greater than evil. GOD is greater than the devil. And GOD is greater than any issue you're facing today.

 

 

 

I've had a trying month. That's all I will say.

But, God has proven He's faithful once again.

 

Just me and God. That's all that matters.

 

 

 

 

 

The devil is a liar. He has proved that to me once again as well.

 

 

 

But, through my weakness, GOD HAS BEEN STRONG.

 

 

Through any heartache, GOD HAS BEEN THERE.

 

 

Through any confusion, GOD HAS BEEN MY ROCK.

 

 

Through the storms, HE HAS BEEN MY LIGHT HOUSE.

 

 

Through the night, HE COMFORTS ME.

 

 

 

When no spouse, no child, no parent, no best friend, when nobody can give you peace...

 

TRUST JESUS.

 

 

TRY HIM TODAY.

 

 

You were MADE to desire HIM. He desires and longs for you.

 

 

But, we all have that thing called a FREE WILL.

 

 

I will write more on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

I challenge you to find your bible right now.

Even if it's just by using your phone.

 

 

Go read a chapter out of Romans.

 

 

Any of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for now....

 

 

 

Adios.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Whoever you are. :)