RJD: Milestones and Prayers

Well, here it is again friends: Random Journal Day!  The day when several of us bloggers and journalists "bare all" and let you peek into our innermost thoughts and ramblings from the past...hopefully for your edification and/or laugh or cry for the day.  Our hostess with the mostest is "my friend Dawn over at "Enthusiastically Dawn".  When you are finished here, pop on over to her site and check out what all our friends have to say today.

So, here I am, with open journal and staring at Dawn's blog site for inspiration (and instructions, since she just moved her blog to this new address a very short time ago, and this is our first Random Journal Day linkup at the new site).   

As I was perusing through my old journals, looking for something appropriate to share with you, I came across this clipping, which I believe my mother sent to me since we had a 14-year-old boy at the time. (1991).  I find this intriguing today, because I now have a 14-year-old grandson, who will be coming for a visit in just about a week!  I read through this, looking for pearls of wisdom to share with him when he comes, and although this is all good stuff, I'm not sure how he will relate to it.  But I found something that I thought was pertinent and interesting enough to share here today.  I don't know who Bruce Barton was, and I notice that the copyright of this particular column is 1954, so I doubt that he is still around, judging by the looks of his picture, but I like what he said in the last column, last paragraph:

After he stated in the previous paragraph that he tends "to be a little old-fashioned in respect to education,"  he went on to say:  "And especially I favor concentration on the effective use of English.  For it, as my gifted friend has emphasized, is the tool by which we make our friends, conduct our business and influence the minds of others.  Good talkers and good writers have, through the ages, sat in the seats of the mighty."

Well, I certainly would love to share that with my very astute grandson when he comes. He is already a gifted talker...started talking around age one and hasn't stopped yet...and very eloquently, I might add. And if he could master the art of the "effective use of English", both in the spoken and written word, I do expect he would have opportunities to sit "in the seats of the mighty."

Now, back to my journal from March 23, 1991, at 10:26 p.m., where I found this clipping enclosed.  I was apparently very concerned about our own 14 year old son at the time.  He was having difficulties in school both academically and emotionally.  After listing some of the difficulties that I won't share here I went on to say,

"Well, Lord, we commit ____ into your hands.  He desires to be baptized next Sunday on Easter.  We pray this step will be a milestone in his life that will bring confidence and encouragement to him."  

I had previously written that our whole family seemed to be struggling "under a load of stress and anxiety that can't really be described." I said, "I keep trying to understand it myself, but it's more of an invisible thing that keeps us down.  Tiredness, depression, illness, anxiety, all keep batting away at our family.  We pray the Lord will rebuke Satan and place a tall hedge around us that will protect us from these onslaughts."  I wrote,

"GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER THEE"!

Yes, our 14 yr. old son DID get baptized that Easter Sunday, which was a time of rejoicing for us. And then

my next entries about a month later told the story of our 18-yr-old son being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and having to have major surgery. Our family was definitely going through a lot of testing at that time. But I am here to say today that God was there with us every day... He did guide us and protect us, even in the midst of the sorrows, trials, and difficulties. It was a time of growing and strengthening, and learning to trust in God completely.  There were amazing miracles that happened through all of that...which I will share with you at another time.

By the way, our 14 year old grandson, who is coming to visit next week (with his parents),  is the son of our son who had the brain tumor...and even though that son is going through another physical trial at this present time (cancer), God is still with us...and He is still able to deliver us!

Daniel 3:17 says:  "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from your Majesty's hand."

It is good to look back at our journals from the past and remember where we were and what we were going through at the time...and then to review those days through the eyes of present knowledge and KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that the GOD WE SERVE NOT ONLY IS ABLE TO DELIVER US, BUT HE HAS ALREADY DELIVERED US FROM MANY "FIERY FURNACES" IN THIS LIFE...AND HE DOES NOT CHANGE. HE IS STILL ABLE TO DELIVER YOU FROM WHATEVER TRIAL COMES YOUR WAY AS WELL.  SO DON'T EVER LOSE HEART!