My Journey of Faith

Welcome to one of the My Journey of Faith blogs. My name is Marcia and this page is where you can get to know me, post questions on Christian issues and share your experiences in Christ. There are others like me that want to share their own personal journeys of faith. Click on the names at the left to meet the others or click on this link for the main page:

http://myjourneyoffaith.com


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Meet Marcia

My name is Marcia and I have been a Christian since I was 12 years old. I can’t remember a time that I didn’t KNOW that God is real and that Jesus died for my sins. I also knew that Satan was in constant battle with God for the souls of mankind. At age 12, I decided that it was time for me to choose on Whose side I would be. I chose God. That was 35 years ago. So far, God has decreed that I remain alone. There are challenges to being a single Christian woman that my married friends don’t have to face and some of them don’t understand. I will talk about that in some of my blogs. Being alone has not stopped me from serving! I have been a Youth Leader, a Sunday School Teacher, a Dorm Mom at Church Camp, and a Bible Study Leader. God has also used me to witness to a wide variety of individuals. My ministry right now is to take care of my mother who has Alzheimer’s. Anyone who is facing a similar challenge and needs some ideas for "what to do when my loved one does...." can check out a website I've put together with some practical tips for caregivers. www.keepingmymarbles.com

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

In All Things Give Thanks!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Last Friday, I had one of those days that made it impossible to be joyful. Mama was in a mood and refused to drink anything most of the day. (Have you ever had someone throw a glass of chocolate milk at you with the intent to hurt you???) I finally got her hydrated enough about two hours before she went to bed and as a result, her thought process and mood improved. So we ended the day on a good note. The deep joy that I have because of the assurance of my salvation was still there, but as the saying goes, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." It was a very BAD DAY!!

In the middle of this bad day, I had gone to my room and logged onto FaceBook hoping that one of my friends who I knew would pray for me would be logged on too. I couldn't call anyone, because if I actually had to speak and tell anyone what was going on, I knew I'd start crying. My friend Julia was online and I typed her a brief cry for help. She quickly promised that she'd start praying for me right then. I had been praying before then, but it was good to have someone agree with me in prayer.

Saturday, I got up with a little bit of dread remembering how bad the day before had been. So I prayed that Saturday would be better and thanked God for helping me make it through Friday and also for the very bad day ending on a good note. Mama was in a good mood when I went in to wake her up. When it was evident that she had to have a shower, her mood went south. We started the day with a wrestling match (getting clean is not up for negotiation!). But, the last thing I did after she was clean was to wash and rub her feet and her mood improved. In fact, we spent the rest of the morning laughing and talking. Then we had to go to the store.

God sent us so many little blessings on Saturday! First, Mama was in a good mood - and that isn't a little blessing - it's a BIG one! Next, we had to get a nail pulled out of one of our tires - and they didn't charge us for it but asked that when we needed work done, we come back and see them (you better believe I will!). Then, while we were at the store, we ran into a someone I used to work with - she was very attentive to Mama and it was really good to see her. After that, Mama & I went back to the car and as I was trying to convince her to get out of the store's wheelchair, someone stopped and asked if we needed any help. We didn't need the help, but it really meant a lot that they stopped and asked. I guess the man who offered his help thought the wheelchair was going to need to be loaded in the car, because he came back and offered to help again and asked if the wheelchair was ours. I told him, "no, it belongs to the store." Just then, another person who had just walked by, turned around and said, "I'll wheel that back to the store for you." That was so nice!

None of those blessings were major and some people might not even notice them. But I did. I said a prayer of thanks for each of those people and their kindness. Later, when Mama and I had our prayer time before bed, I thanked God again and asked Him to bless those people also.

Saturday was WONDERFUL! I believe that it was due in large part to giving thanks for the good part of the bad day and praying continually. I also believe that it was a good day because I was more in tune with the blessings that God gives. They aren't always big. But they are blessings just the same. And I challenge you with two things: First, look for the blessings in your everyday life. Second, look for the opportunity to be a blessing to someone else - even something as simple as helping someone out by taking a cart or a wheelchair back to the store for them. It might not seem like much, but those small blessings mean a lot.

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