Sometimes a zigzag in your path gives you the opportunity to take a big spoonful of your own advice.
The advice (medicine) I recommend on a frequent basis is: “When life zigs and zags, keep moving forward.” Those words are
Sometimes a zigzag in your path gives you the opportunity to take a big spoonful of your own advice.
The advice (medicine) I recommend on a frequent basis is: “When life zigs and zags, keep moving forward.” Those words are
I have been mentored and I have been a mentor. Either way it is an incredible blessing!
Loved reading this! I can remember two women who have been such a blessing to me as mentors! Where would I be without them!!?? This was inspiring and it gets my own wheels spinning. Who could I mentor? And I can see how being a mentor can hold yourself accountable as well!! God is powerful
I was mentored when I first came back into a relationship with God in 1996. It was a huge blessing in my life UNTIL it became a curse for me. That was when my mentor let me know we were NOT friends she was my mentor. I was crushed. She was my first Christian friend and needless to say that event/realization has made it very hard for me to open up to friendships with other Christian women as i find myself waiting for the day they too will let me know we are not friends just like my mentor did. This event is part of my memoir I am writing.
Words cannot describe all that my mentor (spiritual mother) meant to me. Especially having lost my mom to cancer when I was only 21 years old. When Pat passed away a few years ago, I grieved deeply. Yet, I have hope that she and my mom became heavenly friends. And, I so look forward to the reunion! My prayer is that I can have a similar impact on the precious young ladies God has placed in my path to mentor.
Thank you for talking about this — too often we think we need to have all the answers, when we really need to open our hearts. Great words, Melony!
Domestic violence came disguised as Larissa’s* helper. On the way to a family reunion, a tire went flat on her car. With no cell phone to call for help and no money to pay for a tow truck, she waited
Larissa, I too was a victim of violence that left me with physical disabilities. I am encouraged to hear your overcomer’s story. Blessings to you as you continue to live a life of abundance!
Maureen thank you and God Bless! We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony! Without the Lord none of it could be possible. Thank you for sharing also. Be Blessed to overflow of Gods favor!
Thank you for sharing your story. I pray it helps many women who read it.
Thank you Teresa. Please feel free to share and God Bless!
I too was a victim of DV. Mine was mostly emotional abuse, but abuse is abuse. Telling your story helps others know there is light after darkness.
I Appreciate your strength to tell your story, I myself have been thru many battles, but God has brought me thru it all, Someone needs to hear your Testimony!
Thank you Pearl Harris! God is Faithful and True! The joy of the Lord is our strength. Please feel free to share this article with others! God Bless you
Robbin yes and emotional abuse is the hardest to detect as it leaves invisible scars and harder to bring prosecution against the abuser. But truly God is our vindicator and His justice restores, redeems, and revives! Praise God for you and please share with others who may need to hear!
Larissa, this is such a beautiful story of God’s redeeming love. May you continue to heal and shine for Him. I was in a four year relationship with a young man who was physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive when I was a teenager. I praise God for delivering me!
Cheryl praise God for you and for His power to deliver us! God will never leave us where we are nor ignore our cries for help. Thank you and God Bless!
Tears collected in a bottle. An unusual idea, but David used this phrase in Psalm 56:8 to describe how God keeps a record of human pain and suffering. He cares for us when we are hurting.
Rhonda* clung to
WOW! What a beautiful story of how God heals the broken hearted. Much needed in this day and time to not give up on life or family. Thank you for sharing.
Love this. Vulnerability is such a strong trait and I admire Rhonda for modeling this so beautifully.
It was a hard journey to get to the point of being capable of sharing this. I am happy it impacted you!
We are currently going through a very rough season with our adult son. We brought him home to live with us over a year ago as he was suicidal and in the throes of addiction. Rhonda, your article encourages me to keep pressing in to HIM, keep praying, keep trusting that He is working even when we can’t see what He is doing.
Cheryl, I think we forget that God’s hand IS on the wheel. Let Him carry you and this burden. Take it minute by minute. You have to break it down like that some days. Keep your hands up to the sky in praise and prayer. For when our hands are down, we are drifting away from Him.
Waiting wastes time. Or does it?
Do you ever feel irritated as a stoplight turns red-green-yellow then red again, and you’re still not through the intersection? Me, too! Inching along tests my patience. Through all of those times of
Active waiting is a great way to pray and people watch. Getting frustrated will never have the line moving any faster LOL.
Teresa, that’s so true!
What a timely message from my dear friend for years, Holli! I am trying to be actively waiting now ..we have recently moved to Brazil and it feels like all I do is wait! For permanent housing, a new car. Our belongings from the US, for covid to go away, for internet, for food, for anything to settle my heart and distract from missing our family~~especially during the holidays. I confess that I spend an inordinate amount of time on social media or doing brain games…especially compared to time in prayer or scripture reading! Thank you, Holli, for the encouraging words of hope in my journey of “waiting”! Love and miss you!❤🇧🇷
Thank you, Ellen! We miss you, too, and pray for you often.
Feliz Natal!
Thank you Holli for reminding us of the opportunities and benefits in waiting. Waiting doesn’t have to be a “nothing” but can be a very important “something”.
Thank you, Marilyn. Waiting, for me, is often a surrender of my “hurry up and fix it” mode. I find new beauty and blessings in the moments (or years) of waiting.
Certainly something to ponder. Waiting can be excruciating or it can be a great experience like when you wait for a baby to be born.
I agree, it is often difficult! Nothing I do to hurry the waiting process ever produces a better outcome than God’s timing.
As the daughter of a professional athlete (Rich Dauer was inducted into Batlimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2012.) and a lifelong athlete-turned-coach myself, I am well versed in the idea of ‘all or nothing.’ I lived most of my
Mine ears, though deaf in this world, listen for Your words. Softly, whispering my name. Closing my eyes in prayer I turn my ear to You, straining to hear Your sweet voice.*
I too am hard of hearing, conversational hearing. I hear most sounds just fine. But understanding the spoken word is very hard, tiring, and draining at times. I dread phone calls the most. Large group meeting drain me as I spend all of my energy trying to understand every word that is being spoken by the person up front, even if they use a microphone. I work very hard to not just hear a person but to listen, understand them. I try hard to not listen to react or respond. When I do that I realized I truly never really listened to them I just heard them. Since I have been attending a lot of Zooms I realize even with earbuds in i see myself tilting my head at an angle as I do that when I don’t wear ear buds but even with the help to hear better with the ear buds I am still tilting my head toward the computer monitor 🙂 Inclining my ear to listen closely.
So often you hear the cliché’ “where the mind leads the heart will follow.” I will not refute that. What I will say is that we often do not truly make the connection. I can honestly say I did not
Dreams and goals about my future filled my childhood diary. Along with hopes, prayers, and of course the frustrations of life. I dreamed of becoming a missionary and teacher. My passion for teaching developed early as I looked up to
Great job, my friend! Thank you for the encouragement and inspiration!
Wow…..I got teary reading this. As your friend, I was privileged to be able to watch as you navigated some of those challenges that you wrote about. I have always been inspired at how you handle struggles with such passion and purpose. I am overjoyed that the two of you have connected and are partnering on some projects together! Melony and Carmela, both of you have individually impacted my family in ways that I can never repay. God is using you both in mighty ways through your gifts of teaching and loving people. I am blessed to call you friends. All my love to both of you!
Thank you for the reminder that even in our struggles, a positive response can shift our focus to the opportunities that await on the other side of the valley. God is with us in our struggles and our successes. So thankful your surgery went well!
This was so good! I have kept a positive attitude all during this time of COVID and I have had nothing but peace. I have kept the same attitude all during the election period too. My friends see my calmness during these times and some of them just can not understand why I am not full of anxiety and fear. I remind them it is because of two things; my attitude choosing to not panic and because my peace comes from Jesus. Even after telling them this they still continue to live with fear and anxiety.
So glad you defeated the evil one! Glad you are better. Prayers and much love.
Thank you, Stella, for your kind words and prayers!
Amen. God is Great! Thankful for your faithfulness to each other!
Thank you, Sandy! God is GREAT!
You were hit with a “whammy” on Thanksgiving Day and for days that followed. I’m thankful Dr. Redcross found the issue and did the surgery! I knew, you, if anyone would get through this trial with flying colors! Our faith assures us of victory over all the trials that come our way. That is why studying the Bible daily and letting those words become who we are is so important. We are winners over the powerful darts and deceit the Devil uses.
Thank you for always believing in me, encouraging me, and praying for me. It means SO MUCH. His Word does become who we are! The enemy can shoot those flaming arrows at us, but I have seen and I KNOW how powerful God’s words are in defeating him.
Melony, what a testimony! Thanks for the reminder to stay in His word daily. I am so glad you are better.
Thanks, Heather! Daily Bible study is a joy!
Before 2019 my answer to every zigzag in life was to not fight at all. It’s a very long story (and my book will talk about all the why’s) but to make it short and sweet, i no longer had the energy, drive or desire to keep fighting. By the end of 2019 I was unchained from a burden I carried my entire life and for the first time truly felt free to fight in life. To fight for what I wanted, needed, desired and God opened doors, so many doors in 2020. So now I move forward when the zigzags in life happen. I am grateful you too kept moving forward.
I know you “get it,” girl! Looking forward to reading your journey of encountering zigzags and how you fought to overcome!
Who would have ever guessed we would be in the ER on Thanksgiving morning baby? Epically with a DR name DR Redcross!!! God had you all the way thru this Zig Zag! Love you!!
No kidding! God definitely was with me throughout this crazy zigzag! LOVE YOU!
What a beautifully written story of your zig-zag! Your faith is so profoundly presented. Mel, we are all very thankful that victory was yours.
Thank you, Kathy! I truly believe my faith was tested. And with God fighting with me and for me, the enemy was defeated!!!
My journey has been one of giving up as well as overcoming. I’m SO thankful for you, Melony Brown! I hate that you had to go through this battle but I love that you WON!
Oh sweet friend, you are a fighter. I know you have wanted to give up and may have for “a while,” but the fighter deep inside of you can’t stay down. You’ve had to fight to overcome many times, and I admire that about you in A BIG WAY! I love you, dear friend!!!
Love that you shared this Mel. I’m so glad God carried you through that Valley. You are a powerful voice of encouragement!
God definitely carried me! Thank you for your kind words. Love you!
Thanks!