WHY AM I SO LONELY?

Rose 43, asked her mother “why have I not been able to find that great love like you and dad had?”. Rose’s mother told her “the men back in my time understood love to be a necessity not a desire that comes and goes. Her mother and father had been married for 52 years before her father died of lung cancer. When I met Rose I could see this was a woman who had been raised by two strong and loving people. They had helped to mold Rose into an independent, loving young woman, with a great spiritual connection to God.

Rose now wanted to know why? Why was she still alone, the answer to that question seems complex but it  isn’t at all. Let’s look at Rose’s life, born of strong, successful, spiritually grounded parents, that instilled the knowledge of being happy in her life. Quite naturally she would be searching for that same joy she witnessed as a child.  Rose stated that she had dated numerous of men and they were either shallow or so deep they were lost in themselves. Rose was now tired of trying at least verbally she was tired of trying.

We discussed her feelings on having a lifelong mate, I discovered Rose was still longing deep in the recesses of her heart for that connection. Many of us go through this denial factor when we have tried it seems too hard, too long. The bad dates that left Rose in tears because for example one guy we shall call him a guy because he doesn’t deserve to be called a man to me, thought he could make an inappropriate pass at Rose because he paid for her 35.00 meal, wow!

Rose admitted that she had made some mistakes when looking for a man based on outward appearances, finances or if he was a father already or not  than his relationship with God. She often felt she may have become intimate too fast without getting to know the real them. The times they wanted out and she wouldn’t help to give them or herself that way out. I told Rose a bit of sound advice and I based the end and the beginning of that advice in God’s word.

When dealing with life I have learned that the best way to deal is by putting God in it first and last! He knows and understands our thought process, our hearts, whether it be right or wrong, He understands. I said to Rose “by God’s great design we understand that man and woman were meant to be together, we also understand that in marriage they were meant to be joined till the death. In today’s time mankind has fallen even shorter of the great design, making it harder for those whom wish to have a bond in a relationship as husband and wife very hard. Though this is a factor in our society God has not made only you to desire and want this in your life that means there is a man like you somewhere wanting the same. 

These words… I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18 I shared this with Rose because I wanted her to study God’s word more and see that His word had deeper meaning that ran like veins in the body for more than one purpose and place, like her life. This passage dealt with Jesus  telling the disciples of the Comforter that of which is the Holy Spirit that would come after He had descended unto the Father to comfort those that knew Him. To get the beginning of His promise verses 16-21 should be read. I told Rose that if she started with these words they would hold her steady and truly she wouldn’t be alone, if she meditated on the true meaning of these words.

Out of all of Rose’s gifts given by her parents the greatest gift was her connection with God that she took and held on to once presented to her. I told Rose if she held on to God’s unchanging hand He would lead Her to where she needed to be in life, she asked “how is it that some people who want to be married and in love die alone in that way? I said” there are many reasons but know this if they put God first and loved Him with all their heart they died with peace and understanding that they were exactly where they needed to be. The decisions that we make play a vital role for also in our ending for we do have free will! Rose and I departed with a deeper understanding of  the meaning “lonely” and why we are even in an intimate way never lonely, when we truly understand what God is trying to tell us and focus on the decisions that we have also made. Remember that when we struggle with those empty feelings of loneliness that only the love of Jesus can fulfill it first and last!

 I wish to close out with these words of encouragement to all of us whom have struggled with the word “lonely”. We must seek God before seeking a mate and if it be His and your will the mate will come because remember your will needs to work with His, the best way for me is that I ask God “let Your will become my will“.

The Lord is with you, while you be with Him; and if you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2. The world has its statistics on how many of us are lonely truly not one of us should be content in the word lonely but in Jesus, so that loneliness may flee from us! Feeling lonely for long periods of time can lead to depression, wrong actions taken to alleviate that feeling and we can become bitter and disconnected in our loneliness. I tell you that is not the great design from God for you to be this way, make no mistake He has a desire for you to be content but first in Him so that you may be able to accept your purpose in this life and not what you think it is to be. The word of God also teaches us to…

Trust in thy Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

I hope that you have found something that has spoken to you from God’s word. By hearing Rose’s story of loneliness I hope you have found a connection and a beginning to take away the loneliness in this area of your life; or help someone else you may know of dealing with this. If you have any questions on this topic or would like for me to talk about a topic you may have, please email me at thesundaymorningpaper@gmail.com 

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WHAT DOES FAITH HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Some people would ask what is the difference in belief and faith? Well belief is equal to testimony, and faith is equal to testimony united with trust. Faith is an active principle; it is an act of both the understanding and the will. Faith is relying on God’s word and to be in the mindset that all God has said is to be true! Verses such as (Gen. 15:6; Mark 11:22) are two that you can read to substantiate this. (Luke 17:5) tells of how the apostles found their faith weakened and they prayed to Jesus for its increase.

So what does faith have to do with it? EVERYTHING! Yes it is said to be able to move the mountains in our lives and the word of God says all is need is an amount small as a mustard seed in order to work, now that is a tiny amount to ask for. Remember it is for our good that it is required, now there will be times when you will have faith and the situation will not turn out as you would have liked. I always say that “all may be asked, but not all will be given.” I have faith that God knows what is best for me so I have the understanding that He is sovereign over my life and I give my will unto His decisions upon my life.

Bad things will happen and death will come, remember all this is apart of the chain of life we aren’t forever, we are mortal beings. In the midst of peril much is realized, appreciated and hopefully learned. Recent tornados and all the devastation left in its wake are signs of such bad things. I urge you to understand and place your will in God, He that knows all things. Many were reawakened, in the wake of the tornado, to what is really important in life, not things, or our earthly goals. The aim of our visions had to be realigned death visited and took lives with it but are we not apart of the chain of life? I ask. So again what does faith have to do with it? Well what is the it? LIFE! That’s what the it is and faith is a huge building block to the understandings of life. Tornados will come, terrorism will come and along with it pain, suffering and death but have faith that God is already ahead of it all. I urge you to read more on faith and come to a better understanding of it, with Jesus all things are possible and made impossible. Yes! You read correctly made, not is, impossible. Jesus will not make all things possible if it is not to be but He can make all things possible if it is His will!

I choose to use faith as a tool for what I need in life. My life is made whole because of my faith and when it is shaken I pray for more, and Jesus gives me strength in my faith and I am made plentiful in faith! So with that being said I pray you bless yourself, with the gift of faith.

 

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THE TOMB IS EMPTY!

Glory! For He has risen go tell the world from mountains and valleys, that He has risen! Many of us know the story but none of us know the strength, courage and above all the love that it took to die on that rugged cross. John 18:11 Jesus says to Peter“Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?” From that moment on it had began, the humiliation and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, bound and arrested He was carried away to stand for false accusations. That very night Peter denied Jesus three times before the crow of the rooster just as Jesus had fortold him.  Jesus stood now before Pilate for trial and in John 18:37 Pilate states “You are king then! Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this reason I came to the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified or spared people’s choice and the people, the same ones that He came to save crucified Him! Chose to save a murderer and robber by the of name Barabbas over Jesus! Then He was led away and tortured to the death. But oh! people I tell you He kept His word that He would rise and in three days He rose to full glory!

Jesus showed Himself and when He did amazement, praise and joy, were just a few of the emotions shared by many. Yes Mary Magdalene discovered an empty tomb, but the prophesy had been fufilled and Jesus lived! She went out and told the disciples and they in turn told Thomas for He was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. Thomas didnot believe John 20:25 states Thomas saying “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” A week later Jesus appeared and proved to Thomas He was the one and True Living God! John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The story above is fact not fiction it is a story of a man who was, is and will always be our God! He chose to do what wasn’t required of Him but what was needed as a sacrifice to save our sinful souls to give us that chance that we should not throw away. Jesus was falsely accused,  stood firm and forbade Peter to strike the solider that came to arrest Him He said He was to drink from His cup that His Father had given Him! How many of us could do that great task? Nobody that I know of, in turn He was denied by His own disciple not once but three times.  Beaten and killed but risen! He was found not dead in some borrowed tomb but alive! He had to prove Himself to Thomas and why should He had to do that, after all had this not been the man He called Lord, God? Well I know there are many that still doubt, they not only doubt that He ever was, but that He is! That if He was, and died on that cross so long ago that He even rose.

I am here to say please don’t doubt, for as He said “blessed are those that haven’t seen Him and believed” I don’t know about you but I need all the blessings I can get. Faith itself, remember moves mountains it parts seas and it saves souls! I shout, HE IS RISEN! AND THE TOMB IS EMPTY! 

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AND THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

A mother decides that it is time for her life to come to an end, not only hers but her four children’s life as well. She drives her four children in the Hudson River and in the midst of the traumatic ordeal the eldest child of the four reaches over the mother and rolls down the window and gets out! There are many questions left to be answered on this story, like why did they die? Why did the mother feel that was the only option left?  Why did God allow it to happen?

The biggest of these questions to many people is why did God allow it to happen? Well I’d like to go beyond surface thinking for this answer.Which means you go deeper to get it. However it is the deeper aspect that we struggle with, that says “God allowed it”! because it was His will, to take them. I agree partially He took them but was it His will? Let’s look at the person whom made the decision, the mother she decided to end her and her children’s life; so isn’t that her will? My answer is yes, the word of God tells us of our free will. (James 4:17)

So why didn’t He stop it? Well I say because He knew the mother was going to end her life inevitably and God sees beyond the here and now the tomorrows we see. He sees behind the scenes in ways we could never visualize. Let’s imagine God had caused someone to come by, a relative perhaps and pick up the kids and then the mom kills herself. Now there is 4 children with no mother the children would more than likely be separated from the eldest brother because he had different father. The three children would have been left to their father who is alleged to be an abuser; more than likely they would’ve been abused until their untimely deaths. If the children had survived they could have grown up with scars that would’ve bled into their society with them possibly ending up in prison, mental facilities or even death. We can imagine all we like but the fact is the children were allowed to be taken from the here to there for a reason, a purpose greater than our surface thinking minds sometimes go.

If we believe that God is Sovereign than we must have faith in His will, the way I see it the mother was the thread to the three children. If anyone has seen the timeless classic It’s a Wonderful Life which I am sure most of you have will recall James Stewart playing a role of a guy who didn’t want to live anymore, he wanted out! Well he encounters an angel Clarence who shows him a lot of things but two things that were very important and reminds me of this incident. Clarence the angel shows him that if he was never born than he would never had been here to save his little brother when he fell in the frozen pond when they were kids. Also when Jimmy Stewart’s character was a teenager working in a drug store for an alcoholic pharmacist he was able to catch a mistake on a patient’s prescription that would’ve killed them. The outcome was the pharmacist realized the mistake, stopped drinking. Jimmy Stewart’s character saved not only that patient but the pharmacist’s life and other customers as well, that would’ve died do to the man’s negligence.

So you see we are all threaded together, thereby connected in some way to another human life whether we like it or not. I believe that without the mother in the lives of the children it would have changed their lives so greatly that God’s will had to step in after the mother’s will and receive them unto Him. As for the  surviving child I believe his father or father’s family will become threaded to him.You need to understand if we were designed as thread to be sewn to some piece of material than without good material, thread has no connection. But let our hearts not be troubled for God’s word assures us of His connection and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Rest in Peace

Lashanda Armstrong, 25, Landon Pierre, 5, Lance Pierre, 2, and 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre.

And the one that got away…. Lashaun Armstrong ,10, May God Bless you and may His Peace be with you!