
ISAIAH 41:10 ESV “fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The Winter Olympics are officially underway. As usual strength is the common denominator for all the athletes. Will they be able to stand up to the competition? Will they fall victim to fatigue, mental anxiety, fear? Or will they triumph over their fellow athletes and excel by winning a coveted piece of metal?
As we go through life our strength is being tested by the minute. How much more of this COVID virus can we endure? How will we face the illness if we get it? How can we withstand the isolation and see hope in an unknown future? Will we ever pass the tests placed before us? Can we overcome the fear and anger that daily fills our world? Can we overcome grief when it comes? How can we make it through another day without fearing death?
Those questions are real and raw. They touch each one of us at some time or another. They cause us to lose hope and put fear into our hearts. So where is our hope? Where can we go to find comfort and strength to carry on? In the Bible verse above, God clearly tells us that He isn’t going to give us more than we can bear. He will give us the strength to withstand anything, because He is God. He is omnipotent and He has already determined our destiny.
You are strong, because God is.
He is your power source.
He will never lead you into a situation that you can’t handle.
Even your death isn’t the end of life.
Trust in Him. Put your faith and hope in Him.
He created you to be unique and different than anyone else on this planet.
He knows the path you will take.
He loves you unconditionally and with Him you are more than a winner.
His plans are always for your good.
He will provide answers when you need them.
He is your God, your Brother, your Redeemer, your Friend!
Amen! Thank you for this wonderful encouragement.
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Thanks for your encouraging comment❤️
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Reblogged this on A Blog About Healing From PTSD and commented:
This post by Kathy Boecher is exactly what I needed to read right now. My husband had surgery a few days ago, on his 73rd birthday. The surgery was only supposed to take about an hour and a half, but it lasted over 3 hours. Oh how I prayed and prayed and prayed, as I feared the worst.
My husband is home now, and taking care of him is a full time job. But I thank God that he is getting stronger every day, and his terrible pain is finally beginning to ease up.
Yesterday I saw in the news that the rock star Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74. Suddenly, I can’t stop thinking about a time in my life, more than twenty years ago, when I lived in Pennsylvania. I became close friends with Virginia Edmonds, an elderly woman who was, at that time, Meat Loaf’s mother-in-law. She was recently widowed when I met her. We belonged to the same Lancaster club and became close friends during that time, in part because she said my wild hair reminded her of her granddaughter, the singer Pearl Aday.
Oh, the memories! I miss my precious friend, Virginia Edmonds, Leslie Aday’s mother, and Pearl and Amanda Aday’s proud grandmother. Virginia passed in 2016. And now, the son-in-law she affectionately referred to as ‘Meat’ has passed on, too.
I’ve been reminding myself lately that getting older isn’t for sissies. Like Kathy says so beautifully in this post, we need to be strong in the Lord!
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My husband has been hospitalized for the past week. We’re praying he’ll be able to come home tomorrow. It’s hard to not be able to visit him but we talk two or three times a day. We’ve experienced a lot of losses of celebrities already this year and friends too. God gives us the strength to deal with those losses. All we need do is lean on Him. Thanks for reblogging my post. Hugs🥸
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Hugs to you too, precious Kathy. I am praying right now for your husband and for you. ❤
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Oh, Kathy. How happy I am to “see” you! You’re a constant source of encouragement to me. God is indeed my strength! I love you! ❣️
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I love you too dear Karla. Are you back home?
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I’m home! It took me a couple of days to adjust. My brain and body a bit sore. I’m trying to get back into my routine and move forward! After all the medical “stuff” and Dad’s situation, weather, etc…I’m leaning on faith and taking steps forward again. I’m praying Paul is stronger and you’re healthy too! 🙏🏻💕
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Paul is still in the hospital. We were hoping he could come home today, but it seems doubtful. I do want him to come home we’ll so he doesn’t have to go back. It’s been very hard not to see him.
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I’m so sorry to hear this, Kathy. I will continue praying! I can imagine how much you miss him and he you! 😢💕🙏🏻
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We will definitely appreciate each other when we can speak face to face again. Still God is good❤️
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Amen! This is why you’re an inspiration! ❤️
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