Back to my original plan, of Who Does God say I am, deeper dive.

God says, “I’m never alone.” *emphasis below, mine

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”... ⁸ The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:6,8

⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:5-9

²⁰ David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

1 Chronicles 28:20

Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.

Ecclesiastes 4:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20

²⁹ The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

John 8:29

¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:18

⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 

Romans 14:17

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7

God has given us this assurance, throughout the Bible, old and new testament, through various examples, that we are not alone. Even if and when we feel alone, He is ALWAYS there.

I recently had a live example of this. About 1 1/2 years ago, I was praying one morning, and I received several names of people. Some of them, good friends, others – acquitences at the time. Just a list of people kinda popped into my head. And, I was moved to pray for them. So, I did. Just general prayers, really. Lord, help them. Guide them. Provide for them.

About 6 months went by, and another morning during prayer, I was moved to actually reach out to these people and ask for their prayer requests. Ooooh, this was another level. And, for some of these people, this would be seemingly out of the blue? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this… so, you know, the Lord and I wrestled about it for a while. But, ultimately, of course, He won, because I just couldn’t get it out of my head, that I needed to reach out to these people for their prayer requests…

And, they slowly started to trickle in. Some broad strokes, other very pointed. Ok. No problem. One thing, I was not anticipating – several people asked me, what could they pray for, for me?

Whoa – I wasn’t ready for that, when the first one came in. Took me a little while to respond, now I had to be open and honest with these people and let them in, even if it was just a little bit.

This continued for another year. About once a month, I reached out for prayer requests, and spent the next several days, collecting theirs and sharing my own. I also started to find, that some people now also, reached out in moments of need. Live prayer requests – and those moments were incredible! I was doing life, with these people that God had brought to the forefront of my mind.

This blessing was amazing, because little did I know in August of 2021, when I started this, that I was about to go through some of the most tumultuous times of my life. That, I, in fact, was absolutely going to need prayer, and that I was going to need this group of people that God was establishing for me. That, I was going to lean heavily on some of the people within this group, in the months to come, as I, myself, was going to dig into some pretty hard stuff.

Then, in January, this year. The Lord said to me again, one morning in my spirit, “We’re going to make care packages.” And, hesitantly, I agreed – that apparently, we’re going to make care packages. I had no idea, the contents, or what we could possibly be putting together, for no apparent reason, but the Lord provides. So, over the next couple months, I had started a Devotional – “Women of Valor” – and here was a story about each person I had been praying for (which had been on my bookshelf for years, and I had just recently added it to the rotation of what I would be reading….) I was scrolling through Pinterest, and saw these beautiful crocheted mini-prayer shawls and knew that I could make those. And, slowly, but surely, these little care packages came together, this devotional, and that book, and it was all just falling into my lap, as the Lord does. His yoke is easy.

And, as I made these care packages, I just kept feeling the love of the Lord, for each one of these individuals. Just this, all consuming, overwhelming love. Many times, I was moved to tears, while making each of these, when finding new items to add, as they all just came together. And, each time, He was constantly reminding me, that He loves me – this much. That although, each of these gifts was going out from me, they were pouring into me. And, I was consistently reminded of this verse, “²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus – is praying for us. He is there, here, being an intercessor, and praying for us, on our behalf. And – that feels as real and active as the last year and half, I have spent praying for the people the Lord brought to mind. And making those care packages, is the same kind of care that He puts together, every time He blesses my life, and in the moments we have daily together.

And, I have never been so grateful, and felt so loved. And, so reassured, that a God who did all of that, absolutely never leaves me alone.

Let’s Pray

Thank you, Father God! Wow. Words cannot express my gratitude for your lovingkindness, for your faithfulness, for your ever present self – in every moment that I need you God. Thank you for being my provider, for knowing what I need, before I needed it. That You are just, so good, in every way. I am so grateful, to have you in my life, to have this format to share your word and your encouragement with others, and to just feel the blessings, and the good things that you have for me, this day and every day, Father. Thank you. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!

So – there was a follow-up question to my last post. How has rehabilitating your bird impacted your faith?

What an excellent question.

I think I have found the whole relationship, progress, and similarities very insightful. Her walk and rehabilitation is not unlike my own.

I grew up in the church. Going to church. Potlucks. Special events. Youth Group. Even, missions trips and conferences.

And yet, as I grew closer to adulthood, I felt myself drifting away. Doubting the goodness of God. Doubting if there even was a God.

I didn’t go to church, or read my Bible, or pray, for years. I honestly could’ve cared less. I was out on my own, doing my own thing, and God was not someone that I had a personal relationship with, or even truly understood that, that was how it worked.

Fast forward several years… About 7 all together. And, suddenly, here I was with a 3 year old, my soon to be husband, and my life that was quite chaotic on a daily basis, between trying to put food on the table, go to school, work, keep a roof over our heads, etc. And, here, my little son, tells me – he wants to go to church…

But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God”

Luke 18:16

There were a few other things that led up to this moment as well (people asking me about Jesus, someone praying for me at the store) – that made me look to my ceiling in that moment, and say, “Ok God, no more signs, I’m good.” As, of course, the story of Jonah rang through my head, that He already seemed to be calling me home, and now he has used the mouth of my own child to escort me to where I needed to be.

So – I brought it up to my husband, who was not brought up the same way. “Our son has requested to go to church.”

My husband’s response (to my utter disbelief in that moment, and only reinforcing the feeling I was already having that this was all a sign.) – “Ok, well I guess, if you want to take him to church. Go ahead. Not like they teach anything bad there.”

So, I did. I started taking my son to church. Out of the pure intent that it wasn’t really going to change anything between me and God, but I wasn’t about to deny my son something that apparently he wanted.

And, slowly, as I started to truly hear the Word. It started to chip away at me.

I started to look forward to going to church.

I started understanding the fellowship at church, and the fact that Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with me.

I started to read my Bible, outside of church.

I started praying.

I started doing devotionals.

I started hearing the Holy Spirit stirring within me, to hear more, see more, read more, do more.

I began surrounding myself with Christian friends that would help me grow.

Then, I started to struggle a little with the church that I was at. Some of the things weren’t quite jiving with what I was reading.

And, then, one of my son’s friends, invited us to their church.

OOOOOHHH buddy. This other church seemed to have meat and potatoes, and my original church still seemed to be working off milk.

I started switching back and forth, one week this church, next week the other church.

I will also add-in here, that while I was growing up, my parents did stress to me that church was more fluid than most followers seem to understand. That God doesn’t just live in this one church on 5th street, but in all these churches. Wherever they’re preaching that Jesus died for your sins, and is your salvation, and the way to heaven – that’s God’s church. And, that nobody seems to have it exactly right. Everyone has certain parts right, and maybe working on other parts, or whatever. So – this has contributed to my fluid understanding – that God is not a building, and has allowed me to stay open to the fact that you need to go where you’re getting fed.

Another quick note here, also – after I was grown, and attending church again on a regular basis, my mother, my father, and myself all attended different churches – but we could all sit down together, and share our different insights and understandings gain from each of them, and help each other grow. Which, is also, very similar to the Ladies’ Bible Study I lead – we all attend different churches too – but it is really cool to hear all the different snippets from different sermons that we hear that help tie our faith together and help each of us grow in our walk.

Back to the story – so I was bouncing back and forth for a while, then I finally committed to the new (to me) church, because I really felt like I was getting fed there.

Then, I started listening to podcasts of sermons all over the country.

I started a Ladies’ Bible Study.

I started a blog about walking in faith.

And, just this past year, I started doing some local missions work again.

So – I see the similarities between the bird and myself, because it’s been a slow process. He had the ladder there all along. I just had to take one step, and then another, and that step encouraged me to take another, and another. I returned to church, 10 years ago. This process has spanned 10 years. And, there is almost nothing about me that is the same since I started this journey, and I could not be more grateful.

That I continue to take steps, and he continues to be there, encouraging me. Waiting for me. Feeding me. Taking care of me. And, just letting me warm up to Him. To let Him show me all the incredible things He has in store for me. I just have to keep taking steps. Staying close to Him. He’ll keep showing me that I can trust Him. Just like we keep showing the bird, we’re worth being trusted. We’re not going to abandon her. We’re not going to force her. We give her space and respect her, and she’ll eventually come around on her own – because we just keep showing her, how good we are. Just like God. If you give Him a chance – He’ll show you his goodness, and love, and grace. For all circumstances, in all things, He is a good God.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your patience. For your grace. That you leave the 99 to rescue the 1. Thank you for moving in supernatural, and natural ways Father God. Thank you that you never give up on us, no matter where we’re at, or what we’re doing. Or if we’ve even turned our backs on you, and walked away, you don’t write us off, you keep actively pursuing us. You are always chasing after your children, and patiently waiting for them to return home. That you show up each and every day, in your faithfulness, to show us that you can be trusted. Thank you for sending your son, to make a personal relationship possible. Thank you, for being you, and loving us so much that we’re allowed to see that, and to have this amazing relationship with you. Thank you, for all you do, and all that you are, and all that you would have us be. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!

As I have been working through this journey, the Lord speaks in all kinds of ways. One in particular, is one of our rescues. It’s funny, we’ve tried to have brand new pets, with no damage, and those never seem to work out for us. Our family is destined to have a rescues. And, I’ve started to see this as a blessing. I’m not sure that everyone has the patience and resilience to help someone work through trauma. And, that’s exactly what rescues need.

I grew up picking up dogs from the pound. They’re cheap, and they need love too. They all had their own stories. Sometimes the pound knew what they were, and sometimes they didn’t. You just got to kind of figure it out, along the way, and make your own deductions. This one doesn’t like to be chained up, this one needs lots of attention, and each one is unique. Each one is interesting in it’s own right, and the most invaluable lesson, they all seem to teach you something about yourself.

The first rescue, my future husband and I had together, was absolutely something else. She had been through a significant amount of trauma. At times, her trauma broke our hearts. And, yet, somehow, we just loved her even more because of it. And, in our 11 year journey with her, we learned so much about ourselves, and about others. That an animal who had been through so much, could still love. That she just needed some love, attention, patience, and safety to help her become her whole self. And, she spoke lessons and love into our lives that we will never forget. It’s been many years since she passed, and she still brings tears to my eyes. She was an absolute champion and shining example of how incredible you can be, if people just take the time to help meet you, where you’re at.

But, the rescue that has been speaking to me lately, is our pet bird. Obviously, she’s not like trying to rehabilitate a dog, at all. And, me personally, I hadn’t had a bird since I was very young, and because I also had cats, I didn’t have it for long… So, I was a little apprehensive about a pet bird, but my husband really wanted her. So, here we are. He has a special place in his heart for birds, and even has the seemingly magical capability of being able to befriend wild birds outside, which never ceases to amaze me.

But – back to the pet bird. She was living with some friends of ours, who had another pet bird, and apparently the other bird was not sociable. So – it was making our future pet’s life absolutely miserable. So, our friends came to us, hoping to rehome the bird. They informed us, that she was already about 14 years old, and was only expected to live to about 30-35 years. Which is a little longer than a dog, but she was so gorgeous, we decided this was ok. They did note that they guessed she had been through some stuff because she had some quirks. Well, fair enough, we only seem to be able to handle rescues anyway, she’ll fit right in.

I will admit, I had no real concept of what it would mean to rehabilitate a bird, and the fact that it would take sooooooo long. I’m definitely more inclined to real results, sooner vs. later. So – this bird didn’t fit in my box of expectations whatsoever.

The first year we had her, we made some real strides it seemed, right away. We figured out that she was primarily kept in a cage her whole life, so we almost never lock her door. She’s free to come and go as she pleases. She doesn’t really talk much (she is a parrot) but she loves music. So does my husband. They have definitely bonded over their love for music. But, she just isn’t a “people” parrot. She doesn’t like hands. She doesn’t like flying much. She just didn’t really seem to be too crazy about life in general. Ok – well, she’s been through some stuff, rehomed how many times, not always great owners. We understood. So, we took everything in stride…. little tiny baby strides.

One thing, we did start to notice, is that every time, we moved & she moved with us, she seemed to trust us more. Our consistency, and our actions, and our unwavering love seemed to be whittling away at her. Every time we moved, she started showing us more and more of her true self. Like, maybe these people aren’t so bad, and like she could maybe let us in, a little more.

In the midst of all this, we also figured out that she wasn’t the kind of bird, we were originally told she was. Which, when we did figure out what kind of bird she was – her new life expectancy – is actually closer to 60 years. LOL! But, by that time, both my husband and I just shrugged, and stated, we apparently had made more of a commitment than we realized, but it didn’t change anything, except that maybe we had even more patience because we were in it for the long haul.

So – what I find so incredible, is that we’re going through life. And the last couple years have definitely been interesting, and had their ups and downs, and their changes, and we both continue to grow. And suddenly – in the last couple months, seemingly out of the blue, the bird has started leaving her cage. My husband had installed a ladder down to the floor, years ago. She wouldn’t even go near it. We were almost considering removing it, when she started using it. She randomly started climbing down the ladder, and walking across the house, to beg for our lunches, just like our dog does. We were floored. We have had this bird for 7 years, at least. And, suddenly, she is engaging us. Now, just in the last two months, this has become a daily occurrence. And, just this past week, she actually figured out how to climb up the chair, and sit in my husband’s lap. It has been mind-blowing, and heart-warming. And, she has even tried to take food from his hand.

And, I can’t help but feel, isn’t this how the Lord is? Here we are with all of our stuff, and He’s given us a ladder to make a way to get to Him. We just have to take it. That He has all the patience, and love, and understanding in the universe, and He’s just waiting for us. He just keeps giving us love and affection, and respecting our space, as we work through it. He’ll be there. Waiting. Ready to receive. Ready to love. And that once we do, our relationship can really grow and flourish as He intended. That He’s ready to give us all his good gifts, more than we could ask or imagine, we just need to take the steps to get to Him, and He’s waiting with open arms.

Can I also just tell you, the first time she did this, I was telling everybody! I was so excited! And, I feel that God feels that too. He’s so excited you’re here, and He is so ready to do this thing they call life with you!

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You! Thank you for your incredible patience and mercy and grace. Thank you for loving us more than we could ever ask or imagine. Thank you for sending your son for us, that we might have the way to have a personal connection with you. Thank you, that all creation shouts Your Name! Thank you for speaking to us in all kinds of ways. For showing Your hand and Your work in all things, Father. That you are blessing us, and healing us, from the inside out. That you are here and willing and able to make us whole. Thank you for your faithfulness. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!