OH REALLY?

Isaiah 43
Israel's Only Savior
1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush [a] and Seba in your stead.


I was back in the hospital today and I was in some excruciating pain. Jenny (yes, I often speak in third person)is not a happy camper on lots of doses of medicine. I couldn't get relief. Monday, the doctor said he gave me enough medicine to knock out a 250 lb man and it didn't touch me. I had 103-104 degree fever, throw up, the worst headache of my entire life, spine pain, and on and on. Anyway, by the time I waited 3 hours for the doctor to come in and the nurse to start my intravenous fluids I was pretty much screaming crying. Rods mom and sister took me to the hospital PRAISE the LORD! Then sweet Rod got there and began to help get me taken care of. The nurse came in and started talking to me and somehow she told me "Don't sweat the small stuff, its all small stuff." Since I was in rare form I threw caution to the wind and gave her my thoughts on that. I am sure she meant well and did not expect my reply. I told her that no it isn't all small stuff. The loss of a child isn't small, death, rejection, divorce, loneliness none of that is small. I would like to slap whoever wrote that book. If you have it throw it away!! :)My problems at times have been mountainous at times. Look at what David penned in the Psalms his problems went from bad to worse, he was on constant run from the enemy, look at the turmoil in his family. Look at Job, he cursed the day he was born, he loathed his life. Look at Solomon, he saw life as vanity a mere chasing after the wind. What about the Israelites in captivity in Egypt? What about a more modern example the Holocaust, the torturous evil that was done at the hands of men. I ran into a precious woman the other day who was in my last bible study she told me about her husband dying after so many years of marriage, she then later meets up with her high school sweetheart and they were to marry and he died. Tell me that was small stuff. Another sister in Christ is struggling with a horrible pregnancy and her dad only 51 years of age has a massive heart attack while turkey hunting and dies in the woods. Small stuff? I have a friend that is suffering from lung cancer and is terminal right now. Another friend who just recently divorced, she is in her 50's and this is just not how she thought it would turn out. She had to go back to work and life is just really hard for her right now. We know someone who just slit his wrists and is in the hospital, he needs Jesus and is crying out for attention. I have a family member who is struggling with severe depression.I have a half sister who's sister in law very recently committed suicide. She lost hope. Her problems were no longer small to her. Try telling her inconsible mother that it is no big deal. None of them got to say goodbye and her life was ripped away from them. They are all left with "what if's" in some way bearing a load of guilt that they could have helped her. A lady at our church went on mission to Paris, while she was there her husband (51 years old) died, she had to come back home to deal with that never getting to say goodbye. Another little girl at our church was struck in the back with a pole and you can read about that on my last prayer request post. I have another precious friend who just lost her mother to congestive heart failure. She never knew and didn't get to say goodbye. THESE ARE NOT SMALL THINGS!

The thing is we will go through difficulty and peril here and as the body of Christ we don't say leave your problems at the door. We need to bring them to the word and prayer and have others praying for us to help us get through the waters when we feel like we are going to drown and the flames when we feel like we are going to burn. We have to let His word heal us and allow each other the freedom to grieve and go through trials without putting expectations on each other or being so judgmental.