Comforting hugs 23

"Behold, I do a new thing: now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Is. 43:19). 

When we go through a bad time in our life such as when we loose a job, a relationship, our health or even loose someone through death, we feel as though we are in a wilderness or desert. While we are there we long for the comfort of what we had before. We may even feel as though our life had dried up and we thirst for meaning again in our lives. 

People say things like, "Get over it" or "move on" or even "get back to normal". But let's be honest. You cannot go back to your old normal, for that which was in your life (a job, relationship, health, or loved) is gone. This has left a big hole where it or whom was in it before.  So you must find a new normal in your life. 

It is not always an easy task to find that new normal, for you often will have to redefine what your normal is. This means that you may have to recreate what you want in your life. Maybe even recreate who you are now. For you may be a nurse or whatever your job was. In an end of a relationship. You may not be so and so's wife or woman, man or husband; or even friend anymore. . You may have an illness that will change a lot in your life, wither it be for a time or forever. OR the death of someone maybe totally changing a lot in your life. Whatever the reason, your life has lost it's old normal and you need a new one. 

How does one find that new normal? You may ask. Well, stop. Stand still. And pray asking God for guidance. He knows what your future should look like. Then sit down and write out a list of what has changed and what steps you need to take to move into your new normal. Start with what has to be handled immediately such as funeral arrangements if a loved one has died. Or if it is a loss of job, figure out how much money you have and food that is in the house. Figure out how far can these take you?  If it is a lost relationship, you may need to find a new place to live. This list will be different for each person and situation.

Once the immediate needs are taken care of, sit down and figure out who you want to be in the future. You can do this by asking yourself questions such as...What did I enjoy doing before so and so was in my life? What did I dream of being before I had this job? What don't I like in my life? How can I change it? These questions can be what will help you move from your desert to your new  life. When you have the answers, then write down the steps that you need to take to move into your new life.

 If you don't know what steps you should take, find someone who can help you figure that out. Such as a life coach. lawer, doctor, a place that can tell you what you need to do to find a new job, and the list goes on.

I know that this can be scary. I've been there a few times in my life. But these steps helped me to be able to move forward in my life. And I can tell you that there can be a good life after your old one. In fact, I have been able to fulfill dormant dreams in my new life. I pray that you do too.

Comforting hugs!

Chaplain Toni

Comforting hugs 22

Lazarus is dead...Jesus saw her crying...Jesus sobbed" (John 11, 23, 35 NIRV).

If you want the whole story here you need to read John chapter 11 verses 11 through 44. But to save time here I will give it to you in a nut shell. A dear friend of Jesus' named Lazarus, has died. Jesus goes to raise Lazarus from the dead. But when he gets there he tries to comfort Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha. 

 when Jesus sees their tears, he cries with them, even though he knows that he is about to raise Lazarus from the dead.

To me, this shows how Jesus cares about our grief when a family member of ours dies. He IS touched by our grief, and he cries with us. Even though he knows that there is life after death, as he speaks of in verses 23 and 25. And he longs to comfort us in our time of grief. But we have to allow him to do so. If you are grieving for a brother, sister, Uncle, Aunt or some other family member today, Jesus wants to hold, cry with you, and comfort you today. Will you let him? 

Comforting hugs,

Chaplain Toni

Comforting hugs 21

"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:have mercy also unto me, and answer me...When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up."                                                                                           Ps. 27:7,10 This is the month that we celebrate Father's Day. Like other holidays it can be a sad day for some. One group of people that it is sad for, are those whose Father was never there for them. That is whom I wish to talk to today. There probably no greater pain than having a parent abandoned you. I noticed that the pain of it doesn't go away when you become an adult. Why? I believe that it is woven into our DNA to have the need of the approval of the ones who made us. Unfortunately, some people for one reason or other are not able to shoulder that responsibility, so they don't. No matter the reason, it hurts just the same. Children of ask themselves what was wrong with them that made a parent not want to love and care for them. Please realize that often it is not you, but something within them that made you live without them in your life. God knows and understands this need in you. He loves you, and wants to be that Father to you. As the verse says, he wants to "take you up". That means that he wants to pick you up, and hold you as a Father does a child. But he will not force himself on you. You have to go to him and ask him to be your father.You can go to him and ask him to do that now, then you can spend time with him on Father's Day. I know that it is possible, because I have done it. One Father's day when I lived in a different state than my Father and had no way to get to him. After talking to my Father on the phone, I went to a church that I cleaned, slipped in and spent the day with God the Father. You can do so too. But you don't have to be in a church to do it, for God the Father is everywhere.  I pray that this information will help you have a great Father's Day with God the Father this year. Comforting hugs, Chaplain Toni Click here to Reply or Forward 0.76 GB (5%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 26 minutes ago Details

Comforting hugs 20

There was a man who was a father to many children and like a father to many others. I was not blessed to get to know him very well, as I only meet him a couple of times just before he died. But I know that this father went to live in heaven with the Heavenly Father when he died. How do I know this? Because a man who was an eye witness told me that this man said a prayer asking the heavenly Father to forgive him of all the bad things that he had thought, said, and done in his life, as well as forgive him for all the good things he didn't think, say, or did that he should have. Then he accepted Jesus as his savior. Why?

Because he was told about how there is a disease of the soul called sin. Sin is a lot like the cancer that killed this man. It eats at the mind making you think bad things, which makes you think, say and do bad things. When you do that it eats at you in many ways including emotionally. The only cure for this was for someone without the disease to give a blood transfusion. There was no one on earth like that , so God the Father and his son, Jesus came up with a plan for Jesus to come to earth to give his blood for the cure.

In my head the conversation in heaven may have gone a little like this...

Jesus~ "Father, I have been thinking.

God the Father~ "Really, what have you been thinking about, Son?"

Jesus~ "Well, as you know, since the first humans sinned, all of the human race now has the disease of sin in them. That means that they will not only suffer and die physically, but spiritually as well."

God the Father~ "Yes, this is true. But what can be done about it? The only cure is the blood of someone who doesn't have the disease and they all have it."

Jesus~"True, but I have been thinking. What if I were to become a human and go to earth and give my blood? Then they would have a way to cure their disease."

God the Father~"I'm not sure that I like that plan, son. It would be hard for me to watch you go through the pain of doing it."

Jesus~ "I know, but I love them, and I want to do this for them. Could I please, do this?"

God the Father~ "Well... I love them too....Ok, let us start making plans for this operation."

Jesus~" Great! Let's do it!"

And that is exactly what they did!

You see, God loved your loved one, and everyone on the earth SO MUCH that he was willing to have his son, Jesus give all his blood for the cure to sin. And anyone who is willing to pray and ask Jesus to forgive them for the bad things that they did due to the disease of sin. He will forgive them and save them from the disease of sin. (John 3:16 CTV Chaplain Toni Version). " God did not send his son into the world to judge the world. He sent He sent his son to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not judged" (John 3:17 NIRV New International Reader's Version). All we have to do is pray asking him to forgive us of our sin, and cleanse us of that sin, turn from our bad living and let Jesus be the Road Captain of our life.

I believe that God the Father, Jesus, and your loved one would have wanted me to tell you this, so when your time comes, you can see them in heaven.

Comforting hugs!
Chaplain Toni.

Like · Comment

• 
  
• 

   If anyone want to pray the prayer I wrote about. Here is one that would work....... Dear Father God, and Jesus, I ask that you will come and cleanse me of sin. I also ask that you will come into my heart, mind, and soul and become the Road Captain of my life. Help me to follow you. In Jesus name amen

  2

Comforting hugs 19

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:1+2a).

In my mind, life is like a race. We are on the field running a race and those Christians who has graduated to heaven is in the grandstands cheering us on. In the time line of God's history, each generation run a link of a relay race. When a Christian dies, he or she has handed the baton off to someone else to run with and goes to sit in the grandstands to cheer for those who goes on behind them. Our dear sister, Robin has fought the fight and run the race. Now she has handed the baton off to us to run with, while she sits in the grand stands cheering us on. May we run the race with all that we have in her memory and to the glory of God. 

Comforting hugs!

Sister Toni

Comforting hugs 18

(Isaiah 41:10)" Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

I know that our parents,or someone who is like a parent to us gives us strength when they encourages us along the way. I also know that people feel very alone and fearful when that support is no longer there, due to a death. But you don't have to be alone. God wants you to know that he is willing to be there for you. He says so in this verse. Let us look closer at his words, shall we?

"Fear not"~ He knows that you are like a fearful child without the guidance of your parent. He wants to comfort you ask a Father would comfort his child.

"For I am with thee"~ He knows that you feel alone since your Mom or Dad has died, and he wants you to know that he will not leave you.

"Be not dismayed"~ He knows how you feel, and wants to reassure you.

" I will strengthen thee"~ He wants to be the one who will give you the strength to go on from here.

"Yea, I will help thee"~ He promises to help you now and in the future.

" I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness"~He wants you to know that his right hand will take care of you and that he will do what is right for you.

But there is one catch... you have to be the one to go to him and ask him to do so. For he will not force his will upon you. He is too much of a gentleman for that. I pray that you will see that he loves you very much and will want to make God the Father, your Father today.

Comforting hugs!

Chaplain Toni.

• 

  Write a comment..

Comforting hugs 17

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...H shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust" (Ps. 91:1, 4a). "How often would I have gathered thy children together. as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings..."(Luke 13:34).  My Mom had one child after another for 10 years. This made her tired a lot during those years, so, when she took a nap on the couch, she would have the young child of the moment, sleep behind  her legs that was at the edge of the couch. So that she would feel if the child would try to get down off of it. One of my sister's felt so safe there that she would often ask to lay there when she was a little older.  As children, we may have hid behind our Mother's skirts, for we felt safe there. Then as we grew up, we felt that safety in the embrace of our Mother's arms. But where do we go when our Mother's are no longer here on earth with us? We can go to God for that safe place. In Ps. 91:1, &4, we are told that we can hide under his shadow or wings. Jesus even said that he yearned to gather our children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. Let me explain that to any of you who may not have seen how a hen does that. When a hen or Mother chicken has a brood of baby chicks with her, she will show them where all the good places to eat and such. But when she senses danger near by, she will call her brood to run and hide under her wings. That Mother would die before she would let any danger come to her brood. God is like that!  When you feel like life is flying at you, and you need a safe place to hide, God yearns to take you under his wings and protect you. Will you run to Him today and let Him? He's waiting... Comforting hugs, Chaplain Toni Click here to Reply or Forward 0.71 GB (4%) of 15 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 35 minutes ago Details