Patience

My mother has no idea that I'm writing this but here you go Mom! My Mom is such a woman of God and has such a heart for serving others and for the Lord. She has such a strength in prayer and in patience. Only my Mom can begin to understand how she has taught me patience and strength in prayer since I was a very little girl. I thank her everyday for her patience with me, our family, our hard times... everything. I am so thankful for her heart. She posts encouraging statuses on her Facebook every day. Today she posted this:

"Patience with others brings peace to our own soul. Lord, help me to display patience even when I do not feel patient because everyone will benefit, but me most of all."

I never considered the thought of being patient with someone bring myself peace until I read that because I am seeing that first hand. When we are patient, we are more in tune with God, others and ourselves, even if it is with someone else. Thank you God for giving me the ability to be patient. I pray to use it more often. 

So I will be patient and count my blessings that God gives me for doing so. It's funny how God reveals the most to us when we choose to remain silent. He gives us strength for decisions that lie ahead.

Today is a good day because I was patient and felt better.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Melissa 

 

I Need You

This is a song that I heard at Super Summer 2006, I believe. It's called "I Need You" by The Swift. It is such a beautiful song about how we go through this life and we really do try to do it on our own. But here's the deal: we don't have to. We become so worn out and so tired trying to be in charge of ourselves when this life isn't ours to begin with. We need to Lord and his perfect grace so much than we admit. I am so thankful that he gives such a perfect grace to me when I truly don't deserve it.

You can download the song on iTunes if you are interested, enjoy!
"My heart is restless in me
My wings are all worn out
I'm walking in the wilderness
And I cannot get out

I need You, oh I need You
Blessed savior come
I need You, oh I need You
Fill the every longing of my soul

Oh how I need You Lord
I need Your perfect word
With tearful eyes I see
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today

And my bed is soaked with sadness
My sadness has no end
A downward spiral of despair
That I keep falling in

I need You, oh I need You
To You my soul shall fly
I need You, oh I need You
Yahweh how I love you more than life

Oh how I need You Lord
I need Your perfect word
With tearful eyes I see
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today

Your silence is like death to me
So won't You hear my desperate plea

Today my soul is soaring
Way over mountains high
Though I can see the valleys
They are all just passing by
Its not that I am stronger
Look at my feeble wings
But I've been lifted higher
Yahweh's lifted me in His own strength

Oh how I love You Lord
I love your perfect word
With tearful eyes I see
The God who always will endure
Now I will celebrate
For all the thousand ways
That you have shown me grace

And made my heart in grace to stay
You made my heart in grace to stay
Lord, make my heart in grace to stay
I need You, oh I need You"

I have two favorite parts in this song. First:
"Oh how I need You Lord
I need Your perfect word
With tearful eyes I see
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today"

Second:
"Oh how I love You Lord
I love your perfect word
With tearful eyes I see
The God who always will endure
Now I will celebrate
For all the thousand ways
That you have shown me grace"

I fail him... yet he shows me endless grace. Thank You, Lord.

Today is a good day because I received grace when I didn't deserve it.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Melissa

Love Never Fails - Brandon Heath

When the Lord puts things, people, situations... anything in our lives, he does it for his ultimate purpose... all in his perfect design. That's just it, it is perfect.

Love can be such a deep subject. It can evoke joy, tears, heartbreak, and smiles. For those of you have ended your search for love and you have embarked on growing in this perfect love that God designed just for you and your other half, you can look back and see the path God made you take to get to your prince charming or your princess. Some of you may be thinking that your time has come to wind down your journey, you've found who you think is your Mr./Ms. "Right." You still think back to those times where you were heartbroken or maybe when you had a smile you didn't think could spread wider than that moment. You think, "could this be it?" On another note, you might find yourself still on the search that seems so endless for that person God has set aside for you, the person you have been dreaming of for what seems like forever. That "forever" seems so long and you wonder why on Earth has God lead you through so much heartache, confusion and let down. You wonder why "he" or "she" isn't there.

When I was in the 7th grade, my Mom was my Sunday School teacher. In honor of Valentine's Day, she had us write a letter to our future husbands outlining how we think/want them to be and the promises we make to them. Then she said keep it and over the years revamp it as you discover what you want. I have no clue where that first letter is, I'm sure it's tucked away in some box or some journal now, just waiting to be found. But I did revamp it over the years! As I began college and started to seriously date, I started just keeping letters to "him," my Mr. Right and I still do to this day. I have always used 1 Corinthians 13 has my guide of how I want the love of my life to be and the type of love that only God fearing man could give. I was so elated when the song "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath (shown in the video above) came out because it was everything that I wished for in love and put one of my favorite chapters or the bible into prospective. I hold these verses to my heart and I find myself referring back to them when making decisions in love or putting "mind over matter" on what's right for me. Here are the words to the song with some thoughts of mine:

"Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most"

Me: Love is not "big headed" and does not brag of all that it has, as if it was like that all on it's own. Love is a gift... pure and true from only God.
I think about where I am at... It doesn't and I'm thankful.

"does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside"

Me: True love will never cower away or give up on you. In true love, you will always care endlessly and never hide it.
I think about what I have... It doesn't and I'm thankful.

"Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you"

Me: Love over takes you and last through times of trail. The love that only God designs... NEVER fails me. It hasn't.

"Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time"

Me: This love will always last. Love doesn't put self over the other... it cares for more than oneself. The love that God designs for a couple is eternal.

"Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don't"

Me: True love is what makes you keep going. The person that God has set out for love for me will believe in love, in me and in life, when I won't sometimes. It puts up with
anything. I think about what I have... it has.

"Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you"

Me: This love will not have question but comfort in knowing it was completely God-designed. And for that, it'll NEVER fail you.

"When my heart won't make a sound
When I can't turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this"

Me: I love this part because this can happen quite often. When your world is crashing down, God placed that person there to love you through it and put it back together.
I dream that NOTHING will be greater than that LOVE. I think about what I have... I know I can willingly depend on love.

"Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life"

Me: God has given love as a gift and it's always alive... even when it doesn't seem so. I think... it's been right in front of me for quite sometime.

"Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you"

You could have love. You can think you have found love. You can be searching for love.

You could have LOVE, God's designed LOVE right in front of your face... all along. Nothing is greater than this and hasn't failed me.

Today is a GREAT day because I smiled because God is faithful to his promises.

Live. Laugh. LOVE.

Melissa

Wake up America!

I found this post about the oil spill in the Gulf. Now, I know the coverage has consumed the media but what is so shocking is that people won't just WAKE UP! Yeah, I'm sorry your 1,000 + dollar beach vacation is ruined but look at the bigger picture! Yes, it is BP's fault. Yes, it is their responsibility. But it is our responsibility to take care of our home ground. Give to help these animals that are so heavily effected... that is their HOME. Give to help clean up. Give your time if you can. What ever happened to the America that had no problem in giving? Take a look at this article and pictures from the Huffington Post....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/gulf-oil-spill-photos-ani_n_560813.html#s97179

Live. Laugh. Love.
Melissa

Realizing what "true love" is....

No, I haven't struck true love, yet. No, I'm not engaged. Nor am I getting married. The "true love" I am referring to, is more of a life "true love" (if you will); more so of a realization that can only mean one thing: I am growing up.

Last week was my first full week of work at my new job! Needless to say, I am so incredibly blessed. I work in a beautiful office, with wonderful people for a strong christian dentist. I even get to listen to good positive music all day while I work on some really nice (most of the time) and definitely interesting patients! I work Tuesday through Friday! No weekends and NO MONDAYS! It is a pretty awesome schedule! Overall, I had a wonderful week but as with any job I'm sure, I did have a really off day.

To put my off day in short: I really couldn't please a lady who was a parent of a child I saw (I actually made her pretty upset, I guess.), I had a late patient, a non-compliant patient and a patient who would rather be anywhere but the dentist office.  Not going to lie, for having such a perfect week before this day, I almost did shed a few tears. But as I left for the day and I was driving home, I realized I will always have an off day every once in a while. More importantly though, I realized that even though my day really didn't go my way, I still want to go back to work because I truly genuinely love what I do. That to me is a life "true love." Thank you, God for equipping me with gifts to do my job and help people. 

Tomorrow is my first official "day off!" What to do?! I have finally found a new apartment, so I know I have to go do things for that! Otherwise, I am excited about going back to work on Tuesday! :)

Until next time! Today was a good day because I got to relax and reflect!

Live. Laugh. Love.

Melissa 

God is so good...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday! It has been such a crazy two weeks for me but oh so blessed!

April 3rd was 5 years since my good friend Brady passed away. It seems like forever ago but his memories still lie within me. Brady was such an incredible person and has left such an amazing legacy because he truly touched everyone he came in contact with. I miss him and I miss his "pep talks" we used to have when he always knew I was feeling down. I carry my promise with me every where I go that we wrote at MFUGE 2004. I hope that I'm at least 1/2 the person he was spiritually. I think of him a lot and he inspires me to be something better. I love you, Brady Hooper... for changing my life!

Easter is such a busy but neat time of year. We tend to forget what this is all about amidst the Easter Bunny, Eggs, and Easter Dinner. This year I thought a lot about Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Imagine being Jesus. He knew. He knew he would be praised and paraded around town and loved on by people and then just a few short days later, hang to a cross, nailed... pierced... beaten and ridiculed. They wanted him dead. Jesus knew. It said that Jesus was agonizing over what was going to happen in the garden of Gethsemane. So stressed he was sweating blood.  If you have ever seen Passion of the Christ, although not a movie that you would find yourself popping in on a Friday night, it is an amazing depiction on the true sacrifice and story of our Savior. Jesus, although most though he was over...dead... done for and put in a tomb: God is a God of promises and hope. Jesus died on the cross for me... selfish me...to give me a world better than a dream. But he did it. Thank you, Jesus. 

Life will be changing so much this next month, I have clinical boards I have to think about now that National Boards are out of the way! Just pray for my sanity during this time! God has been so incredibly faithful to me during this process of discovering my career! Then I graduate and hopefully have a job... how crazy?! Where did 4 years go... I really have no clue at all! I have my check up on May 10th dealing with the cervical cancer, please be praying for God's healing power and in any event... my understanding and trust in such a wonderful God.

Today was a good day because Jesus Christ died on the cross for me (and does daily) so that I may have everlasting life... that is amazing.

Until next time... Live. Laugh. Love.

Melissa

Today is a good day... yes it is.

I had a patient today in clinic who asked me to call him "Charlie." Charlie is probably one of the sweetest elderly patients I have EVER had at the VA hospital. I was getting started with all of my stuff and I began talking with him while I worked (yes, I AM the hygienist that talks to my patients with my hands in their mouth like they can talk back, Ha Ha) and I quickly learned that Charlie was a very neat person with a very neat story. He began to tell me how he fought it WWII and he goes around to schools, clubs and churches and speaks about his amazing story! I learned that he was a crew member on a B17 that was shot down over Germany during a bombing mission. After falling several thousand feet at a pretty high velocity, Charlie found that he was the only survivor of this horrific crash. He was able to walk from the rubble only to be confronted by a German solider. Charlie said "That German looked at me and I knew then and there that he'd probably kill me, take my dog tags and turn them into American Headquarters and say he found me dead. But as he looked at me, he looked at the destruction at which I had walked from and he turned his back and spared me." I said to Charlie, "Wow, God had something really amazing planned for you because obviously he wanted you here. God has a funny way of putting us right where he wants us." Charlie looked at me and said, "You know, you are right. God knows even when we ask 'why.'" Charlie is right.

God, you have such a way of bringing things to my attention and preparing me so I can better listen to you. Thank you. Thank you for my blessing of Charlie today! You knew I'd need him and his knowledge!

Prepare yourself for a more personal note here but it's my blog I'm allowed! Feel free to quit reading! I had been having a pain in just one spot on my left breast. I felt around that area to find something very "sobering" (if you will)... a lump. I tried to think maybe this is normal (and it may be...) but it is a large lump and I can't deny that. So, I went to my Mom and she showed concern too.  More opinions... more concern. After my cervical issues in January and February... it is very sobering and I'm not going to lie... the "what ifs" and "why God's" are really hard to avoid. But Charlie is right, God knows why and what, even though I will question him to no end. God doesn't make mistakes ever. So I ask for prayers as we figure out what this lump is and I will keep posting in the days ahead.

Heavenly Father, thank you for providing me with peace.

Now normally, I post "Today is a good day because" to remember the happy lady in the post office line the day I found out about the Cervical stuff and to remember that Today is ALWAYS a good day when it is spent in the Lord's company! But today... I'm going to post the original "Today is a good day." Today is a good day because the Lord let me wake up and see another day. Today is a good day because God has provided a way for me and is patient with me! Today is a good day.

Until next time.
Live. Laugh. Love.

Melissa