Miracles in My Life

I was thinking this morning about the doubts that so many people have about the existence of God.  It exasperates me because I KNOW that God is real.  How do I know?  I know because of the number of miracles that He has done in my life.

1.  When my daughter was around 2 years old, He saved her from sudden death.  She and I were in our front yard playing ball together.  I had to stop for a moment to turn off the water hose from where I was watering my plants.  In that short amount of time, she managed to throw the ball into the street and go after it. My back was to her.  Suddenly I heard tires screeching.  I looked up and saw a woman jumping out of her car and hugging my daughter.  My heart was pounding so hard.  I thought she was hurt.  I dropped everything and ran to them.  The lady looked at me and said, "Oh my goodness.  If that man hadn't pulled her out of the way, I would have hit her for sure.  She ran right out in front of me."  I didn't see anyone, and said, "What man?"  The woman looked surprised when she didn't see anyone either.  There was nobody anywhere around.  "He showed up the instant I was about to hit her and pulled her out of the way.  Why would he just leave like that?" she asked.  In that moment I knew that this was no ordinary man.  It was an angel sent to help my little girl.  No human would have had enough time to save my daughter and completely vanish in that short amount of time.  It all happened in 60 seconds or less.

This is only one miracle.  I will share more in coming blogs....

Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2009

Going Home

Oh, how happy I am to know
That this is not my home.
The beauty here is but a glimpse
Of what in Heaven will be shown.

Here there is also sorrow,
There is hatred,
There is pain;
There is illness,
There is madness,
There is suffering,
There is shame.

All of this
Will be swept away
When He comes
To take me Home;
There I'll be greeted
By family and friends,
Those I've known
And never known.

In Heaven there will be
Beauty, joy, and love beyond compare;
Throngs of Heavenly Angels
Will sing in voices filled with care.

I'll walk hand-in-hand with Jesus,
And we'll talk and laugh and love
In ways that cannot be measured,
For this is Heaven above.

All of my tears will be gone;
No sickness,
No bitterness, no pain;
A new body perfect in every way;
Total fulfillment with nothing
Left to gain.

Oh, Lord....how I long
To come Home to You,
But I know You still have
Much for me to do.
So patiently I wait for Your loving call;
Until that day,
I will share Your love
With family, with friends...with all.
         
            -Cheryl Williams, 2014

                                                       Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2014

Heart Cloud in the Sky

This morning I woke up feeling a bit down.  I have so much on my plate right now with work, writing, family, and just trying to find the time to do the everyday things like chores, paying bills, etc.  I'm also trying to exercise every day.  For me, exercise is what I usually put on the backburner, and that has definitely not served me well over the past 57 years.  So this morning, I decided to go walk

I always walk listening to music.  About a month ago, I traded in my top 40 playlist for a contemporary Christian playlist, and I am loving it.  I can walk and be uplifted at the same time.  So this morning, I fought the little voice that told me to put walking on the back burner.  I put on my Christian playlist and set out for a nice hour long walk.

It was so gorgeous outside.  The sun was beaming down and a cool breeze was blowing.  I didn't want to stop even at the end of the hour.

Sometimes when I walk, I start thinking about my dear husband, Bob...who passed away two years ago.  I know he is in Heaven, and I look to the sky a lot, wondering what it is like in Heaven.  I wonder if he has any awareness of me at all as I continue to walk this earth.  Sometimes I ask for a sign...from God...or Bob.  I don't really know why, other than it delights me when I get the sign I asked for.  Sometimes I ask for a bird to sing to me....(Bob loved birds).  One day I was walking and made this simple request.  A little bird landed on a telephone pole right in front of me and started singing its little heart out.  I stood there and listened with a smile on my face.

Today, I was looking at all of the beautiful white puffy clouds in the sky.  I told God it would be really cool if I could see a heart in those clouds.  I kept walking, and walking.  Every once in awhile I would look up in the sky to see if I could see a heart.  As I was ending my walk, I looked up in the sky, and I saw the most enormous heart...all made out of one giant white puffy cloud.  It was so neat, and put a huge smile on my face.  The heart shape was so huge I could only capture a part of it...but it gives you an idea of how big this heart was.

Well...God's love is even more enormous than this heart.  His love cannot be measured.  I wish I could persuade every person on this earth who does not have a personal relationship with God to open their hearts to Him.  Your entire life will change for the better...and it will be an adventure filled with joy, love, hope, and one surprise after another.

Here's the bottom part of my heart cloud....

                                                      Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2014

Such an Amazing Love

I feel You inside of me,

breathing Your spirit
into my soul...
answering questions
that have plagued me,
quenching the thirst
that consumes me,
filling the emptiness
that leaves me aching.

Why me, Lord?
Why this broken woman
who has been anything
but faithful and good?
Why do you plant
Your kiss of freedom
on my forehead?

I am but a Judas,
for I have traded You
for silver more than once.
I am but a prostitute,
selling myself
to anyone or anything
for a quick fix of happiness.
I am but a soldier
who has pounded nails
into Your flesh
time and time again,
watching You writhe in agony.

Still You love me
and call me Your child.
It boggles my mind,
and I cannot take it all in.
Such love is not of this world.
Such love is new to me.
I'm more accustomed to love
with a price tag attached.
Your love is free,
and worth more
than any other love I have ever known.

Who are You?
What is it about You
that enables You to open Your heart
to the lowest among us
and treat us like royalty?

What do You see in me
that others cannot see?
My life is no longer the same
with You walking by my side.
You are all that I need.
Finally I realize this...
after years of  trying
to fill my emptiness.

You are my father,
my husband,
my best friend,
my master,
my joy.
You are everything to me.
Nobody can take You away,
and never will You leave.

Such an amazing love...

                                     Cheryl A. Williams, 2013

Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny

Earlier today I was writing an article for the web. In searching for a photo depicting Easter, I found lots and lots of pictures with the Easter bunny and Easter eggs....but a scant few depicting the death and resurrection of Christ.

How sad that Christ is shoved to the background when He is the reason for Easter.

Many non-Christians and Christians celebrate the day with colored eggs, new spring wear, and large family dinners....never giving a thought to Jesus Christ. Their children grow up never knowing what Easter is really all about.

I see nothing wrong with colored eggs and Easter bunnies, but only in the context of them symbolizing new life....with Christ as the main focus.

After all, Christ is what Easter is all about.

                                                          CHERYL WILLIAMS, 2013

Jesus and the Meaning of Good Friday

Today is the anniversary of the pivotal point in history. It is a dark day that brings promise. This is Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ died on the cross bearing the sins of all mankind. The majority of people will go about their day with no thought of this incredible gift. Some refuse to believe it even happened. Some will say Jesus was nothing more than a good man. I beg to differ. Jesus was the Messiah the prophets spoke of. He IS the Messiah. He was God in the flesh. He is alive today.

On this day my Lord was beaten and nailed to a cross where he suffered an agonizing death. He did it for you and me so that we could have eternal life.

Skeptics will say Jesus was just a good man.  Was He also a crazy man?...because Jesus said He was the Messiah, the Son of God. He said this in the face of brutality directed at Him. One word would have changed His fate. HE CRIED out to His father to spare Him what He was going to suffer,  and in the same breath prayed for His Father's will to be done.

Today, whether you are a Christian or not, take some time to truly reflect on this.   Was Jesus a delusional man....yet also a great teacher and miraculous healer who gave his life for no reason? Or was He the Messiah, the Son of God who gave His life so that you might live?  If He was delusional, why have throngs of people devoted their lives to serving Him for centuries?  If He was delusional, why do miracles continue this day when people pray in Jesus name?

Mankind searches for ways to fill the emptiness inside...for ways to ease the pain one suffers. People numb themselves with drugs, shopping, food, alcohol, sex, and gambling.
Why not give Jesus the opportunity to heal you...to ease your pain?  Perhaps then you will believe that He truly is the Messiah. Perhaps then you will understand the importance of Good Friday...

Luke: chapters 22, 23

                                                             Cheryl Williams, 2013

Some Thoughts on Love

When I was  a young girl, I had a very romanticized idea of what love is.  It was all about hearts and flowers, and lots of words that sounded good to the ear.

Today I know that love is much more than that.  It took me many years to come to the realization, but now I know.

I was married to my dear husband for 33 years.  I loved him.  When we first met, he literally took my breath away.  In my eyes, he could do no wrong.  Even if there were moments when he got on my nerves, I always managed to put a positive spin on it.

Years later, after we were married with children, I began to truly recognize his faults...and I'm sure he began to recognize mine as well.  Still, we never stopped loving each other.  We always worked it out.  We laughed a lot.  We acted silly a lot.  We forgave each other.  We always put God at the center of our marriage.  No matter how many times we fell down, He always helped us back up.

Together he and I shared a lot of laughter.  We also shared a lot of tears.  We lost a child.  We lost our parents.  We lost jobs.  We had money problems.  My dear husband suffered from bi-polar disorder.  I suffered from the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse.

Many of these things took a toll on our marriage.  At some point along the way,  we stopped leaning on God and started turning our pain inward.  This led to problems brought on by our own selfish need to escape that pain.  We lost sight of one another.  We lost sight of our love.

In October of 2010, he and I separated.  I got to my breaking point and left in the hope that he would be shocked into taking the medication he needed to help him with his disease.  I still loved him.  I still had the hope that we would reconcile one day.

Bipolar disorder, however, is a trickster and a deceptive disease.  It is a destroyer.  In July of 2012, I lost my dear Bob to this disease.  It felt like a part of me was gone...and, in truth, it was.

I've had a lot of time to think about the real meaning of love.  I now know that love is about so much more than romance. Love is about a deep and abiding friendship. When you love someone, you want the best for that person and you will never give up on that person. Even if circumstances force you to part ways, you will continue to want the best for the person.

My advice to lovers. Spend time together. Laugh together. Do not take one moment for granted.  Respect one another. Say " I love you."  SHOW " I love you." Life on this earth is fleeting, and moments missed may never come again.

P

Why Does God Allow Suffering in the World?

One of the questions that people ask is why does God allow suffering in the world.  I wish I had the answers. All I can do is speak from my own experience.

It has been through the suffering that I have experienced that I have grown in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  It is through my need that I reach out to God.  It has been through my tears that He has reached out to dry my tears.  It has been through these experiences that my faith has grown.

If we all were to go through life with no problems or pain, we would never realize our need for God.  We would believe that we can do it all ourselves.

God is a God of miracles, and I have seen so many miracles in my life.  God has brought people into my life at just the right moments.  He has opened hearts and minds to be receptive to me at just the right time.  He has helped me through some very dark times.  He has helped me to become a stronger person.  I am nothing with God.  I am an empty shell without Him.

When I was a teenager, I was the victim of childhood sexual abuse for the course of 8 years.  God helped me through this dark time.  He gave me hope.  I would read the Psalms and cry out for His help.  He never let me down.  I survived, and grew to help others who had suffered in a similar fashion.

I lost my parents, my baby girl (Maryanna Hope), my dear husband of 33 years.  I lost my home of 29 years.  I've had to practically start my life over at the age of 56 years old.  It hasn''t been easy, but God has been with me, guiding me along the way.  He has opened doors for me in ways I would never have predicted.

I thank God for all of the blessings he has given me...both the seen and the unseen....the ones I understand and the ones that I don't.  I have learned to give it all to God because He knows what He is doing.  He sees the big picture that I don't see.

I don't understand the horrible suffering in the world.  But I pray for those people, and I do know that God answers prayer.

Cheryl Williams, 2014

Learning to Play the Guitar

I'm seriously thinking about learning to play the guitar. Is that a silly endeavor for a 56 year old woman? Perhaps. I just want to be able to play the songs I have written.  I figure I can give it a try. I love music. I love to sing. I write lyrics, and the melodies I write keep swirling around in my head.  I have found a wonderful composer to write the music notation for my songs , and we are also collaborating on some other songs. It's very exciting. So the idea of learning to play guitar is very appealing to me.  I'm going to think about it for a week or two before making a decision.

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A Journey of Self-Discovery

                                                                Cheryl Williams, 2013

About five years ago, I started writing a novel. It has been a journey of self-discovery.   It was my first novel, and I had a lot to learn along the way in regard to developing characters and plot.  I also had a lot to learn in regard to the amount of detail needed in writing.  I was more accustomed to writing short stories and poetry, so I found it to be a challenge.

As my story slowly developed, however, it seemed to take on a life of its own.  I got to know and love the characters in the book.  Skylar was the shy, insecure 15 year old who never seemed to measure up.  She was also a person with a hidden talent.  Lauren was Skylar's comical, free-spirited, clumsy best friend.  She was also the person who would come to Skylar's defense time and time again.  Savannah was Skylar's fraternal twin sister who seemed to have it all together.  She was popular, a cheerleader,  and very pretty. She also had a secret.

Over the couple of years it took me to write the book, I came to love the characters in the book.  I also came to identify with Skylar.  I found myself in the book time and time again, even though it was unintentional.  I also came to see other people from my life in the book, and that was unintentional as well. When I finished writing the book, I actually felt sad at having to say goodbye to the characters in the book.

The book deals with bullying, peer pressure, and the battle for self-esteem as a teenager.  I really wish that every teenage girl could read this book.  I believe it has a message that will speak to them and perhaps open their eyes to how beautiful they really are deep inside.  I wish there had been such a book to read when I was a teenager.  Perhaps things would have been different for me.

I am working on the final edits of the book, and it will be published in the near future.   The name of it is "Alone in the Crowd".

In the meantime, I have two other books available on Amazon for the Kindle.  The first book is called "Flash:  a Short Story Collection".  The second book is called "Heavenly Hugs:  Inspirational Poetry".

Giraffe Photos (How Could Anyone Slaughter Such Beautiful Animals?)

Yesterday I went to the zoo, and was thrilled to see so many of the animals were out....especially the giraffes. They have always been my favorite, but the past three times I've been to the zoo they were nowhere to be seen.  They are truly beautiful animals.

Seeing these beautiful creatures reminded me of the zoo overseas that recently slaughtered giraffes and fed them to lions in front of schoolchildren.  There is no excuse to slaughter such beautiful animals.  I understand the zoo not wanting to inbreed the animals, but surely another zoo would have taken these giraffes.  I also understand the zoo wanting to teach children about the food chain and the cycle of life.  They went about it in the wrong way, however.

Here are some giraffe photos I took at the zoo.  May we all remember how beautiful God's creation is, and treat animals with love and kindness.

                                                           Cheryl Williams, 2014

Cheryl Williams, 2014

                                                               Cheryl Williams, 2014

                                                             Cheryl Williams, 2014

                                                           Cheryl Williams, 2014

Anticipate Each New Day

I love mornings. There is something so peaceful about sitting on my patio watching the world spring to life around me. There is so much beauty that I often take for granted.

The birds are so eager for a new day, they start singing before the Sun rises. I think God wants us to greet each day with that same kind of anticipation. Still, far too often we awaken with a grumble, forgetting that each day is a gift from our Heavenly Father.  We dull our senses with worry and doubt...forgetting that God is in control.   Not only is He in control, He loves each one of us with a love far deeper than any love we will ever know.

Let us learn to eagerly anticipate each new day, trusting  that God is in control. Such a change in thinking can be life changing.

                                                      Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2013