Shared by Joyce of

Joy of Tatting

"There is a Reason"

~+~ Until just recently my Husband & I attended the “Dickens On The Strand Festival” held around Christmas time in Galveston Texas. Several reasons forced our non-participation after attending for 14 years. One of which was hurricane Ike and another was a local show close to home making it easier for two old folks to attend. I do drift off and this is not the reason I write now.
~+~ During my brief career as a fiber artist I have encountered a number of people whose comments are enlighting, inspirational, witty and sometimes off the cuff. I take them all as a learning curve simply because after 20 plus years sitting in booth at shows you tend to hear it all or so you think, and then someone throws you another that you have not heard.
My last year at Dickens was a good year for me and my craft and the many comments during the show only gave me more of that warm fuzzy feeling that is until I met her.
~+~ I noticed this very saddened lady starring for what seamed a long time at one picture. I approached her to see if she was interested in purchasing this piece and I was met with a teary eyed voice breaking and what I believed to be a very moved lady. I had no idea that one of my pieces had that much power, but after talking with her I learned she was reading a saying I have often used to accompany my crosses. She had been shopping for that perfect inspirational gift to give to her boss. A young man in anyone’s eyes at just 45 was dying of incurable cancer.

~+~ She deeply felt she had no way to approach him and offer solace or comfort until she spotted my picture. She believed the piece would offer comfort to her and her boss because as you can already guess, how do you approach this type of situation. She did purchase the picture and left with a smile and confidence that she could help this man with his journey.

~+~ I then became the one left with a tear and that great fuzzy feeling that only comes around not often enough.

‘FINALLY’

This is my personal testimony with everlasting thankfulness to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thankfully, my wonderful mother tried to talk with me about God when I was a child. Along with most other young children, I learned the song "Jesus Loves Me". That was the extent of my childhood involvement with the Lord.
As a teenager I, usually, had God in the back of my mind; always thinking of Him as a very stern, judgmental and harsh Master. This was ingrained in me through 12 years of our particular church doctrine. I never understood that I could have a personal and intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. I never understood the full meaning of the cross. I never understood true Christianity. But, in my heart, I always knew one thing; that I did not fit in with the world around me. I, mostly, felt alone and out of place. I was never, really, interested in anything our prevalent pagan society had to offer. I was always looking for so much more out of life; more purpose, more meaning, and more contentment.

I did not know I was looking for Jesus Christ. How could I know this? I had never opened a Bible. So, I tried to read the Bible. After reading a few pages of Scripture, I closed it. It was hard to understand, so I thought I would just work on being a good person. Rather than making an effort to read and study God's Word, I decided to make God fit my lifestyle. Needless to say, I, rapidly, slid out of God’s plan for me. I was now living in New Mexico. One day, I wandered into a Santa Fe Baptist church and ended up being mentored by the pastor's wife. She instructed me in the Word. My spirit was moved with my new understanding of faith.

A little later on I met my wonderful husband and soul mate, Allan. (We now know it was Divine Intervention.) But, back then, Allan and I were both "living for today" trying to fill a burning need or desire in our hearts for happiness that neither one of us could fill. Living our way, we were stepping further away from God and His will for our lives. Little did we know that our lives were about to, dramatically, change.

In 2004 I went for a colonoscopy. Over the next two years, I learned a whole new level of pain; both physically and emotionally. I was afflicted with cancer and, initially, given two months to live without any treatment. Even with treatment my life expectancy was very short.

Shortly after this unsettling news, Allan and I lost everything we owned in a flood caused by Hurricane Ivan. We didn't even have a toothbrush. All we had was what we were wearing that day. Our pets were saved. And, truly, that is all that mattered to us. Jesus, certainly, got our attention! I started to have many conversations with Jesus. I started to read Scripture on a daily basis. I started praying, repenting, and asking Him to help both me and my husband with all that we were both going through. (Oh, how He can direct our attention back to Him!) And we both, finally, turned our lives, completely, over to Him. Looking back now we can, vividly, see the Lord working in our lives.

Finally, I now had and continue to have purpose in my life, incomprehensible peace, comfort, and contentment in my heart and soul, true joy and happiness. Finally, I am alive inside! Through reading Scripture, I have answers to most of life’s hardest questions. Finally, I had and continue to have the most intimate and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, (Yeshua) my Lord and Savior. I, finally, realized that the main purpose of this life is to repent and re-establish our personal relationship with Holy God. We are to walk in all His ways. We are to invigorate others to study His word and to re-focus their lives onto Him. He needs to always be first place in our hearts. Life is, totally, meaningless without Him.
I am, forever, thankful to Jesus for His unconditional love, patience, saving grace, and free gift of eternal salvation. I am, also, just as thankful to Him for allowing my affliction. I would go through all the pain and suffering again to have Jesus in my life and enjoy the abundance of blessings that He gives to both me and my husband. After a colonectomy (removal of 14 inches of my colon), a liver resection (they took 80% of my liver) and 9 months of hepatic and systemic chemotherapy, I am “Potentially Cured!” I am presently a 3 year cancer survivor! My doctors are stunned at my progress. I told them about my faith in the Lord and my positive outlook and attitude.
I continue to search the ways of the Lord. I love reading my Bible. The Bible is crystal clear to anyone whose heart is right with God. The Holy Spirit is our interpreter; our internal guide and compass. He is the only One who can interpret the biblical truths to us. I am always seeking and learning new truths. Allan and I are true followers of Jesus Christ (Yeshua). Our main purpose in life, now, is to build upon our intimate relationship with Jesus, to grow in righteousness, and to start storing up some “Heavenly Treasures”.

Debby,
a servant of Jesus Christ