Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Joshua 1:9

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9


Sometimes, after I tell people about what I've gone through. They are amazed.
I don't get that.

They think I'm strong. I'm not. I just made a choice.
I decided not to be consumed.
I decided to survive.

We don't have to be defined by what happens to us.
What happens can, and will affect us deeply.
That doesn't make us weak. Emotions, heart ache, and trials don't have to destroy us.
They expand us.
I can have greater joy now, because of the severe sorrow I've felt and still feel.
But, because God gives me strength, I can rise higher.

Don't be afraid to take control of your life.
Don't wish away today for better days.
Be strong.
Be courageous.

Why would you choose to be miserable, when you have the opportunity to be joyous?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Miracle Monday... It's a thing.

Well, hello. Remember how I'm a blogger, and then I started a new blog, because who wants to keep blogging on an established blog that thousands of people read. Not me. No way. So, I started this new blog to get back to why I really blog.

To share my story, to share my life. And my life and story have a few major things that are at the core. One of those being, miracles.

Let's talk about prayer.
I can't tell you how many countless times, I have been saved by prayer. I have been comforted countless times by prayer, and I've felt peace, inspiration and direction because of prayer. But, the time I was most affected by prayer, was when I didn't have the strength to pray.

Several years ago, I was in a severe sledding accident, and because of that accident, I had to have surgery on my hip, during that surgery, mistakes were made, leaving my ankle and foot paralyzed. I am not going to attempt to explain the pain that followed. I couldn't breathe without pain. Someone could walk by me, and the wind would cause excruciating pain. It took everything in me to survive. But, if I had to have done it on my own, I wouldn't have survived. I can easily promise you that hundreds of people were praying for me. My church congregation, my family and extended family, friends of friends, and countless others. I found out that recently, that also a choir that I am now involved in was praying for me, and I didn't even know them. I had been involved in the Logan LDS Institute, and I had sang in the institute choir once or twice, but when they found out, because I had friends in the choir(s) both the Institute Choir and Latter-Day Voices prayed for me. Easily, between the two choirs is hundreds of people. Hundreds of people praying for me.

Trust me when I tell you that I felt the power of those prayers.
I have never felt anything so strongly, or have been so aware of anything in my life.
I knew that my strength was not my own.
That it came from God and his angels.
Those angels who prayed for me, who rallied their faith to give me faith.

That faith, that strength that I was given, is still blessing me to this day.
Prayer is a miracle.
Faith is a miracle.
Life is a miracle.

Trust me when I say, that no matter how painful, how hard, or how difficult your situation may be, that there is always hope. You are never without hope. You may forget, your may turn away from hope, but whether you like it or not, hope always is there. Hope is ever present, just waiting for you.

Pray to your Heavenly Father.
Miracles are waiting.