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The case of the missing diet plan

12/16/2014

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Over the last two years I have lost over 60 pounds by logging my food each day and making healthy choices. But my weight loss progress had stalled for several months and discouragement settled in.  Because of recent arthritis flare-ups which limited my mobility, the pounds began creeping back and with the diet-derailing holidays upon us, I knew I needed help to stay focused to prevent complete diet failure.

As I prayed about it, the Lord reminded me of past diet successes. One of the tools which served me well was a 40-year-old diabetic exchange-type diet that spelled everything out and was very easy to follow. Though I’m not diabetic, I liked that old plan which always worked when I used it.

I began searching for that old piece of paper in my notebook of diet paraphernalia. I was sure I had placed it there. It wasn’t. I checked online, but the old diet had been revamped many times and  newer versions weren’t as easy to follow. Then I asked the Lord to help me find that old plan. I checked several places, with no success. Though I was frustrated, I knew the Lord would answer so I quit looking and  got to work on my daily to-do list.

That evening I had one last item on my list – make a Christmas card for a friend who was in jail. I couldn’t make the same embellished card for him that I made for other friends and family, so I designed a simple computer card. All done – I just had to print it out, but the ink cartridge was low and had to be replaced.

 



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Just a simple pop-it-out and pop-the-new-one-in type task, right? Nope! After installing the cartridge, I got  an error message about the printhead being loose. Four times I had to lift the housing of the printer and remove the cartridges and the printhead to reinstall them. Though I did it right, the error message persisted.

“Lord, why isn’t this thing working right? Please help me fix it!” I fumed and complained to the Lord about that awful printer when I saw it – the very piece of paper I had been looking for all day. The diet notebook had a clear plastic cover on the outside of the notebook which could hold paperwork. There it was – IN THE POCKET ON THE OUTSIDE BACK OF MY NOTEBOOK WHICH WAS STANDING UP RIGHT  NEXT TO THE PRINTER….. And as soon as I spotted it, the error message was resolved and the printer worked! Honest!

Sheepishly, I apologized to the Lord for my complaining attitude as I thanked him for leading me right to the paper.  If the printer had not required minor  servicing at that point, I would have continued to overlook the very thing I asked the Lord to help me find.

The lessons of the story:
  •  - God cares about the little things in our lives.
  •  - He gives us the tools we need to succeed in doing his will.
  •  - He always answers prayer.
  •  - He’ll do what he has to do to get us to listen.
  •  - He does have a sense of humor. 

    Thank You LORD!


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Little is Much When God Is In It!

12/15/2014

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“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33 NIV

One of the things I love about the Christmas story is the way God uses the weak, the small and insignificant things of the world to glorify his name. Mary was a teenage girl, a virgin. She was to marry a carpenter, not a rich man by any means. Yet God chose her to be the mother of Christ who came in the form of a helpless infant. They lived in the small town of Nazareth and made a long journey to another small town, Bethehem, where Jesus was born in a stable – not the place we would expect a King to be born. On the night of his birth, his only recorded visitors were shepherds who were working on a nearby hillside outside the city. The priests and rulers of his own people never bothered to seek out this insignificant child until a group of foreign dignitaries  came to visit several months later.

None of the characters or events of this story are remarkable in themselves. But when assembled together, you  see the whole picture – a powerful God orchestrating ordinary details to fulfill all the prophecies about the coming of his precious Son who would save the world!

The Christmas story gives me great hope because it reminds me that my life is made up of a series of seemingly unremarkable events which are influenced by many ordinary people. Yet, when put all together and viewed through the Holy Spirit’s eyes, I can see the divine hand of God leading me in remarkable ways on a very incredible journey. It gives me a new perspective on the value God places on my life.

Whenever you are tempted to lapse into your own personal pity party or to listen to the defeated one’s lies that you are ordinary, not good enough or too young, too small, too insignificant, etc., remember Christmas.  Ask the Lord to help you put the events and people of your life into perspective. As you pray over this list, you will begin to see a deliberate work of God as he pieces together the story of your life and polishes it to shine for him!

Merry Christmas!

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           There is power in stories. They capture our attention, teach us life lessons and even let us know we're not alone in our difficult circumstances or emotional upheavals.
              Let God minister hope and healing to your heart through the stories of others - whether they are Bible women, historical figures or even fictional characters whose lives are based in truth.
              He has a message for you today!

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