Prayyior's God Talk

In Honor of my Right side up and upside down Birthday! Today…February 16th

Since this is the year I get to celebrate this particular Birthday…Yep, when you write the numbers it is the same whether it is upside down or right side up…but not backward.

Today I want to look backward first. I want to share some of the things I have learned in the years past because they are the things that changed my life and made me who I am today.

First remember…When God has a plan for your life, YOU will live until you complete it! The day I was born, my parents called in a pastor to baptize me, because they did not expect me to live. I remember none of this, but only know a portion of the story.

I am pleased that cameras have existed in my lifetime. I remember going out into the frigid cold one year on my birthday when the snow was so deep you could not walk through it. My Dad somehow managed to take a picture in the middle of a snowbank.

I am trying to remember the birthdays and only a few stand out. The snowbank is the first I remember. The second I remember was when I was 16. It was the year that my Dad lay in a coma from being shot in the head in the cold of winter. It was a very hard year. I was living with my old 8th Grade Teacher and her family. That day, was special because my Mom called me from the hospital to tell me to listen to the radio because she had dedicated a song to me to be played that evening. I don’t remember the name of the song…and it is not important, but what it did mean, was that My Mom made me feel loved, even though I was really all alone. And I REALLY wasn’t all alone, because God was with me, and I KNEW that my Dad would be OK. It had been only a few days before that Birthday, I had kneeled at the end of my bed and prayed. I had told God, how much I loved my Dad, and I asked for a miracle. I was so specific in the prayer. Dad had suffered a gunshot wound to the forehead. Whether it was accidental because he kept the gun loaded all the time and the safety was bad, and it went off when he went to climb in the car, or if as some said….He had attempted to take his life. (I never believed that, I was his beloved daughter, and I knew how much he loved me and the rest of our family)

Whatever the case…I prayed…God I said, You are the only one who can fix my Dad. I ask you to spare his life, I prayed that he would be able to see, I prayed that he would be able to hear, and that his memory would be good so that he could recall our history, I prayed that he could think and plan. I prayed that he could walk, although that wasn’t as important. I prayed that my Dad could continue to be my Dad…The Dad I always knew. When I stood up, I KNEW that I knew, that I KNEW…my Dad would survive and he would be fine. Many Days later, he opened his eyes…yes, he could see, but had triple vision, Yes, he could hear, Yes, he remembered who we were, Yes, he could remember our history, but didn’t remember what had happened to him. Many days after that he would learn to walk again, but would need a 5 pronged cane for the rest of his life. He knew how to play checkers, and pinochile(his favorite game), he could tell a joke and laughed when you told one. This divine touch of God was the 4th time in my life that God had declared himself GOD! And JESUS had revealed himself in a very unique way..

So where this story goes, and what I have learned from it…and I want desperately to have you believe and understand and count on, is that NO MATTER WHAT happens in your life, Jesus will be there for you and will provide what you need! He should never be the last resort when you are in trouble…Go to him FIRST. In the end… JESUS is the one you can count on…nobody else can do what he can and will do for you! He is the one who loves you more than life itself. He is the one who wants to be your friend, who wants to share your life, and take you where you never dreamed!

Next I want to tell you something so important. Very few people in this world care much about your life, and what you think or what you have done. The awards and the degrees and the milestones in your life are almost totally unimportant to those you spend time with, or who come into your life. It is just how it is, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. Those people, however, will never forget how you made them feel. My Mother used to say….”If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all!” It’s funny because though God says it so many other ways, it means the same. So when you are speaking to someone, be kind, say nice things that are true, look for the good….but never ever “flatter” someone, because it comes across as “hurt”!

Being kind, and caring could also be called LOVE. Love those around you, those you come in contact with, and be strong and courageous as you love the unlovable ones, because they too will be brought into your life. This is not to say, that you must allow those who seek to do you harm to hurt you. You must not. Do not let those people into your circle, do not let those people take vengeance upon you. You have a God-Given right to defend yourself.
That God-given right of defense, is how God built you. Watch for the signs of danger. Is the hair standing up on the back of your neck? Is your head telling you to get far away? Is your heart beating wildly? Are you concerned about this person? If so, you must get away, and if you cannot, than you must defend yourself or someone else if that person is trying to harm them. How do I know that self-defense and protection of family and others is a right from God. I know this because God created all things and all animals. We can look to nature to find our rights. A mother animal will protect her child against all attacks, even if it means her life. The King of Jungle, a lion, will run off all the other males, to keep his Pride safe. That Pride is where the women and children or baby lions live. He will die, defending them.

So, what that means is IF you are wondering what is right or wrong, look to God’s creations to see how they act. If their natural instinct is to do it, then you too are allowed by God to do it. You should never be in doubt as to what is right when you can look to the animal kingdom to see how they were designed and what their natural instincts do.
One other thing to remember is that….there are going to be people who do not, will not, and no matter what are never going to like you! It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do what is best for you and your family. Don’t be offended because some person doesn’t like you. There is a reason and they don’t belong in your inner circle anyway. Even Jesus, who never did anything wrong, and loved everyone, was hated so badly that he was crucified. Just remember that when someone doesn’t like you, you and Jesus have a lot in common.

It is important that you don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. It isn’t yours, and was not intended to be yours. If it was, than you would already have it.

It is important to be grateful for what you have. It is never ok to “want” what someone else has. You are not going to be any better, or more respected by those who count in your life, if you have this or that. If that is what it takes for someone to respect you, then find a new someone to be your friend.
It is important when you are living your life to be open to possibilities. If you are “feeling” like you need to do something and it isn’t illegal or detrimental, then pursue it. At least do the “Ben Franklin” plan for determining if it is right for you or not… Old Ben taught us to make a list of pros and cons. If the cons were longer…then don’t do it, but if the pros side was longer, go after it. The Bible teaches us to “count the cost” of the things we do. Will it hurt someone? Will I be able to finish it? Will it make a difference in a hundred years? I find that the things in life I regret most are the things I failed to do, not so much the things I did! In the end, we are only responsible to God for what we did and didn’t do. Choose wisely, and don’t waste your time on “rabbit trails!”
Don’t let revenge destroy your life. Forgiveness is important. Someone, sometime will do you what you perceive to be a great wrong. Take that to Jesus, give it to him, and let him deal with it and with that person. He will then take it, and you can let it go. Harboring unforgiveness will get you an ulcer and a hardened heart. LET IT GO! Turn it over to Jesus…His judgments are right… Some people call it Karma…but what it boils down to is, watching what God does in the lives of others. You can’t do that if all you want for them is destruction. I remember reading in a Sunday Paper when I was about 17 years old…I knew I had to remember it for the rest of my life so I put it to memory. “Hating someone is like BURNING down YOUR OWN HOUSE to get rid of a rat!”

When I was a teenager, I was abducted but some guys, one I had briefly met before, but knew a friend of mine. That was a humiliating and devastating experience. I am not sure how long I was gone, the very first part I remember….I remember going to a friend’s house who that one person also knew, but she could not come along. That is good! So glad she was safe! After that, I am blank until I remember waking up on the floor in the backseat with 3 guys feet on top of me, and listening while they decided what they should do with me. They considered killing me and dumping my body… I suggested they just drop me off near my home and I would go home. They finally decided that would be the best, but I was warned that if I ever told anyone what they had done, they would come back and kill my entire family and burn my house to the ground with everyone in it. I kept my mouth shut. My Mother was furious when I got home and told me how disrespectful and irresponsible I was.

For years and years after this I lived ashamed…I had done nothing wrong, but the shame was there. One day I heard that I could go to Jesus and ask him to help me through this. I did…and asked what he wanted to say to me about that…. I listened…and I heard his voice. He said just 3 words. “I LOVE INNOCENCE!” Those were healing words…and for the first time in my life I shared the story. At last, I was FREE!

Well, I think there are many other things, I could say on my right side up or upside down Birthday…but you can take these and know that the most important thing I have learned in my life is that God is the answer. He…..God the Almighty, Jesus who is God come to Earth as a man, and HOLY SPIRIT, sent when Jesus returned to heaven…will always be there for you. In the good times and bad, during floods, devastation, hunger, persecution, loneliness, sorrow and great loss. He will be the one who brings comfort and love in the midst of trials and difficulties. You just have to do one thing…Call upon JESUS!

Blessings to each of you…and thank you for reading my posts! Prayyior