God is in the present

 

Last time I wrote about how God was in my past. At the time all of this is happening I had no idea He was there. In working through the trauma I have had to go back and revisit those days. That has also made me wonder from time to time is He even here now. I just wanted to share with you something I think is very valuable that I have learned. When I went through trauma the first time God helped me through or I would not be here. He gave me a way to cope so I did not lose my mind. He allowed me to grow into a responsible adult. During all this time He kept those secrets, those hurts, those nightmarish days hidden in my mind. When He felt I was ready to handle those days He allowed them to come to the front of my mind so I could deal with them to become the person He intended me to be. I did not have to go through those memories alone this time I have a wonderful husband, wonderful sons, wonderful therapist and wonderful friends that have helped me bear the burden of those days. Also God has been there ready to walk me through them giving peace and healing. I do believe that complete healing can come from God. Others can hear what you are saying and see how it has affected you. God can see and hear not only what you are saying but those things that you find too hard to put into words. He can also feel every feeling you are having. When God is allowed He can go to those deep parts healing every act you experienced. None of this healing could happen until I allowed people and God to help. God is here today. I want to say to you: I know you are brave you survived. You are here reading this. There are people that love and care about you and so does God. DO NOT keep believing the lies you were fed as a child. Do another brave thing if you haven't already and reach out for healing. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

God was in my past.

 

Looking at my background it might make you wonder where was God. I have asked myself that question many times. As I sit back and take a long look at my life I can see Him. God gave me a creative and very helpful way to deal with the abuse that was happening. He also led a pastor of a little country church my way. He invited us to church and our parents allowed us to attend. I began to learn about God and His love. God instilled in me a great desire to do the right thing. He helped me to hide His word in my heart, so while the abuse was happening I had something loving to think about. He also allowed my mind to hide what was happening so I could function as I needed to. He kept putting people in my life that helped me to see that I was not a horrible person. They kept directing me toward God. God was faithful and kept leading me: to Bible College, to the mission field, also sent me a husband and allowed me to have to two wonderful sons. He then led us to Mississippi. He was putting people here in place to help me work through what had happened to me so I could become the person He intended for me to be. He was there carrying me many times when I could not even see the path that I was to walk. God doesn't always take us out of a bad situation but He always gives us the strength to make it through if we ask Him. Look for God He is there.

Where is God?

 

The question for me has not been is there a God. The question has been "where is God?" The fact that I could not see or touch Him was not the problem. The problem was manifested when I was being hurt and He did not stop it. I would cry out in my heart for Him to stop what was happening. He did not but He gave me strength to get through it. It was not the solution I would have chosen but it worked. I am here today. As a child I began to believe that He was only around when I was doing good things. I was so very wrong. I didn't understand that He is everywhere all the time. Also that He loves me unconditionally. Matter of fact I didn't know what that was. Where was God? He was there protecting me. If you are wondering where God is in your life just stop and think for a moment. See if you can discover Him in your life in the here and now. Think about your past also and see if you can find Him there. After you have time to think about where He is or was for you and would like just message me I would enjoy hearing from you. Maybe we can help each other discover where He is and was for us all. I will be back next week to share with you where He was in my past.

Tips to start you on your way.

 

We have talked about journaling the past few weeks but I do want to conclude by giving you a few tips I have found helpful as I look back over my years of journaling. First of all be sure to date everything. Second be sure not to focus on only negative or just positive. It should include both. Life is full of both aspects so should your journaling. Last be honest with yourself. Don't be afraid to glance back over the days, weeks or months to see how far you have come. It can help you see how you have grown or how you need to. It also can be a great blessing. We all are faced with issues in our lives what we do with them is what counts. My goal in writing about journaling has been to help you realize putting situations out where you can look at them helps. It helps to clear the mind and can even give you a new perspective of the situation. If you uncover things that you cannot solve on your own reach out to someone that can help you. I have many prayers in my journaling for those hard days when I just cannot seem to put them in words any other way. May God bless you as you journal.

Find you fit and journal.

 

I have been talking about journaling as if sitting down and writing is the only thing a person can do. There are different things that can fit into writing such as prayers, poems, charts and graphs. Whatever helps you to express what is inside that needs to get out. I do not want to leave out a very valuable type of journaling that might relate to some of you more than any of the above types. It is art, putting your thoughts into pictures. For some people it is easier to sit down and draw a picture than it is to write one sentence. Your pictures can tell a lot about how you see your day. It can also tell how you feel. One picture can remind you of your whole day experience. Whatever you feel the most comfortable with doing than you should do it. The important thing is not to be afraid to express yourself.

Just Do It!

 

I hope this week you have overcome your fear of journaling. I want to share with you somethings that has helped free me to write. Just let the words flow. Don't get bound up with the spelling or grammar part. Not that I am against all of that, it is very important and great to know. But if you are thinking more about that than you are about what you are writing you might get discouraged and stop even trying.  I know I would. It is for your use. It is for your self-expression, to help you get your feelings out. Whether you use a computer or pin and paper it really doesn't matter it is for you to choose. I use either; sometimes one just seems to work better at the moment than the other. No I cannot explain why it just does. Whatever way helps you release those feelings from within that keeps you chained up. Just do it!! Work on it this week and next time we will talk about different types of journaling.

Journaling

 

According to the Webster dictionary a journal is "a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use". The definition makes it all sound so easy. But when you sit down to journal for whatever reason it does not seem to be as easy as it sounds. We sometimes get tied up with the fact that it might not sound right. But how can it be wrong? It is your experiences and thoughts. No two people see things the same way, neither do things affect everyone the same. Besides that they are your private thoughts for your private use. God made us different it would stand to reason that our thoughts and reactions would be different. Don't be afraid to be you. Start your journal today. Come back next week and we'll talk some more about journaling.