Time Heals

Time Heals All Wounds.

I can't count how many times I have spoken that phrase to people over the course of my life. The words rolled off my tongue with such ease when I was trying to help someone get over something or through a situation. 4 words that are so simple to say when the "time" and "healing" is for someone else.  I don't even think I knew what the words meant. It's just something I heard someone say and I adopted it for myself to spread around. 

"Don't worry, time heals all wounds"

That is until I was wounded, and someone said those 4 words to me.

*Hearing* the words, when you are suffering your own hurt, pain, brokenness, anguish or devastation is an entirely different ballgame. Who are you to tell me what time will do for me? Don't you know how deep these wounds are? 

My husband abandoned me.

My child died.

I lost my job.

I was molested. 

My wife cheated on me. 

My husband beat me. 

The bank foreclosed on my house. 

I have no food and no money.

You. Have. No. Idea. What. I'm. Going. Through. 

It's almost offensive to hear when you're in the midst of what feels like the end of all that you know. When your world has been turned upside down and inside out. When you struggle to find a reason to get out of bed. When all that you held dear slips away. I don't want to hear your empty phrase about time healing. 

But the truth of the matter is that time *does* heal. Except, it's not just the passage of time that heals, but what you DO with and during that time. 

If you sit in your living room in the dark for 2 years, a whole lot of time will have passed, but none of your wounds will be properly healed. You will sit and stew on your problems for 24 months. In fact, you'll create a few more physical and emotional wounds by doing it that way. 

So what are you doing in your "time"?

Are you seeking God for healing? 
 “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security" Jeremiah 33:6 

Are you praying for the ability to forgive those that hurt you? 

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:24-25

Are you reading your bible to find out what He has to say about healing?

Are you starting a blog or a journal to explore your feelings and to get them out of your system and onto paper or the internet? 

Are you listening to music that can uplift you and edify you during your times of sorrow?

Are you surrounding yourself with people who can speak life to you? Who can speak God's Word into your life?  

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

Are you in therapy or starting medication?

Are you finding ways to stay active and staying in a circle of friends?

What you DO in your "time" is what facilitates healing. 

It's not an easy journey to healing. Journeys never are. But relentless focus on being better, doing better, feeling better is what matters. Even on the days when you can't. Every action forward is a piece of healing and the passage of time. 

Yes time heals all wounds. But it takes time, persistence, faith, hope, love, friends and prayers. 

I pray you are on your road to healing. 

In love, 

Mona

 




 
 

Read The Will

When rich or famous people die, one of the first questions folks ask is about the will. Who did they leave their money and possessions to? How much money did they have? Did they leave someone out of the will? Who will take over their business or have guardianship of their children. This is recently played out when Michael Jackson died. There was so much hype over the reading of the will.

But these are important questions to ask, and not just of the rich and famous. My husband and I each have a will and, trust me, neither of us are either rich or famous! But the will is important because it tells our loved ones what our final wishes are. What we want to happen to our kids, our home, etc. We don't want those decisions left to other people. The will is our voice.

What is an heir? A person who inherits or has the rights of inheritance. If I was a millionaire and died, my two children would inherit that money and share it 50/50. It would be theirs and they would have the right to spend it as they decided. If they were minors, I would provide a guardian to watch over the money until they were older. But the money is theirs and the will proves it.

Did you know that right now, there is a will with your name in it? At this very moment, you are an heir or heiress. Not like Paris Hilton or Caroline Kennedy. But you have a great inheritance already in store!

When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior your name goes in the will. When you accept that His death was the ultimate sacrifice for your sins, you get a share in the inheritance. When you acknowledge that He rose again on the third day conquering death, you get the right to share the wealth.

How do you know you're in the will?

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:16-17

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29

But what is the inheritance?

LOVE: Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. John 14:21

FORGIVENESS: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

THE NAME: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:16

THE HOLY SPIRIT: If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17

PEACE: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

ETERNAL LIFE: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

THE KINGDOM: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

Oh but there is so much more. You should go and see for yourself.

Know your inheritance. Read the Bible. Read the Will.

In love,

Mona

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

~ Man In The Mirror, Michael Jackson

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Mirror (noun): a reflecting surface usually made of glass with a silvery back, used for viewing oneself.

Mirror (verb): to be or give a faithful representation, image or idea of.

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There are 3 types of mirrors in my bathroom. The first is a tabletop mirror that has two sides. One side shows my face in its actual size. The other side is magnified to about 2x the normal size. The third is a HUGE 6'x6' wall mirror. I hate that one. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first mirror is good for putting on lipstick or using it with the big mirror to check out the back of my hair. The magnified mirror is pretty bad. It shows every blemish, freckle and pore and my gray hair always looks much grayer on that side. I only use it when I put on mascara.

But that wall mirror....oh God. It shows everything. I'm shaking my head right now just thinking about that mirror. Every pound, every droop, every wrinkle, every thigh and all my behind. I HATE THAT MIRROR! I can't hide anything from myself in that mirror. It shows me just who I am.

I have often complained to God about other people's behavior. I have ranted and raved about this person's bad attitude, her smart mouth, his anger and resentment. I wondered why this one treated me so poorly and why that one talked about me. I wanted God to do something about them. Make them stop! And then one day God held a mirror to my face and showed me me. It wasn't a small hand-held mirror either. It was a 12'x12' double-wide-triple-long-super-deep-space-reflecting mirror. I couldn't hide a thing.

He says to me, "what about you? Are you loving the person with the bad attitude? Are you speaking life to the one with the smart mouth? Are you walking in forgiveness towards the one full of anger and resentment? Are you praying for the one who treats you poorly? Are you acting godly to the one who talks about you? Perhaps, it needs to begin with you..."

O.U.C.H.

And I was speechless. A rare occurence, for those of you who know me. "I, I, I, but, but, but..."

But nothing. It all begins with me. How can I expect to be forgiven unless I first forgive? How can I forget my own past, while I'm all the time reminding other's of theirs? How can I beg to be loved if I am so full of hate? How can I profess God's greatness on Sunday while acting like a devil Monday through Saturday?

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man" Proverbs 27:19

What would you see if you looked in the mirror? If you looked yourself deeply in eyes, what images would reflect back at you? What's in your heart?

It's a bold and scary thing to do, but ask God to show you to yourself. He will teach you so much about you. Some of it will be suprising, especially the good stuff that He'll show you.

Show me, me!

In love,

Mona

1-give, 2-give, 3-give...

Despite how sane you are, there exists these voices in your head. There is the voice of self, the voice of the enemy and the voice of the world. We'll call these the SEW voices. But there is also the voice of God, the voice we long to hear and the only one we should be listening to. But the SEW voices are sooooooo loud - almost deafening. But more on that later. First a quick play!

Me: God?
God: Hey there!
Me: Remember 6 years ago when I really messed up?
God: Uh, no.
Me: You know..."The Thing". Don't you remember?
God: Nope
Me: Well I do?
God: Let's see... I do recall you asking me to forgive you, so I did. Then, as promised, I promptly forgot all about it. Now it's time for you to do the same.
And...scene! *bowing*
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You know God is so amazing that He forgives us as soon as we ask and then He does something so amazing. He forgets!

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more Isaiah 43:25

But guess who doesn't forget? Remember the SEW voices? They don't forget and seek to remind you of your sin all the time. Here's Act II...

SEW: Psssst!
Me: What!
SEW: We know what you did!
Me: What did I do?
SEW: You remember...."the thing"! You're bad.
Me: Okay...and?
SEW: What you're going through right now, we bet it's because of "the thing" from the past.
Me: But God forgave me.
SEW: Hah! But you never forgave yourself. That's why we're still here!
Me: *sigh*

And...scene *bowing*
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Self-forgiveness is really tough. Not just tough...darn hard! We are so quick to be reminded of the mistakes we've made in the past. It's too easy to condemn ourselves for errors and not walk in the joy of God's forgiveness.

He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

We don't think we deserve it. But God is so merciful and loves us so much that He says He WILL NOT remember. YOU DO DESERVE IT!

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12

Act III

SEW: Psssst!Me:
SEW: Hey?
Me:
SEW: Hello???
Me:
SEW: She's not listening to us.
Me:
SEW: Are we talking to ourselves here?!?
Me: Thanks God!
God: You're welcome, my favorite child!

And...scene! *bowing*
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There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1

I know it can be a tough nut to crack, this self-forgiveness thing. Learn to say "SEW WHAT!" God says you are worthy. Believe Him!

In love,
Mona