Hello Mary, 
  We know that you are full of grace, but when you held Jesus after the cross, what was your heart (soul) filled with then?
  We know that the Lord is with you, but we pray the Hail Mary prayer 2000 years after you held his dead body.
  How did you feel then, and over the week before they killed your Son?
  Blessed are you, not just among women, but among us all but, did you feel blessed that awful day?
  If the fruit of your womb, Jesus, is blessed, why is he lying dead, on your lap?
  Holy Mary, as a mom of someone so special, God, in the form of Jesus, please remember to pray for us as we struggle with the storms of life and often find ourselves feeling under the weather...sin.
  We need your prayer and intercession now, and when we are in transition to eternal life - with you and your Son. Amen

Does the son/sun shine on me – my soul? Do I reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

Or

Do I feel like I am living under a cloud? Of what? How does it affect me? Or do I think it doesn’t, and live in denial – while my soul shrivels from lack of sight/insight?

SHOCK – DENIAL

            Immediately after a storm, (natural or spiritual), we are often in a state of shock or denial. A “striking” example of that: Lightning struck a huge maple tree on golf course. All its bark was on the ground, but it didn’t know it was dead yet. Its leaves were still on the branches.

In my soul/heart, all will still appear to be the same at first – shock. (Scripture is filled with amazing descriptions of Nature & weather phenomena, to help us understand and cope with life’s challenges).

Most of us are old enough to have been through many emotional storms. The residual damage could be causing me to become: bitter, short-tempered, depressed, shy, restless, impatient, unkind, selfish, undependable, aggressive, or compulsive. (opposite of Holy Spirit fruit, Gal. 5:22,23)

Or

We can realize that “storms” can bring improvement in our lives: “Everything you learn at my age—in my seventies now—is by failure, humiliation, and suffering; things falling apart. Dissolution is the only thing that allows the soul to go to a deeper place.” Richard Rohr

FEAR OF “what next?”

You probably will be in the path of Nature’s fury someday. There may be a warning – maybe not.

A common response to a hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or flood is: “What next? How can I handle any more onslaughts?”

The same with emotional or physical trauma. “Will life ever be the same?” “How can I recover?” “What will ‘they’ think?”

And, even though you have “weathered” betrayal, loss, abuse, bullying, deception, misunderstandings, and rejection, another crisis may lie ahead – with or without a warning or time to prepare.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Over recent years our planet has been experiencing some of Natures fiercest attacks. Are we ready for the next surprise? How many days warning do we need to prepare? Sometimes Nature gives no warning. What can we do to protect ourselves and belongings from the predicted storm?

We can live in denial or be ready.

Our souls have been under attack also, but the source of the afflictions is different. 

We can’t see the HOLY SPIRIT, or the evil spirit(s), but what fruit is produced (or damage done) is evidence of the source of that fruit.

But, ALWAYS REMEMBER what Romans 8:28 says:

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God,

 who are called according to his purpose.”

As Richard Rohr said, good fruit can be the ultimate result of surviving difficult times; “weathering the storms”. What protection is offered for our souls? 

Ephesians 6:14-17

So, stand fast with your loins girded in truth,

clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, 

and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,

 to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God.

Happy Cows

One day, while riding home from a Women’s Aglow meeting with friends, we passed a dairy farm.

            It was a hot Florida day, and I noticed that most of the cows were obviously cooling off in a small lake, with the water up to their udders.

            I said, “Look at those happy cows!” 

            My friends started laughing. One said, “Nancy, how do you know those cows are happy?”

            Sometimes we don’t realize it, but the eyes of our emotions can affect (or filter, or influence) how we observe situations. When we are depressed we don’t often find humor around us.

After five months of sharing the Gospel around the world, and watching God transform the hearts and souls of thousands of people, I was still ‘high’. 

My recent experience affected everything I saw. So that day, from the highway, I saw happy cows.

            So often we judge others through the veil of what we are feeling. We can go through life seeing sad cows, angry cows, frustrated cows, passive cows, lustful cows, or happy cows.

            If you are seeing life only as the evening news sees it, ask Jesus to give you a “happy heart”.

Then fill your heart, and feed your soul, with God’s word.

Let the Scriptures replace whatever has stolen your joy.

                                                                         Jesus loves You!