⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂfaith & fantasy⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂ discussion

Yeahhh

I made a little poem 🙂

I feel excitement.
I feel anticipation,
at the thought of sitting next to my best friend,
in heaven.
He was crucified.
He did that for me.
He did that willingly.
No one has a better best friend than me.
But even cooler still,
He loves everybody.
If you believe in Him,
you'll go to Heaven.
Forever you'll spend then,
with the best best friend you could ever imagine.

Just realized there’s a poem of praises thing 😅

Just wanna thank Jesus for something. I feel really ashamed to even admit this, but back in February when I found out mom was pregnant again I was really angry. Not at anyone in particular but I was in a bad season of life right then, and I kind of thought Debs (our current baby) was gonna stay the baby and I was kinda happy. We were super busy and I was feeling stressed and tired and whenever mom is pregnant it makes me busier since she doesn't usually feel good. So I was angry and was kind of hoping that she would have a miscarriage, that sounds horrible, but my mom has had several the last few years and i was kinda expecting that again. Anyways, fast forward a month or two and I was really excited about having another sibling, (when mom told me she was pregnant it was to explain why we couldn't go shopping, because she'd been way too tired, and I'd been really wanting to go shopping with her and had been planning where all I wanted to go for weeks. So I was disappointed about that) and now I'm just so so grateful that God knows better then us what is best and His timing is perfect. So just wanna thank Jesus for those two healthy little boys that will be joining our family this fall. I also wanna thank Him for not always answering those prayers we pray out of anger because He knows what's best.

Another thing that played into the anger was the fact that when my baby sister was born there were complications and mom ended up in the hospital for almost a week and I was really scared of that happening again.

Three winters ago, (the winter of 21) both my parents got really sick and I was scared we were gonna lose them (side note, I've never really put these fears into words before and I'm weeping right now as I type it because it really hurts to think about), I was legit wondering what would happen if we became orphans, I was 13 and had 7 younger siblings. They were sick for a little more then a week, my dad was on oxygen and struggling to breath and mom was pregnant with my baby sister and was also struggling to keep her oxygen levels up. Even after they were better they were still weak, dad still isn't back to what he was before that and it's hard to see because as long as I can remember he's been so strong. I struggled with a lot of anger after that, anger at mom and dad for getting sick (I know, irrational. But fear is that way) and making so I had to take care of the kids, and anger at God for putting me through that. But then last summer I realized that it taught me patience and I'd been praying pretty hard for God to help me be more patient. That was kind of the start of the healing process for me. It's when I pulled my journal out and actually put into words all the emotions I'd been feeling since they got sick.

All this to just say how extremely grateful I am to Jesus for helping me to let go of that anger, and not bottle up what I was feeling during that time of my life. This last year has been a journey for me but I feel like I've finally healed from a lot of that stuff, I still can't hardly talk about when mom and dad were sick, it's just so hard to think about. But I am healing and I wanna thank Jesus for never letting us go. If not for Him giving me strength and all the kind church people that prayed for us and brought meals, I don't know how I would've done it.

Whew *takes deep breath* that was long. So if you read it all then thanks. lol

But yes, just wanna say again that I'm so grateful that Jesus is never done with us and He never lets us go. Even when life feels unbearable.

wow. God really does make us stronger in our trials! thanks for sharing, Bets! sounds like you've been through some hard things but it's so amazing to see your growth!

💖

Thx so much for sharing this, Bets! 😊 It's really encouraging to hear how Jesus is working in other people's lives! And lately (for the past half year or so) I've been dealing with a lot of fears (maybe I can explain more some other time) so it's just a boost to my day to read about Jesus conquering the fear in your life. I know it took a lot of effort to type your two comments but know that it was definitely worth it because someone out there (me!) needed to be encouraged. I'll keep you in prayer that the Lord would continue to give you peace and comfort. Thx again for sharing this testimony! XD 💖💖💖💖💖

Thank you for sharing, Bets! God is so good, even in the midst of the hardest circumstances, and thank you for the reminder of that. :)
Praise God for what He has worked in your life, and you and your family will be in my prayers <33

@BooksNCrannies, I’m glad to hear it was encouraging. It makes the tears, that I couldn’t hold back while typing it, all worth it. ❤️

Thanks Alison! ❤️❤️

Thanks for sharing with such honesty, Bets. I am sure that was hard to put out there. Praise God for His intervention and sanctification in your life during these last few years. He is GOOD.💜 He never wastes our pain.

Wow Elisabeth, what a testimony!
Thank you so much for sharing with such rawness and openness. It’s so good to see you’re healing and God is making a way and teaching you wonderful lessons.

Trust him always ❤️❤️

I’m praying for their continual health recovery :)

Thanks Sharon and Taz! ❤️❤️

I praise God for this testimony :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8rNi...

Elisabeth (Bets) wrote: "Thanks Sharon and Taz! ❤️❤️"

Ofc

I wanna praise God right now! My brother was using a chainsaw today at work and cut himself on his knee pretty bad. I think it was just a sapling that snapped back and cut it but it was pretty deep. So thankful it wasn’t worse because it could’ve been really bad. One more prime example in my life that I can point to that shows how much God has His hand over us. ❤️

Oooh.... That does sound bad! But praise God it wasn't any worse!!! God is so merciful even when it seems bad. Praise Him for His ever-present hand of protection!

Wow, God is good :)

Oh man! Thank God that he's okay!! 🥳 Praying for a full, quick healing.

Wow, Bets! Praise God!! <3 and praying for recovery

Hey 👋 I know I'm late to this conversation, but I clicked on this chat because I was just looking for reasons to praise God.

I've been in a really dark season over the last few years of my life, and after the last few weeks, just really needed a reason to thank God rather than question and struggle with Him.

Thank you everyone for being so vulnerable, genuine, and friendly on this website. How cool that Christians can connect and encourage one another from all over the world... I'm truly thankful. Praise God that we're all family in Christ.

Yes, praise God, Angela!🤍🤍 he is so good

Was gonna send this to one of my friend groups then decided ot just share on here.

My heart is so full right now, I got up this morning and dad had a roaring fire in the wood stove. I was holding my baby brother Jonathan, he was sound asleep and cuddled up against me. (it was 34 degrees outside)

The house was cozy. And then my siblings started getting up and they were laughing and talking and dad was teasing one of them which had them in giggles.

Everything just felt so right and I was struck with how blessed I am. I have a wonderful family, a warm house, warm fuzz clothes, hot cider to drink, and most of all, an AMAZING God who gave every bit of it to me.

I'm more ready for winter then I ever was before. I usually dread it but this year I can't wait.

I'm ready for crackling fires in the mornings. Games and puzzles in the evenings. Hot drinks. Movie nights. Warm pajamas. Candles. Yummy smells. Apple Pie. Cozy blankets. Books. School on the floor in front of the wood stove. Frosty noses and ears from an hour outside in the bright sun. Snow. Christmas music as Christmas gets closer. CHRISTMAS. Fall colors. New calves. Hot Chocolate. Peppermint. Pumpkin spice. Sweaters. Shopping trips that leave you cold. Warm socks. Leggings and long skirts. Breath that turns into steam. Rambles through the woods with my camera. Sledding parties with our church.

I'M SO READY!!!

Praise God! I can attest to not realizing how lucky I am at times. God is truly Jehovah Jireh, and his grace is enough! He’s my provider and source of blessings. Praise be to the father 🤍🤍

Ooh yesss I can’t wait for everything!! It’s gonna be amazing

It's so easy to take everything for granted!

Love that Bets, thank you very much for sharing ❤

You're welcome

Elisabeth (Bets) wrote: "Was gonna send this to one of my friend groups then decided ot just share on here.

My heart is so full right now, I got up this morning and dad had a roaring fire in the wood stove. I was holding..."

Bets, thanks for sharing!!
I've been having similar thoughts lately, especially about being thankful for my family and how close we are.
There is SO much we have to be thankful for — if only we take the time to think about.
God is so good!!

Amen!

Amen and amen 💜 stopping to thank God for every little thing is what keeps me going. Completely turns my anxiety and fears on their heads.

Angela thank you. Your post reminded me of that post I made. I needed a reminder of my blessings right now. ❤️

💜💜💜

Hey friends, just wanted to share a praise that my husband and I's trip home for Thanksgiving was such a success. There were hard moments with family, and it was heartbreaking to say goodbye again, but God gave us so many sweet memories made. I just don't want to take things like that for granted. 💜

Praise God 🤍

Praise God Angela! That's so awesome:)

I love that!

Hey guys, me and my four brothers ( none of my sisters tried out) all tried out for a Christian homeschool theater group doing suessical ( I've been in it the last 3 years) and we all got in! My oldest brother even landed a moderately large part. I'm so thankful cause I made a TON of mistakes during auditions. PRAISE GOD!

Wow congrats!

AWESOME!

That’s awesome!! Acting is sooo much fun. Congrats!!

Got me a praise note here:

Gonna start off with a story of a little adventure I had this week.

I was on a trip visiting a close friend of mine for a week and I was supposed to fly back Tuesday. Tuesday morning on the way to the airport my United app notified me that my 11:30 flight was delayed so I would miss my connecting flight in Chicago, so I rebooked for a 4:30 flight out of my current location. That flight had a 3 hour layover in Chicago before my flight home, not ideal but not bad either. Everything went smoothly, I got into Chicago on good time, waited out my layover, boarded the plane. Well, after boarding, the pilot came out and made an announcement that there was a fuel spill so we all had to deplane. It was saying a 30 minute delay at that point so I was hopeful all would go smoothly. But then they canceled the flight and rebooked me for a flight at noon on Wednesday. I was so frustrated at that point and didn't know what to do. I went up to the desk and was able to get a flight to a different airport that still wasn't too far from where I live at 8:45 Wednesday morning. So that saved me 4 hours.

So i stayed the night there in the airport. Got almost no sleep. And then headed for my gate in the morning. Nothing was delayed, I got home Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon and took a nap.

Now for the praise part:

I was honestly pretty terrified after my flight got canceled and I had to spend the night. I had to go find my gate checked luggage. I didn't know where my gate would be in the morning. I just felt really lost. (This is my first trip flying by myself). So I messaged my dad and he called me and we chatted a bit, and I was keeping a group of friends updated and they were praying for me. Plus my two best friends were praying for me. And all my aunts and grandma.

I was able to find my luggage pretty easily and then I got notified on the United app of where my gate would be.

I felt so much peace then, just peace that everything would be ok and God had a plan through it all.

Anyways, through all of that-- the original delay and then my canceled flight-- I met two older couples that were so nice. The one couple I met during my layover and the second couple that I met were actually at the gate i was gonna fly out of and I ended up spending the night with them.

I'm so so grateful that God sent me that couple. I would've felt so alone if I didn't have some people to spend the night with. I just felt so much safer. I've jokingly been calling them (thanks to one of my friends originally saying it) angels. And while I'm extremely doubtful they are actually angels I truly do believe they were a Godsend.

Just wanna praise Jesus for His never ending love and protection.

Aww that’s great!! So glad you were safe and everything worked out! Bummer that was your experience flying solo for the first time. I love it! I have also stayed the night at an airport, and it was not comfy. But so glad you found someone to be able to stay with!

🩷

Praise God for keeping you safe and working all of that out!
Thanks for sharing this, Bets; it's good to hear how God is working in others' lives.

Amen

Praise God!! Yeah, thank you for sharing! God is so faithful!

🩷

So ... I want to share an amazing praise point...
In July we'll have. Christian Fiction Literary Fair here in Brazil, where I live. And... I'm a confirmed author to have a stall at the fair!! My books are all biblical fiction, which I translated to Portuguese (they might not be my original authorship, but I do own all the rights - especially as the original books are public domain).
Anyways, I'm super excited for this Fair and I do hope more people will fall in love with biblical fiction as well (and not just general Christian romance...)

That’s awesome! Praise God, so happy for you <33 kudos to you for pursuing your dream and publishing!