If it were up to us, we would never feel it. We do our best to avoid it. Ironically, however, it is here in this place where we see more of Him. When we are at the end of our own strength, our own efforts, our own resources, it is in our desperation that the Lord reveals Himself to us. We cry out and He responds.
"In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears." 2 Samuel 22: 7
He promises, "He shall call on Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble and I will deliver him and honor him. (Ps.91:15)
Why then, after experiencing His closeness do we return back to our own efforts, our own strength, our own resources? Only one word comes to mind...
Baffling.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Three Beautiful Women
On this Mother's Day, I want to honor three beautiful women. Women who have shaped and strengthened me and have helped me to become the woman I am today.
My earliest memories of my mom were at night. I was terrified of the dark and especially thunderstorms and many nights I would stand next to her bed whispering her name and she would open up the covers to let me slip in. I remember sitting on her lap in the rocking chair in the quietness of the living room when I was sick. She would rub my head and I was gone:) In the summers as I got older, Mom would take us down to the pool and on the way we would pick up some white powdered donuts and she would make us some orange tang. I lived on peanut butter sandwiches - yet in her creativity she would make "sailboats" by turning one quarter sideways. I laugh at this to this day:) She put up with all sorts of april-isms....hang butter and rolled down socks. Mom has encouraged me to continue to press on towards my dreams. My mom is caring, kind, and very funny. She works hard to take care of our family and I love her so much.
My Grandma P. has always been very much a part of my life. We spent a lot of time at her house when we were kids. Their yard had trees and a stream and green grass...funny what kids feel are important! I had a ton of eye doctor appointments when I was little and Grandma drove me a lot. If we were sick or had to leave school Grandma always took care of us. I loved going to her house. She would make Sunday Dinner every Sunday for the whole entire family. Grandma is not your typical grandma. She is quite spunky:) Last year I took up Highland Dancing and her and I did the fling together when I visited last summer. She's in her late 80's now. Grandma knows the word of God and is a faithful prayer warrior. It encourages my heart to know that she prays for me every day both morning and night. Gosh I love her!
My sister is 8 years older than I and though it was challenging at times when we were younger, our relationship is much tighter now. Because she was so much older than my brother and I, she became the token babysitter - much to her chagrin.
I remember when I was little, we would wake up at 7am on a Saturday morning and play soccer in the basement. For whatever reason she could not fully appreciate that her door was the best spot for our goal and quite frankly my brother wasn't a great goal keeper. I'm sure you can imagine her reaction ;) It was a long time before I would grow out of being the annoying sister to a friend. I always looked up to her. Just last month I had the chance to spend a lot of time with her and it was wonderful. It blessed my heart. She is a strong and beautiful woman. She keeps her head up even when she's dealing with very difficult circumstances. She laughs easily and looks forward to hearing my stories. I so appreciate her friendship and am so thankful that she is in my life. Love you Lisa:)
My earliest memories of my mom were at night. I was terrified of the dark and especially thunderstorms and many nights I would stand next to her bed whispering her name and she would open up the covers to let me slip in. I remember sitting on her lap in the rocking chair in the quietness of the living room when I was sick. She would rub my head and I was gone:) In the summers as I got older, Mom would take us down to the pool and on the way we would pick up some white powdered donuts and she would make us some orange tang. I lived on peanut butter sandwiches - yet in her creativity she would make "sailboats" by turning one quarter sideways. I laugh at this to this day:) She put up with all sorts of april-isms....hang butter and rolled down socks. Mom has encouraged me to continue to press on towards my dreams. My mom is caring, kind, and very funny. She works hard to take care of our family and I love her so much.
My Grandma P. has always been very much a part of my life. We spent a lot of time at her house when we were kids. Their yard had trees and a stream and green grass...funny what kids feel are important! I had a ton of eye doctor appointments when I was little and Grandma drove me a lot. If we were sick or had to leave school Grandma always took care of us. I loved going to her house. She would make Sunday Dinner every Sunday for the whole entire family. Grandma is not your typical grandma. She is quite spunky:) Last year I took up Highland Dancing and her and I did the fling together when I visited last summer. She's in her late 80's now. Grandma knows the word of God and is a faithful prayer warrior. It encourages my heart to know that she prays for me every day both morning and night. Gosh I love her!
My sister is 8 years older than I and though it was challenging at times when we were younger, our relationship is much tighter now. Because she was so much older than my brother and I, she became the token babysitter - much to her chagrin.
I remember when I was little, we would wake up at 7am on a Saturday morning and play soccer in the basement. For whatever reason she could not fully appreciate that her door was the best spot for our goal and quite frankly my brother wasn't a great goal keeper. I'm sure you can imagine her reaction ;) It was a long time before I would grow out of being the annoying sister to a friend. I always looked up to her. Just last month I had the chance to spend a lot of time with her and it was wonderful. It blessed my heart. She is a strong and beautiful woman. She keeps her head up even when she's dealing with very difficult circumstances. She laughs easily and looks forward to hearing my stories. I so appreciate her friendship and am so thankful that she is in my life. Love you Lisa:)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Some Monday Humour
Ahh laughter, where would we be without it?
While I've been home in Ontario, my friend had her twin girls and the day that she was giving birth, I stopped by her house to see how her other little guy was doing. My friends and their kids were there making robots to fill up the time before they could visit the hospital. Sadly, it turned out that the children were afraid of the robots, so in an effort to show them that it's just a person in a box, I donned one. Here is the video of me trying to get out ~
A picture of the final robots modeled by my friend Beth and myself.
And some words from the children about their robot experience...
So the moral of the story is ...just give them a box and do refrain from shiny paper.
While I've been home in Ontario, my friend had her twin girls and the day that she was giving birth, I stopped by her house to see how her other little guy was doing. My friends and their kids were there making robots to fill up the time before they could visit the hospital. Sadly, it turned out that the children were afraid of the robots, so in an effort to show them that it's just a person in a box, I donned one. Here is the video of me trying to get out ~
A picture of the final robots modeled by my friend Beth and myself.
And some words from the children about their robot experience...
So the moral of the story is ...just give them a box and do refrain from shiny paper.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Mercy
I sit at a desk in my parent's house in Ontario. I marvel at how I got here. In the last post I wrote about making the difficult decision to postpone the technical evaluation until late summer. It was very hard to make that call at the time, however now I can see that the Lord's hand was there. If I were still on the original path, I would be leaving next week to head down to Nampa, Idaho to start a week long flight examination. On this new path, I get to spend my daily life with someone I dearly love as they go through a very difficult time in their life. The delay was a mercy. The Lord opened up a way for me to fly to Ontario and stay with my family. This is a good path.
I am so thankful.
I am so thankful.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Waiting
"Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7
I came across this verse a couple of weeks ago and it gave me a heart check - you know that piercing in your heart when truth strikes you? Luckily I am not experiencing an evil man who is prospering, but this verse still rings true for me. I notice anxiety creeps in when it seems that I'm being left behind. I start to fret. This verse states to rest and to wait. For whom?...the Lord.
I read a story the other day which described waiting:
"The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. It is a place where life is put on hold. In my doctor’s office, it feels like hours have passed, and yet when I look at my watch, it’s been only 20 minutes. When we are in the waiting room, it seems as if progress has come to a screeching halt. "
Waiting seems to be a recent theme in my life and those close to me. People are waiting for doctor's appointments, test results and wisdom to know the next steps for their future. A couple of weeks ago now, I was wisely counselled to wait for God's timing. At that time I was trying to complete the ratings I still needed for the MAF technical evaluation. My dear grandma and I had a good talk one evening and she voiced what I was too afraid to accept. I needed to wait and postpone the evaluations until later on this year. Since making & accepting that decision, I have peace.
"The ability to wait on the Lord stems from being confident and focused on who God is and in what God is doing. It means confidence in God’s person: confidence in His wisdom, love, timing, understanding of our situation and that of the world. It means knowing and trusting in God’s principles, promises, purposes, and power."
Waiting is difficult especially when we are facing unknowns. Pray with me - that in these times as we sit in the waiting room, we shall expectantly look for Him to come and lead us amidst our perplexity.
I came across this verse a couple of weeks ago and it gave me a heart check - you know that piercing in your heart when truth strikes you? Luckily I am not experiencing an evil man who is prospering, but this verse still rings true for me. I notice anxiety creeps in when it seems that I'm being left behind. I start to fret. This verse states to rest and to wait. For whom?...the Lord.
I read a story the other day which described waiting:
"The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. It is a place where life is put on hold. In my doctor’s office, it feels like hours have passed, and yet when I look at my watch, it’s been only 20 minutes. When we are in the waiting room, it seems as if progress has come to a screeching halt. "
Waiting seems to be a recent theme in my life and those close to me. People are waiting for doctor's appointments, test results and wisdom to know the next steps for their future. A couple of weeks ago now, I was wisely counselled to wait for God's timing. At that time I was trying to complete the ratings I still needed for the MAF technical evaluation. My dear grandma and I had a good talk one evening and she voiced what I was too afraid to accept. I needed to wait and postpone the evaluations until later on this year. Since making & accepting that decision, I have peace.
"The ability to wait on the Lord stems from being confident and focused on who God is and in what God is doing. It means confidence in God’s person: confidence in His wisdom, love, timing, understanding of our situation and that of the world. It means knowing and trusting in God’s principles, promises, purposes, and power."
Waiting is difficult especially when we are facing unknowns. Pray with me - that in these times as we sit in the waiting room, we shall expectantly look for Him to come and lead us amidst our perplexity.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Well, MAF has reviewed my references and have approved me up to this point. Praise the Lord!
I am now officially on the Assessment Stage. So, in a few days time I should receive a package in the mail from the Psychologist to start the first set of tests. I'm hoping it shouldn't take too long to fill out! I am excited that things are still moving ahead.
Thank you for praying with me so far :)
I am now officially on the Assessment Stage. So, in a few days time I should receive a package in the mail from the Psychologist to start the first set of tests. I'm hoping it shouldn't take too long to fill out! I am excited that things are still moving ahead.
Thank you for praying with me so far :)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Tortoise & The Hare
Hi Friends :)
When I was in Grade 5, my Mom (who was a full-time elementary school teacher) went back to University to complete a Bachelor's degree part-time. She would teach all day, do her prep work for her class, be active with my dad & us kids, be involved at church and take evening classes. I have no idea how on earth she did this. Seriously. She ended up graduating with honors.
In one of my latest posts, I expressed that the next step for me was to acquire the Multi-IFR Rating. I will be honest with you, I am finding it a challenge to possess the concentration to study after working an 8-10hr day. I come home and I'm done. I need your help - I need prayer. I need stamina & concentration if I am to finish this task in a timely manner.
You know the story about the tortoise and the hare?
I am the tortoise - slow & steady. Ask anyone who has climbed a mountain with me :)
My energy levels require me to run like a tortoise - to pace myself. This is a lesson I revisit often. I find it tricky though when there are many large things to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time.
The verse that came to mind today was found in Hebrews 12:1~
"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
It reminds me that it is not a sprint. Sprinters cannot run long distances well. If this verse uses the word endurance, then we can infer that the race is not 50m. It requires us to set a pace in such a way that it does not leave us wheezing after 30 minutes.
I realize that my current pace is not working. Please pray for wisdom to know how to adjust my schedule so there are more optimum studying times.
Thanks friends~
When I was in Grade 5, my Mom (who was a full-time elementary school teacher) went back to University to complete a Bachelor's degree part-time. She would teach all day, do her prep work for her class, be active with my dad & us kids, be involved at church and take evening classes. I have no idea how on earth she did this. Seriously. She ended up graduating with honors.
In one of my latest posts, I expressed that the next step for me was to acquire the Multi-IFR Rating. I will be honest with you, I am finding it a challenge to possess the concentration to study after working an 8-10hr day. I come home and I'm done. I need your help - I need prayer. I need stamina & concentration if I am to finish this task in a timely manner.
You know the story about the tortoise and the hare?
I am the tortoise - slow & steady. Ask anyone who has climbed a mountain with me :)
My energy levels require me to run like a tortoise - to pace myself. This is a lesson I revisit often. I find it tricky though when there are many large things to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time.
The verse that came to mind today was found in Hebrews 12:1~
"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
It reminds me that it is not a sprint. Sprinters cannot run long distances well. If this verse uses the word endurance, then we can infer that the race is not 50m. It requires us to set a pace in such a way that it does not leave us wheezing after 30 minutes.
I realize that my current pace is not working. Please pray for wisdom to know how to adjust my schedule so there are more optimum studying times.
Thanks friends~