TheWritePath

   As I sat there, I was reminded of the times I got upset with the other members of my family for not doing their part. I could remember stomping off when my husband would take the credit for the work I had done. After all, his biggest contribution was walking behind the tiller. Conveniently, I had forgotten how lovingly he had taken pains not to leave footprints in the soil, and how he had always kept it looking like the plants were growing out of a rich brown carpet. And there were the boys. Every time I asked them for help, they would deliberately do it wrong so I would have to do it myself. But I had also forgotten the hours they had sat up with me just to keep me awake while the canning was being done, and the praises I had received when they ate the food I had prepared. I had spent my summer strutting around like the little red hen! I remembered all the times I had spent complaining to God, and anyone else who would listen, because they would not help me as I thought t...

        THE WORD OF GOD TELLS us there is a season and a time for every purpose, "a time to plant, and a time to pluck what  is planted" (Ecclesiastes 3:2, NKJV). Anyone who has ever planted a vegetable garden understands this simple statement, but do they understand the biblical principles of sowing and reaping? Like so many others, I thought I did until God taught me a lesson I'll never forget. Most often, this principle is applied to the area finance, but that is not all that can be sown in the kingdom of God.          It was early spring, and we were preparing to plant our garden. For weeks, I had been peering through the catalogs, selecting just the right seeds for our soil conditions. I had painstakingly laid out every bed, both flowers, and vegetables, and I could see it in my mind's eye. We had been working the soil for weeks until it became like soft powder. The day that I went to the greenhouse, I was there for hours caref...

      There is a final group of obituaries I would like to share with you. They are the ones that leave no doubt that the person loved the Lord.  From the beginning to the end, the name of the Lord is glorified. Some live inspiring lives, exceeding their dreams and aspirations. Others showed a love for the Lord by serving their families, church, and community. They are lives built on faith, showing others the living word of God they have placed in their heart. They leave behind a legacy based of Christian values, service to others, and prayer. This type of person touches lives with their generous spirit and the love of God that overflows in all they do. And now they shall receive their reward, a crown of life laid up for them in heaven.     The day has come, and now they can proudly stand before God and proclaim, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2Timothy 4:7, NKJV). What a joy it will be when they hear. "Well ...

    When an obituary gives the time of birth and death, survivors, and the time of service, but says nothing of their life, I feel a great emptiness inside. Was their life of no value? Could their loved ones not think of one thing to say about the life that is now gone forever? That life meant something if to no one else than God! When I see an obituary like this, the truth of the richness of a graveyard becomes very evident. I often wonder what their dreams were or if the trials of life were too great for them to attain. Did they become weary in doing good, stopping before they reached the finish line? My thoughts are consumed with so many questions that will forever go unanswered.     This type of obituary always brings to mind one of my favorite scriptures, Jeremiah 29:11. God is saying He has a plan, or He thinks about, us that will give us hope and a future. What sidetracked these individuals from the plans God had for them? Did it forever change their future, o...

         "TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV).                           A time to be born . . . . . . . Wanda, December 17, 1929                          A time to die . . . . . . . . . . . March 10, 2006                          A time to mourn . . . . . . . . She is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren, and seven                                                                  great-grandchildren; four brothers and two sisters.                   ...

    I wish I could tell you that all my insecurities were put to rest that night, but in all honesty, I can’t. However, I can reassure you, in dealing with the situation, I have found peace. I have spoken with my pastor regarding this matter, and with his support and encouragement, I have been able to let go and give it to the Lord. With the Lord’s guidance, I am learning not to allow my feelings to rule my judgement. He had assured me in His Word that as long as I keep my mind on Him, He would keep me in perfect peace. A year has come and gone since that night, and due to a lot of circumstances in my son’s life, with my blessings, he is now living with his biological father. God, in all His mercy, had given them a chance the chance to start over, and for that, I will always be grateful.    The Word tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). As I am writing this, I do not know how the story will e...

   It was a long time before the Lord could reach that quiet place in my heart that only He could touch, and then it was with a gentle rebuke. For weeks, I had been casting the blame at everyone’s feet except my own. I had gathered up my bundle of stones and was determined to throw them. That’s why it was so funny when the Lord led me to the passage where the Pharisees brought the women caught in the act of adultery before Jesus. So many times when we look at this scripture, all we see is the act itself; however, there are two powerful lessons to be learned from it we often overlook. The first is reinforced in Romans 3:23 (NKJV), “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Hod.” Abs the second was spoken by Jesus, “He who is without sun among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7, NKJV).  Remember what Jesus did as the Oharisees were presenting their case to Him? The Word tells us in verses 6 and 8 that He stooped down and began writing in the dirt;...

   It was my parents who had taken me to the hospital that day, and I remember the nurse telling me how nervous my dad was. Though he denied it, the evidence told otherwise; she told me he was reading a magazine upside down. I smiled as I remembered the joy I saw on his face when I told him he had a grandson. This was the man who had raised me after my father died, and though he was my stepfather, he was the only dad I had ever known and had filled the role of grandfather to my son for over thirty years. At the time I was writing this story, this was to be my dad’s last Christmas with, he was dying of cancer. How was I going to tell him his grandson was not coming to spend the holidays with our family?    A lot has happened over the past thirty years, and I don’t understand why the Lord chose to bring all this pain back into my life. Is this yet another step in the healing process I believed to be complete? It was easy to feel in my heart that I had given the Lord ev...

       THE WORD OF GOD TELLS us that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard against him. Tonight, it USA flood of memories that overwhelms me. I have spent most of the day fighting to hold back the tears, and now as I sat alone in the dark, I found myself engulfed in memories of over thirty years ago.     I was a young bride of six months, and for me, it was the first time in my life I thought I knew what love really was. Until then, I didn’t believe anything could make me happier than these past few months, but the doctor had just told me I was expecting my first child. I remembered the joy I felt as I shared the wonderful news with my husband and the new grandparents-to-be. Suddenly, just as it was then, the memories of a shattered dream filled my eyes with tears as the pain of betrayal flooded my thoughts. What was to be the happiest time of our lives became a nightmare. Several  weeks passed. Each day for me wa...

      As a child, I was a victim, as a young adult I was a survivor, but as a child of God, I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony [taken from Revelation 12:11].     Abuse does not always leave scars that can be seen when we look upon its victims, yet they are there nonetheless. For some, they leave outward scars that stand as a constant reminder of their past; that was the case for me. As I was growing up, the ugliness I felt inside caused me to dig at my skin, trying to get the ugliness off. As a result, I have scars covering my arms and legs. For years, they never let me forget my shame, holding me captive to the past. I would try to hide them, or when asked what happened, I would lie. That night, I learned it was the lying to others and myself that fed the secret. It wasn't until I was thirty-three that I remembered the sexual abuse that I had buried since I was five years old. I had never told anyone, not even my parents, wh...

    As I stared down at the impression in my hand, I understood it was not the rock I needed to let go of; it was the pain of my past. I had embedded the hurt so deep in my heart that I couldn't bear to hold on to it any longer. You see, when we hold on to the rocks of our past, we have a tendency to use them. Sometimes, we cast them at others who are getting too close as a warning to stay away. Other times, we use them as weapons to strike when we feel threatened. But most of the time, we use them to build a fortress around our hearts so no one can get in. These are the ones that become like a tomb, incasing the deadness of our heart from ever getting hurt again.      I realized that night that fear was the gripping force behind the hand that held the rock. As I sat there, God gave me a revelation as to why the fear had such a motivational force behind it. The secret of the abuse was berried as deep as the shame it caused. As long as it remained a secret, it ha...

        WE ALL HAVE THINGS IN our past we try to run from or bury deep within ourselves. Sometimes, the smallest will trigger a reaction that results in a domino effect of uncontrollable emotions. I was such a person.     As a survivor of abuse, there was always an element of fear that controlled my life. As a small child, it kept me bound from discovering who I was, and as a young adult, it kept me from giving or being able to receive love. Early in my Christian walk, I knew something was wrong. There was always that part of me that was afraid to reach out, even to God. Unable to sleep, I would wander around the house or sit in the porch swing staring into the night. Many times after my family had fallen to sleep, I would get up and study or read until the early morning hours. There was one night that stands out in my mind; I had been reading Psalms when God spoke so clearly to my heart.     There was a full moon out that night, and after re...

    Romans 14:23-13 (Amplified Bible) contains yet another reference to stumbling blocks, "Each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God. Then let us no more criticize and  blame and  pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and  endeavor never to put a stumbling block or  obstacle or  a hindrance in the way of a brother." This passage is in reference to Leviticus 19:14, which states we are not to place hindrances before the blind. Metaphorically, this refers to those who do not know or understand God's Word. This includes both those who are weaker Christians in their faith as well as those who are considered stronger but walk in pride. In the eyes of God, both are helpless and blind spiritually. In Jewish interruption, this passage is taken figuratively to mean we are not to give bad counsel to those who are spiritually blind. As their brother in the Lord, it would be wrong of us to cause them to s...