It's October 2nd, barely. It's almost 4:00 a.m. and I can't sleep, so here I am.

I had to set up a GMail account in order to start the blog a few days ago.
I keep checking that email address and I've been so sad that I haven't gotten any mail at that address, then, it dawned on me that no one knows that address. I never imported the contacts form my AT&T account. So, if you're reading this... email me. I'm lonely. Oh, first you have to call me to get the email address!! Ha! Ha!

Life is funny, if you choose to see the humor in it....I like it that way.

Well, just before I went to bed last night, I spoke with someone close to me and found out that he has had a disappointment in his life recently. I went to sleep thinking about it and praying for him. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. still thinking about it. I guess that's why I'm blogging at 4:00 a.m.
Anyway, I was reminded that there have been two ways, in my experience with people, that they usually handle disappointment or as we tend to call them, tragedies in our lives.

First you have to define tragedy!! It could be anything from a broken nail, to an illness, or in the extreme case a death and hundreds of things in between.
Each person's idea of what a real tragedy is, depends on their mindset and maturity level. I know this person very well, he has matured a lot in the last couple of years and has been through several serious situations in his relatively young life. So, I believe in my heart that he will be able to handle this through God's grace.

There are always choices to be made. Our mindset; where we turn when a conflict arises, and our maturity; whether we act our age and decide to think through our response to the present situation will determine it's outcome.

It's pretty simple to me. In my experience, as a christian. I have learned that I can handle these situations in basically two ways.

#1-I can get angry, sometimes at God, other times at myself. The result of making either of these choices is a setback in my life. I can ask; "God, why did you let this happen? " or say "I didn't deserve this!" The reality of both of those thoughts is that God may have let it happen because I need to learn something and He knows that this is the best way to get through to me.
And as far as deserving it!!!! Wow, if I got what I really deserve.....I wouldn't be happy with that either, because the Bible tells me that I deserve Hell. But that's not the end of the story, praise God, He made a way through His son, Jesus Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the way of Salvation,
and the only way that I can secure Heaven; instead of what I really deserve.
Christ has given me everything. It all belongs to Him, even my very life...so how can I get mad at Him for allowing His plan to be fulfilled in my life.

In Romans 12:1, God's word tells me this; "I beseech (ask or even beg) you therefore, brethren (believers) by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice (in contrast to the dead animal sacrifices that had been made under the law) holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (intelligent, rational, and deliberate) service. If I read this correctly, God is saying that the very least I can do, is give my life fully to him not out of obligation, but out of a true heart of gratitude for what Jesus did for me. hallelujah!!!!

This leads me to the second choice I could make.

#2-I can look at what God has done for me and with a grateful heart, say
Amen, Lord, your will be done in my life. After all, God also tells me in Isaiah chapter 40 the following things:

Verse 28-"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."
It is beyond the understanding of our feeble minds to comprehend His power and majesty or even the plan He has for us.

Verse 29-"He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
When we are at our weakest, He increases our strength, it's a promise, He wrote it in His word for us to see!

Verse 30-"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail:"
Verse 31-"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."
What a wonderful promise. I think the key for me here is the little phrase "they that wait upon the Lord" because the waiting is the hard part. But, during those times of fainting, weariness, and failure; He says to wait and let Him renew our strength.

My prayer today, for the young man in my life who is dealing with a broken heart, the young woman who I spoke with recently who is struggling with the salvation of her husband, the young woman I am in the Bible study with; who is seeking to know God's plan, and my very close friend who is asking for God to heal her mind and body is this:

God, let me see today that you love me, that you know my struggles, you feel my pain, and you see my weakness. Help me to wait!!!
Help me to be still and know that you have made a promise to renew my strength, to give me wings to soar, to strengthen my legs when I need to run, and to guide my footsteps when I need to walk. Please, dear Lord, as I cling to the promise you have made, reveal yourself to me, that I might know you are God and follow your plan for my life. Amen
God bless you, as you serve Him in spirit and in truth!!