She Left her Profession to Seek her Promise!

                 When the signs become evident, it's time to follow our hearts. This woman saw the signs
                 and followed the path, which lead to healing and miracles.

                 

The Shifting Seasons of Life

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This is the time of year that we see a shift in the weather. Depending on where you live, that could mean a cold, long and brutal winter with snow and ice, cooler with only an occasional dip in temperatures, or places many envy with warm climates and palm trees that appear mesmerizing as they flow in the wind.

Similar to the seasons of Mother Nature, we experience changes in our lives that collate with the drastic changes of the weather.  Some changes we welcome with open arms because they bring about joy and happiness. Other changes are difficult because they involve sadness, loss or unexpected shifts in our lives.

One can only imagine how joyful it would be if our seasons were always bountiful or we were always prepared for our life shifts.  The real truth is our lives never stay the same. Regardless of your age, financial position, occupation or social status, everything must change.

How do will deal with change? We prepare ourselves.  Like many cities and states who know they are about to experience a change in climates and conditions, they prepare for what is about to take place. There is a plan of action to deal with possibilities that may occur from adverse weather conditions.  Even with the best of disaster plans, people lose lives, homes, income and other meaningful possessions. Once the storm is over and the damage is assessed, cities, towns and communities began to pick up the pieces, rebuild and move on with their lives.

When we experience seasons of life, we can hold on to our faith and know that God does not change. Our faith is our security.  Even in our worst storms, God prevails over Mother Nature. When the winter storms become unbearable, know that the season will change, flowers will bloom and you will spring forward into your new season.

From the Wilderness to the Promise!

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If we envision the concept of being trapped in the wilderness, we may see images that are extremely barren, hot and dry. We become weary and delirious with unfavorable surroundings. There are a variety of circumstances preventing one from escaping, which include lack of communication, resources and no road map to lead us to what is promised, A Way Out!

In the movies, there always seem to be a rescue operation leading the person(s) to freedom from the wilderness. In our life situations, we have hope, desire, belief, prayer and our trust in God. These rescue resources are available to us twenty-four hours a day. This vision of hope and faith will lead us from the wilderness to the promise.

We all have wilderness experiences at some point in our lives. These detours can be self, friends, family, health, finances, careers and businesses or just “life” in general.  Depending on the circumstances, our wilderness experiences can be short term or sometimes even years before we move from situations that cause a crisis in our lives. The most important thing is the action we take that enables us to move through the maze successfully.

Moving to the promise requires that you

·         Recognize that you are in the wilderness.

·         Devise a plan of action (how you will get out).

·         Begin to move in the direction that will lead you to the promise of freedom from your situation. 

·         Enjoy your new freedom.

The reality is, you cannot move anywhere if you keep taking a standstill position.  Remember when you are in the maze of life; don’t keep the head (God) at the tail of the experience.

by Sheila L. Agnew McCoy

http://www.sheilaagnew.com

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On Purpose

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On a Southwest airline flight from San Diego last weekend, my husband and I missed the call for the group A seating, which I admit was my fault. He was a bit upset because in order to sit together for this four hour flight, we had seats in the rear of the plane as opposed to our exit row preference for leg comfort.

Before we could settle in our seats comfortably, the man in the window seat immediately started talking to my husband. They had a general conversation as I sat between them.  At first I was annoyed because I had bought a cheap gossip magazine to read, something I have not done in a years.  I did not want to be rude and pop it out while they were conversing. Possibly sensing my feelings, the man started including me in the conversation, asking my thoughts and opinions on their life topics which ranged from our trips out west to work, family and children. When the topic turned to his children, the man suddenly announced with conviction, “You can’t do it without Christ.” His entire facial expression and vocal tone changed. Sensing he was dealing with something very heavy, my husband began to minister to him.

The man kept repeating he could not say what his pain was, but he was experiencing something quite embarrassing. I took my focus off the magazine and candy bar I had in a bag on my lap (I also had not eaten a candy bar in months) as this conversation turned from general to very intense. Both my husband and I have a spirit of discernment and knew we needed to keep talking to the man because his heart was heavy. He began speaking of his divorce and how he felt he was a failure to his family and children even though he had a successful career as an engineer with a major corporation. As my husband continued to engage him in conversation, the flight attendant took our drink orders and his was a beer. Nothing usual about that, many people order alcohol beverages on flights, but this man would not let us go. He needed us on this flight. God needed us to sit next to him.

The man eventually revealed he had been an alcoholic for twenty-five years and decided to make a change in his life. He had researched and enrolled in a rehabilitation program and was going to tell his employer Monday morning that he was taking a month off work and why. He kept repeating he was scared, embarrassed and fearful and we continued to speak words of faith to him. Even more shocking, he disclosed while in San Diego, he had decided to commit suicide and even devised a plan how he was going to go atop one of the tall ships on the harbor, tie his legs at the ankle and jump off, hoping no one would ever find him. Fortunately, he thought about what that would do to his family and abandoned that plan. This man was crying for help!

My husband responded to his cry, as the spirit led him to pull the bible from his briefcase and turn to John chapter 5, also known as The Healing at the Pool.  He read the chapter out loud as the man listened intently. My husband focused on two points, Jesus asked the man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years, “Do You Want to be Whole (Well)?” and the man at the pool made excuses why he sat by the healing water for years and never got in.

This total stranger, a man we did not know and may never see again became a believer. He thanked us over and over and said it was purposed that we sat next to him. We talked the entire four-hour flight and he and my husband talked an additional twenty minutes in the airport. We pray like the man with the infirmity in the Bible parable that he “picks up his bed and walk.” Indeed, it was “On Purpose” we missed the A group seating. Although I ate the candy bar, I never read the gossip magazine. God had another plan.

The Wilderness Experience

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If we envision the concept of being trapped in the wilderness, we may see images that are extremely barren, hot and dry. We become weary and delirious with unfavorable surroundings. There are a variety of circumstances preventing one from escaping, which include lack of communication, resources and no roadmap to lead us to what is promised, A Way Out!

In the movies, there always seem to be a rescue operation leading the person(s) to freedom from the wilderness. In our life situations, we have hope, desire, belief, prayer and our trust in God. These rescue resources are available to us twenty-four hours a day. This vision of hope and faith will lead us from the wilderness to the promise.

We all have wilderness experiences at some point in our lives. These detours can be self, friends, family, health, finances, careers and businesses or just “life” in general.  Depending on the individual, our wilderness experiences can be short term or sometimes even years before we move from situations that cause a crisis in our lives. The most important thing is the action we take that enables us to move through the maze successfully.

Moving to the promise requires that you first recognize that you are in the wilderness. Second, devise a plan of action (how you will get out). Third, begin to move in the direction that will lead you to the promise of freedom from your situation.  The reality is, you cannot move anywhere if you keep taking a standstill position.  Remember when you are in the maze of life; don’t keep the head (God) at the tail of the experience.

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