The reality of Disconnection

I sit here in the early hours of morning pondering connection. We have So many ways to connect with people, the world of "connection" literally at our finger tips.

But the reality of the matter is we are disconnected. 

God intended us to be with people. Now I'm not talking about the people who live in your home, or even your daily seen people(co-workers, the baristas, the people you pass daily on your way to whatever). What am talking about is the people you connect with, the person who encourages you, the one who asks you questions because they are your prayer warrior (even if you don't know it!) , the people you encourage, the ones you go have coffee or whatever fancy drink with, the one you invite over for a BBQ for literally no reason than just being together because they are "your" people.

God wants us to be connected with each other.

I have observed various levels of connection, disconnection, and ones in-between.

Yes I have had times of all of it. 

A time of connection where I felt valued , encouraged, befriended honestly, felt loved and cared for. And times of complete disconnection, no calls, no visits, completely ignored, people saying they missed me when I was actually there and they just didn't even notice.

For over a year I have felt disconnected. I just had a person say how I should go to church on Wednesday evenings since I drop the boys off for it anyway...ummm I AM there I am watching babies in the nursery. But they don't know that because they don't "see" me.  I also hear are you going to a different church...umm No! I am just coming out of a 8 month fog of mental stress, disconnection and keeping the outside world at arms length(because most people don't care) and attending church when I can handle people.

Let me be very honest here because the point of my posts is honesty....

When I go through times like the past 8 months I reach out at the beginning for support, for my prayer warriors, for those who encourage, for "my people"(the ones who if they need me I'm there),  for those people who aren't flakey and truly do like/love me.

But when you get burnt by your "support" people, ignored completely by the others and you are left with prayer warriors who don't like to visit, you realize who is and who is not truly your people.

In 8 months beyond family exactly 2 people not family have reached out more than once to check on ME(not the situations around me). 

Talk about disconnection. Before 8 months ago I felt I had a great supportive friend circle(not related).

When life gets hard, when tough things happen, when difficult choices have to be made, when you actually need support and people the mos... PEOPLE QUIT. They avoid, they disconnect, they ignore, they quit caring and loving, the encouragement stops, they essentially leave. People don't like dealing with hard things they would rather drop you like a hot potato and run. They would rather Stop being a support, not think about the fact they are ultimately crushing you, and run away.

God called us to lift each other up, to walk beside each other, to sit in the ashes, to hold each other when the tears fall, to remind each other that in the mess you have friends that are called by a loving God to love on you. 

 The harsh reality is, people can be cowards. They run, they quit, they walk away, they ignore, they just don't truly care.

It's sad, it's hurtful, it's enough to make you want to stay away from people and not try to reconnect.

We need each other, we need face to face conversations, we need support even in the hard times, we need a listening ear, we just need people and the good they have to offer...

We Need connection, and not just pictures, or perfect FB posts, or whatever other digital connection that's available. 

100 years ago, we were more connected. We still need that kind of connection! 

So next time you are in a public type setting, go connect with people. Don't text them from across the room or send them a reel or a Gif,  but get up, and have a face to face conversation. Get to know people you never know when a real conversation that makes your day better may happen or when you may touch someone's life deeply by just showing that you care.

Connection with others...not social media

Truth versus reality...

Having conversations.... typically conversations between people start with "Hi, How are you?".

Then they expect to hear positive things. Like I'm good, I am doing well, or other such pleasantries. They don't want to hear the truth. They dont want to go deep, they just want surface.

They dont want to hear how you really truly are.

When did we become so uncaring? When did coming along side another human being when they were struggling stop?

When did conversations about life and sharing the good as well as the bad stop?

Allow me to fling some light on it.

People stopped caring when they became self centered. When they only really cared about their appearance on social media. Speaking of social media, if people posted the truth all the time, social media wouldn't be that great. Again people only want to see the positive side of things, they don't want to know you are bawling while posting how wonderful life is when truthfully life is anything but wonderful.

They don't want to know that you worry deeply about the time you have left with a loved one. They don't want to know the hard truth about the wayward child, they really don't want to know the depth of your heart and the pain that resides there. Typical response would be go see a therapist. 

If people cared as much now as they did before social media, before only positive things were acceptable. Our world would be different.

We would sit down with a cup or tea, or coffee, or even just water and have heart to heart talks. We would share what was truly going on, and process through the things with those we love and who love us.

We would share the deep things that hurt, the things people now days don't want to hear about. Conversations would be filled with truth good and bad. We would be encouraging, we would hold someone while they let the tears flow over the things that hurt their heart. We would rejoice with them in the good things. We would sit in the ashes with them while their world seemingly fell apart. We would share those things that are now not acceptable. You know the real state of our relationship with God. The way we feel when our wayward child calls just to let you know they have yet again done ridiculous stuff and are in trouble yet again. Or we would talk about the things that make us sad, or down or the dreaded alone. This world is full of people who feel alone but because that isn't socially acceptable we don't talk about it.

This world is also filled with people who don't have a "circle of friends". They can't even keep friends at least not close ones, because again truth isn't allowed and frankly one friend is more truthful and the other one finds that unacceptable.Or distance separates and friendship isn't what it once was.

Again....when did we become so I caring?

When did telling the truth about how you were really doing become completely unacceptable?

Maybe we as Christians should rethink how we interact with others. Do we truly care about people and how they are or are we so self centered, social media perfect, and don't let the world know the truth that we have become liars? 

We have a choice to change that...tell the truth about how you are, put that real stuff out there. Be REAL with the world.

Just be warned people run from truth, it's rare when someone wants the truth about how you are really doing. That alone is heartbreaking.

So next time you ask how some one is, take a moment and truly ask, and care about them. 

Maybe you'll get the truth and maybe you won't. But I guarantee you that if you truly care people talk, people know when you are sincere or fake. Friendship is made on truth...raw truth.

Personally my circle of friends is small very small, because people don't care like they use to. I know in my heart when someone is sincere (I have that kind of heart) and I know when someone is just being polite. I have heard it called a childlike heart with adult understanding.

Who truly cares about you? Who can you tell the raw truth about your state to? Who in your circle truly cares and wants to sit and have a conversation that goes way beyond the surface?

Peace in a world of turmoil

 Peace in a world of turmoil.....

God has prompted me many times

 to put my thoughts into words and share them with the world.

I haven't.

For that I am ashamed...Someone needs these thoughts into words so they too

can find peace. And yet I have failed to put them down...

So here goes.....

March 2020....

Life as we know it changed with a whirlwind of chaos.

TP...Gone, Normal...Gone, Church...taken away, Gathering with a room full...gone.

Everyone in a panic over a virus we couldn't see.

Masks on, sanitizer being put on, distance being kept, people staying home.

Worry and confusion, panic and stress.

For what purpose?

God didn't create us to worry or panic. He created us to trust, to have faith, to seek Him.

He created us to help others, to show love, to share Him, to worship Him, to seek his face.

He wants us to be at peace in Him. 

But where did our peace go back in march when the world freaked out and panic fell upon us?

Our peace was still there, HE is our Peace. But we forgot to turn to Him during our panic.

Then while we all had to stay home away from other believers satan took a tighter grip and ran with what he thought was our peace.

But even he shudders... James 2:19(look it up)

During the COVID mess this past year, God has shown me how much we need His peace.

How much we need to seek Him for the peace we desperately need in our hearts and minds.

When we stopped going to church is when we needed that fellowship most. When we needed each others encouragement to fall on our face and Seek God with a new desire like never before.

God gave me peace. He showed me that leaning into him was more important than listening to the panic of the world. He showed me that now is the time to share with anyone and everyone that HE is and always has been on the throne. And He will take care of us regardless of what this world tosses at us. He wants us to seek him for our salvation. Not to place our country's "salvation" on a man. But rather Our personal salvation in Him, who came as a baby, lived among us and died to save us. So one day when he returns for us we can be caught up to meet him. 1 Thessalonians 4:17(look it up)

He wants us to find everything we need in him because he wants to provide for every need we have. We all have a NEED for Him. Even if we think we don't, we desperately do.

Now in light of political things happening in our country we have an even bigger need for Gods direction, Guidance, Peace, Hope,  and Love.

It doesn't matter what happens the next 4 years. God is and always will be in control. He is bigger than anything political leaders can do to us. 

When I think of this time in our lives, I always wonder.... how did the Jews feel when they were taken away to concentration camps? What kept some of them going? What made those that survived stay focused when they lost loved ones? 

I have read many stories that survivors have written and so many point to their salvation. That God is what sustained them. If they being brutally murdered, starving, over worked, un-bathed, and a long list of other things can walk away from that horrific time to tell us that they lived knowing that God was their Savior. Then what makes us think that God isn't here during our time that as of this point is not like what the Jews suffered. God is HERE! He desires a close relationship with us. But in our panic we forget to draw close to him. We forget to read our bibles and seek His peace which we ultimately need.

When was the last time you took time to seek God? To ask him for a peace that passeth all understanding. Philippians 4:7(look it up) He wants our hearts and minds focused on Him. Seeking his peace and his comfort. Trusting Him with our lives, our family, our country... everything!

I am not a preacher. I am not a teacher. And I am not preaching here...

But rather sharing what has been on my heart and mind for almost a year. That God has been diligently prompting me to share, and in my human nature I stalled. 

I may post more at another point. But for now, this is what needed to be put out there.

May God bless you!

VH

Growing.....

Growing.......

Growing, that word says a lot!

Things that grow...

Kids, faith, marriage, bodies, plants, animals.....The list is endless!

Lets start with kids.

In 14+ years as a Mom, I have seen some serious growth in my kids.

Not just physical growth either. But spiritual growth.

One child has simple faith and rightly so being so young.

One child has a deeper knowledge than we will ever understand.

Yet another child has a difficult time seeing past self to understand the depth of Christs love.

And finally another has a faith and understanding of Christs love that shows much growth in the last few years and much more will come as time goes on.

Our own personal growth...

Some times we as christians have moments of growth and moments of just standing still.

Other times we refuse to grow because of our own selfish ways.

But Growth is important. It is how our Faith in Christ deepens.We do not know the depth that God wants us to reach, if we dont reach out to Him and seek those depths.

I know years ago I was in stand still mode. I didnt want to go deeper. I didnt want to grow. I just wanted to skirt around on my family's beliefs and hope for the best.

But God had bigger things instore for me, He still does.

In the last 6 years my faith has grown by leaps and bounds. I can look back and see its growth. 

There are some things about the growth I have no words for.

But there are others I have simple words for.. words like:

Grace...Showing it to my husband, my kids, my parents, my in-laws, everyone around me. Oh that was a hard one to learn(and keep learning).

Thankfulness...being thankful for what we have not constantly seeking out wants.

Contentedness...finding contentment in life and the situation we are in day by day.

To further explain these, lets go to the verses God showed me.

For GRACE:

Psalms 103:8 (NIV) 

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger abounding in love.

God was trying to show me that I needed to have more grace and compassion in my relationships, to be slow to become angry and in doing that show love.

Some times showing grace to those closest to us is hard. They see our day to day moods and typically get the short end of our grace and love stick. Its easy to lashout and throw all our internal junk at those close to us because we know they will forgive and love us any way. But we hurt those around us deeply and God wants us to show those around us grace and mercy the same way He shows us grace and mercy. 

For THANKFULNESS:

1Thessalonians 5:18(NIV)

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.

We have been on many roads in 19 years of marriage. And I have found that regardless of the circumstances that God is always there. He wants you to be thankful when you are "rich" and when you are "poor". Money helps yes...but money is not everything.

Being thankful in ALL things is what God wants of us. Can I be completely honest here.....I look back at our broke years and those years contain so much joy. I look back at our "rich" years and yes there is joy there but its centered around things. I love the poor years, they contain so much depth and less "stuff".

Being thankful is a choice.

For CONTENTEDNESS:

Philippians 4:12-13(NIV)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

It didnt matter in the past where we were at, be it in a trailer in a small trailer park, in a house 30 minutes from family, in a camper 6+ hours from home, or on the family farm. I have made every place home. I find life much more enjoyable when I am content in where I am. But being content in certain situations was harder at times. God was trying to show me that being content in Him was more important, than being content in the place I was in. He is where true contentment comes from. I want His contentment. 

Growth can not happen unless we are willing to put our selfish stuff aside and focus on how God wants us to grow. And that requires, time in scriptures, time in prayer, seeking and asking God what areas we need to grow in. And when we ask to grow....WOW!! How God grows us!

Growing in Him is the most Amazing ever. It contains every emotion.  

It has good moments and bad moments. The bad is God weeding out the stuff that we've allowed in that is hurting us. The good is God filling in those bad places(that have been cleaned out) with His Goodness.

His goodness, His love, His Grace.....Everything from Him Is AMAZING....Because HE is an AMAZING GOD!!!

So with these thoughts in mind.....I want you to be bold to step out in faith, and ask God to grow you. Then while waiting, seek Him in the scriptures and on your knees. Then prepare to grow, because He will grow you!

God Bless you!

What is my purpose?

What is my purpose?

Some days I struggle with this.

What is my purpose?

What does God want from me?

What is Gods calling on my life?

I have a few straight answers directly from the Bible.

Exodus 9:16(NIV) 

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Proverbs 19:21(NIV)

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Romans 8:28(NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 9:21(NIV)

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

For every season in our lives we are called to something.

I have personally went through seasons where God has called me to just be.

There have been other seasons tho that I have been called to do other things.

Some seasons are busy, some calm and peaceful, yet others I go through valleys low or mountains high.

But with every season, regardless of what God has called me to, He has called me to worship and praise Him In All Things!

He has called me to:

Be a Wife

Be a Mom

Be a Homemaker

Be a care taker

Be a advocate

Be a leader

Be a strong Woman for Him

Be Firmly planted in my relationship with Him

He has called ME. 

God wants to use me. Little me who feels inadequate.

The me who says "I dont know if I can." 

But God says "I am here I will uphold you and 

through My power Vicki you can do this."

God has a bigger purpose for our lives than we can imagine.

When we become more focused on Him and His will and less on ourselves He can and will grow us beyond our own belief.

God wants to use you for his purpose, regardless of how big or small you feel.

He wants to mold you to his purpose and use you for His Glory.

Isaiah 64:8(NIV) says...

"Yet, O Lord, you are our Father,

We are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the work of your hand."

Jeremiah 18:4(NIV)

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

It doesnt matter how we are when we come to God.

He wants to form us. He wants us to be willing to be used by Him.

Be willing to be broken and reformed. Remade into what He created us to be.

We are called according to His purpose. Whatever that purpose looks like in your life.

YOU ARE CALLED!

God has called you by Name. He has asked you to just trust him.

To just have faith in Him, to be willing, heart, mind and soul to be used by Him.

God has a special purpose for you. He loves you so much he brought you into this world at this point in time to share His love with others.

God wants you to open your heart to Love others the way He does.

To share with the world why they need a loving Savior.

The world needs us as Christians to do Gods will so that none should perish.

So today I challenge you, just like I challenged my own children.

Go share God with every person you meet. Today may be the day that one person needs to hear that God loves them. That God is loving, caring, and desires that none should perish.

So listen to the still small voice, and go talk to that person God has shown you.

Be bold if only for a moment. 

May God bless you!

What sustains you?

What sustains you?

In the course of your day what is it that you depend on?

What sustains you?

What keeps you going?

I know some of the tops answers are...

Coffee, Chocolate, Meat, Healthy treats, Time alone, Talking to people, Work.....

the list is endless.

But this past while I have found that I need more than physical things to sustain me.

I need more than that whole pot of coffee(tho coffee helps).

I am talking about the REAL stuff that sustains me.

The life giving, hope restoring, and heart soothing sustenance.

Lets take a look at what the bible says about that......

PSALMS 3:5 (NIV)

 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me."

PSALMS 51:12(NIV)

 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

PSALMS 55:22(NIV)

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."

PSALMS 89:21(NIV)

"My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him."

PSALMS 119:175(NIV)

"Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me."

In each of these scriptures the Lord sustains us.

He gives us strength, he gives us rest, he restores our joy, he willingly takes our cares upon himself, he even sustains us so we can praise him.

Have you ever struggled to praise God in the midst of trials. But yet once you started praising God somehow you had the strength to praise Him and you felt better?

God wants us to depend on Him for sustenance.

He wants us to cry out to him every day to sustain us in the midst of our lives.

NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING is to Big or Little for God.

He can and will give you strength.

 He can and will bring you joy.

He can and will lift you out of the depression.

 He can and will take those cares you pack around like luggage and relieve you of that strain.

God wants to Be what Sustains YOU!!

In our sin we think we just need physical things.

The coffee, the food, the vacation, the money.....whatever it is that we think we need.

But lets be REAL here.

GOD is what you REALLY NEED!

God wants us to depend on him for EVERYTHING!

God wants you to say I NEED you to sustain me today. 

God wants us to give him our life struggles and FULLY trust him to sustain us.

Yes I have days, lots of them sometimes, that I struggle with this.

Some times a week will go by sometimes a month, some times even longer before I realize that GOD is what I need.

I don't need that list of physical worldly things.

I Just NEED God!

And EVERY time without fail(and I mean WITHOUT FAIL!!) 

Once I turn those things that I am struggling with over to God,

He sustains me. He is what I needed that whole time. Not just for a second or a minute or a hour.

But He is what I needed for every single thing I was struggling with.

So take this one last thought....

That thing you are struggling with whatever it may be....Give it to God.

He WILL sustain you through it.

He will be your rest, your joy, your strength.

He will be exactly what you need,

Blessing to you!

Be still and know He is God.....

Be still and know He is God....

Some days all we really need to do is stop.

Be still and know He is God.

But there are days when that is so hard with to-do lists, schedules to keep, and things on top of more things going on in our lives.

But who controls your schedule?

You do.

You can say NO. You can say This time of my day will not be interrupted by the world.

I give this time to God uninterrupted, my mind, heart and soul fully set on my Father in heaven.

To be still, to listen, to think about Gods love, to wait upon His still small voice.

Yes, I know as you do, that schedules and plans are important.

When you plan, and schedule, do you plan time to spend with your heavenly Father?

I know you can talk to Him all day every day.

I think of my time with God like this....

My relationship with my husband and children can not grow unless I give them undivided attention.

The same thing applies to my relationship with God

My time with God varies from day to day.

Some days my undivided time with God is at the start of my day, other times it is mid day, and other days it is in small spurts through the whole day.

I have days when I am still and quiet most of the morning, and other days when its 15 minutes here and there throughout my day.

But either way I have time set aside to ponder God's love for me, to read His word, to study and dig deeper into the scripture He has shown me for that day.

Without fail God always has a verse for me to think on.

He is always faithful to bring me a verse that in some way applies to my day or my thoughts.

So today I challenge you to Be still, and know He is God!

PSALM 46:10

"He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted

 among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth"

Here is the link to a song that is a good reminder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n01-5SQFa8

May God Bless you, as you are still and know Him!