The Mother/Son God Debate

As of late, I have been in a constant debate with my dear son over the existence of God.  Even though he was raised in a Christian home, he has decided that he needs scientific proof of God's existence as well as answers from God as to why he has done all of the things he has done since the beginning of time.

This is a daunting task for me.  As a Christian, I believe 100% in the existence of God.  I don't believe for any  reason  other than He has revealed Himself to me over time...in various situations I have gone through in my life.  Not only that, His Spirit resides in my heart.  I am a changed woman because of Him.  Now, my son would say this change came about because of my inner power.  No.  This change came about because I realized how powerless I was to change my life.  In my weakness, God showed me His strength.

I cannot prove the existence of God.  This will make my son say "Aha! I told you so!"  For that, I am sad.  I wish I could prove God's existence because I love my son with all of my heart.  But what is proof to me is not the kind of proof my son desires.  He wants some kind of God DNA or something.  All I have is for proof is the beauty of Creation, the grand design that is apparent in every single living thing that exists, the miracles I have witnessed, and the lives completely transformed in the name of Jesus Christ. But for all of these things, my son has other explanations that do not point to God.

So what am I to do?  Pray.  I do believe in the power of prayer.  And I do know that if my son ever does turn to God, He will have one of the strongest advocates He has ever had.  For my son will be fierce in his belief and his love for the God that he so diligently searched for and tried to disprove.

                                                             Cheryl A. Williams, 2013

The Thin Line that Separates Church and State

Is is becoming increasingly apparent that the line that separates church and state is slowly disappearing.  It's a scary world we are living in.  We are living in a world with no boundaries...a world filled with hate and bigotry, a world where anything goes, a world where people who have deep religious beliefs are being persecuted...and even killed.  Government is slowly encroaching more and more into the lives of people, taking away our freedoms and taking away our independence. This is not really a surprise to anyone who serves God.  It is predicted in the Bible as something that will happen before the return of the Lord.

As Christians, it is important to not only love one another, but to stand up for what we believe.  There must be a balance, for one without the other will lose in this battle that is currently ensuing.  The enemy has no other desire other than to "steal, kill, and destroy"...and unless we, as Christians stand up to this evil, it will only spread. Our religious freedom is at risk here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave".  This nation "under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" is slowly disappearing.

Are you willing to stand up for what you believe?

                                                         Cheryl A, Williams, 2014

A Moment in Time

For a moment in time,

On that spring evening

When the sun’s fading light

Was casting shadows

On the green, I thought

I was imagining

Those huge doe eyes

Staring directly at me,

No fear in them, but rather

A sense of curiosity and wonder.

We stared at one another

With equal surprise,

Waiting in the stillness

As songbirds trilled,

And cicadas hummed,

And the scent of magnolia blossoms

Filled the air.

I gently pressed the shutter button

And in that instant, our connection ended.

You leaped into the woods

As trust was broken

And our moment together was recorded.

                                                           Cheryl Williams (2015)

Conquering My God Complex

I have always considered myself to be someone who was put on this earth to serve others in some capacity.  That is where I find the most fulfillment.

I have to also admit that it can be hard to remember that I am merely a servant of Him who put me on this earth.  All gifts I offer to others come directly through Him.  Sometimes he has to remind me of that, and it can be a rather harsh awakening.  I hear His still, small voice whisper to me, “Cheryl, you are not God.  I am.”  I usually hear this voice when circumstances are preventing me from helping someone the way I would like to or when circumstances are not  going the way I think they should be.  When the unfairness of life is smacking me in the face, and I am feeling out of control, that is when I realize that I cannot give beyond my time and resources.  This is when I realize, I am not God.

A person I know recently reminded me that when I try to control people and situations, even if it is for a good cause, that I am closing the door on God.  I am, in a sense, telling Him “I don’t need you.  I can do this myself.”  Sometimes the best thing we can do for others is simply “Let go and let God.”

I think of all of the life lessons that I have learned so far in my life, and they have all been the result of the lessons God has taught me.  When I step in trying to save the world by controlling and manipulating situations, I am preventing God from teaching these people valuable lessons that need to be taught.  It can be painful to watch, especially if it is someone you love.  But all of those old clichés are true.  The rainbow really does come after the rain.

When I lost my husband of 33 years, I was faced with some tough, life-changing decisions.  This was hard for me because I was not accustomed to making these kinds of decisions. I had always been the homemaker, the stay-at-home mom, the nurturer.  He was the one who took care of all of the finances.  My self-esteem was low.  My self-confidence was non-existent. 

Suddenly I was faced with cleaning out the home we had lived in for 30 years and selling it.  I was faced with worrying about funeral expenses in the midst of mind-numbing grief.  I was faced with finding a job with benefits after years of working part-time.  I was scared and I was feeling very hopeless.  I was feeling out-of-control when I had no choice other than to be in control.  In the midst of that “control”, however, I realized that I could not do it alone. When I realized that there was nobody who could “save” me from my circumstances, I cried out to God. 

He has never let me down.  Three years later, my circumstances have changed.  I have a job.  I have benefits. I got out of debt. I am paying rent and my own bills.  I bought a car and have no payments.  I have a 401K.  I have published three books, including my novel “Alone in the Crowd”.  I have lost 60 pounds.  I am exercising and eating healthier.  I still have a LONG way to go in being the person I want to be, but I know I'll get there.

I want this for others, and I need to learn that I cannot fix everyone’s situation.  I can only do what God gives me the resources and time to do.  And if God does not respond to a situation the way I believe He should, it is because He has a much better plan in mind.

Let go and let God.  I’m learning to do that…and when I stop trying to butt in, perhaps I will see some of the miracles God has in mind to help the ones that I cannot help.

                                                             Cheryl A. Williams, 2015

Smiles at Work

I love seeing people smile.  I think that's one thing I love about my job.  The people I work with are amazing.  Not a day goes by where I am not laughing or smiling at something a co-worker does or says.  Sometimes it is just a look that says it all.  We all have a commonality of experiences that we share working in a retail environment.  There are the customers who are regulars, the customers who appreciate us, and the customers who give us lots of good stories to share with each other.

For all of the aspects of my job that I don't particularly care for, I will say that my fellow team members make it all worthwhile.  They make the long days a bit shorter, and for that I am very appreciative.  It is because of this that I strive to be a positive, smiling face at my job. After all, if we can all make each other smile...the world will be a tiny bit better...:)

Good Friday Reflections

Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ was crucified, taking upon Himself the sins of all mankind.  He loved mankind so much that he was willing to be tortured and crucified.  His death was not pretty.  It was sheer agony.  Imagine having huge nails hammered through your wrists and ankles.  Imagine what it must have felt like just hanging this way for hours struggling and gasping for each breath.  Yet even in His agony, he cried out "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

What love.  When I reflect on Jesus's death, I think of my many sins and how they were nailed to that cross with Jesus.  I gave my heart to the Lord when I was 15 years old. The years have deepened my love for Him.  Despite falling away from Him more than once, He still holds His arms wide open for me.  Not only does He welcome me back, He actually has chased me down when I was running away from Him.

You see, once you are His, you belong to Him for eternity.  He will come and get you if you get lost or afraid or start to have questions  He will help you find your way back to Him.  I can't imagine NOT wanting to be loved that way.

Still, there are skeptics.  There are those who laugh and mock the fact that Jesus died for them.  My heart breaks for these people, and what they are missing.  They are missing a one on one intimate relationship like no other.  They are missing out on love like they have never experienced.  They are missing out on eternal life that is offered only through Jesus Christ.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

I've been thinking a lot lately about miracles.  Some people believe in them.  Others don't.  I have to admit that I'm a believer.  Not only have I witnessed several miracles, I have heard eyewitness accounts of miracles that have no other other explanation.

There are a lot of miracles in the Bible.  Jesus healed lepers, the blind, the crippled, the demon-possessed. His first miracle was turning water into wine,  He also turned a few loaves and fishes into enough to feed thousands and still have more left over.  He brought Lazarus back to life after he had been dead in the tomb for several days.  Still, in our humanity, there is something about us that makes us skeptical.  Why is it easier for us to look for a scientific explanation rather than look to an Almighty God who created the universe and everything in it?  Why is it so difficult for us to believe that an omnipotent Father could love us enough to perform a miracle in our lives?

Personally, I think it all comes down to the negativity of the society that we live in.  We are constantly bombarded with the negative.  If you don't believe me, turn on the news or flip through the channels.  Listen to the music on the radio.  Peruse social media.  The world is a scary place if that is what we choose to focus on.

The truth is that the media fill us with propaganda the same way that North Korea fills its citizens with propaganda. It is a different kind of propaganda, but the effect is much the same.  We are taught to live in fear and distrust as a means of supporting decisions our government makes that we might otherwise disagree with.  The government is becoming more and more intrusive in our lives.

The more we depend on our government, the less we depend on God.  The more we wait for the government to make our lives better, the less we depend on God's helping hand.  As for miracles, they seem like more of a fairy tale.

The truth is that miracles are happening every day in countries all over the world.  The mainstream press never reports on them, however.

I have personally been physically healed after praying for God's healing hand. I saw my daughter and my son physically healed as babies after my husband and I prayed.  I saw my 2 year old daughter snatched from certain death by an "angel" who was there one moment, and gone in the blink of an eye.  I have heard eyewitness accounts of terminal cancer being healed, and of addictions being healed.  I have heard eyewitness accounts of God's protection in the face of certain death.  I have heard eyewitness accounts of terrorists giving their hearts to the Lord after witnessing the Christian courage of prisoners who had the conviction to witness to their captors in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Think about your own life.  Do you believe in miracles?  I mean....truly believe?  Perhaps it is time to expand your faith in God, and ask, expecting to receive.  Does God always answer the way we would like for Him to? No.  God sees the big picture that we do not see.  We can rest assured in the fact that His answer is always the best...even if we many not see it right away.

                                                         Cheryl A. Williams, 2014