#saywhat When you say yes to God

I began the online Bible Study last week "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" and I have been praying for God to give me chances to say Yes to him.  Sometimes we say yes to simple requests and sometimes it is BIG things.   One of the things I have said yes to is spending more time with God, more time studying and praying and more time just trying to be the person I know God wants me to be.

I am always telling my kids to trust God and things will work out. I have even been telling myself that for years. It is no secret that in 2005 my world was turned upside down and my rock bottom left me no where to go except to realize that at my bottom was my Rock, Jesus Christ.  I know that sounds a bit cliche' but it is the truth.  But even with that said, the climb back out of the deep dark pit that was rock bottom has not been an easy one.  I have had many slips and falls, but I just keep getting right back up and continue the climb.  I am learning to say yes to God to different things, not because I am comfortable, but because I trust that he will make things right.  Romans 8:28 says that "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose".  I love God and want to walk in His will and work with a Godly purpose.

So many things in my life have led me to accept that God has orchestrated my steps.  As a nurse, I thought I might work in ICU or with Open Heart patients.  But when I graduated from nursing school a few years back, I knew there were two areas that I didn't want to work in...Pediatrics and Geriatrics. I have never been fond of sick kids and I am terrified of feeding the elderly.  I prayed and prayed for a job after all, I had been unemployed for almost 2 years and since graduating from LPN school, I really needed to start working. The funny thing is the only job I was offered was at a Pediatric Clinic...Yes you heard me right....my first SAY WHAT moment!  Surely God was joking.  I took the job and for 2 years and fell in love with those kids and was glad that I had an opportunity to work there.  The job was difficult, don't get me wrong.  I went home almost every day for the first year crying because I hated it. It was difficult working with some of my co-workers, the docs were difficult and some of the patients..well, let's just say, I began praying for God to change my heart.  The greatest new is that he did.  I miss them now that I am not there; the patients, the doctors and yes, the employees.  Some of them became great spiritual inspiration for me - all because I had a say what moment with God and I said YES!!

I now work at an Public Health Clinic that cares for HIV positive patients.  It was another one of those times that I felt God was calling me and I was a little unsure what that would entail.  I didn't really know much about HIV,  and it would be less nursing procedures and more case management type. I prayed about it for months when the final offer came in and again, SAY WHAT to God, but I accepted and said yes. Immediately, some people started pushing off the "stigma" about HIV/Aids one me because of where I said I worked.  Once again, I know God was totally in this job.  I pray for my patients everyday.  Some of them are there by no fault of their own, such as a tainted blood transfusion from earlier years, some because there spouse was not faithful, and others just by chance. I have been called to a job of integrity, confidentiality and no judgement.  I have been charged, BY GOD, to love these people unconditionally, regardless of their race, sexual orientation or their financial situation. I try to live everyday in their eyes as Jesus would with acceptance of them as children of God.  I don't preach, although I do show love as Christ would and they all have no doubt of my love of Christ.

This had been an emotionally and financially tough week for me.  Aside from the horrible rain we have endured this week, I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep late today.  I have been looking forward to it all week. Our church was going to help with Habitat for Humanity and a local church soup kitchen and I had wanted to go, but decided to stay home so I could sleep, after all, I earned it.  However, while reading my daily devotional this morning, the author quoted one of my favorite quotes by Jim Elliot, a missionary to Ecuador in the 1950s and was ultimately killed by some of the people of the primitive tribe he was witnessing to.  The statement  from his journal was "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."   Now to some of you that may mean nothing, but since I have been praying for opportunities to say Yes to God, this hit me hard, because I really had wanted to go on our church's local mission project this morning, but decided I would just stay in on this lazy wet Saturday morning...until I read this.  It reminded me that I needed to go, I  need to give of my personal time to share the love of Christ.  I went and I found out that most of the activities were outside.  It rained and poured and was chilly for an August morning, but I still believe that  God blessed me through the blessing I was allowed to be apart of by helping at the food bank/ soup kitchen.  We were able to feed the people of a community that needed it and sent everyone home with a bag of groceries.  There were plenty of smiles there today and I was so glad that I said YES TO GOD again.  My heart and soul overflows today and I am glad to be a part of the kingdom of Christ.

#palmsup #saywhat #yestogod