Grateful

My daughter had to take a pretty big test for her nursing career called the NCLEX and it's been somewhat of a struggle but on Monday she felt very good when she finished her test and it cut her off at 85 questions which is a good sign: She had called me while I was in Hobby Lobby (love that store) and as I was getting into my car to go pick her up this song I never recognized came on my spotify (wasn't on my playlist) entitled "So Much" by Life Church Worship and it was talking about being so grateful for all that God has done. I really felt he was going to answer our prayer for her to pass and I just found out my loved one whom we have been praying for over hisg heart condition was finally going to be released from the hospital and able to go to a local rehab which is a HUGE answer to prayer! We found out the next day that she had passed her test and my loved one was transferred to the rehab facility! I felt such a BIG weight has been lifted as it has been pretty stressful! The next day (today) I was sitting trying to go over what I was going to lead at upcoming bible study this Thursday night I prayed to the Lord to direct me in what he wanted me to talk about and we left off talking about waiting but I felt like he wanted me to expand and to give testimony about what I had just been through with the 2 sitiuations. I turn in my prayer journal and it said "Patience is not about waiting- it's the ablity to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in. It's the willingness to stay focused, confidently taking one small step after the next, knowing that the way you move a mountain is by moving one stone at a time- every stone you move, no matter how small is progress." Wow!!! So I then proceed to look up patient verses in the bible and write them down and then what songs to correlate with being patient and the song "Trust" by Lauren Daigle comes on which is the song my daughter who just passed her test sang when she was in 7th grade at a middle school talent show...who would have thought that song would really mean so much years later..I literally wept. It was very overwhelming... No matter what trial you are facing it's important to keep your focus on the Lord, to wait, to trust in him at all times and he will see you through! He may not answer in the way you are expecting or like but know he has best intrest at heart and sometimes we may not understand at the time but it might be revealed later!

3 bible verses

This morning I woke up early as my heart is heavy with what is going on with my family member (in hospital with aortic valve leak that is causing congestive heart failure and has inflammation in lungs, bacteria in blood stream from infected port which in turn caused endocarditis and state 2 lymphoma). I felt God leading me back in his word as I haven't been consistent with it..there really is no excuse so I'm not even going to try to say why I haven't been but it's at least been a month or so. I opened Jesus calling and it was talking about holding onto his hand and staying focused on his presence no matter what ...I then opened my daily reading bible and happened to be on Psalm 91 which was prayed over my mom before Jesus came and healed her..I then opened My Joyce Meyer devotion and John 16:33 just happened to be on today's devotion : "In this world you will have trouble but take heart, I've overcome the world"..Then I flip to the other devotion in the book on other side and it was Psalm 23 which was "he leadeth me beside still waters..". That was the verse at the hospital when my mom was very sick. Those 3 were the top 3 verses I relied on heavily when mom was in the hospital in 2009. I know my God can heal him but I don't know if it will be on this side of heaven or the other side: I pray his will be done always but that's a hard prayer to pray especially when it might not go "my way"..I have to submit to him as he knows the plans he has for us and I know he knows better and I know Heaven is a great place and I'm sure it's much better than here as there is no more weeping etc...but the human nature of me wants to keep him here on earth /to be able to see his grandkids graduate as he has told me (in the flesh)..I desire that for him so maybe that's why I'm hanging on to him so tight that I can't let go even though I need to. I know God is with us through this highly demonstrated by what just happened during my devotional time..he's funny that way ..and he's such a GREAT GREAT GREAT God...I love him soooo much no matter what happens...I was talking to a friend yesterday and she said "This world is not our home"..and that's very true..we are all going home it's just a matter of when. For now I will focus on him and his will for our lives and be ready when he calls us all home!

His presence

Last month I was on my way for a lumpectomy and possible cancer dx and was on the way for it and I got behind this car and it said "life is good" on the back of their jeep. I was way overcome as that was my dads favorite saying..I really felt it was like my dad and God saying "I'm here, it will all be ok". I went through the lumpectomy without complications and NO Cancer!!! Sooo very thankful. The other day one of my family members has been going through some very serious health issues and I thought to myself "I can't do this again" as it was very similar to what happened with my dad right before he died unexpectedly in 2018..shock and then heart attack and organ shut down. I looked down at my watch as I'm heading to the hospital not really knowing what we will find /basically bracing myself for the unexpected. I saw my watch has 33 percent battery left and it said I have 333 intensity minutes. As you may have read 333 is the number he bascially shows to me to remind me of his presence. I felt so much better as it put my focus back on him as I was trying to take control of the situation and I needed to give it all back to God. You see what happened to my dad I never want to happen again as I feel things were missed not necessarily by me but in general and I feel a lot of it could have been prevented..so what happened with him has made me a better nurse and maybe a little bit more overprotective and I don't want anything to get past me. I'm so thankful my loved one was able to get to the hospital and get the help he needed in a very timely fashion so other bad things were prevented and he's feeling much better! Praise God!!! Today's sermon was about his presence and studying Jeremiah 29 "for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord..."...It was the verse on my emmaus walk and so it is sentimental: He talked about planting a garden in what God has given us and even in the valley we continue as he is with us and he will get us through. We live in a fallen world and it will not be perfect till we get to heaven. In the meantime he's with us through it all : the good and the bad. You can go on crosspoint nicevilles website to listen to it from the message today 8/2/2026. I'm reminded of the song "His presence" which I played before my dad passed. It truly is all about him and His presence and His will ..it's in the Lord's prayer.."your will be done"...It's hard sometimes as I said before to try to take control but we need to realize He's in control and we really aren't..we can do our part but the rest is in his hands..I'm so thankful for this. Thank you Lord for your presence..You alone deserve all the Glory, Praise as the song we sang today at end of church. Something pastor also said was very profound..he said he was preparing for his father's funeral and his son's wedding at the same time and he felt through his grief of both he felt gratitude of being the son of so and so and the dad of so and so..It was very powerful. I'm also so very grateful to be the daughter of my father and the mom of my 3 beautiful children and for Jesus most of all!