Things fall apart and can be put back together..."No matter what..."

It is a proven fact. Nothing will ever stay the same. Our world is in a state of perpetual motion. Our lives are wrapped up in that same motion.

Look at the Grand Canyon. It has been cut out through many years of natural erosion. Water and its movement have cut the canyon and made the original structure into something different than what it once was.

Have you ever experienced erosion in your life? I'm not talking about the water and dirt type of erosion...I talking about life erosion.

Lets look at a disintegrating marriage. We start out fully loving one another and believing that together we can tackle anything the world throws at us. Over time though, little things start chipping away at us, parts of our relationship begin to erode away.

Finances are tight...chip.
There is more time at work than at home...chip, chip.
Children arrive...chip, chip, chip.
Extended family meddles around...chip, chip, chip, chip.
We talk at one another instead of with one another...chip, chip, chip, chip, chip...
Our lives become a to do list instead of a TWO do list...pieces fall off.

We wake up one morning and we realize we don't even know the person who is lying next to us in the bed. Sure, we always knew the tingles would go away but we never thought that we would get to the point that we were no longer connected to one another. You sadly realize the landscape of the marriage you have today is nothing like the one you started out with. That beautiful picture of love, joy, enthusiasm, and happiness has been replaced by images of loneliness, anger, hurt, and despair.

What do we do with our new picture. We  know we can't go back to the place we started because it is impossible to go back. Too many things are different or have changed. We are different and so is our spouse. The foundation of our life is different.

We can stay in that place mourning the loss of what we felt and the ideas and plans we had when we stood there and eagerly said "I do!" We can grow resentful and bitter because we lost what was so dear to us. We can let those things erode us to the point that we live a life of quiet married agony. We may even consider setting out on our own to find a new life.

God does have a new life planned for you. It is a life full of hope and a future...but you will not reach that life if you walk away from your marriage, or if you stay stuck where you are. 

God can renew your marriage and make it stronger than it has ever been. He can even help you fall in love with your spouse again.

Recently I asked God to help me fall completely, totally, and passionately in love with my husband again. I even told Him..."What ever it takes Lord, please do it."

The week after I prayed that, my husband was in the hospital with his second episode of blood clots at the age of 42. I felt like our family was playing a game of "blood clot Russian Roulette". With the knowledge that 1 in 5 people who have a blood clot (or DVT) die, and we were now in the middle of second go around. I remember coming home from the hospital and telling God, "Well I guess making me afraid he is going to die will make me care a little more." Little did I know that was just the beginning.

Over the past 6 weeks since I said that prayer, we have had many life changes. Nothing has been in our control. He is now home and on short term disability. There is a chance that his current job will not allow him to return to work if he has to remain on blood thinners for the rest of his life. If that is the case, our family is faced with the possibility that he could be forced into long term disability in March. Our financial future is completely in God's hands. My husband's physically health is completely in God's hands. This truly is the first time I have fully understood what walking by faith and not by sight means.

 Through all of the life changes we are experiencing in our home and family God has blessed me beyond measure. I can honestly tell you that I fully, completely and passionately love my husband even more today than I ever have. He is truly my best friend and my cheer leader. He is my support. God answered my prayer. He will answer your prayers too. 

Shame causes you to hide from God!

An amazing perspective on Shame...

In adding more to my book "Shifted Vision" today I had a life changing revelation. I just had to pause and share with you in hopes that it will change your life too!

Shame is something that bogs us down and keeps us stuck in our own yuck. It keeps us from being able to move forward. It causes us to hide from God and the life He has planned for us. Shame can permeate every aspect of our lives and eventually define who we are as a person.

In God's perfect design for us, we would never have experienced shame.  The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25

They lived in perfect peace and harmony with God and with who they were. After they sinned however,  Then their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked and they were ashamed. Genesis 3:7a

It doesn't matter who you are, everyone can relate to that feeling. The feeling of being vulnerable and not knowing what is going to happen next. You know you can never go back and instantly things are different. Instinctively we try to cover our shame ourselves. so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7b

They were trying to cover their source of shame. The shame will also cause us to avoid God. Then God came to the garden for His daily walk and talk with Adam and Eve He couldn't find them.  The Lord called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." Genesis 3:9, 10

In your place of shame, are you hiding from God? He is calling you. Have you tried to cover your shame yourself? Have they worked, or was it just a temporary fix? God wants to cover your shame completely.  And the Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

Let God clothe you today. Allow Him to make the garment that is the perfect fit to cover your shame so that you don't have to stay hidden any longer. God is asking you right this minute...
                       
                                      "Where are you?"

Will you call out to Him and allow Him to do His mending in your life today, or will you choose to stay stuck in your shame? The choice is up to your my friend. I am praying you answer His call....

Today is the day the Lord has made...What will YOU do?

So here you are...God has blessed you with another day. What are you going to do with it?

Are you going to run around like crazy trying to get too many things done in too short of time?

Are you going to just go through the motions and walk through today without really embracing anything or having any enthusiasm for what you are doing?

Are you going to grumble through it and drag your feet through each step of today wishing it were over with before it ever truly gets started?

What ever approach to your day today, I encourage you to ponder a few things:

God has blessed you with today. 
Yesterday is gone and finished- you can't do anything to change or improve on yesterday.
Tomorrow is not promised. May people went to sleep last night expecting their tomorrow to come and it didn't.

All we really have is today...this moment...this second. What are you going to do with it? The choice is ours, but God lets us know how He thinks we should embrace our day...this day that is a gift.

There are many scriptures in the bible that talk about the day or today. Look and ponder what the below scriptures mean to you today and see if they might help you embrace today and all of the beauty, wonder, and opportunity that comes with it!

Exodus 14:13
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

2 Samuel 18:31
Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

Psalm 18:18
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 25:5
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

How will you embrace your day???

Welcome...

Welcome to Shifted Vision Ministries. Our goal is to encourage you in the midst of life falling apart. We believe that when you learn to seek God's hand in the middle of your own epicenter of destruction, you will be able to find the new life that He has prepared for you. In learning to embrace His new life, your heart can begin to heal. In these instances He proves to you and those around you that He truly is God.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
       "For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

If you find yourself hopeless and feeling like you have no future, you are in the right place. We look forward to sharing God and His new life with you!
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