Why Me?

The week has been such a tease, b/c Dad let me know they "might" come down for the weekend depending on Uncle Petey's situation. So, not really knowing if they were coming or not, was kinda tearing at my curiosity. I didn't want to pressure them to come, but was really hoping they would! And luckily, they got to. They came to Bham on Friday morning and spent the day and talked to doctors, he was doing much better and they decided to come on down. I think Dad had to twist Mom's arm though..she was really torn about leaving, but the doctors assured her they would call should anything change. He did have an episode with his trach while they were gone which was no real biggie. Unfortunately when they left this morning and headed back, once they got there, he had a really rough night and the vent was back to breathing completely for him...so friends, we covet your prayers..I think most of us are to the realization that God is in control..has been even if sometimes we doubted it, He will continue to be in control and we are ready for Him to do His thang! If it is time for Uncle Petey to be healed, Praise God, if it is time for Uncle Petey to remain exactly like he is, Praise God, if it is time for Uncle Petey to meet our Lord and Savior, Praise God..whatever His will is Praise God..I was recently asked by someone, "But Why Me?"..and I was rather hasty and said, "Why Not You"..when I probably should've said something along these lines..I got this devotion about suffering and wanted to share it with you all..and hopefully that person is reading and will forgive me for being so rude and acting like I completely understand the situation, b/c I don't, but I do know that Jesus loves them and cares about their situation and I love them too!!!

Did Jesus suffer? Was Jesus sometimes lonely? Was he tempted to be discouraged? Was he misunderstood, maligned and criticized unjustly? The answer to all these questions is "Yes."

And none of us are exempted from suffering, or loneliness, or discouragement, or unjust criticism—because God is developing within us the character of Christ, and in order to do this, he must take us through all of the circumstances in life that he took Christ through.

This means God is more interested in your character than your comfort, and he's more concerned about your holiness than your happiness. So, the question is not if you'll go through dark times in life, but when you'll go through them.

Now, does this mean God causes tragedies? No. God is good, and he will not cause evil or do evil. But God can use dark and stressful times for good; he'll use them to build a Christ-like character within us.

So, what should you do when you go through difficult times?

Refuse to be discouraged. David said, "I will fear no evil" (Psalms 23:4 NIV). His use of the word will implies a choice, an act of decision. In the final 12 hours of Christ's life, we can clearly see he made a choice to follow God's will; He made a choice to face down fear; he made a choice to ignore despair.

Remember God is with you. David said, "For you are with me" (Psalms 23:4 NIV). God not only promises his power; he promises his presence. We will never go through a dark day alone. Jesus knew he wasn't alone as he walked out his Passion.

Rely on God's protection and guidance. David said in Psalm 23:4 that God's rod and staff comforted him. The rod and staff were basic tools a shepherd used to protect and guide the sheep. God will be with you, and he'll protect and guide you. Jesus could have called down 10,000 angels; he could have called his disciples to arms; instead he relied on God to protect and guide Him.

I pray that you all have a blessed week and oh yeah..almost forgot..Mercy is here and she is beautiful..can't wait for more pictures..her aunt is obviously forgetting some of us live 5 hours away and are relying on her pics..so get to posting ISI!!!

Church was awesome today..the message was Rev. 5..and wow is all I can say! What a day that will be!!! When my Jesus I shall see!!! Are you Heaven-Ready???? I truly hope if you are reading this, you are, and if you are not, please contact me and I would love to share the story of grace, mercy, and most of all forgiveness! We had lunch with our friends Jamie and Jonathan...just love them to pieces!