Listening to the still, small voice

I have been having some (not so fun) issues with my left leg in the last few weeks.  My doctor(s) attributed it to my MS and put me on a steroid dose pack.  While that reduced the swelling on the MRI, it did not resolve the problem.  What is the problem? Muscle atrophy.

Atrophy (according to Wikipedia) is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body (in this case my left leg).

God has a whole post about atrophy in His body (the church) swirling around in my brain.  But, that will come at another time.

This post is about how God speaks to us.  He didn’t just speak to people in Bible times and then stop.  His Holy Spirit lives in us and guides us- if we listen.

Yesterday, returning from the doctor I was not in a happy place.  Trying to digest the fact that my muscle is atrophy-ing (no idea if that is a word) and they don’t know why and they don’t know how to stop it was overwhelming.  Making the appointments for all the tests they want to do to figure out the cause of the problem was overwhelming.  Trying to figure out how to discuss all this with my husband without him panicking was overwhelming.  Letting myself think of how unfair it is to have MS, Lupus and now- something else causing this issue- was overwhelming.

I had brought my Bible along for the ride (cause I can’t drive right now) but couldn’t bring myself to open it.  I did, however, turn on the radio and one of my favorite songs that we sing at church came on.  The song is “I will Rise” by Chris Tomlin.  There are many words that instantly touched my heart but here is the line that grabbed my soul:

There’s a peace I’ve come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There’s an anchor for my soul
I can say “It is well”

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

Overwhelmed?  How about the fact that Jesus overwhelmed the grave?  That is overwhelming, not my temporary, temporal circumstances.

Feeling still a tad angry, I said to God “help me”.  And three words came to my mind (and I know that I know that I know God put them there)

Check your medications.

Clear as day and something that none of my doctor’s had bothered to do.  As soon as I got home I googled muscle wasting and the names of my medications.  Second med I typed in had a big warning about this problem.  Not trusting myself, I called my pharmacy.  My pharmacist researched it, called me back and said “Call your doctor right now.  You need to have some blood work done”.

Yes, I have called my doctor and yes, they are on top of it.

But, isn’t God awesome?  And, what if I had continued in my overwhelming pity party and not reached out to Him?  Would I have heard that still, small voice?

Hearing God is a finer thing!

Sleep is a beautiful thing

For the last three weeks I have been planning an event (God gave me the idea, never mentioned the scope) that benefitted an organization very important to me- Young Lives.  Last night we held the event at our local mall, in conjunction with the National Mom’s Nite Out.  The culmination of hard work, excitement and a VERY successful event left me- in ONE word- exhausted!

The good kind of exhausted but exhausted none the less. 

And, the best thing about today, the finer thing, is that I slept until 11am.  My kids got themselves off to school and even snuck in and turned off my alarm so I didn’t wake up.  (one of the benefits of having adolescents and a hubby who gives them great ideas).

With chronic illness I can’t afford to stay exhausted. So today, I am so grateful for an understand family and a comfortable bed!

Jennifer Shaw- Christian Music Artist

I love music.

According to my grandmother and mom, I always have.  I would say “put the do-do on” at a very young age (calling music “do-do” because those who loved on me would dance around singing “do-do-do-do”, etc…it didn’t take much to make me happy )

I took flute, piano and voice lessons as a girl and today I sing on the worship team at my church.

Why are you telling us this Melissa?

For a few reasons:

1. to convey how much I love music
2. to convey how daggone adorable I was as a toddler
3. to convey my love for a new CD I just reviewed

Jennifer Shaw’s Love Broke Through CD is an eclectic mix of songs…some fun and upbeat and some that showcase her background as a dramatic singer on stage.  

Not only does Jennifer have a beautiful voice and touching lyrics, she has a story to tell too.

And y’all know I love any story of how God moves in someones life!

To read Jennifer’s story visit her about page.  To listen to some of her songs click here.

I hope you will find yourself connecting with the songs as I did.

Music is one of my very favorite things and Jennifer Shaw’s CD went right on my iPod!  And I am not the only one that thinks her music is awesome- her first single from the CD, “Your Great Name”, quickly rose to the top 3 of the CMW Worship Charts!

Here is an even finer thing- the lovely folks that sent me Jennifer’s CD to review want to give one to one of my lucky readers!

If you want a chance to have Jennifer’s CD sent to you simply leave me a comment letting me know a song that has recently spoken to your heart.  I would love to hear your stories!

Details/Disclosure:  This giveaway is open to all residents of the US and Canada.  Open from 3/13/10- Wednesday 3/17/10 at 10pm. Winner will be chosen via random.org from qualifying comments and announced Thursday 3/18/10.  I was provided with a copy of this CD for review.  All opinions expressed are mine and not influenced in any way by any third party.

Thankful Thursday- praise

Today’s theme for Thankful Thursday is praise. It is almost like Iris at Grace Alone knew what was on my mind. God is so good!
I am thankful for a patient God. I can’t even count how many times in one week, let alone a lifetime, that I mess up. And they are not new sins or new issues. No, I continue to do the things I know I shouldn’t, the things I have been convicted I need to change. Yet, God doesn’t lose interest in me. His heart doesn’t change, just my fickle mind and emotions. I am so thankful that we serve a God that is the same yesterday, today and forever. I need that stability in my life!
Romans 12 encourages us to live our lives as a living sacrafice. I think there is no greater act of praise than living every day, every moment for the glory of the One who never gives up on us, who always has His arms open to comfort, His Spirit ready to remind us of the right path and discipline us when we veer off course, who has the greater good in mind when deciding what trials and challenges we face, who promises to never leave us or forsake us. I give everlasting praise during the good times and the bad. I praise the Lord for every circumstance, every opportunity and every day I have on this earth and the promise of eternal life with Him when all this shall pass.
I am thankful for this awesome God we serve and that so many years ago He thought enough of me (and you, and you, and you…) to send His only son to a cave in Bethlehem.
Merry Christmas, folks!