Hannah's song

I was saved on a Wednesday night. Anna Bruns, the woman who helped lead me to the Lord at the altar, told me some important things to do. One of the things she told me was to go home, pray, and ask God what He would want me to read in the Bible. That night I went home, and I did just that. I opened the Bible to what is today, still, my favorite scripture. John 15:16-19. He told me plain and simple that HE CHOSE ME! It was as though God had those few verses written all those years ago, just for Hannah Jo Gaston. That night, I felt a connection to God I didn’t know existed.

Well, fast forward 14 years later, about 6:30 this morning, Hannah Jo Ledbetter was sitting at her kitchen table, praying, asking God to show her what He’d like her to read.

 I opened the Bible and it said, “THE SONG OF HANNAH.”

I was named after this woman.

So, naturally it caught my attention and woke me up better than my cup of coffee was.

Many of us have names that have certain meaning or there was something that inspired your parent or parents to name the name you have today.

Perhaps you were named after a relative, your mom’s best friend, an actress, an author, a town or a month. I was named after Hannah in the Bible.

A little unknown fun fact of the day is that my husband, Grant, was named after the story of Hannah.

In First Samuel it says, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant you your petition that you have asked of Him.”

God granted Rhonda a baby boy, thirty-two years ago.

Grant Daniel.

Grant and I chose to name each of our children after special people and meanings.

Raylea Jo

Ray- Danny Ray, her Papa

Lea- Rhonda Lea, her Nana

Jo- my middle name and my mom’s middle name

Jack Gannon

Jack- Jack Ledbetter, Grant’s Grandpa

Gannon- Grant’s baby brother who is in Heaven

Arrow Brielle

Arrow- Zechariah 9:14 “And the Lord shall be seen over them, and His Arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.”

This scripture refers to the Second Coming. We didn’t know the gender of this “Arrow” baby, but the day came and when that baby was born, Grant proclaimed (with a very shocked voice!) “It’s a girl!” I knew in that moment she would be a mighty Arrow used by God. An Arrow stays on it’s path, it is precise and can cut through many things. I see God as the Archer, just like He is in this passage above. Arrow told me today, (she is three), that we are going to Heaven and there will be babies, chocolate milk and popsicles there. Those are her favorite things. She knows God has prepared for her a place that is GOOD. I am excited to see what He does with my little Arrow’s life.

Brielle

Gabriel- Grant’s brother

I loved Gabrielle, the girl form of his name, but it was too lengthy for what I wanted. Brielle was the short form of the name, which means “God is my strength.”

In 2013 we had a sweet baby go to heaven who was in my belly.

August Shalom.

August was the month he/she was due to be born.

Shalom means peace. God gave me great peace during that trial.

So, let’s rewind and go back to the beginning of this post… I opened my Bible and read

THE SONG OF HANNAH

Hannah is praising and worshiping God.

Samuel 2 King James Version (KJV)

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

² There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

³ Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

⁴ The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

⁵ They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

⁶ The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

⁷ The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

⁸ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.

⁹ He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

The verse that stood out to me was verse 3.

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

God knows the thoughts we think and knows the words we say.

Sure, there are many different ways you could go with this verse, many different applications. For me, I was reminded to keep watch over my mouth.

Don’t say prideful things! Don’t always have one up on someone else.

Don’t always have to have the last word!

Don’t say stupid things! If it’s not UPLIFTING someone. Keep. Your. Lips. Zipped.

Ask God if He is pleased with your backhanded compliments and dry sense of humor.

Really, ask Him.

Ask Him if he’s pleased with your prideful attitude. How you’re always looking down your nose at others. How you’re always talking poorly of others. Holding grudges over things that happened half a lifetime ago. Satan tells you to hold a grudge. God tells you to show mercy.

Hannah’s song spoke to me today. It was such a great reminder that what we say, does matter. And sometimes, the way you simply look when you say it, matters too! Words can pierce a heart. I’ve been on both sides of hurtful words. And if you’ve lived past seven years old… so have you.

I want to just say to whoever is reading this an encouraging reminder that you DO matter.

In this confusing, somewhat scary time we are all living in, it’s easy to get caught up in negativity.

I want to speak life to you incase nobody has lately.

You have a special and unique calling on your life and God isn’t finished with you.

You were created by God. He loves you. More than anyone else could ever love you.

You are handsome, beautiful, pretty… even with the flaws you can’t stand about yourself.

You have a powerful testimony that needs to be shared with others.

Lastly, I want to remind you that you are not alone. You may feel alone. You may be sitting alone right now as you read this. But you have God when everything is gone. He is my Best Friend and if He isn’t yours yet, it’s not too late to make Him that.

I’m praying for you.

What is life like with me?

My goal for the next year is to write a blog post about once a month. I will rarely send them out through text message form, which I know is a reminder to you that I have written something new, but just know you just need to hop back onto this site and you'll see any new posts. I thank you for your prayers!

I’ve been reading a book on and off for about year now. I was at the end of the book, reading the bonus chapter, and I came across a single sentence that stopped me dead in my tracks. I likely won’t remember a ton of what the author said in those two hundred something pages, but this thought will stick with me forever.

The most frustrated people are those who feel their lives can only improve when others put forth the necessary effort to make things better.

When I first read it, it almost took my breath away! I have been there so many times in life!

Frustrated.

Feeling like I need others to meet me in the middle.

Please tell me someone can relate??

I don’t say this lightly. But bad things do happen. It rains on the just and the unjust. I know this. But, I always thought if I went above and beyond to make peace with others, and I attempted to make our relationship a bed of roses, why didn’t they? Did their mother not teach them manners? Practical etiquette?? Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with their mother, their history of lessons in the manners department or their ability to fake kindness even. No. 

It has to do with you.

Yes. You read that right. I know that isn’t what you wanted to hear. 

And it’s not what I want to say or hear either. 

But it is the truth. 

We, the modern day church, have become professionals at pointing out others faults.

I want to say loud and clear that I know I have my blind spots. I might think I’m a wonderful mother, wife, daughter, sister, daughter/sister in law, aunt, cousin, granddaughter… plus the fifty other hats I wear. But, if you asked those people if I had any flaws… especially if you asked those who live in close proximity to me… cough cough… GRANT… cough cough… MY KIDS… you’d find out, I am far from perfect. So, I write this in hopes that we can learn together. We can ask this question honestly to ourselves and if we are brave enough… ask those closest to us that question…

What is life like with me?

First.

Attitude.

This is a big sensitive spot, I think especially for us women.

We tend to blame an array of other outside problems for the “bad day” we are having.

It’s that time of month… we’re going through the change… we have a headache… the kids are getting on our nerves… we are hungry… we don’t feel appreciated… yes, those are real reasons to have a slight mood change… I do agree!

But… have you ever been around someone who has been having a “bad day” for about 39 years? I mean, that is a really long headache they must be enduring.

It not only is exhausting for the person with the bad attitude, but it wears those around you out as well.

I’m not at all talking about UNSAVED people, who truly, we gotta give them a big fat pass. Why should they have a good attitude? They aren’t saved! I had a HORRIBLE attitude in my humble opinion before I got saved. I remember sitting in church with my arms crossed, slouched in my seat just trying to show my parents how badly I did not want to be there. They probably didn’t even notice. But, that’s what bad attitudes do… they make it all about them.

But, if you’re a CHRISTIAN. Born again. Saved. On your way to Heaven. Check your attitude. Especially if you plan on being able to lead anyone to the Lord.

Secondly.

What about being a know-it-all.

They don’t see what they say as an opinion. They see it as facts. One of the most damaging parts of a relationship is pride! I honestly believe it is the most damaging part to our relationship with God.

Third.

Do your words build up or tear down?

I read an illustration recently from Lysa TerKeurst of how our relationships with others is like a bridge over a vast canyon. You are on one side, and a person you care about is on the other side. Every time you dishonor that person with your words, you remove a plank from the bridge. At first, it’s no big deal. But soon, after days, weeks and years of backbiting, hurtful statements, even lies and rumors, the once solid, sturdy bridge, is now left with huge gaping holes that are nearly impossible to cross.

Here are some ways to tear down the bridge quickly, or even silently and slowly over time.

(I added in a few of the pointers I heard from the illustration.)

·         Say, “I told you so,” every time they make a mistake or wrong turn

·         Look at them with displeasure every time they walk by you and continually have unrealistic expections from them

·         Assume the worst about the other person

·         Gossip about them behind their back

·         Paint them in a negative light to others

·         Competing with another person’s accomplishments instead of celebrating them

·         Processing my thoughts about someone with others before talking directly to that person

Each of those things remove planks from your connecting bridge. Those holes can be repaired, but it will take time, and a lot of intentionality.

Here are some ways to help mend that bridge.

·         How can I best encourage you?

·         Is there an area I can better support you?

·         How can we make our relationship a priority in this season?

·         Give them a genuine compliment

·         Pray for them

·         Pray for yourself to be a more godly spouse, family member and friend

·         Say to them, “I am sorry, I was wrong.” It may not feel good, especially if you don’t feel you did anything wrong, it still is the right thing to do. Again, pride says hold onto the hurt. Point your finger. Stand your ground. You don’t deserve this. Remember… when the devil moves his lips, he is lying.

Mature Christians learn to say sorry, and mean it. And mature Christians also learn to say, “I forgive you,” even if the other party doesn’t mean it.

Hatred stirs up strifes: but love covers all sins. Proverbs 10:12

Put into action this single scripture in your relationships today. You’ll be amazed at what happens when you realize that love covers ALL sins. No matter what they said, no matter what they did, no matter how long it happened, no matter how mean they still are, love can cover their sin. Only a person who has had their own sins covered by Jesus’ blood can come close to understanding how to cover another person’s sin.

My dad often refers to the verse, that implies those who are forgiven of much, love much. I have been forgiven of a lot. I imagine you have, too. When we look at ourselves and deep into the places only God sees. We are as filthy rags. We are deserving of a literal hell. If we want our sin covered by someone who was PERFECT, (Jesus Christ), what makes us so quick to not cover someone else’s sin, who needs forgiveness as much as you do. When Jesus says in the Bible to forgive your brother who offends you 70 times 7 times, you can’t tell me that each time that person who committed the “hurt” towards someone 490 times, that each time they had the perfect apology and perfect excuse for why they did the offense and the perfect way to make it up before doing it yet again and needing forgiveness again. No, I believe whole heartedly that sometimes you won’t get the apology, and sometimes, if you do get the apology, it will not be perfectly satisfying. I think it shows a lot of someone who is willing to forgive regardless of how the offender plans to amend. I have forgiven people who I’ll probably never see again in my life. And if I did I would be half scared of them! Why?? I forgive because Jesus died on the Cross for me to be free from worrying about others making amends and others taking the steps needed towards reconciliation.

I am a pretty open book. I’ve been told I trust too easily. And it’s not that I trust too easily, because few, and I mean few, have I really let in. I simply want others to see that I’m real, I’m raw, I’m human like them. I want others to know that when I’m gone to Heaven, that I was real. I wasn’t putting on. I wasn’t trying to be friends with every person I met. I know for me, when I was a teenager, I went through a season that made me extremely insecure. I felt I would never be worthy of a boys’ love and I would never be worthy of a friendship with a girl who really wanted to be my true friend. So, when I got saved as a 17 year old, I was determined that I would love others freely and openly, as much as they wanted and needed to be loved. Because, let’s be real for a minute, people are starving for love. People are starving for acceptance. People are dying for someone to be their friend.

So, I end this with just one last little thought.

What would life be like without you?

You may think it would be a relief to those around you! You may be depressed and down on yourself. I was there just 4 years ago. I always said it lasted for only 6 months, but I was reading my journal a couple days ago, and it went on for at least a year before I was delivered. It was truly a dark spirit that weighed me down. I felt I was so worthless in every area of my life. I believed life would be better for those around me if I wasn’t there anymore. I felt I was a burden.

So, even though I DO want us to truly look our hearts and examine what is inside and ask God to show us what we are really like to live life with…. I also want to remind you that you ARE wanted by someone. Maybe your parents have told you the most hateful things. Maybe you’ve been let down repeatedly by your spouse. Maybe you’ve believed the lie for years that you are a waste of space. Let me just tell you this, that is exactly what it is. A lie. A lie is deception and the opposite from TRUTH.

You are not less than.

You are not lonely!

You are not left out.

Even if you feel it. It’s not true. It’s a vain imagination.

I’m 31 and I still remind myself often that I am WORTHY. I am worthy of love. I am worthy of true, meaningful friendships, I am worthy of respect and honor. I am worthy because I serve the One who says I am worthy and worth much.

Be the person God made you to be, and you’ll find ways to rebuild bridges with others and you’ll also find so much self-worth in knowing that you are enough for God and that is truly all that matters. Self-worth and self-confidence isn’t about being cocky, or stuck up. It is about knowing WHO makes you have that worth and that confidence. I am confident because I know God made me exactly like He wants me to look. I am worthy because the blood that was poured out by Jesus thousands of years ago on a Cross.

When you keep that Cross the main object of your faith, happiness and peace of mind…

The answer to that question, “What is life like with me?” Will be... 

WONDERFUL. PEACEFUL. JOYFUL.

It’s about HIM. Not you. Not me.

Let’s walk this pilgrim way together with our eyes on the prize and make life easier for others by being sweet and kind.

The illustration is found in the book Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst. It's an awesome read.