Encouragement

[Marathoner]

52 minutes ago, Alive said:

I am not a psych doc and I haven't played one on TV, but I have a notion or two about human behavior, as I is one.

When I teetered on the brink of casting everything aside and running like thunder to the most peaceful place I have found upon this earth --- the desert --- the Lord heard my cry, and so He sent me to a brother who happens to be a psychologist. 

This brother in the Lord who is a psychologist also happens to work for the Veterans Administration. Convenient? Yes. Coincidence? Of course not. This was entirely intentional. Our brother @Josheb reminds me so much of this counselor the Lord appointed to share my burdens, that I have to pinch myself sometimes. 

Yeah, they're not one and the same.  

The difference? My dear friend works in the VA system whereas our brother Josheb is a Christian psychologist by stock and trade. I have learned much through fellowship with this counselor approved of and appointed by the Lord; this is a calling in Christ Jesus and considering the proverbial desert of this city where He sent me, a blessing of His provision.

The Lord sent me to a brother who understands both the nature and substance of this depression I endure very well. He is faithful to reinforce that which God has placed upon me (I am to serve others)... so, how exactly am I to endure in serving others by running away to a place where my neighbors are rattlesnakes, coyotes, buzzards, and ravens?

Do rattlesnakes require my attention? Are the ravens anxiously awaiting my arrival? No?

Nope. I'm needed precisely where I am.   

Edited February 21, 2022 by Marathoner

[debrakay]

17 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Nope. I'm needed precisely where I am.   

As are each of us who love and follow Jesus with all of our hearts, all of our minds and all of our souls.  We willing serve Him from the least to the most.  

Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

[debrakay]

On 2/7/2022 at 12:32 PM, Starise said:

In nature they look for the weakest antelope who might have strayed from the herd. Staying with the herd is important.

I wanted to mention that after almost a year here on Worthy that I feel like I am part of this herd.  Hallelujah! 

[debrakay]

On 2/20/2022 at 5:02 AM, Ray12614 said:

I think that this is the best post I have ever seen on Worthy. Thank you for sharing this, and for all the replies that were equally good.

Frankly, I have grown weary coming to Worthy because of all the 'bantering back and forth' about various doctrines, and this post is like a breath of fresh air to the people who read it. This post has made me reconsider Worthy in an positive way.

I have only been on Worthy for a year.  At first I was apprehensive as forums just did not cut it for me in the past and I could not find the connections I was looking for.  Right off the bat I hurt someone with a sarcastic remark in one of the funny threads.  I felt awful as the remark was made in jest but this person did not know that.  Did you know a sarcastic tone does not show up in typed word?  LOL!  I learned the hard way.  Anyway, I sent a personal apology and my apology was accepted.  Since then I have learned to let the Spirit lead me and stop me on certain posts and add my two cents.  A couple of times I tried to join in controversial topics but soon realized I was way out of my league.  These people are students and teachers of theology and study every jot and and tittle of the Bible.  That is not a part of my calling.  I am a prayer warrior and encourager so I try to seek those threads.  

I hope you continue to stay on Worthy and find the places the Lord needs you to speak up and out in and that your heart be blessed.  Every joint supplies! 

[Marathoner]

On 2/20/2022 at 6:02 AM, Ray12614 said:

I think that this is the best post I have ever seen on Worthy. Thank you for sharing this, and for all the replies that were equally good.

Frankly, I have grown weary coming to Worthy because of all the 'bantering back and forth' about various doctrines, and this post is like a breath of fresh air to the people who read it. This post has made me reconsider Worthy in an positive way.

I agree. I read and observe more than I post, choosing to remain silent instead of responding out of what proves to be this flesh. I'd rather say nothing than post (or say) something in the heat of the moment. 

There are precious brothers and sisters here, and it's good to remember that we don't always have to agree about this or that. Love is what matters!

[Alive]

Be encouraged, brethren…by His stripes we are healed.

This time is fleeting…look away, to Him. What He has prepared for us is so wonderful and eternal. Dwell on this as you read these scriptures.

[Sower]

7 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Ah, but the Lord in His wisdom provided the most excellent of coping tools that makes enduring the cycle of involuntary agony bearable: constructive work which He approves of. I derive the greatest satisfaction from serving others in season and out of season, and so I put the "negative energy" of the depressive cycle to good use in this regard.

  Wisdom...

Work!
The best narcotic...

I feel if I didn't have work/job to do, to push me at my business to get the cabinets out on time, and cause me to use my noggin with all the math and detail work, I wouldn't know what to do. I have noticed when orders slow down a bit in the winter, and got most of the honey do list complete, and reread my old westerns for the third time, I begin to get anxious. It leaves me with too much time to think, to contemplate.

I work better under pressure. If work is caught up, and I feel those old blues creeping in, I go find a job to do I've been putting off, and get my head into it, and work/push the body. And there's always some work to be done at church.

I can't do as much as I did twenty years ago, so I just pace myself a bit.
I enjoy being sore and tired, flushing out the toxins, eat better, and sleep like a log.
Work is good for the soul.....however much we can do to work up a sweat.






 

 

[Marathoner]

5 hours ago, Sower said:

  Wisdom...

Work!
The best narcotic...

I feel if I didn't have work/job to do, to push me at my business to get the cabinets out on time, and cause me to use my noggin with all the math and detail work, I wouldn't know what to do. I have noticed when orders slow down a bit in the winter, and got most of the honey do list complete, and reread my old westerns for the third time, I begin to get anxious. It leaves me with too much time to think, to contemplate.

I work better under pressure. If work is caught up, and I feel those old blues creeping in, I go find a job to do I've been putting off, and get my head into it, and work/push the body. And there's always some work to be done at church.

I can't do as much as I did twenty years ago, so I just pace myself a bit.
I enjoy being sore and tired, flushing out the toxins, eat better, and sleep like a log.
Work is good for the soul.....however much we can do to work up a sweat.

Having grown up on military bases, housing regulations and the like made certain activities impossible. It wasn't until an elder took me under his wing that I learned my way around tools... powered and old-fashioned... and so my training began as a gofer. You know, gofer this and gofer that. 

He saw the value of power tools, but he also taught me how to use tools powered by sweat and elbow grease. We worked by the job so we would stick to it until the work was finished. We replaced windows, installed new doors, built decks, and remodeled a 125-year-old house. That was the most interesting job by far. 

When we weren't doing a job, we hit the woods for some lumberjacking. I learned how to operate a portable bandsaw mill way back when. Great fun. A brother had a Percheron gelding named Ned... Ned loved to haul logs at breakneck speed. That horse was something else!

He retired to devote himself to farming and keeping chickens, something I helped him out with while I moved on to a crew of brothers. I worked as a carpenter on the crew doing both residential and commercial work, putting what I learned from the elder to good use. I had a jig for just about everything I needed to cut which made churning it out a breeze.

I learned the value of hard work, a light lunch (a heavy lunch puts you to sleep  ), and fellowship. Working with my brothers is a blessing from God.  

[Ray12614]

14 hours ago, debrakay said:

I hope you continue to stay on Worthy and find the places the Lord needs you to speak up and out in and that your heart be blessed.  Every joint supplies! 

Thank you for the encouragement! This has been a very hard year for me complete with some major life changing events. Yet, I will choose to believe in faith for victory in all areas of my life including my family.

Grace and Peace . . . Ray . . . 

[Prycejosh1987]

Encouragement comes through inspiration.