My name is Julia and I overspend. 2023 is the year I allow the Lord to convict and change my heart about money. It will be very uncomfortable and challenging, but I have to get honest that I have a bad relationship with money. So, join my journey as we cut the credit debt.
The latest report shows the miracle of immediate CPR saved the life of Buffalo Bill Damar Hamlin. What a praise!! It feels like the USA became “one nation under God” as we all stopped and prayed for this athlete. ESPN prayed, Bengals prayed, Bills prayed, all NFL prayed-social media prayed!
So what a gift from God to answer this prayer and see he is getting better. We worship and praise God for this miracle!
But it leads to the next question that is no doubt on the heart of anyone that has faced a tragedy. Where was my miracle? Why did my friend not live or get healed?
Truth is no one knows. God is powerful and sovereign, but this side of earth we may never know why some things heal and some things die. My pastor lead a devo that put it beautifully. Watch it here:
https://fb.watch/hVzXUI0f7M/?mibextid=RUbZ1f
If you are asking these hard questions, you are not alone. Even mature Christians wrestle with this subject. We can pray for each other as God shows us his character and truth. I hope to be more in awe of Him as I get to know Him better each day.
The God of your disappointments is still your God. The hardest part is letting go of the pen so He can write the narrative.
I prefer to see the new year less as an event and more like an opportunity. It is after all just the next day to a new calendar year. I mean what if we did this much goal setting each week or month? How much more intentional could we be?
But I love reflecting and seeing the big picture in deciding what works and what does not and see it as an opportunity to get uncomfortable and do something about it.
Cheers to the unseen opportunities of 2023! May God be at the center of it all and may you find your worth, value and acceptance by being in awe of Him!
I just returned from a week in Mexico.
It was gorgeous, relaxing, adventurous, fun and much needed. I always plan it the week before I return to school as a last way to recharge, reflect and get ready.
The sun, blue water, time for self care is good for my soul. Seeing the Lord’s work in nature and taking the time to listen to what he is saying with new opportunities is a gift.
But this trip hit different because a year ago today my life changed when my marriage changed along with a stressful year in education (see other post about change and reforms in school). In this last year, the stress of all the changes restarted my body to get sick-very sick and it was obvious if you looked at me for the first time ever.
The butterfly rash, psoriasis, weight loss, eye inflammation, dental issues…all the symptoms came roaring back. The hardest was the weight that caused people to ask if I was okay and the hair just getting thinner and shorter without being cut.
It led to two new medications and finally tests and a biopsy.
Pictures do not lie! I usually pull it back, but this night I got feisty!
I often want to step out of the picture or refuse to take it, but I will not let pride and vanity win. This.is.me! This is my season of sickness. It is rough, but my reality. So I will show my confidence and continue to take the selfie or portrait. I an more than my appearance. I hope I inspire young girls that think they are fat or ugly to be confident and brave.
The hair will grow back or I will invest in wigs and hats. This is Lupus and the world needs to know…even Virgin River had a story on the disease!
So I start these meds today and wait patiently for a cure and hopefully an answered prayer with little to no side effects and some relief.
Pray with me!
We are not baby-sitters. Summers are not completely off. Anyone cannot be a teacher. It does require a college degree. Our job is not easy. It is not true “If you cannot do-then teach.”
I have heard this and more and it is just.plain.wrong. But finally, our voices are being heard as there is a MASSIVE teacher shortage across the entire USA.
For the first time in my career districts are negotiating and offering incentives for teachers. What we do is challenging and most do not do it for money, but so good for others to see our value and importance then recognize it with more decent wages. Teachers are priceless and I hope this brings the reform and change in mindset we deserve. This season will be hard, but with our voices we can bring about some change!
Teachers-do not let this time in history pass us by! God is doing something in this hardship and making a way. He has heard our prayers. We are some of the most graceful, patient, flexible, persevering people on the planet (this is why we make great teachers), but those traits have often get us run over with long, unpaid hours, little to no yearly raises, increased health insurance expenses (since we have the time to go to the doctor), ridiculous political mandates that have no benefit for the kids just brings about more paperwork. Sometimes I think we do not even take ourselves seriously in an effort to be humble. But when schools were shut down, we stepped up with innovation and new ideas-quickly. This is our time to be heard,show our value, model our professionalism and gifts/talents. We do this with our actions and being willing to have the hard conversations in love for the kids.
The pandemic knocked us down, but we got back up and are now stronger and for the first time seen. The world is watching! This is our time and we are ready!
Here are just a few of the things an auto immune disease will attack in an attempt to fight off invaders:
Hair-thinning, falling out, bald spots on scalp, dry and brittle
Eyes-itchy, burning, blurry vision, inflammation
Skin-dry, rashes especially on face, psoriasis
Mouth- ulcers (the worst) cavities due to being too dry or too much bacteria
Joints-aches, pains, stiffness, deformities, loss of grip, cannot move arms above head, hard to walk or bend at the knees, hard to dress
Blood-anemic, easy bruising
Reproductive-can cause infertility, dryness, overgrowth of bacteria
Organs-failure of vital ones, hard to breathe, chest pain, lung inflammation
Digestive-weight loss, foods hard to digest, IBS, watch what you eat-sensitivities
Brain-forgetfulness, depression, brain fog
This is a list of things I have endured in my 12 years with this disease.
Thankfully not all at the same time and thankfully meds can help alleviate much of this.
My hope is in Jesus. I am thankful I have a promise of eternity and faithfulness in a cure or in a plan or purpose for my pain. Prayer is powerful.
I do it every time.
Hear a diagnosis then Google it to death.
What I really struggle with is fear, control, the unknown and what-ifs.
God has the answer.
When will I learn to start with Him?
He knows, He cares, He loves.
The end.
Summer fun can be exhausting. Getting up early, going from lesson to playdate to camp…being in the car from 30 to 45 minutes at a time depending on traffic. Doing all I can to make memories and do all the fun stuff while school is out. Keeping cool in this heat…fun, but tiresome.
I was expressing this thought to my son’s tutor whom is a widow and all three of her boys are grown and out of the house. Her response surprised me.
She said the busyness traveling in the car is what she missed the most about raising kids. She explained the time she spent talking, laughing and going to all the places for the summer are the memories she holds dear to her heart. Being all together in the car is priceless.
It made me stop and think the thing that exhausts me is what she misses. I should learn from her and change my perspective and find joy in this phase of life. Appreciate the talking, the questions and the places we travel together. Value this moment in motherhood.
Don’t miss the memories we are making. God has given me this child for this moment and I refuse to miss this opportunity by not appreciating how blessed I am. So thankful this lady could unknowingly mentor me and change my perspective before it was too late.
If you want to know how much God loves his children, watch how Callen’s Paw Paw loves him. It is real, genuine and limitless. God loves you this much and more. It is indescribable!
Happy Father’s Day!
intunewithmyautoimmune 