Why do bad things happen to good people?

What a question. I am sure almost all of us have asked that same question. Why do good people suffer? Why do "christians" go through such horrible circumstances? When you serve the Lord, why must some of us endure such tragic hardships? Isn't it supposed to be easier when we have the Lord on our side? When we are struggling to do God's will, why does He let such difficulties come our way? Betrayel of a brother or a sister, abuse in any form, loss of a life of a dear family member or a friend...the list goes on.

The answer: Its our testimony! God gives us trials so we can make it through the fire to testify to other people of the God we serve. He puts things in our path that someone outside the church is enduring at that moment in their life and they need to know there is hope. If you have been abused, and you have survived it (since you are reading this, you have survived) go find someone that you can connect with. They need you! They need to know GOD! They long for hope, and you hold that hope in your hands. What will you do with it? God does not want us to hold onto the pain and let bitterness and anger boil in our blood. He gave us that hardship so we can go out to the world and witness to them. If our lives our perfect with no blemish or hardship, then how will we connect with those that need God that have difficulties in their lives. They dont want to hear how perfect our lives are, they want to know what GOD has done to transform our depression, how he took away our pain, how he helped us to overcome and turn our mourning into joy! Stop harboring anger and bitterness over your past, that is not God's will!

This came to me last night after a spiritually awakening service at church. God gives us a hardship. He allows us to go through it and He helps us overcome it, if we allow Him. If we keep it to ourselves, and keep it all inside, it will eat us up like a disease from the inside out. It will slowly destroy us a little at a time. But if we let it out and find someone that needs to hear your story, its like a healing takes place. The healing starts in you and it transfers to the other person. God begins the healing process and the disease remits itself to God. God is now in control and the disease process has stopped. But you have to get it out, you have to tell your story. Someone out there in the world has no hope right now and they are watiting for you!

The two things that cause us to keep our story/testimony to ourselves is: selfishness and pride. I talk to myself as much as to anyone reading this. I have done this. I have kept my past "hidden" for the most part, from most people. People dont know my story like I know it. They dont know of the abuse I lived through for my early preteen years. They dont know how God saved my life on an occasion where I wanted it to end. People that I have known for years think I have the perfect life, they dont realize that I have had to depend on God for breath and for strength on many occasion. Well I am hear now ready to go grab a girl off the street to tell her there is a better way! That God is a healer of spiritual scars. The scars and hurts that run in your veins can be healed by God. I am ready to tell my story! Who is going to listen, its up to God! I pray that God brings into my life someone that needs what I have to say. What about you? Are you going to sit there and hold on to yoru pain or are you going to allow God to heal you by sharing with someone who needs what you have?

God gives us life experience. He gives us these experiences not to punish us but to share with others. God is changing us, our church and me...I look forward to pursuing on and doing God's will. God bless you all and I pray this has changed something in you.

My Father

My Father:



I did not actually meet my Father until the age of 6 or maybe I was 7, although, He knew me my entire life. He knew me long before I knew Him. One evening, I finally met Him and with tears of joy in my eyes, I thanked Him for His love. I did not fully understand much about Him at that time but through my childhood our relationship would grow stronger and stronger. I would go to Him when life was rough. I would call on Him and tell Him how good or bad of a day I had. I got to really see Him on the weekends more so than during the week.

Unfortunately when I was about 10 yrs old, I turned my back on Him. I stopped talking to Him and did what I thought was best for me. Even though, I turned away, He never forgot about me. He continued to watch over me. He continued to reach for me, and desired a relationship again with me, but I would not accept it. Then when about a year later when my world came crashing down, I turned once again to Him. He was right there, right where I left Him. He stood there waiting for me. He held me in His arms and allowed me to cry everything out to him. He understood more than I could say. He helped me through the following years that would take me through the worst trial any child could go through. He held my hand. He wrapped me up in His love. When no one was there, He was.

My Father reassured me that everything was going to be okay. Eventually one day, I don’t know what triggered it but He spoke out for me. He helped me say what I could not speak. He helped me to end my troubled years. He put a stop to it all, in just one single day! Years of suffering, came to an end in a matter of hours! I love my Father with everything I have in me.

Once that was over, He gave me a brand new life. He taught me so many life lessons. He showed me how to keep my spirit in check. He showed me how to not let life make me bitter. He has been faithfully there like no one else in my life as been. He knows me better than anyone else. I have the best Father than anyone could possibly have.
Thank you Lord for being my Father!

He made something beautiful of my life...

Church last night was awesome...because God was there. I began to think about how God saved me. He pulled me literally out of darkness and into His light. When I was 12 years old...I was going through a very dark time...to put it lightly. I didn't have the problems that most pre-teens have. I would trade my troubles for those any day for what I went through. No, it wasn't boy trouble, or mood problems. Much worse. BUT...as I remember being this lonely child, I would pray to get out of the situation. God heard me...I know, but He was not ready for me to get out yet. But, when He was ready, He pulled me out in a flash. NO hesitaion, NO arugement, next thing I know I am sitting in a court room and then living a state a way then moving 2 states away from my nightmare. GOD is good. So, as I was thinking on this the song begins to play.

Something beautiful, something good
all of my confusion, Jesus understood,
when all I had to offer Him, was brokeness and strife
He made something beautiful of my life.

That says it all. I look around now, I have 3 wonderful children, a marriage that has endured for several years, a great job that benefits other people, a wonderful pastor and awesome friends. God has blessed me above measure. I have days that I complain alot to God, He knows my thoughts. But for today...I will praise the Lord. Not only for His benefits but for his unearthly blessings. For the things that I just cant find here in this world: Peace, Joy, true love, faithfulness. Thank you Lord for this day. Thank you Lord, for rescuing me and making something beautiful of my life. When I was 12 I had no idea that when I was 30 I would be where I am today. I had no anicipation for the future, because as far as I could see it was a bleak future. My days were not filled with light. And now...as I look around me...I see God's blessings.

A good day

Its my new dispensation. Its my time for change. Today is the the beginning of the rest of my life. Do you ever get so weary of life's changes. Emotions rise and fall, faith is as big as the sky then as small as a mustard seed. Seasons come and go in a blink of an eye or as long as several years before you see a change. Life...it happens no matter if you want it too or not. But...I serve a God, who knows every season of my life. He knows what I need now to serve a purpose in my future. He knows where He wants me when He wants me there. We must push ourselves, I must push myself to look beyond the cares of today, but look toward the future. God is preparing me for a new dispensation, a new path, a new time in my life. I must be patient. I must wait and learn all I can now, because there will be a test and I must pass it to get through to the next level! We have to wait and be patient. Listen to what God is saying. He is directing our lives step by step, its us who like to turn away and then ask God where are you?? He has been there, we just have to listen to His voice, not the world's. The world will tell you its going to crash, you are not going to make it, you were never meant to be anything, you are being punished for your bad decisions...blah blah blah. You know its the world talking if its negative. But when God talks...its positive. He is not punishing us. He is not going to leave us without an out in a bad situation. He will lead us onward if we will follow. And even if in this world, we don't see all of our dreams come true...we still have not lost, because when we make it to heaven, all the cares of this world will disappear anyway! So, go forward, what do you have to lose by living your life with Jesus at your side??

A tree in the wilderness

Today I had a privilege to hear a very special message in church today that inspired me to hang on a bit longer. I hope it helps you as it helped me today. When you feel like giving up, when life deals you "Marah" or bitter waters, hang on because God will show you where your tree is to make those waters sweet:

Bro Barker Exodus 15:19-25

The children of Israel had just crossed over the Red Sea. They had watched Pharaoh's army drown in the Red sea. They realized that God was not going to bring them out of Egypt just to let them be slaughtered in front of the Red sea but God would let them cross over on dry land. They had celebrated and been thankful for what God had done for them. Revival had broke out in the camp of the Israelites. Things looked good! Then as they traveled onward toward the Promise land, they came upon some waters. To come upon waters, they must have been thirsty. For them to find the waters they must have been searching for a drink of refreshment. They were in need of refreshment. But they only found bitter waters. When they needed some water to quench their thirst all they found was bitter water. What is bitter water? Its when everyone else is being blessed and you are not. When other families are coming to God and you alone stand on the promises of God while your family remains lost in the world. Its when your marriage is dead, when you have served God for years and your husband/wife continues on their path of destruction. Its when the doctor tells you there is no hope. When your children continue to live lives of sin. Bitter waters are when life deals you blows that at this moment of your life, you just don't think you can handle. Its when you are already thirsting for a drink from God to satisfy your burning soul because life is treating you hard. Then when you find the water, its bitter. Life seems that it is all smooth sailing for a period of time. You celebrate and thank God for circumstances working out better than you had planned. But then life happens. Things get out of control and you deal with hardship. You try to survive the wilderness. As you are surviving you then come across "Marah" or bitter waters. We ask God "why?" Maybe its because we tend not to pray enough or to study His word enough when things are okay. Maybe God wants to prove us because He has big plans for our future and He needs to prepare us for our journey through the rest of the wilderness to get to the Promised Land. So what do we do when we reach Marah? God has a plan. God has planted a tree in the wilderness. He not only planted it in preparation for us arriving to Marah but he has assured that tree would survive and flourish while God waited for us to arrive. God waits for us to say "God, I need you!" When we call on Him, He then shows us our tree. He tells us that tree He has provided and prepared for us ahead of time is now ready to be used in our life. That tree is our escape from the bitter water. If we use His tree it will turn our bitter water into a sweet experience. In the middle of our bitter water, there is already a tree planted for our deliverance. The seed was planted and watered. If I just hang on to the promise of God, He has made a way out. When the enemy tells us there is no hope, tell him "I have a tree." God is preparing me to use me like He has never used me before. He is preparing me for adversity ahead and wants to know if I can handle a little bit of bitter water. God will not leave me nor forsake me. My bitter water experience is about to get sweet. The only tree that could survive this type of wilderness climate is the Elvah tree. Which is also known as the dogwood tree. The irony in this is the cross was made out of the dogwood. So this tells us that God was showing the Israelites and His children will come to places where we need His help and He will not leave us but will always provide us a way out.

I am encouraged that soon God will show me where to find the tree. And all I have to do is put the tree in the midst of my "Marah" and they will become sweet. I just have to hang on and God will do provide...soon.