You Can Never Stray to Far From God

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)

We serve an awesome God who loves us so much that when we stray
 from His will He lovingly chastises us to bring us back into His
arms. As I reached the time of my college graduation, I had to do
three
 internships. I had chosen the second one in a nursing home. I had
 chosen to obtain my degree in Recreation so that I could work with
 special needs children; knowing that this was what God wanted of  my
life.  As I walked down the hall to report to the Activities Director
 to begin my internship, I heard God say to me, "this is a ministry and
 this is where I want you."     While there working out my internship,
 the Activities Director resigned and I was asked if I would like to
 have the job. Immediately, I said yes knowing I was in the field God
wanted me to be. The Administrator said she would work with me so I
could graduate and obtain my degree!  God was at work! This was
 confirmation that God had me where He wanted me to
 be. But after twenty five years of being Activities Director, I was
 ready to get out of the career. An employee at work was causing me
 trouble, which she did with everyone. However, I saw this as an easy
 excuse to get out of this career. I applied for an office job
 which I immediately obtained. On the first day it just did not feel
 right to be in this position. People were unfriendly and unkind.  The
 only friend I had was a squirrel who came up to the window and I would
 open the window and feed him peanuts. When the supervisor would come
 through the office, I would become physically ill. That was another
 sign that this was totally wrong. I was not where God wanted me. I
had never become ill like this on a job over a supervisor. I had
always
 obtained good relationships with past supervisors. Later I noticed
 someone had been in my computer and documenting wrong documentation as
 if I had keyed it in the computer.  After six months of
 this, I began looking for another office position. It was Christmas
 and I wanted to fine one desperately. Well I sure found one in my
 doctor's office working at the front desk for his partner. From the
first day, I was thrown to the wolves. I cried and prayed for God to
help me to know where He wanted me to be. No orientation or assistance
at all. Heaven forbid if I asked the ladies in the office for
assistance! They became rude and isolated me. After two weeks of this
torture I was fired. I was told I was not fast enough but I was good
with people. My computer skills were good also. So the search began
once again. I darkened the door of two temp agencies and even went
through testing. However, nothing was available. A friend told me
about a position available in activities in a local nursing home. So I
went straight to the home and put in my application. After three weeks
of searching and finding nothing,  it finally hit me like a ton of
bricks. "Why Lord? Why will You not allow me to find a job? I am
single and must find a job." Then I heard Him say to me so clearly,
"You were where I wanted you to be, yet you decide on your own that
you wanted to leave the career I had chosen for you.. Well you did
and now you see what has happened. You are not in My will." I prayed
right then that God would bring me back into His will. After about
seven weeks my doctor called me personally and asked me if I would
come to work for him in his office. The staff on his side liked me and
wanted him to ask me to come to work with them!  I thanked him and
politely turned him down knowing I had to get back in the will of God. I was so miserable and at the end of my rope. The next day I received a phone call asking me if I would be interested in a position in the activities department!! Of course I said yes and felt this was the first step of getting back in God's will. This could only be God's hand to get me back to Him and to continue what He had for me to do! In December I have worked for 10 years at the nursing home. It was a very difficult time in my life, but He brought me back to His will.    When we are God's child and we get out of His will, He lovingly chastises us to bring us back. I am glad God loved me so much that He brought me back to Him, No matter how hard it was for me. God is a loving God and will never let us wander to far from Him. He always brings us back.

He's Been Faithful!!

Birthdays are suppose to be special, a day to celebrate. However, November 18, 1997 was not a birthday to be celebrated. Not your usual, typical birthday. It was my birthday and the day my husband chose to announce to me he was leaving me for a sweetheart he had when he was in high school. No amount of begging or pleading would change his mind.

How would I explain this to my friends and church family! I was embarrassed, ashamed, and alone. How could I face them knowing what an active role my husband had taken in the church. Well, with much prayer and support from my mother, I went back to church. Offering to resign from leadership roles I held. No one wanted me to resign and I found my church family to be supportive.

Five weeks later on January 9, 1998, another devastating event happened in my life. My father died from complication from Alzheimer’s. What would I do now? The presence of my father was such a comfort to me. I was a daddy’s girl and I loved him very much!

What more could happen and how much did God expect me to endure? Losing my husband and father just five weeks apart was too much for one person to deal with. I would ask myself over and over:

Where was God in all of this? Had He left me to deal with all of this alone?

One morning on my way to work, I put a CD in by one of my favorite singers, Babbie Mason. She was singing a song titled God Has Another Plan. I had never really listened to the words until that morning, when I listen to every word. In her song, she quotes Jeremiah 29:11-

For I know the thoughts I think towards you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil. To give you a future and a hope.

I played that song over and over on my way to work. Suddenly, it was as if a voice from within said to me:

“Debbie,trust me and have faith. I have a plan. For you are going through a storm now but what a beautiful rainbow will follow the storm. I will carry you through this storm each and every day. I will give you hope and a future.”

If it had not been for this verse and my faith that God would provide that rainbow in the end of the storm, I could not have survived! He proved Himself faithful! Through all of these trials, I have become a stronger person and my faith has grown tremendously.

Now… When I hear of anyone I know going through storms in their life, I tell them:

Look for the beautiful rainbow God has waiting for you after the storm.