Author: Cheryl

This is what the Lord says, “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No! There is no other Rock; I know not one”. Isaiah 44:8

The first time I saw the ocean, I was eighteen years old and it was Daytona Beach, Florida. I found the ocean breath taking. Growing up in the Shenandoah Mountains, the ocean was a whole new world. Until recent years, my beach days since then have mostly been spent in the warm, clear, turquoise blue waters of the Gulf Coast. My family loves visiting the calm waters of the Gulf. As the girls were growing up they would sit and play at the water’s edge for hours. We tried several East Coast beaches a few times but most attempts at a new beach ended prematurely. The main complaint was that the water was “too hard,” kid speech for strong waves. While some people go to the beach for the waves, our family was used to the serene, lapping Gulf waters.

We recently visited one of our new favorite beaches. The beaches of the southern North Carolina coast are very different than the Gulf but no less beautiful in their own distinct way. The coastline in some areas have rugged rock formations only visible when the tide is low. Standing at the ocean’s edge in the areas without the rocks, the water can be “too hard.” The waves can hit with enough force to knock one off balance. But when standing on the rocks, the water gently rolls towards the shore and softly caresses the toes. The force of the waves is broken by the rocks. It’s a tangible reminder of how Jesus is our Rock.

David praised God for being his stronghold, deliverance, protection, and promoter. “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalms 18:1-2). When we trust in Him, we find strength, courage and hope in His strength and the shelter of His love. Just like the ocean’s rock ledge provides shelter from the force of the waves, our Lord, our Rock can shield us from the waves of life. When we rely on Him instead of our own strengths or other sources, the waves of fear, anxiety and sorrow that come will be absorbed by His strength and His love. Instead of hitting us full force and knocking us down, we can stand on our Rock during those times, face them knowing we will find refuge in Him and stand strong. Consider Psalms 18:31 today, “Who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?” And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.   

“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” 1 John 5: 14-15

We all have those memories in the recesses of our minds that even when the smallest of triggers occur they jump to the forefront of our thoughts in vivid color. One such memory for me happened not long after Kelsey was diagnosed with brain and spinal cord tumors. One of the predominant characteristics of a child with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 is delayed development and learning difficulties. Post diagnosis, Kelsey’s medical record was scanned for evidence of developmental delays or pediatric milestones not achieved. To the surprise of every doctor, but not to me, she did not appear to have met that particular criteria of NF 1. But just to make sure she had to undergo a cognitive evaluation. I can still vividly remember the room and the specialist that conducted the evaluation. The office was in a small building on the Walter Reed campus. It was dark and cramped and it smelled like old books. All the furniture was child size with the exception of the evaluator’s desk and one of those pint size chairs was where I sat for over two hours as I watched the specialist use different assessment tools for Kelsey’s exam. When the testing was finished, Kelsey sat at a table in the corner with a coloring sheet to keep her occupied and the specialist briefed me on her findings. Kelsey’s scores put her in the lower third percentile as compared to her peers of the same age, but she still achieved all the markers, unusual for an NF child.  She went on to say because of Kelsey’s vision deficient and the effects the chemo and tumors would have on her brain function, her prevision for Kelsey’s academic future was grim. All of a sudden, the small room became suffocating. The stuffy paper smell was nauseating and the darkness was overwhelming. At this point in Kelsey’s journey, we were praying she would survive her first round of chemo. In spite of tumors and chemo, we still had hopes and dreams for Kelsey’s future but the small lady with glasses sitting in front of me was suggesting we set all those dreams aside based on her tests. I remember walking out of the building with blinding tears of determination and believing that God would answer our prayers and she would someday not just finish high school but go to college and graduate.

Kelsey has been surrounded by prayer warriors her entire life. Our family will be eternally grateful for the many prayers laid at the feet of our Lord on Kelsey’s behalf.  Some prayers have been answered quickly and others not so quickly. The prayers for academic achievement and college graduation have finally been answered. She worked hard and she did it! She was blessed with gifted, patient, dedicated tutors, teachers and school counselors along her academic path but I give all the praise and glory to God and humbly give thanks for her prayer warriors. God brought the right people along the way to support and pray for Kelsey. Doctors and specialists predicted a grim academic future but God hears our prayers. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.              

“…and are justified freely by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24

While in the quarantine hotel, one of the limited amenities was a working television.  There were very few channels and only two of those were in English. One was a news network and the other was “E” TV.  I am happy to report that I now know everything there is to know about the Kardashians and I can tell you which wedding dress styles are trending. “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” would air over and over during our eight days. As I watched the wedding dress drama unfold day after day, I recalled in silence my personal, rather sad wedding dress drama. Because I married an active duty Army man, I decided to make the investment to have my wedding dress professionally preserved. As we moved around the world, the goal was to keep the dress as pristine as the day I wore it. When the containers that held most of our meager, earthly possessions arrived in Germany it was an exciting day. But the excitement soon turned to tears as the wet, mangled boxes and furniture were downloaded onto the sidewalk. The crates had been dropped in water, somehow, somewhere along the journey and most everything was destroyed or badly broken.

This weekend my sisters and I started the arduous task of cleaning out our mother’s house to prepare it for sell. We took many trips down memory lane as closets and drawers were emptied. A closet in a seldom used room was part of the mission. Along with a decaying fur coat, the closet yielded a large box. We wondered aloud what could be in the box that was creating quite a struggle for my sister. As we turned it right side up, we saw my wedding dress through the box window in pristine condition! I stared at it in unbelief.  For almost thirty years, I thought my dress had been destroyed and forever lost. I have no memory of bringing the dress to my mother’s house after the preservation and certainly not of putting it in an obscure closet. I was delighted beyond belief and humbled by God’s kindness. God saw my rekindled sorrow in that dismal hotel and in His way, in His timing He redeemed that sorrow in the most unexpected way. Our God is a God of redemption. His entire plan for humanity rests on His redemptive love. As excited as I was to find my long, lost wedding dress, my mind cannot fathom the rejoicing that occurs in Heaven at the salvation of a long, lost soul. Give God praise today for His loving kindness and redemptive love. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.