I remembered writing about doing that very thing, and came tonight to the blog to look through my old posts. I found one where I had written about that in September 2018. I think it's good to remember the things God has brought me out of, as long as I don't get bogged down and quit moving forward.
These days, we are all wondering what life will be like on the other side of this pandemic. Will we ever get back to normal? Do we need to get back to what we used to consider normal?
Looking at this post from 2 1/2 years ago puts those worries and concerns in a new perspective. Ahhh, but we didn't know this was coming, you say. True, we didn't. But I want to insert parts of that post into this one and let's take a look at what was going on.
(I will italicize the posts from the Sept. 2018 entry.)
One of the reasons I journal: Encouraging myself.
I want to remember the good things in my life, and I am thankful for how far God has brought me, even though I cringe at some of the things I thought God was saying to me. I really do know more who I am in Christ these days than I did in 2001. However, the main reason I have to write it all down is so that I don't forget the miraculous things God has done for me.
I want to remember the good things in my life, and I am thankful for how far God has brought me, even though I cringe at some of the things I thought God was saying to me. I really do know more who I am in Christ these days than I did in 2001. However, the main reason I have to write it all down is so that I don't forget the miraculous things God has done for me.
This
is how I encourage myself in the Lord. In the dark times, when I feel
like I have nothing to say that is blog-worthy, I can read and remember
the times that God provided an absolute miracle for me and be
encouraged.
My heart is a little lighter when I am reminded that God touched me in my prayer closet once many years ago when my heart was consumed with grief over a devastating loss and He healed my broken heart on the spot. I was still hurting for a while, but I had hope and was able to function again after that very real and miraculous encounter.
Can we talk about dark times?
My heart is a little lighter when I am reminded that God touched me in my prayer closet once many years ago when my heart was consumed with grief over a devastating loss and He healed my broken heart on the spot. I was still hurting for a while, but I had hope and was able to function again after that very real and miraculous encounter.
Can we talk about dark times?
My 2018 self didn't have a clue that life as we have known it would all but shut down in 2020 because of a new virus with no cure or vaccine yet. But still, this is encouraging because it reminds me that God is taking care of me. What was devastating to me then might not be so bad if looked at through my new lens, now acquired by weeks of social-distancing to avoid coming into contact with an unseen enemy. But it was a huge giant in my path at the time, and God took care of it. If He helped me then, He will help me now.
More from the earlier entry:
More from the earlier entry:
I
read about the times my children, grandchildren, and very dear friends
who have become family to me were together and I am thankful they are in
my life. We may be far apart geographically, but in our hearts we are
next door neighbors. I truly believe that distance doesn't have to
effect deep relationships of the heart. We can choose to hold those dear
to us in our hearts whether we see them daily or once a year. It's just
like no time has passed when we do see each other again, because God
has connected our hearts.
Family. We have talked to each other so much more in the last 6 weeks!
There's one good thing that has come about due to the virus, and it needed to change: My children and grandchildren, who are spread out across three states, are all talking to each other and me, like we probably should have all along. We have had phone calls, texts, and FaceTimes with one another individually many times and two Zoom sessions where the entire family--all three of my children, my son- and daughter-in-law, both grandchildren, and me--were all in the same conversation! The miracle of modern technology let me have my whole family in my house at once via my laptop screen.
To be clear, it isn't that we "weren't speaking." We were just busy living our lives and never found the time to check in with each other. This has been a good change, and we hope to keep it up after life settles into some kind of normal environment, whatever that ends up being.
Finally, the following is still true.
It could have been written tonight or 10 years ago. We are not staying the same. We are continually growing:
Reading tonight, I was reminded that in ten years I will most likely feel the same way about the journal entries I am writing this year as I did about the ones from a decade ago. I will snicker and roll my eyes and think "how spiritually immature I was!"
There's one good thing that has come about due to the virus, and it needed to change: My children and grandchildren, who are spread out across three states, are all talking to each other and me, like we probably should have all along. We have had phone calls, texts, and FaceTimes with one another individually many times and two Zoom sessions where the entire family--all three of my children, my son- and daughter-in-law, both grandchildren, and me--were all in the same conversation! The miracle of modern technology let me have my whole family in my house at once via my laptop screen.
To be clear, it isn't that we "weren't speaking." We were just busy living our lives and never found the time to check in with each other. This has been a good change, and we hope to keep it up after life settles into some kind of normal environment, whatever that ends up being.
Finally, the following is still true.
It could have been written tonight or 10 years ago. We are not staying the same. We are continually growing:
Reading tonight, I was reminded that in ten years I will most likely feel the same way about the journal entries I am writing this year as I did about the ones from a decade ago. I will snicker and roll my eyes and think "how spiritually immature I was!"
That's just the way it is, though. We are not staying the same; we who are in Christ are going from glory to glory:
Hang in there. God is working and HE will get us through this!
<3 <3 <3
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