Periodically...........

Well…….we had an unbelievable time away last weekend. After traveling and shopping on Friday we made our way to the arena where the conference was being held. We found our seats and settled in for an amazing evening of laughter, encouragement and fantastic music. I realized while I was sitting there Friday night that this was like spiritual oxygen to me. I must have come in the building blue. It was like flying with someone and the entire cabin loses pressure and the oxygen masks fall out of the ceiling. The attendants are very clear that if you are traveling with someone who cannot care for themselves that you put your own mask on and then put the panicking persons mask on. I, in this case have been the panicking person…..so Christine put my mask on Friday night (I was sitting next to her) and the life giving oxygen of worship and Word filled my lungs.

The next day was equally encouraging and when the day was over I think I even danced in the parking garage. FREEDOM!!!!!!!!! Yippee! We expressed this new found freedom as we each got into our Go Karts after dinner at Go Kart World or whatever it was called and roared around the track. Well……some of us roared. Kimberley and I found ourselves being aggressive with some teenage boys who thought that they could beat the old ladies. They did beat us. Drat!!! But I did tell those naughty boys that they were lucky that we were leaving because they would not be so lucky the next time. They laughed. The nerve.

Sunday was a restful day, a day of dreaming for At His Feet Ministries. We arrived home early evening. Then………Monday!

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t breathe? Someone ripped off my oxygen mask. Back to the real world with pressure and stress. One of the speakers talked about living lively in the valley, which Kimberley reminded me of last night as I was having a bit of a panic attack. “I do not feel lively, I feel deadly.” This morning in my quiet time I read that “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7
What was that? A puff of oxygen?
This brings up several thoughts. (Big Surprise.

One, I have tons of hair and He know them all? Does He know which ones are gray and why? Some of my gray hairs have names. Most of them have my name because I cause myself stress. But there are a few that have other people’s name on them. Maybe it is time for a name change for those hairs. Forgiveness!!!!!!!!!!

Two, I just went from blonde back to dark brunette which is my natural colour. I have been every colour under the sun and now I am back to the colour that God chose for me. He has been with me through every colour and hair style. My goodness we have been through thick and thin, good cut and bad cut, light and dark. He is still here. I am valuable to Him.

I will end with this funny story. After we arrived home from the weekend away I told my husband, who by the way has always been supportive of my frequent hair changes that I was going to go back to my original colour. I said, “Honey, I am sorry but I can no longer be your sexy blonde wife.” He sweetly looked into my eyes and said,” Honey, you are my sexy wife…..periodically. I think you know what he meant to say but actually this is probably truer. We had a good laugh and quite frankly we have used the word periodically quite a bit the last few days.

Periodically..... we all need someone to place the oxygen mask of God's Word on our face so that we can breath. I have certainly needed that at times as have you. It's what we are to be for each other. Keep our own mask on so that we can help others and if we find that circumstances have knocked off our mask and we are too hurting to put it back on make sure that you have surrounded yourself with others that can put the mask back on you. We are to support each other and spur each other on. If someone's mask is off and they are laying there gasping for air gently reach over and give them truth of God's Word and whisper in their ear, "You are valuable. You are not alone" Watch the colour come back into thier face and then walk on together.