Don't Go Changin'!

They say change is good. That changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush cleans your teeth better. That changing to a healthy eating lifestyle will give you more energy and stamina while improving your mood. Or that changing your sleep habits can result in a more restful and happy you.

Sounds like any kind of change can be something to get excited about. However, change doesn't always mean it will result in good. Sometimes, change can turn a person's world upside down.

Like losing your job when the economy goes in the tank or when your spouse comes home saying they no longer love you and want a divorce. That kind of change can be devastating and instrumental in creating fear of any future change.

I guess that is why many of us work hard at having control over everything in our lives so that there are no unpleasant surprises. Then when good change comes, we can celebrate by breathing a sigh of relief and a smile.

I used to be someone who feared change, greatly. In fact, there was a period of time when I hated change and did everything in my power to prevent it from happening. Which only resulted in worry, anxiety, and a false sense of security.

Preventing change from happening meant halting life and living in a state of repetition. Doing the same things that were enjoyable for any period of time soon rubbed off the novelty of it being enjoyable. Each subsequent time took away happiness and replaced it with despair. I got into a rut over something, in all honesty, I couldn't control.

We can't begin to assume that we can be in control of everything in our lives or around us, at all times. I believe it can set us up for disappointment and heartbreak. Change is a part of our world and it is inevitable. Whether good or bad, change will happen if we're prepared for it or not.

When I lost my job last year, I didn't know it was coming. There were indicators in the economy giving off signals that the industry I was working in was in trouble. That downsizing and work share programs might be on the horizon. Little did I know that the economic effect was the elimination of my position via a layoff.

Then things were changing fast. Corporate belts had to be tightened, budgets had to be revised and re-revised. A three person job became a one person job with a work share program thrown into the mix. When you lose your job, there is usually another to be found. If not, it might be an opportunity presenting itself to go in a completely different career direction. Such is the case for myself.

At the end of the day, change happens on a regular basis and in all its certainty, there is a degree to which it must be embraced, accepted. You face it, absorb it, and make the best of it as you go forward in the new direction that change has brought.

Your reaction to the change, whether exciting or daunting, can make all the difference in how you will embrace future change. It was through many experiences bringing me to the acceptance of Christ into my life and heart in 2007 that made all the difference in how I react to change today.

I know that I can't stop change nor would I want to. It's all part of the process of life and living in a world of transformation amongst conflict. There doesn't seem to be anything about our society today that isn't changing. So, do you accept the change but still maintain a wholeness to your life as it happens or do you fight against it, tooth and nail?

Fighting against it can be exhausting and emotionally draining. Albeit, negative change can bring about those affects without warning. Especially the kinds that mean a change in lifestyle, marital status, or pay grade. These are just some of the things that can be particularly challenging to adapt to.

In the days of Jesus, over 2000 years ago, a radical change was coming to the people of that time. They had no idea what the change truly was even though there were hints being given by Jesus himself. Something that would happen in the span of three days that had never happened before and was completely unheard of. Dying then being resurrected.

Jesus was telling people, his disciples especially, that he was going to die but come back to life in three days time. It dumbfounded those who followed him. They watched him heal the sick, drive out demons, and rescue the lost. There had never been anything like this before.

However, many were not embracing the changes Jesus was bringing but rebelling against them. Especially those who were in power positions and had something to lose if change came as a result of Jesus. So, they killed him in the most brutal way possible.

Those who had been following Jesus and loved him were devastated at what happened and were not prepared for this kind of change. They quickly lost hope and were filled with despair...until the third day after Jesus' death. He began appearing to crowds and people who dearly loved him. A greater change had come and hope was restored.

It's because of that radical change over 2000 years ago, that many today don't fear change. It's why I don't fear change, whether negative or positive. When something different comes along, I see it as an opportunity to experience something different or learn lessons. Usually, it means growing as a person, maturing in my faith, or adding to my life skills toolbox.

Encouragement for the week:

Do you fear change? Why or why not?

If you knew you could control the change, would that make a difference?

We know that change comes and it is constant, often without warning. May I encourage you this week to see the changes in a different way. To close your eyes, take in a deep breath, and have a time of silence to absorb the impact.

Then when you're ready to face the change and deal with it, go slow through each moment while being good to yourself. Choose not to worry or be fearful, but to see it all as an opportunity to grow as an individual or a couple. Whatever your situation may be. It will be okay.

If you are a Christian, you know that change is inevitable. That it will be both good and bad but that you have a confident Savior who will guide you through each change, helping you to grow in strength and faith.

If you are not a Christian, look for Jesus and you will find the best GPS system ever to direct you through each great or difficult change that comes into your life, with confidence and hope.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, 

and by his wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

This song was made famous by Tina Turner in the 1980's, even grabbing a Grammy Award as part of her fifth solo album at the time, Private Dancer.

Turner began her music career in the mid 1950's alongside her husband, Ike Turner, as a featured singer with Ike's Kings of Rhythm (as provided by Wikipedia). Her slim figure and powerhouse voice made her a force to be reckoned with.

Her rise to stardom, however, didn't come without its challenges. Tina wrote an autobiography revealing several instances of severe domestic abuse leading up to her 1976 split with Ike.

The Grammy winning hit, "What's Love Got To Do With It", didn't come until later but it makes me wonder if it wasn't a private lament of hers, made public.

Have a look at the chorus of that song:

What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken

While I certainly can't relate to Tina's stardom and successful music career, I can relate to her story of abuse.

During a period of my life, I was going in and out of shallow and meaningless 'relationships' with men. A couple of them being emotionally and physically abusive. At the time the abuse was happening, my skewed perspective told me the attention was all part of being loved.

That their control and manipulation was a way of protecting and caring for me. Pretty messed up, isn't it? However, it was mine and today's reality in which many people live, even children.

I never really knew any different until God became a part of my mixed up life and turned my mind right side up. It was only then that there was a paradigm shift in perspective.

Today, my heart is burdened by the rampant occurrence of abuse in our world and how quickly innocence is lost when an iron fist, literally, rules over a person. There is no sane explanation as to how or why a person is abused and, sometimes, killed as a result.

There certainly wasn't any logical reason why extreme abuse came upon an innocent man over 2000 years ago, resulting in his death. The man was Jesus and He was whipped, scourged*, then crucified.

What's love got to do with that? An innocent man nailed to a cross after having been beaten within inches of his life. There can't, possibly, be any love in that...but there was.

The love was from Jesus, for all of us. See, He willingly took the foul accusations, the beatings, and the torture leading to His death so that you and I wouldn't have to. He was the mother who stood in front of her child to take the brunt of the abuse in order to save the child's life.

I find that incredible, humbling, even incomprehensible. To wrap the mind around something so horrible that was taken on by an innocent man says that love had everything to do with it. A love I can never repay but fully receive in a relationship with Him today.

Encouragement for the week:

Have you ever suffered at the hands of an abuser? Let me tell you that love has nothing to do with it.

No one has the right to abuse or be abused. It's insanity. An insanity I pray, each day, to be eradicated.

If you are a Christian, you know the freedom you have from all things abusive because of what Jesus did for you on the Cross.

If you are not a Christian, you can look for Jesus and find Him and be set free from the abuse that may be in your life.


*The Roman scourge instrument or Flagrum was designed to quickly remove the flesh from the body of a victim. The Romans would, according to custom, scourge a condemned criminal before he was put to death. The Roman scourge, also called the "flagrum" or "flagellum" was a short whip made of two or three leather (ox-hide) thongs or ropes connected to a handle. The leather thongs were knotted with a number of small pieces of metal, usually zinc and iron, attached at various intervals. Scourging would quickly remove the skin. According to history the punishment of a slave was particularly dreadful. The leather was knotted with bones, or heavy indented pieces of bronze.

Sometimes the Roman scourge contained a hook at the end and was given the terrifying name "scorpion." The criminal was made to stoop which would make deeper lashes from the shoulders to the waist. According to Jewish law (discipline of the synagogue) the number of stripes was forty less one (Deut. 25:3) and the rabbis reckoned 168 actions to be punished by scourging before the judges. Nevertheless, scourging among the Romans was a more severe form of punishment and there was no legal limit to the number of blows, as with the Jews. Deep lacerations, torn flesh, exposed muscles and excessive bleeding would leave the criminal "half-dead." Death was often the result of this cruel form of punishment though it was necessary to keep the criminal alive to be brought to public subjugation on the cross. The Centurion in charge would order the "lictors" to halt the flogging when the criminal was near death. 

**This description of scourge was taken from an article on www.bible-history.com**

What Do You Want?

"When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass 

from the hills is gathered in..." - Proverbs 27:25

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

In our lives, we pursue many things: money, success, pleasure, and possessions, to name a few but why do we go after these things so relentlessly? Is it in an effort to obtain or find happiness? Can these things truly bring us lasting happiness?

In my own life, there were times of selfish pursuit for things that seemed to be the key to happiness and, for a time, they were. Until the novelty wore off and boredom set in, prompting me to pursue something newer, more exciting than the last.

Years were spent doing this with the most important thing on my mind being me. It was all about me and the things longed for and desired of. After fifteen years of this, I was bankrupt, financially and emotionally, and having to start over as a broken and humbled woman.

It wasn't fun and there certainly wasn't any happiness to be found in everything I had spent so much effort capturing. The emptiness in my bank account didn't even come close to the emptiness that was in my heart and soul.

I never knew God back then and, frankly, I didn't want to. For me, God didn't equate to happiness or satisfaction so there was no point in pursuing Him.

I was doing just fine treading water and continuing the search for the thing that would be the Holy Grail of finds, the luck of the Irish, the pot of gold. There had to be a point in which that one thing would be it.

The one thing that would be the lucky charm giving lasting happiness and deep rooted peace. In all the time I tried, that one thing never came nor did happiness while the only thing still on my mind was me.

Even after the humiliating process of bankruptcy, while the fundamentals of money had to be re-learned, the negative impact of selfishness wasn't grasped until many years later.

Later, when I became a Christian and learned about the backward principle that it wasn't all about me. That there was something and someone far greater to consider. That the blind pursuit of all things selfish were no longer going to cut it.

In fact, those things were destroying me. Even though it was safer to protect and think about myself and accompanying wants, there were no long term, positive results.

The misery was still there along with a distinct dissatisfaction about...everything. It wasn't until I began to apply the upside down principle of selflessness that things began to change. That self-possession and gratification gave way to giving and helping.

The paradigm of, 'it is better to give than to receive', was sinking in and something started to happen, inwardly. It was happiness. It was peace. It was the removal of a great burden.

My perspective of the outside world changed from evil to hopeful. Hope that there was something to be said for this backward principle and that true happiness can be found in even the smallest act of kindness.

I don't know what you are in pursuit of at this moment in your life but is it bringing you peace, satisfaction, and happiness? If it is, the result may be in direct relation to something selfless you are doing. If it isn't, maybe it's time to try something different.

A January 23, 2014 article in the Huffington Post outlined the benefits of being selfless through volunteer work. Part of the article reads:

United Health Group commissioned a national survey of 3,351 adults and found that the overwhelming majority of participants reported feeling mentally and physically healthier after a volunteer experience.

• 76 percent of people who volunteered in the last twelve months said that volunteering has made them feel healthier
• 94 percent of people who volunteered in the last twelve months said that volunteering improved their mood
• 78 percent of them said that volunteering lowered their stress levels
• 96 percent reported that volunteering enriched their sense of purpose in life
• 80 percent of them feel like they have control over their health
• About a quarter of them reported that their volunteer work has helped them manage a chronic illness by keeping them active and taking their minds off of their own problems
• Volunteers have better personal scores than non-volunteers on nine well-established measures of emotional wellbeing including personal independence, capacity for rich interpersonal relationships and overall satisfaction with life.
• Volunteering also improved their mood and self-esteem

There is something to be said for putting yourself aside to help someone else. Could it be that taking oneself off our minds could be the key to happiness that so many of us spend time and money trying to find? The article above might be on to something.

For me, putting my own selfish ambitions aside to give a helping hand or speak an encouraging word to someone who is hurting has been the best 'chocolate cake' recipe for happiness I have ever come across. It might just be a worthwhile recipe in your own life.

Encouragement for the week:

Is satisfaction becoming harder to find in your life? Does happiness seem to be getting further out of reach?

May I encourage you to take a step back this week and try something different? Reach out to a person or organization in your community that is in need of help.

Whether it's baking cookies for a neighbor or packing hampers at a food bank, experiment with the principle of selflessness and see what happens. I want to hear from you about what happened when you did that.

If you are a Christian, you know the warmth and joy that comes from serving others. It not only benefits your heart but it touches the heart of someone in need.

If you are not a Christian and you are struggling with trying to find meaning and happiness in your life, look for Jesus and you will find Him and all the happiness and peace you could ever want.

I'll Take It To My Grave

Through the years, people have confided in me. They have divulged personal things. Heartbreaking, guilt-ridden, regret-filled things from the depths of their hearts and cores of their souls.

There are times when I look back on those conversations and wonder how the person got to the place of revealing such a deep and painful event in their lives. Did the weight of the burden become too heavy that they needed to share it? Why would they choose to share it with me?

Whether internal or told by the revealing friend, the reason they shared that haunting piece of their life is because they trusted me with the information. They knew that what was said would never go beyond the walls of the room shared in. That I would hold it in my heart and take it to my grave.

That is still the case today and there is no amount of bribery or cajoling that would cause me to spill the beans...to gossip. There is something about the sacred space of the heart that demands loving care and an understanding posture.

We want to feel safe sharing intimate things that hold us captive. We need to confide in someone who will hold on to that secret, releasing the teller from their hellish prison. We long to be forgiven even though we'll never forget.

That's what comes in the package of a special friend. A confidant who has proven themselves trustworthy and upright in character and integrity. I endeavor to be such a person and look for those same qualities in a close friend.

I have to admit, however, that there are some things that have happened in my life of which no one will become privy. Things that only God knows. He is my ultimate safe place. Someone I can divulge anything and everything to without any worry of judgment or finger wagging in rebuttal. Even when I'm assaulting myself with judgment.

Like God, I choose to pass no judgment or wield condemnation on someone who sees me as their refuge to share. I am in no position to judge or condemn. There need only be compassion and empathy when holding things in confidence.

There is a story in the Bible about a girl. A very special girl by the name of Mary. One day, Mary was told by an angel that she was chosen to have a baby boy, but not just any boy. She would give birth to Jesus.

She was incredibly confused. She was a young virgin who, in spite of being engaged to a guy named Joseph, had never slept with him and without intention to until they were married.

Though Mary kept the secret hidden in her heart, there was no doubt that she had trepidation about the revelation. Her culture would never allow a young, unmarried girl to be pregnant. There would be incredible judgment and shaming.

However, she didn't confide in anyone about her situation. She kept the unbelievable details to herself and she was blessed because of it. She was seen as someone who could be trusted to keep the craziness of the circumstances to herself.

Encouragement for the week:

Life can be brutally tough without much sympathy from the masses. Finding someone to trust can be a challenge.

If you have someone in your life who you know you can trust and confide in, thank them.

If you don't have someone like that in your life, how about becoming that person to someone else? It's a blessing.

If you are a Christian, you know the importance of being a person of integrity and trustworthiness. Never take that position lightly or for granted. God has entrusted you with these gifts.

If you are not a Christian, look for Jesus and you will find Him along with all the wonderful attributes He desires you have to become a person who can be trusted.

Groundhog Day

"Water will gush forth in the wilderness..." - Isaiah 35:6

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

Normally, I have no idea what to write about until publishing day, Monday. Once in a while, though, inspiration will come early as a result of a pivotal revelation in the week prior. Last Thursday was such an example when, all of a sudden, two words popped into my head, Groundhog Day. In fact, I felt it was the exact title I was supposed to use when the movie was mentioned in a sermon message, completely at random.

Most of us are familiar with the movie Groundhog Day and have seen it at some point. A movie reviewer describes the theme of the movie as follows: "Phil (Bill Murray), a weatherman, is out to cover the annual emergence of the groundhog from its hole. He gets caught in a blizzard that he didn't predict and finds himself trapped in a time warp. He is doomed to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right."

At best, Phil is crass, unlikeable, and down right miserable. He tries to win the heart of Andie MacDowell's character, Rita, to no avail but, fear not, Phil gets another chance and another and another. He keeps reliving the same day, Groundhog Day, over and over again while not understanding why things are happening the way they are. He just wants to finish covering the story, get the girl and call it a day.

As he catches on to the daunting repetition, Phil begins to, slowly, make the correlation between his negative behaviour and the lack of success in impressing the girl who has caught his eye but won't give him the time of day. Phil has a light-bulb moment, realizing that it's not 'Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania' that needs an adjustment, it's him. 

In the midst of Phil's immoral behaviour and failed suicide attempts, he has an inner revelation causing a re-examination of his life and priorities. It was a re-alignment of his attitude that brought the real change. I don't know about you, but I can really relate to this fictional storyline.

For many years, I battled with monotony. It felt like the same day was being lived over and over again without any tangible difference. I was bored, frustrated, negative, and filled with an attitude that my circumstances needed to change quickly. When I came into a relationship with God, however, it was several more years before realizing that it wasn't my situation that had to change, it was me who had to change.

It was hard to swallow the concept that anything internal had to adjust in order to see things differently but no matter how hard I fought against this truth, it was still the truth. Things would not change unless my attitude changed. It wasn't easy but, over time, I started to take small steps in appreciating the very things that were once seen as boring and monotonous.

Breakfast became an event in multi-tasking. Long walks, a celebration of sights, smells, and sounds while appreciating the peacefulness of a country road. You can't walk in the middle of a city road like you can in the country! I began to adjust my attitude toward the surroundings I once found, blandly, repetitive. Today, I make every effort to enjoy everyday life and refuse to allow monotony to be the assassin of my creativity. 

It's amazing what a person can transform into when they decide to make an attitude change. Life is just better when you decide to do life differently in your head. Colours are more vibrant, sweet smells are sweeter, and a priceless contentment is experienced as you sit on the front porch, with eyes closed, listening to the birds. In that place, there is no wanting or needing for anything except more of that monotony because of the change of mind.

Encouragement for the week:

Have you experienced your own Groundhog Day? How long did it take before you knew it was you who needed to change things for the better?

For someone who likes things to change quickly, it was years before I slowed my mind down enough to see that change comes only when I am quiet and content in the everyday things.

I want to encourage you this week to change your outlook on one thing in your life. To see every positive thing you can in that one piece and celebrate those positives. It will be hard at first but with continued effort and determination to remain in the positive, you will be transformed.

If you are a Christian, you know how difficult it is to be content in those things that never seem to change. Be assured that God's promises to you are real and true and that change is coming if you decide to change.

If you are not a Christian, look for Jesus and you will find Him and all the wonderful changes that come in having a relationship with Him and God.

Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore!

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." - Psalm 119:105

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

There are some weird things on the internet and social media these days. Some true, some false, and some frighteningly disturbing. With the increase of our 'immediate' world mindset and explosion of social media platforms, it seems like anything goes when it comes to sharing pieces of the world, our lives, and even ourselves.

Twitter, SnapChat, Facebook, and Instagram have lent to a plethora of high speed information, whether in the form of words or pictures. From the profane to the cute, you can set your eyes on every type of article having every type of photo that contains a gripping title to catch your skimming eyes. The goal to shock and sicken grows each passing day.

There used to be a time when the news we received was accurate and backed by more than one source. Each detail was fact checked until the publisher was confident and pleased with the article about to be released. Nowadays, it seems like a hint of a whisper of an incident is enough to make its way to the front page and the more appalling, the better. Scary.

Why is that? What happened to solid reporting that, while true in its form, still maintained some discretion in exposure of gory pictures or violent behaviours? Why do we do the things that we do when it comes to media and the world wide web?

Malcolm X, an African-American minister and human rights activist once said, about the media, "The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." That speaks volumes and should cause great alarm within our consciences.

Anthony Carmona, currently the fifth president of Trinidad and Tobago, had this to say about social media, "Social media websites are no longer performing an envisaged function of creating a positive communication link among friends, family and professionals. It is a veritable battleground, where insults fly from the human quiver, damaging lives, destroying self-esteem and a person's sense of self-worth." I think Anthony has hit the proverbial nail on the head.

What once was to be a platform to keep in touch with loved ones near and far, social media has now fallen into the cracks of a place for stalking, bullying, and showcasing. Social media has become one of the most powerful forms of advertisement for anything within and beyond the imagination. So, what makes us do the things we do on social media?

Is there any guilt or remorse for the things said and done once it's 'out there'? Is it too late to apologize for a scathing comment/opinion once it's posted? Why post anything at all? What is the point?

Of course, the answers to the above questions will vary according to the individual. Some people get extremely passionate about an article or a viewpoint they have heard or read and feel a need to respond, sometimes, without much thought. Some people will give great thought before sharing their opinions.

I'm quite careful about what I post or share on any social media platform. You just never know what is true and what isn't. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have wanted to share something but then quickly recant, realizing that what I'm about to share isn't necessarily in line with who I am or want to be. It's something that, in the emotion of the moment, I have gotten caught up in.

In a way, the world has prevented many of us from being who we truly are because of a greater concern about who everyone else is. We start to do things we wouldn't normally do just to keep up with the masses when, in fact, we really don't want to be that way. It's peer pressure on a global scale that I don't think any person can be completely immune to.

There is a man in the Bible by the name of Paul. He had a difficult time doing the things he was supposed to do even while accomplishing a lot for Jesus. In fact, he was hand picked to do that work even in light of having faults and mess ups. However, over time, he became wiser in the things he did and said in order to be the person he really wanted to be.

Whether famous or not, I think we can all appreciate the benefits of becoming a better person. To think more and speak less. To live more and 'share' less. Technology has become a wonderful tool in which to reach beyond every boundary and learn incredible things. May we be responsible in how we use this tool in our everyday lives.

We may not be living in simpler times, back in Kansas like Dorothy did before being swept away by the tornado, but I think we can each contribute to a greater good of safety and responsibility in our own corner of the social media world, letting peace and love rule.

Encouragement for the week:

The world around us is available at the touch of a button, streaming a non-stop whirlwind of information. Sometimes the quality of the information can be overwhelming, even depressing and we can get caught up in things we never intended to. Perhaps even becoming someone we really don't want to be.

Instead of being led, just be yourself. Be who you want to be, not what the world tries to force feed you to be. Yes, there will still be times that mistakes will be made. There is no perfection on this planet.

If you are a Christian, you know that it's only God and Jesus who are perfect and as you live out a relationship with them, it is the direction of the Holy Spirit that will help you to be who you want to be.

If you are not a Christian, look for Jesus and you will find Him and all the good things He sees in you to become who you want to be. In this relationship with Him, you will be able to better navigate this mine field called life.

The Title Fight

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves 

of the sea were hushed." - Psalm 107:29

**Photography by Melissa Talbot**

Fighters and boxers train for hours each day to build their best physique to face their opponents. They are pushed to the limits in every way and strive to become better than the last match. They dedicate their lives preparing for the next title fight where losing is not an option.

The commitment to their craft fuels the internal fire that keeps them training, improving, and fighting in a desire to be number one. Even in the face of losses and broken and bloodied bodies. Why put themselves through the abuse of training when defeat is a possibility? Why not give up while they're ahead?

Perhaps one of the greatest boxers of our time, Muhammed Ali, can speak to the, seemingly, ridiculous nature of this sport. Mr. Ali clawed his way to the top of an industry that has little to no mercy. With each victory, his determination increased, becoming a role model for many.

He coined several phrases, including, "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee...Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see." He had a charisma that was both captivating and admirable. He kept going when others, I'm sure, would have thrown in the towel. Why?

Maybe it's revealed in one of his lesser known quotes which said, "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" Incredible.

He knew the cost, suffering, and sacrifice boxing demanded, yet, he persevered, overcoming odds that gave him drive to carry on. In a way, I can relate to Mr. Ali's life in the past five days, when things were going wrong.

Day one began with no heat on one of the coldest days of the week. Day two brought sewer issues. Day three, troubles with another furnace. Day four, getting stuck in deep snow and resolving yet, a different furnace concern. Day five, a power outage.

To some, it may seem like I am cursed. To others, it's just a string of bad luck. I am neither a plumber nor heating expert and while each issue was and will be resolved, I was pushed to the limits in every conceivable way.

There was no previous experience to draw from for the bigger issues. I was completely ill-equipped...unqualified. Yet, strength and the determination to get through each challenge was what kept me going. Even though I felt like I was in a title fight getting royally cremed by my opponent.

While I did have a coach on the sidelines, talking me through the 'upper cuts' and 'right hooks' of each situation, it was still a match that I faced alone. One that brought alot of confusion and frustration. As a Christian, I began to doubt God's love for me. I felt abandoned. How could God allow all this stuff to happen in such a short period of time?

In reflecting, today, on what the past week had brought and all the internal buttons that had been pushed, I couldn't help but feel a bit like David taking on the Philistine giant, Goliath.

If you don't know the story from the Bible, David was a shepherd in charge of a flock. He spent years moving throughout the countryside minding the sheep, alone. While the responsibility may have seemed menial, the challenges were anything but.

He, single-handedly, killed both a lion and a bear in defense of his flock without ever having had formal training. However, he did have the strength and courage to carry out the tasks because of the intimate relationship he had forged with God during all those years of isolation.

What he didn't know was that the harrowing situations were preparing him for something greater - a title fight against a nine foot tall bully. David was completely ill-equipped for the fight, showing up with only a sling and five smooth stones as his weapon.

I'm sure he was scared and hesitant, but because of his close relationship with God, he was able to not only muster the brevity to face Goliath, but he defeated him with one stone to the forehead.

He triumphed because he trusted God, who had been with him all those years in the countryside and who was with him now, against the mighty Philistine. David knew that God would provide all that he needed to come, see, and conquer.

Through all the challenges of the past week, I had lost sight of who was getting me through each difficulty. I was allowing feelings to tell me that God had left me to sink instead of seeing it as it truly was...God with me in every single moment, helping me through.

So, while I may not understand why all these things happened, I know that God, in His Word (the Bible), promises never to leave me or turn His back on me. Maybe He'll let me know what it was all for. Maybe not. No matter what, I can honestly say that God is still good and there is a point and purpose to it all that is better than I know.

Encouragement for the week:

Ever feel like you're fighting a Goliath in your life? That you are unqualified for the challenges you're facing?

Let me assure you that it's because of the strong and determined person you are that the challenges come to test you. You may feel like you're showing up with only a sling and five smooth stones, but you are a champion about to win the title fight.

If you are a Christian, you understand the great blessing of having God on your side when facing life's challenges. Victory is on your side.

If you are not a Christian, look for God and you will find Him, the greatest trainer and coach you could ever have in your corner.