Be Still

In the words of the great comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, "Here's your sign..." Why is it that some of us literally need a sign? I'm really just speaking of myself. It's so wonderful when God has the messages he needs you to know on the local store signs or church billboards located near your house or on your drive into work!!
This past week has been the toughest week I have had since I began working at my job. As I have said before, I love my job. I feel like I am there for a reason. And one of the greatest perks of my job is that I get to work with my dearest friend Sherrie. And recently, my dear friend and former neighbor Kitty began working with us. I couldn't be happier! But, I also couldn't be sadder when I felt like I was being betrayed by management. It's a long messy story and not one that needs to be shared. There is nothing to gain by trudging through all of that muck. But the way that God has spoken to my heart in the past few days is what is important.
First off, Sherrie and I recently went to a "Women of Joy" conference in Charleston. We had an amazing time. We had the opportunity to share the weekend with some of the sweetest ladies from my church. After that conference we all vowed to put on our joyful crown and be strong and happy! Who would have thought that upon returning home that Satan would be trying to beat the doors down to steal that crown of Joy!!
Don't get me wrong, there are always going to be troubles and trials in our lives. I know that. I don't love it though. I realize that sometimes it the harder times that we Christians feel the closest to God. At least those are the times that we seem to lean more on HIM!
Unfortunately though, after we returned, life kept on going and not everyone got the same beautiful, uplifting, praise worthy messages that we got while we were in Charleston!! Too bad too!
Anyway, there has been some tremendous drama at work. Sherrie and I have both probably helped Kleenex stock rise in value here lately!! Preparation-H probably could have used us as spokes women to demonstrate how well their product works on puffiness under the eyes! At any rate, at the risk of sounding like there has been a big pity party going on...there hasn't...but there is a lesson in all of this!!
For several days and even for the last few weeks, I have been praying for God to show me what he wants me to be doing with my life. I really don't think that we should ever just be sitting around on the sofa lounging spiritually thinking that this is all that it is and God doesn't have other great stuff that he wants us to be doing. So I ask God regularly to show me what he wants me to do.
When these hard issues came up at work, I began praying to God to PLEASE show me what he wants me to do. Does he want me to stay working where I am? Does he have another plan for me? I figured that if God did have other plans that he would let me know by opening up another job for me. I was ready to hang it up at VI. So I called a lady that is the director at one of the hospitals in town. I had seen some job postings that I thought would be interesting. I thought that surely God would have one open to let me escape to. But please SHOW ME!
After talking to the director, I found out that she not only didn't have any positions but did not know of any positions that I would be able to fill. My heart sank. Did that mean that God was not answering me right now? qWas I waiting? Was I supposed to stay at VI? What God? WHAT?
Yesterday I began to have an epiphany. Suddenly, I was no longer thinking with my mind about ME and MY situation. I began to see the situationS at hand through the eyes of several people. There were several struggles going on. There were battles being fought that had nothing to do with me. Other people were hurting as well and feeling betrayed. In our lifetime, we will all experience that. How we deal with the perceived betrayal is what separates the Women of Joy from the Women of Distress! And Sherrie and I both had begun to feel our crowns of Joy start to slip off of our heads. Satan had begun to win.....to steal our Joy....to steal what we knew ourselves to be as Christian women that are good, honorable, faithful, loving and joyful!
I reminded myself early in this that I better stick to praying and trying to listen. I'm glad that I did!! Because this morning, God decided to post HIS sign! Just down the road from my house in Colbert, there is a little children's clothing shop with a billboard sign out front. Periodically they change the Bible verse on it...perhaps a message to some other person that had been praying for a SIGN!!
This morning however, the sign had been changed from whatever verse it had been the day before. It read, "Be Still and Know that I AM GOD." I knew that that was what I had been praying for....Peace. Peace and knowledge that God had this situation under control. No matter what I felt I needed to worry about or fret about...God had it all! When I got to work, I gave Sherrie a card that I had written some words of encouragement in last night. In the card, I told her that I KNEW that God had a plan for us. I felt like God had been telling me to WAIT....as God often does! WAIT...that's a tough one for me! I usually want it all and want it NOW!!!
And as I drove past that sign and read the message that hollered out to me MARCI!! HERE'S YOUR SIGN...I scrawled the message on the back of the envelope for Sherrie.....

Be still and know that I am God---God

I was so excited to give that card to Sherrie because I knew that what I had written on the inside...was exactly what God wanted us to know...and it was confirmed on the side of the ole bill board sign outside the Kid's Clothing Consignment shop in Colbert, GA.

Sherrie admitted to me that through all of this, she was sad to say that she had not been praying. She had been reacting. She had not been still. It seemed as though (I type this now with tears in my eyes) a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She knew that her burden did not have to be her own. God was there, waiting peacefully and quietly, for Sherrie and I both to be STILL. He would work this all out. He would show us what we needed to do for HIM next. He would handle all the strife. He would wrap his loving arms around us and allow us to just breathe. What a huge Blessing!

Tonight as I was sitting in the tub listening to the new CD I just bought after having seen comedian Chonda Pierce at the Women of Joy conference....Chonda began to speak of a personal experience in her life. A time when God told her....Just be still and KNOW that I am God. She sang a beautiful song called " My Soul Will Wait." And I thought...You know Marci.....HERE'S YOUR SIGN. Thank you God!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Today was such a pleasant day! Church was a great blessing! Everything seemed a little brighter, a little sweeter and a little more exciting!
After Church, my bed began calling. I'm not sure why this happens. After lunch, about the time Lyndi has to go down for a nap, I too begin feeling overwhelmingly sleepy! At least I'm not falling asleep in chuch huh? So as part of our Sunday ritual, Lyndi and took a nap. After our hour or so of leisure, I got up and GOT TO IT!
Pete and I raked and cleared our front island. The poor thing looked so overgrown! Weed killer has not been a friend to us in the front yard. I think its been about as effective as the French army......
We raked and raked. Pete hauled off several wheelbarrow loads. I am willing to bet there are a dozen more piles just waiting to be hauled off. But I'm afraid that Pete and I both are "give out." I think its looking a lot better. We discussed what it would be like to have a nice 20k budget to give to a landscaper and say "have at it!" It's just a dream though. We both know that at the end of the day, it will be us with the peeling skin from the blisters we acquired from too much raking. Did I happen to mention that I have a blister on the inside of my pinkie finger?? Ouch! What a blessing to be ABLE to get out and do such tasks!! I think its refreshing to be able to labor manually. Would I want to do it every day of my life as an occupation? No. I especially wouldn't want to have to work out in the heat and humidity of our fair State!
The past week and half or so have been some of the most trying days that I can remember in a while. The murders of our Town and Gown folks has left a small dark cloud hanging over my head. Every day and every night, Pete and I watch the news to see if there has been any change or updates in the investigation and search for the mad professor. I think about the professor's poor children and the families of the victims of the shootings. I liken this sort of heinous crime to the murder of that young girl, Meredith Emerson by a serial killer in the North Georgia mountains. I think that there is no difference between what the professor did and that serial killer. It sickens me. Fortunately for Meredith, she did get to fight back and hurt her attacker. The T&G folks didn't have a chance.
I am also keeping in my prayers two young men that go to our church. Tyler and Adam were in a terrible car accident last week. Tyler suffered a broken collarbone and Adam sustained multiple, traumatic injuries. Adam is at the MCG in Augusta in ICU. He is supposed to have surgery on his pelvis this week. He suffered a bit of a set back after having aspiration pneumonia.
Tyler was at church today. It was so great to see him. Evidently he is carrying the weight of this accident around on his shoulders. He made a left turn in front of car. The car struck the passenger side where Adam was seated. How do you explain to someone that these things happen? I know he feels horrible. But the thing is that a mistake is not in any way a mal intention. I think that Tyler would gladly take Adam's place right now if it meant that his friend would not be hurting and in tough shape. But Tyler has to know that he and Adam are being prayed up right now. Their names are being flooded before God like an over flowing river! God has got them right in his merciful hand!
Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am for my family? I love my husband. I love my children. I love my stepson. Do we have good days and bad? Do my children about send me over the edge sometimes? Does Pete not get on my last nerve being bossy or just plain aggravating? Sure. But I love them. I love being able to hold Pete's hand when I have a migraine that is about to kill me. I love being able to snuggle up next to Lila in the backseat of my little car on the way down to celebrate Granny's 95th birthday. I love having Lyndi come up to me and say "I lud you too Mama!" I'm so grateful for them. Really grateful!