Okay, for our Featured Layout for the previous Faith Discovery challenge - FEAR NOT -is from one of our faith sisters, Laura B. Her layout was selected for her journaling that I found was amazing. I also love the photo she used to covey her overall message about her greatest fear. Please take time to read the journaling and leave some love for her in her gallery! Thank you Laura B. for your inspiration!
Featured Layout by LauraB.
{Remember This?}
As mentioned above, I said I would share more details about the fear I had faced last week. I woke up with this stabbing pain in my back side and severe cramping in my lower abdomen. After talking with my doctor, she immediately told me that I need to go to the ER right away. So, my poor husband rushed me to the ER which later turned out that I needed surgery to remove a kidney stone. First of all, I have never had surgery in my whole entire life, this was my first time. So, you can imagine the trauma that this had brought me even though the surgery was considered non-invasive and minor compared to other situations. A lot of things were bringing me down with fear during that very moment I was in the hospital, but the biggest of them all were thoughts of dying and leaving my children and husband behind. However, amidst all of the frightening things that were happening to me, I gave it all to God and I said, "Lord, you have my life in Your hands and I put my trust in You." After my surgery, I realized that God had done something to prevent them from actually going further into my kidney because the stone had already passed into my bladder (sorry if this is unpleasant) and therefore, eliminating the process that would have had a potential risk to cause inflammation and damage to my kidney. Praise the Lord! I wept with joy because I knew deep in my heart that the Lord intervened and had mercy on me. What an awesome touch He had a upon my heart that day that I will never forget.
It was also a great moment of truth for me and I know that God didn't cause this to happen, but He did use this opportunity to teach me about taking better care of myself. I've been pretty stubborn and careless when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. I would tell myself over and over again, I'm going to get in shape, I'm going to eat healthy, drink a lot of water, get enough sleep, not stress over little things, etc. yet, of course I was never good at sticking to it because I didn't think it to be that important--until now. Because I've had a history of kidney stones, although not nearly as bad as what I just experienced, I know that this recent incident was a result of my lack of attention to what doctors have advised me to do in order to prevent them from reoccurring. Remembering to do even the simplest thing of drinking PLENTY of water was something I ignored and it eventually backfired and caused me tremendous pain and grief. So, I contemplated with the question, "Why is it so hard for me to take better care of myself? What am I doing wrong or not doing in order for me to do what's important for me?" Well, the answer came quickly while I lay in bed, in a still, quiet voice, "You need to learn to love yourself." It was a word from the Lord that made so much sense and I felt a burden lift.
Loving myself for who I am has been a lifetime battle for me and it's something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. God knew it was time for me to overcome that obstacle which I've prayed about for so long. Since that day, I have made a commitment to gain back my self-confidence and appreciation for me and my life--mind, body, and soul. I'm always making decisions for my family, but now I've been making better choices and decisions for a healthier me. Yes, I'm drinking my water! :) It took a life changing moment for God to open my eyes that before I can love others and become a better person, I must remember that I need to love ME first, not just for the things I do, but for the person that God created me to be. Amen!
Challenge #14 - This topic is about remembering the important things. It could be things we may have forgotten about in our walk with the Lord such as those moments how God opened our eyes to see things we may not have seen or realized before. Sometimes we forget how God has brought us through our struggles and challenges in the past and when we face another problem, instead of praising Him for bringing us through it before, we tend to focus on our circumstances rather than His faithfulness. Overall, this challenge is to remember what the Lord has done for you or for someone you know and how it has effected your faith. I'm sure you'll have many ideas for this challenge, but hopefully as you pray about it, the Lord will give your clear direction for your pages! I look forward to seeing your inspiration!
Faith Verses:
Genesis 9:16 - "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
Psalm 143:5 - "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done."
Philippians 1:3 - "I thank my God every time I remember you."
Here are our layouts for this challenge and please remember to post your layout in our FDC gallery for us all to see and for me to select the next Featured Layout for this challenge! Also be sure to visit our forums for anything you'd like to share or discuss! Thank you!
*Click on images to see credits*
By Dahlia Co
I wanted to create a LO as a reminder of
what the Lord has taught me through
my recent experience mentioned above.
~Remember to Love You~
By ScrapEvangel
By Jackie Ann
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