The God who catches me when I fall....

Hi Friends,

I'm reading a book by Max Lucado called "A Gentle Thunder...Hearing God through the Storm." Hmm...I wonder why that title caught my attention? Well,it does compliment my 1 of my 3 theme songs well. If you're new here... they are 1.I had a bad day, 2. SuperWoman, and 3.the one I'm currently talking about "Praise you through the storm."
A few of the lines are: And I will praise you through the storm, And I will lift my hands, You are who you are no matter where I am....anyway, it's a great song:-)

In Lucado's book there is a chapter called, "Held by His Hands...The God Who Won't Let You Fall." The author shares his experience of climbing a simulated rock wall. He fell but was caught by his safety harness and his guide. And so, he tried again, and when he got to the top of that wall -- he thanked the guide rather than celebrating it as his own victory.

I want to share how he compares this to our lives:

"Would that all my tumbles were so simple. So brief. So harmless. They haven't been. I've been known to let go of much more than imitation rocks. I've let go of promises and convictions. There have been times when my fingers slipped off the very stones of truth I treasure. And I can't tell you how many times I've expected to hit the bottom only to find myself suspended in midair, secured by a pair of nail-pierced hands.

'Try again,' he urges. And so I resume.

You and I are on a great climb. The wall is high, and the stakes are higher. You took the first step the day you confessed Christ as the Son of God. He gave you his harness -- the Holy Spirit. In your hands he placed a rope -- his Word.

Your first steps were confident and strong, but with the journey came weariness, and with the height came fear. You lost your footing. You lost your focus. You lost your grip, and you fell. For a moment, which seemed like forever, you tumbled wildly. Out of control. Out of self-control. Disoriented. Dislodged. Falling.

But then the rope tightened, and the tumble ceased. You hung in the harness and found it to be strong. You grasped the rope and found it to be true. You looked at your guide and found Jesus securing your soul. With a sheepish confession, you smiled at him and he smiled at you, and the journey resumed.

Now you are wiser. You have learned to go slowly. You are careful. You are cautious, but you are also confident. You trust the rope. You rely on the harness. And though you can't see your guide, you know him. You know he is strong. You know he is able to keep you from falling.

And you know you are only a few more steps from the top. So whatever you do, don't quit..."

(by Max Lucado. Read the book --it's really great.)

So, I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that it will encourage you as much as it encouraged me. Life is a journey and sometimes it seems like we're climbing a mountain. But knowing that the God of the universe has my back helps me to not quit. Rather I will take one step at a time in faith that with God I can make it to the top. And when I stumble or fall, those nail-pierced hands are there to catch me.

My friend, Annie, just called to tell me this phrase: "When you stumble,make it part of the dance." And my friend Shirlene called earlier to tell me that she hates lupus. I can relate because there are times when I hate lupus, too. But it's part of my climb, so I wouldn't change it. I will stumble. I will fall. I will trust God to catch me when I do. And I look forward to standing on the mountaintop where my breath will be taken away when I see my Savior face-to-face. And in the meantime, I will enjoy the NOW moments of my life.
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And what, you ask, am I doing besides musing on the journey of life??? Mostly just laying in bed, although I did get up and make blueberry muffins for breakfast with Isaac. I'm enjoying having all the kids home with me for summer. And they're taking care of the house and me. And I'm OK with that. For now, my job is to get better and to lovingly supervise the kids from my comfy bed:-) I also spend a lot of time in prayer and reading my Bible.

More tomorrow...I have an appointment then with Dr. Cohen....

Much Love,
Michele