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
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.
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.
Thank you for the beautiful reminder of how God expresses his love to us through nature. It makes me want to be more mindful of it. I tend to see the snakes and spiders that live in nature rather than the beauty. I’m gonna tweak my thinking about the outdoors and look beyond the creepy crawlers. I’m going to focus my attention on His beauty. Thank you for a refreshing perspective. Take care of you. Lovingly, Diane
Love you Diane!
Love this!! The stories you’re sharing are touching so many! Thank you for all you do!!
Great job Mel!!! I hope this will yield many new subscribers so all the great OVERCOMER stories will be read and people benefit from them in a mighty way!!!
I’m so excited for you ?? I just love you ?
I’m so thankful that The Lord allowed our paths to cross! I’m so excited for you!!!
Enjoy reading your blog. It is truly a blessing to many!
You are such an inspiration to us all. As a victim of domestic violence I gain strength from people like you. You are truly a blessing.
You are amazing! I”ve shared your website so others can attest to how wonderful you are and your talented writing!
So excited for you, friend! Congratulations and thanks for sharing my story. I’m honored to be one of the 100 posts!
Melony you have done such an amazing job with your writings of overcomers. You have a gift from God and you are using it to give back to him. May God continue to richly bless you in your endeavors.
Thank you Melony for all the encouragement that you have given me. As I continue to heal and help others heal. You are such a strong inspiration to so many! I know that God has let our paths cross for a great reason and I am so proud that he did. God bless you and the wonderful job that you do! Love you and all the Overcomers, we are becoming one voice so everyone can hear us ROAR!
This reminds me – your mess becomes your message. We can walk out of the brokenness and into wholeness with God’s transforming love.
Some people ignore or resist the struggle by distracting themselves. But eventually you have to go through it and grow. When you get to the other side of it, you often find out that’s where you were supposed to be all along. I love Ephesians 3:20. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Thanks for this lovely post! Glad you enjoyed the conference! And hope you are well!
As a mom it made me think about how hard it is to watch your children struggle, you want to protect them, but you know that they can only learn from struggling. We watch them grow from everyday struggles to harder ones as they continue through the years, but we never really give ourselves the same grace when we struggle. We, at times, may be embarrassed if we are struggling or feel like we are failing at life if we acknowledge struggles, but you don’t learn from things that are easy. You learn from times when we are vulnerable and struggling.
Wonderful Melony, thanks for writing and posting for us!
God’s word is truth just like He told us it is and also when we are weak, we are strong through Christ Jesus are two other scripture reinforcers…. Jn 14:6 and 2 Cor 12:9
God bless and keep you and yours,
Struggles in life can be very challenging. We all have them and face them. We must stay focused on the positive.
Looking good!
Melony,
I know this must have been quite an amount of work, but it is so worth it. It looks great! Congrats!.
It is awesome Melony! I know you have put alot of work into making it just what you want. I am so excited to see what the future holds for you!
I’m not real familiar with the old website but this one looks user friendly, organized and fun. I’m looking forward to reading all the beautiful stories you have written about the many challenges we face in this life. I’m encouraged by what I have read so far. I’m honored to have you write my story Melony. Who better to share it than a gifted writer like you. Thumbs up to the new look of the website. Can’t wait to get more familiar with it.
Your new site looks wonderful!!! I look forward to continuing to check it out and read your wonderful stories! Blessings!
Looks good, Melony. I like it!
Hey friend!! Everything on here looks GREAT and very user-friendly! Your passion and heart for your ministry is so evident on these pages. I love you and I can’t wait to see you soon!
I have been needing to do this myself. I have heard how refreshing silence is in our crazy world. Thanks for your insight and recommendation Melony!
I am so happy for your wonderful experiences while on the Silent Retreat!!! I want now to read the book you mentioned, The Circle Maker, sounds wonderful and foundational! Thanks so much for sharing the 5 reasons and the monks chanting, I enjoyed hearing them, too!!! Maybe I will be able to go one day. I feel closest to God at the beach until then…….
Wow, pretty profound stuff. Very interesting and intriguing for me to read your words. I have a few questions for you so will ring you up soon. I often feel I STAY at a crossroad and the monastery is not that far away. Your encapsulazation of the time there made me want that experience. Thanks for sharing. Will catch up with you soon!
(BTW, how did you have a conversation with the monk? Guess it was after
‘Silence time’ was over?)
I’m late in responding, but I completely agree with all that you’ve written, Melony! The monastery has become a special place to me. My favorite moments are during the first prayer time…I’m able to take a deep breath and allow the words chanted by the monks fall over me like a blanket. I feel immersed in the word of God. The silence is a welcome retreat in my noisy life. I would encourage anyone and everyone to find their way to the monastery. You will love it.
I think God gives us quiet places to be able to stop and really meditate and enjoy the beauty of the earth. It is so awesome and majestic. How could you not believe in God.
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.