Why ALL Nations are Founded on God

I can’t help but find it amusing when I hear people debating as to whether or not America was founded on God.  It is easy to get drawn into such a debate, quoting our forefathers or recognizing a particular passage from a document.  The truth of the matter is that ALL nations are founded on God because God is sovereign over the entire earth.  America is founded on God.  ISIS is founded on God.  Russia is founded on God…

Whether or not a nation chooses to recognize God as sovereign is at the crux of the issue.  The Bible is filled with stories of how nations who fail to recognize God as sovereign fall in utter destruction brought on by their allegiance to pride and lust.  God, in His loving mercy, allows these nations to experience the pain that comes from lust, pride, envy, and dependence on everything but God.  This is merciful because it is God’s attempt at opening the eyes of His people so that they can see the One on whom their total devotion should lie…enabling them to devote themselves entirely to Him, the one who brings everlasting peace, hope, and love.

This also correlates with us as individuals.  Do we see God as sovereign over our lives?  What happens when we depend only on ourselves, depending on the things of this earth to bring us happiness:  money, material possessions, sex, food, drugs, alcohol, work…..??  We find that any happiness is fleeting, and we are left only wanting more and more.  We never find that place of peace in our souls that only God can bring.  We get so caught up in ourselves, our happiness, our pain…that we fail to see anyone or anything else.  We live a live devoted to self…a life that will end in destruction unless we open our eyes and give our hearts to God.

The Old Testament is filled with stories of God’s wrath, and many an Atheist will point out those passages as evidence of a God who is anything but loving.  Even many Christians grapple with the whys of it at times.   The wrath of God comes upon people who God desires as His own.  He is a jealous God.  He is our maker and has no desire to share His creation with things that will only cause His creation to implode upon itself.  He gives warnings, allows pain and suffering, and shatters the plans of people and nations so that their eyes will be opened to focus on Him solely.

 Only a loving God would care enough to give people chance after chance to find the path to true love and total peace.  Birth only comes after significant pain.

Cheryl A. Williams (2011)

A Hug from God

Cheryl A. Williams (2013)

Today I have really been concentrating on how truly awesome God is. He truly is everything to me! I may not always grasp it or totally take it in, but the reality is still the same.

God is my Daddy. He's the Daddy whose love I crave. He's the Daddy my earthly daddy was not or ever could be. And unlike my earthly daddy, God will never hurt me. His love for me is unconditional.

God is my Friend, my Love.  Whereas others may hurt or disappoint me, God never will. He always has my best interest at heart.  Where they are lacking, God is perfect.  He loves me, respects me, and would never harm me.  His love is unconditional and cannot be earned.

God is always with me....ALWAYS. There need not be any fear, loneliness, or doubt with Him beside me. All I have to do is trust Him and have faith in Him. He is with me in the loftiest of places, and He is with me when I am crawling in the dirt. He is with me when I am feeling strong, and He is with me when I have no strength left. God is with me when I am doing my best to walk with Him, and He is with me when I stumble and seek after my own selfish, sinful ways.

My life is in His safekeeping. This is a truth I need to take into my heart so that it will never leave me. It is so easy to let the things in this life get me down. How easy it is to get discouraged, and want to give up. How easy it is to fall into my same old self-destructive patterns.

How wonderful to know that God is there...always there...with arms open, ready to give this prodigal child a hug.

Death to self and intimacy with Jesus Christ

                                                       Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2013



This morning I have been reflecting on what a relationship with Jesus Christ truly means.  It means much more than having someone to pray to when I am going through a rough patch in my life.  It means coming to know Him as a trusted, loyal friend.  He should be so familiar to me that His name is the first name I cry out in the midst of my joy as well as my pain.  A song of thanksgiving should be in every breath I take, for He is the one who supplies every breath that I take.

Sadly, in my life, however...this is not always the case.  Self gets in the way. When things are going great, it can be easy to get in a self-congratulatory mode.  The pride that can come from a job well done can also become a wedge between myself and my Heavenly Father.  How easy it is to forget that I can accomplish nothing without Him who made me.  Any obstacle I have overcome has only been overcome because of the deep well of strength and hope that He provides.  It is never accomplished on my own.  Every accomplishment I have made has been made only because of the tools He has supplied me with.

Jesus Christ desires the most intimate of relationships with me.  It can be so hard, however...to trust.  After all, this world is not always a very trustworthy place.  When a person has been betrayed and abused on various levels, it is easy to forget what trust is.  Even when it is recognized, it is so hard to tap into that ability to trust because your heart is broken into so many pieces.  You try to rely on self because self has never let you down.....

and that is perhaps the biggest betrayal of all.   Self will always let you down because when you totally rely on self, you are pushing Jesus Christ away.  In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.:."  Think about that.  What power there is in those words.  In essence, they mean, I am everything...I am all that truly matters.

When we rely on self instead of our Heavenly Father, we cheat ourselves of the rich and fruitful life that He has promised.  We fall into dark places and don't know how to climb out.  We search for love and happiness in places that only provide a temporary fix.  We never get to truly know how beautiful and precious an intimate walk with Jesus can be.

The good news is that Jesus never gives up on us.  He is always with us, even in our darkest moments.  We just have to learn how to find Him.  It all begins by reaching far beyond ourselves.  He is there...standing in the Light.

How to Care for Yourself if You are a Caregiver

I haven't written on here lately.  The past few months have been so busy life has gone by in a blur.  A lot has happened over these months.  I am on a leave of absence from my job as I help someone very close to me recover from cancer and a broken hip.

During this time I have been reminded  that all of my strength comes from God. Very often in life our roles change due to whatever life throws in our direction.  When a person's role turns into one of a caregiver, it can be extremely rewarding as well as extremely challenging. One of the biggest challenges one must face is finding a balance between caring for the other person and caring for yourself.  It can be easy to just forget about yourself when you are a caregiver.  Suddenly your life goes on the backburner as you help the person get back to a life of normalcy. As you are thrust into a life of doctor appointments, dispensing medications, physical therapy, and helping the person learn to be independent again, your own life gets put on hold.  The person you are caring for may not be able to be alone for any length of time, so you may have to miss church, family outings, holiday celebrations, etc.  Your regular routines will suddenly be nonexistent because illness throws a myriad of issues your way.  Your sleep schedule may change, and you may find it difficult to sleep at all.

Still, it is imperative that you care for yourself.  After all, if you don't care for yourself, how can you care for someone else?  Here are some ways that you, as a caregiver, can still care for yourself.

-Do not be afraid to ask for help.  After all, you are not invincible.  Very often family and friends are more than happy to come and help out so you can run an errand, go for a walk, or just take a nap.

-Resist the temptation to do more than is required of you.  Very often, as a caregiver, it can become easy to do everything.  Make sure that you remember the end goal.  If the end goal is that the person becomes more independent, let the person do as much as possible on his or her own.  It helps the person gain confidence in his abilities, and it helps to prevent you from becoming burned out.

-Sleep when you can.  More than likely, your sleep schedule is going to be interrupted.  That solid seven or eight hours of sleep each night that you love may become more than a distant memory.  Take a nap when you can.  If the person you are caring for is sleeping, that is the perfect time for you to sleep too.

-Exercise.  Even if you hate exercise, it is important to include some in your day.  Not only does it relieve stress, it helps contribute to a positive mindset.  If you cannot get out and go for a walk, find some simple exercises you can do at home.

-Keep a progress list.  It can be easy to get so bogged down in the day to day issues that crop up, you may not see the progress that has been made along the way.  This can be very discouraging.  Make a progress list, and add to it regularly.  This will keep you focused on the progress that is being made and help you realize that your efforts are not going to waste.

-Take time for things you enjoy.  Many things can be done in the house while you are with the person you are caring for.  Read a book.   Watch a funny movie. Try a new recipe.  Listen to music.  All of these are things that you can do and include the other person in.  Have fun!

There are definite rewards to being a caregiver as well.  Some of these are:

-Stretching yourself into unknown areas.  You may find yourself doing things that you never thought you would be able to do in the role of a caregiver.  You will soon discover that when you are helping someone you care for, it is much easier than you thought it would be.

-Confidence in your abilities.  As  you find yourself being challenged in new ways, you will also find that you become more confident in your abilities.

-Dependence on God.  For me, as a caregiver, I developed a closer relationship with God.  As I was thrust into the role of caregiver, I found myself turning again and again to God for direction, for strength, and for hope.  My dependence on my Heavenly Father is what has given me the strength to care for someone else.

Almost everyone will find themselves in the role of caregiver at some point in their life.  Keep your mind on the positive aspects of the role.  You are being instrumental in helping a fellow human being live a quality life again.  And that is definitely something to smile about.