God Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Patricia Cameron Writes

All Joy, No Stress

by Patricia Cameron | Sep 15, 2022 | God, Joy

I heard the words to a song one morning this week “All joy, no stress.” I didn’t even know the artist’s name, but those words clung to me like a dryer sheet on a dry-fit shirt. I couldn’t get the prior day’s mistake — or oversight — off my mind. I went to bed worried and woke up the same way.

My friends and I recorded a Facebook live video to tell people about my book’s progress. Not wanting to stuff myself in jeans, I put on my most comfortable skirt. We positioned the camera so people could only view our waist up. Or so we thought.

I didn’t even think about my skirt since it wasn’t in the camera screen. To my horror and dismay, my skirt — and top of my legs were clearly “on screen.” How could I have let that happen? In all my years of training, I should have known better.

Here I was, sharing what God had done in my life while showing way too much leg! My friends tried to encourage me, saying it wasn’t that bad and that no one would notice. (Thank God for friends!) But I wasn’t convinced.

The true test? My mom. Of course, she noticed. It still makes me shudder. I want to crawl in a hole.

Joy in all circumstances

So, the song lyrics seemed to mock me that morning. After all, my book focuses on having joy in all circumstances. I, however, was far from “All joy. No stress.”

That’s just like God, isn’t it? I had anxiety in droves. He sent me a song to release me from that worry.

I just had to grab hold of that joy, even when I wanted to stay in that hole and pretend the embarrassing moment didn’t happen.

What about you? Have you been there? Has God spoken to you through a song? A scripture? Or through a friend’s voice of reason?

We can find joy through any circumstance. Even when our own weakness, neglect or oversight is to blame.

I’ve got to tell you. I had a hard time keeping my anxiety from ruining my day. That would have been truly a waste. My stress served no purpose. I had to give it to the Lord.

All joy. No stress. Let’s try to live that way today. Let’s not waste the day by allowing our anxiety to get the better of us.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22

Trust and obey

by Patricia Cameron | Sep 1, 2022 | God, Obedience

Our puppy eats socks. Not only has he swallowed one, but two. After the first time, we were so grateful because it came back up after a week. We try to protect him from himself – shutting all the doors to bathrooms and bedrooms. Most of the time he just rips the socks to shreds when he finds them. Certainly, he wouldn’t do it again.

But three weeks later, he looked at my son Parker in defiance and swallowed the second sock whole.

Again.

That time, I thought surely, we would end up at the vet with an obstruction. But three days later, the sock came back up . . . and out. Thank you, Lord.

Sadly, we rebel too. We participate in activities we know aren’t good for us. We involve ourselves in pursuits we know we should avoid. After all, disobeying God was mankind’s original sin. Many times, we seek the approval of others and trust our own wisdom over God’s. We do this not once, but often multiple times.

These are just a few examples. I expect you can think of many more.

Rebellion usually ends in hurt and pain.

God really does know what’s best for us. After all, He gave us instructions through His Word to protect us from ourselves. It would be wise on our part to trust Him, obey Him and save ourselves some pain.

So far, the puppy only tries to steal socks, but I wouldn’t put it past him to steal other items. In fact, be sure to hold on to any loose clothing should you ever drop by my house. The canine thief prowls around just waiting.

Learn from your storm

by Patricia Cameron | Aug 12, 2022 | Fear, God, Trust

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

________________________

Today, I am grateful.

I took two of my boys and their friends to Lake DeGray in Arkansas this week. Yesterday, we enjoyed the sunshine while tubing and knee boarding. Because school had started in many places, we were literally the only boat on the lake.

After a couple of hours, we noticed some dark clouds off in the distance and I kept a watchful eye. I remembered a similar day a few years ago when we dodged storm clouds. God’s glory displayed itself as we saw both ends of the rainbow across the lake. That scene was breathtaking.

Yesterday was not that day. To my dismay, the weather conditions changed quickly.

Those dark clouds were accompanied by bolts of lightning. Lots of lightning. We discussed our options and decided to try to make it back to the marina. Halfway there, the storm hovered directly in our path, so we turned back.

Going as far as the boat rental company allowed, we sat, hoping the storm would travel south of us. When that didn’t happen, we braced for the storm. The rain became a wall of water. We were all drenched in seconds and could see nothing around us. Just rain. Then hail hit. With no visibility, our sunny, hot day at the lake became cold, scary and painful.

I tried to stay calm, but fear struck my heart. I simply did not know what to do.

But pray. While we laughed and joked, I’m pretty sure all four boys were also praying. One even remarked, “I’m sure glad I know where I’m going!” Another asked, “where?” “Heaven,” he shouted back over the roar of the rain.

Eventually, the sky to the north of us lightened some, so I decided to head that way, slowly. I no longer cared whether we were breaking the rules, we just needed out of the deluge.

I’m kind of embarrassed to share this story. I keep replaying it in my mind, trying to decide what I could have done differently. Maybe there’s a lesson in it.

The reminder and lesson for me? Sometimes in the middle of our personal storms, we, too, experience low visibility. We can’t see what’s in front of us, and we panic. But no matter our storm, we can trust Jesus. He knew exactly what we were going to see that day. He took care of us and gave us a lesson in gratefulness and an experience we will never forget.

Maybe God wants to show you something through our experience. The disciples once called out to Jesus to save them from a storm and he delivered them. Jesus is our protector, our deliverer. Sometimes we just need to hang on and ride out the storm.

After the storm? We took a break and grabbed ice cream and snacks. Then we went right back on the water and enjoyed the rest of the day on an empty lake.

Live Kind

by Patricia Cameron | Aug 4, 2022 | Blessing, God, Support

Worried about another major expense, I prayed this week that the repair of my car would be minimal.

That prayer was on my mind this morning when I saw my mechanic’s name pop up on caller ID. He called to tell me he thought he had resolved the problem. Grateful, I asked, “how much do I owe you.” He answered “nothing.”

I got goosebumps and immediately recognized God’s hand on my life at that moment. Even so, I began to argue about his decision, but then he just said, “I’m doing my good deed for the day.”

God answered very clearly today. Not only was the repair minimal, but He also blessed me with a “no charge” repair.

Unusual kindness

The Apostle Paul experienced an unusual kindness. On his journey to Rome, the ship experienced hurricane-force winds, and Paul, his fellow prisoners and soldiers shipwrecked at Malta.

Already exhausted/drained from the storm, Paul and the prisoners barely escaped death by the soldiers who feared they would all escape their imprisonment. Because the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life, he kept them from carrying out their plan.

Once the ship hit a sandbar, it began to break into pieces by the pounding of the surf. Time was of the essence, so they jumped overboard to get to shore. Stress and anxiety were at a high. They didn’t know what to expect.

Cold and wet from jumping from a run-aground ship, they found kindness on the island of Malta.

The islanders showed us unusual kindness. Acts 28:2

Not only did they find a warm welcome and kindness upon arrival, the islanders also took care of their needs when they set sail again three months later.

Kindness inspires

God uses people like my mechanic and the islanders to bless and inspire us. They put others ahead of themselves, taking care of needs as they see fit.

Watching people put the needs of others above their own inspires us to do the same. I know it did for me. Not only does our kindness help others, but studies show it even improves our health too. We all could use a piece of that.

______________

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better

than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Walking in victory

by Patricia Cameron | Jul 28, 2022 | Blessing, God, Victory

I ran my last marathon three weeks after my husband Matthew passed away. I almost canceled but knew he would have been disappointed if I had. So, I ran.

Not long into the race, race officials diverted the crowd of runners to two sides of the course. As I got closer, I saw the problem. A runner had collapsed. I couldn’t believe it. How could I see someone in almost the same situation as my husband, who never recovered? I prayed for him, then thought, “this is my undoing.” As tears stung my eyes, I wanted to put my fists in the air and shout “this is not fair!”

John 5 tells the story of a man, an invalid for 38 years, waiting for a dip in the pool at Bethesda. The problem? Every time he tried to get in, someone else beat him to it. (Sick people gathered at this pool in hopes of being cured of their illnesses. They believed that the first person to step into the water after it was stirred by an angel was healed.)

Life’s not fair

Life wasn’t fair for this man. He had an opportunity to be healed, but he couldn’t physically get to the pool in time.

Then Jesus approached and asked if he wanted to be well. He answered, “I have no one to help me in the pool when the water is stirred.”

Jesus looked past his complaint and told him to get up, pick up his mat and walk. In an instant, the man was cured. He picked up his mat and walked.

No longer a victim, He just did what Jesus said to do and he left there victorious. Thirty-eight years he endured sitting, waiting, hoping. Can you imagine the joy on his face when he left that day?

How often do we want to cry “it’s unfair?”

I have a friend whose entire family has been attacked physically – for years. In my opinion, she has every right to complain. But she keeps taking one step at a time, fighting constantly for the health of her family and celebrating the small victories when they come.

A. W. Tozer says “In language, the word unfair seems altogether innocent but it indicates an inner attitude, that has no place among Christians. The man who cries “unfair!” is not a victorious person.

Victorious living

What does it take to live in victory? Certainly, the situation may be too difficult, the pain too great. Or maybe we lack the skill or ability we need to accomplish the task.

All of us will suffer at times. We can complain or we can receive those times without complaint. We can be the victim – or we can be victorious.

Jesus showed us how. He is our constant. When we’re tempted to say, “life is unfair,” we need to remember Jesus. He never cried in complaint. Never shouted it’s unfair. He just did what he was called to do.

Life will absolutely knock us down at times. Satan still strikes, attempting to destroy us.

But let’s choose to walk in victory today. We can experience this victory because Jesus cares and when the time is right, he will tell us to pick up our mat and walk.

Oh, the result of my marathon? God gave me the strength and courage to move past the pain, cross the finish line and complete the race with my best time.

Let go and enjoy the journey

by Patricia Cameron | Jul 7, 2022 | God, Joy, Trust

Lately, God has been speaking to me about letting go and giving my “stuff,” (my worries or fears or decisions) to Him.

This week His message came through loud and clear in a game of fetch with our puppy, Winston Duke, who I call annoying most of the time.

We play the game almost every day, the puppy and me. He has his squeaky toy. I throw it across the room so he can chase it. The problem lies in that he won’t give it back. No, he doesn’t settle for the usual game of fetch, dropping it at my feet so I can throw it again. He wants me to take it from him. He’ll get within reach but will run or turn his head away so I can’t grab the toy.

Sometimes he gets really close so I can take it from him. But I have to sneak it from his mouth, then throw it to give him the thrill of the game.

We’re like that too. We have some problem or worry or decision we want God to take from us. Until we drop it at his feet, we’re not actually releasing it to Him. And we miss the thrill or joy of what God has next for us.