Word Filled Wednesday

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Digging Deeper

Seen: to perceive with the eyes; look at.

Unseen: unobserved, unable to be seen; hidden

Eternal: without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing, perpetual; ceaseless; endless

 

Sometimes when I look at this verse I am so thankful that I can focus on the idea that this life is temporary. It often allows me to not stress as much if I can keep this focus. Lately it seems like it is one thing after another for us. With the cold in the house it really furthers all those little things. This weekend we tried to fix a car we have had for a while. I think it will finally work but it will take some money coming in to do so. I know that the Lord is working underneath all of what we see. He is finding a way to bring in extra money to Paul through side jobs or quilt sales for me in order to provide the items we need to fix the car since we are down to one vehicle again.

On the bigger scale I think of death. We see it as our bodies leaving this earth. We have much pain typically with those around us that leave the earth. We miss them, we grieve over them, in some cases we learn to celebrate their lives and the parts they shared with us or others. What we can’t see is the eternal. We try to grasp it but often it does not soothe our emotions here on earth. I was talking to my husband the other night about heaven and eternal life and he sees it in a very interesting way. That there is no time in heaven so he feels like those loved ones who have already departed this earth are there but that so are we, that we are all there together. Not in the time we have in this world but the time of heaven. It was a great way to look at it and I can see how he reasons that.

The Lord does not promise that our paths will be easy, that we will have no troubles. I am so grateful that he does promise us eternal life, the only requirement for us is accepting him as our personal savior.

Sharon K Nelson Unger

My mother was born on Sept 16 1957 she passed away Saturday July 17, 2010..just shy of her 53rd birthday..She leaves behind her mother, sister and brother, loving husband, 2 daughters, a son and 8 grandchildren.
If there was one thing I could say about her is that she was a woman of great faith. She like me strived to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She like me did not always rise to the task but she always kept moving forward. She tried very hard to Rejoice in the Lord no matter the obstacle ahead of her.. Often times that obstacle was her health, but it also included us kids and the choices in life we were making.
She was born in Ogden, Utah. She had me at the age of 17 and boy was that a struggle since I came just a little too early. She said I always was trying to move to quickly through life..which is probably true. I would then be followed by my sister Tiffiny and my brother Lee. We all grew up in California in a little house that we loved and made our home. She tried nursing when I was little. Soon after she became a registered nurse she got ill and we nearly lost her. She would battle most of her life with an immune problem in her blood. She would do many things with us kids like girl scouts, help us in school, band, choir whatever our hearts desired.
She would walk away from her faith for a brief period of time. She returned fully to Christ at the end of my 6th grade year after attending a Christmas program and seeing that the church I was attending was not anywhere close to what she believed as a Christian.
We began attending a Lutheran Church ran by Pastor Timothy Dost and his wife Nannette. There she served on the board for Sunday School, became the church secretary and even helped with the daycare that they would eventually have. She continued to be very supportive of my scouting helping me to earn my Silver Award and then also helping me to become confirmed.
I admit life was not always easy in the teen years but she always reminded me of my faith. How important that was no matter what I was going through. She once again became ill, this time with blood clots in her legs, I am thankful to say that the Lord was not ready for her..
We would move on to another Lutheran church and once again she participated in any aspect that she could. She would see us all off from High School and into the world over the next few years.
Her duty as wife would become difficult just after the birth of my first child when she had to surrender her whole being to my dad's side as he fought his battle with Leukemia. It was a tough fight but the Lord once again was not ready for either of them and he would go into remission.
They moved from their home to the mountains in Running Springs, California.This was a wonderful thing as a few years later while working in a secretary position for the county in the sheriffs department she would wake up one morning and fall down the stairs in their home. She injured her back. When going to the doctor they would find that she had disk degenerative disease as well as rheumatoid arthritis..later that would turn into many things such as fibromyalgia and diabetes. She battled her illnesses and continued to persevere even though most days she was in constant pain and discomfort. Her faith was something she continued to hold on to.
I know she continued to pray for healing over her body as did many of us for her. She would help me through the death of my mother in law Joyce. I had cared for her fully and was there in the final hours and that duty was more than my body could take emotionally, spiritually and physically. I would find myself returning home and leaving my marriage and family. I am thankful for her constant patience with me as I read the bible from cover to cover, prayed and healed. We took a vacation to Santa Barbara so that it would help me heal. I would find myself back to who I was and recharged so that come a few months later I was able to return to my job as wife and mother to my family. I will be ever grateful to both of my parents for this. My dad for allowing me to talk through my emotions and my mom for her constant support with the word of God..I know how much she prayed for me during this time, as I did for her the last couple of years.
I am blessed to have had a good example of a strong christian woman. She fought depression with a mighty blade. She enjoyed music and writing poetry. She came to be very secluded to her home and last summer I introduced her to facebook. This allowed for her to connect with the world she could no longer go out into. It allowed for her to get support from other fellow Christian's that were also online. She enjoyed playing many games on the site and we were able to connect nearly every day. The last year of my moms life was a tough one. She was tired of being sick and emotionally and physically drained. She gave of herself to others always trying to encourage them in their times of needs. Most of all she prayed for all.
I am grateful to the Lord for our last week together. I was moved to make a beautiful bag for her that she never got to hold. In talking with my dad I have come to know how special that was for her, she showed him the pictures I posted in aw of beautiful work. I know those are images she was able to have in her final hours.
We were not able to be together in her last hours since I live so far away but I am thankful for cell phones. She was strong enough just a few days prior to passing to have an hour conversation with me. We talked about so many things and both got closure on a great deal. I was praying that if the Lord felt it was her time that she go quickly. I know that she was ready. Ready to be rid of this body that held her in the merk and mire of life. She was ready to be with her Lord and Savior, to enjoy the health and beauty of his kingdom.
I praise the lord for the strength he fully gave me to be able to let her go over the phone. I know that she needed that release. I am thankful for her example of that with the death of my mother in law because I may not have realized the importance of that step otherwise. She will be deeply missed but I am ever so grateful to the Lord for taking her early since it was not his decision to fully heal her on this earth. I hope from this moment forth I can continue to be the Proverbs 31 woman that she helped me to become. That I can continue with my quilting business and know how proud of me that she was in her final days. She was a constant support this past year as I went in with all my might into my business so that I could stay home with my children and do the Lord's Will. I thank the Lord for the gifts and talents he has given me as I finish creating a masterpiece that my mom will be proud to be buried with.
May she forever rest in Peace..and Rejoice in His Holy Name..
Amen

My Grandpa Kale

I tried to upload photos tonight, but I only have them in PDF format and Blogger doesn't accept that so....here is all I can do- write Life can be unexpected even when we know a possibility exists. I was at the school tonight for Movie Night, preparing everything for the guests to arrive when my cell phone rings. I immediately said, "those kids better not already be fighting." That was my thought. Then I looked at the phone it had my dad in Utah's name on it, my stomach dropped. You know when you know you need to take a call but you feel like if you don't then you can avoid what will happen. Well that is how I felt. He said hello then started pretty quick in that Grandpa Kale was slipping away, he was resting quietly and that he could put me on speakerphone if I would like to say anything before he died. I was not given the opportunity with two other grandfathers that have passed in the last couple of years, but even with the opportunity in hand all I could say was that I knew he knew he loved me, and I loved him. I could not do it. Maybe I knew I didn't have to. Oddly enough I have not seen him since my other grandfather in Utah passed away in 2007. We had just moved into this house- had not finished yet when I got that call. Then last year I lost my grandfather in California, a huge shock as he was fine, went for a walk and fell and then my family got the call, who then called me. At first we talked about flight arrangements. I knew we didn't have the money for it. My dad immediately assured me if I wanted to go that he would take care of it. I declined because I felt guilty for having him pay for that. After thinking a couple of hours I decided that I really did want to be there, and that is what family is for, to help in time of need. I also thought of what he was going through to, and how I would like to be there for him and his loss. What made me think even more is the only time I see family lately is at funerals. How is it that life comes to that. It made me appreciate that I still have my kids at home, I still get to love on them and spend time with them. I thought I would feel great loss, yet I feel great comfort. It makes me so thankful to know that I just started my new Blog this week. I think of all the verses I have read, the verses I have Blogged about, I had no idea God was preparing me for today all week long. The tears do come, the pain is there, it is natural and I know that. Yet I could not help but think of scripture after scripture in my mind. How wonderful to have that. To know that Kale is with God, that he is no longer in pain. He was so ready to go last time I saw him. He felt he had lived a good life. He felt that he had the best woman on earth that he fell in love with and got to spend his whole life with. He was thankful to have such good kids, grand kids and great grand kids. He felt that his life could not be any better. He had no regrets. I would say that the only thing left was to see our Heavenly Father and start his life there. He of course did not want to leave his beloved June, the woman that is everything in his world. Their love just astounds me. I have never ever seen love like theirs, never. They are like dove, there is no doubt in my mind. I would have loved to have seen them just both go in their sleep together, so that they did not have to spend any time apart. IF that makes any sense at all. Anyway I wanted to pay tribute to my grandfather tonight, wanted to share my story and hope that you remember to tell the person you love that you love them, how much they mean to you, all that jazz. You never know what tomorrow brings. Also that you should live life to your fullest, so that you like my Grandpa Kale, have no regrets. This is my Favorite Verse of all verses- one not often told Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. My husbands favorite verse
Psalm 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25).
Psalm 23:1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die,. . .
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.