Since the beginning of 2009, I have felt a very real deep love for God. I have loved Him for a long time as my God, as my Savior, as my friend, but this year it has become something even more special. I have felt “in love” with Him. It feels the same as when I first fell in love with Mark – I wanted to talk to him all the time, I wanted to spend all my time with him, I wanted to listen to his voice, I thought about Him all the time, I arranged my schedule to be with him, I put him at the top of my priority list. Any of you who have been in love before know what I’m talking about. That’s how I’ve felt in my relationship with God in 2009. It has been a very sweet time together this year.
Two days before I was diagnosed with cancer, my friend, Donald Butler, sent me a link to a new song he had written. He wanted my opinion on the song. He said it was a work in progress. I went to the link and listened to the song and it just made me smile – it expressed exactly what I had been feeling about my God. These are the words of the chorus:
To live my life to know you, God, what a joy it is!
To think your thoughts, to breathe Your name, what a joy it is!
To follow hard after you, God, what a joy it is!
To know your mercy is enough, what a joy it is!
The same joy I have known all year, the same joy I felt two days before my diagnosis, is the same joy I feel today. It is truly a joy to know my God. Cancer can't take that away from me. Thank you, Donald, for a great song that captures my heart for God!
“And Nehemiah continued, 'Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!'" Nehemiah 8:10
“The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Psalm 28:6-8
p.s. I still feel that way about Mark!
Laura and family - this was sent to me and I just had to share with you. Thank you so much for sharing with us your life. I am praying for you to be given all the strength you need to get through this time in your life.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy:
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.'
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section..
The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.. 'I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.
'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.'
'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.
'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, Lord..'
'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.
'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.'
'And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'
'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.'
'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'
'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world. '
'If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare.'
'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'
Ok, what now? How can I start? If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
ATTN:
Acknowledge Dept.:
'Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it with.'
If you have read this far and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on????
Jeanna Abercrombie
Beautiful post, Laura. What a joy it is to see Him so clearly in you! For the past few months I've been waking up saying "the Lord is my strength and my song". I used to be saying or praying it, I should say for the strength and energy part but now I am singing it just so joyful that He puts such a sweet melody in my life and in the lives of those around me. He is so good. Love you! Mari
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