CWCJ - Healing - Perspective by Mary

This word means so many things. It’s a wonderful word. It’s a happy word because whether your healing is physical or spiritual, it’s never the less a healing from above. From our Lord Jesus Christ whose will is for no man to lose himself but to live eternally. I have received both of the above physical and spiritual healings, of which I am eternally grateful.
For me, it began when I surrendered all and opened my heart in this small town in a small house having a prayer meeting that I responded and forgave and I was released from my bondage and made free.
I like to call that – Mercy and forgiveness in action. You begin to be at Peace with yourself and others.
In my life forgiveness plays a very important part in my healing. I say, “Forgive, as though your life depends on it because it does.” God calls us to forgive one another, encourage one another.
But what I realize was that when I forgave, my healing took place. Thanks to God and to God be the glory, that all the members of our body are indeed connected as one. When we don’t forgive we carry baggage. This weights our body down, causing illness and disease. Many things cause this - anger, depression, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, etc…
Some healings take longer than others depending on the type of healing taking place. Some are a process of forgiving yourself and learning and growing in Christ, to forgive our enemies or those who have hurt us deeply.
Jesus asked “What reward is it in loving those that love you?” But to love those who have injured you, who wall against you? I recall Paul asking the Christ to take dagger from his side more than once. But Christ did not answer every time. Sometimes there was no answer.
Some times Christ allows this very thing to draw us near to Him and teach us and help us grow.
Also in healing, you have your bad days and good. But you will begin to have more good days your healing is taking over.
I reflect on the healing that took place for out friends Manuel the young man who lost his battle with his liver, yet he received a greater healing from the soul. He gave his life to Christ. He repented and realized where real life and healing begins, in the soul. He died in Victory, to see Christ his personal savior Lord and King.
Christians Woman’s Job Corps has been the essence of all this healing for me. I so thank God for all his connection pulling all this together for me. Because here I have grown and learned.

CWJC - Encouragement - Perspective by Amber

Sometimes I go through life just wishing I could help, be a good encourager, but I just don’t really know where to begin.

It really didn’t soak in on how people in my family felt about me until one day I was invited to go on a women’s retreat, not knowing what was going to be going on up there. That weekend I had heard some awesome and sad stories that the other Christian sisters had shared with all of us. Just listening to all of their stories and how God gave them and their families the encouragement to handle what was put in front of them, made me know that everything that I am going through is just a drop of water in the bucket. And if they can still call out His name and have faith that He will still be there to help encourage them, then I, too, can call on Him for some encouragement. That night before the retreat was over the counselors had us go into the dining room where there were no lights on except for two red lights that were shining down onto a cross with a purple cloth around the base of it. We all found at our tables three black pieces of paper. There was a lady from the back that said the reason that the papers were black was to hide what our sins were from one another, because no one needs to know what my sins were except myself and God. And then we were to write down what our sins were. When we got all finished writing down everything we were to all told to go line up behind one another. There we were given a hammer and a nail. The reason for the hammer and the nail was because we were to hammer our sins up on to the cross and give them up to Him.

As it got to be my turn to nail the papers, it was so hard for me. Because I was not only hammering up so many pieces of paper, but I was also putting myself in the shoes of the soldier that put those nails into our Savior. Do you really understand how hard it was for me to take that hammer and nail and to hit the cross until the paper was stuck up there?

Just when I thought it was all over with the ladies from the back asked us if we would have a seat at the tables once more. There they had a stack of letters for each one of us. As I started to open them up one by one, one of them I had picked up and started to read was from my son. It read,

You are my favorite mom because
1. You are nice
2. You read me stories
3. You let me stay up late
4. You always comfort me
5. You love and care for me.

And if that wasn’t encouragement enough, I found one of them from my brother. He just tells how he was really glad that he had a chance to grow up with me. He also said that the thing he liked about me the most was that with me being so strong in Christ, I have taught my son about the greatest Dad that we serve.

I just then realized that I am encouraging the ones around me. Not by what I say but by how I live my life everyday.

CWJC - Suffering & Blessing - Perspective from Julie

Suffering:
I sit here crying and asking God, “Why? Why do people have to suffer?” Brian is our nephew. He is very sick. He is in such pain. He has lots of things connected to him. He can’t even breathe on his own. Next to Brian is a baby that keeps on crying. He was burned so badly! Why? Why did my son get stabbed 12 times? I do not wish bad to any of the boys who did this to my son, but why does my son have to suffer? I don’t understand. Why do we have to suffer?

Blessing:
A Blessing is to know God! I never understood why people have to suffer, but now I know it’s because of the choices we make. And the choices we make are not the best. If we will just trust in God, not just when we are in need. If we could treat people the way we want to be treated. Open our hearts and tell the word of God to one another, the world would be so much better. We all have been Blessed with things but are not pleased, we want more, or think we need more, but as long as we have God in our lives we don’t need anything else. Knowing God is the biggest Blessing! He will always be with you. When we die we won’t hurt, suffer, or be sick anymore. So just believe and open your hearts and receive the Lord, you will have the best Blessing ever!

WALKING THE DOG

A woman was flying from Seattle to San Francisco . Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento. Along the way, the flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes. Everybody got off the plane except one lady in the back row who was blind.
The man had noticed her as he looked back and could tell the lady was blind because her Seeing Eye Dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her through out the entire flight. He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said, 'Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost An hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?' The blind lady replied, 'No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs.' So, the pilot took Buddy off the plane for a walk.All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!True story.. Have a great day and remember...
...THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR.
A DAY WITHOUT LAUGHTER IS A DAY WASTED

Perspective - Commitment & Submit - by Teresa

This is a story about me, the changes I’ve made and are still making. This is about COMMITMENT. Which means a promise made to someone or to ones self that can’t be broken without consequences.
As this story goes I’m a person who in my years in the past had a hard time making commitments to myself or others.
I would make promises and couldn’t keep them due to something or someone always having me to go back on my word because I was weak and didn’t know how to say “no.” Another word for that is to SUBMIT. That means to give in to the wishes of someone or to please them because you think you’re obligated to.
I would always push my needs and wants to take care of everyone else. But when the time came for someone to help me or to be there for me, no one had the time for me.
So through the years I’ve learned slowly to be more aggressive and to say “no” often enough. My commitments weren’t still being met. I was still submitting myself to everyone’s needs but my own.
So here about 3 years ago, I said to myself, “Enough was enough!” I finally took a stand and said “NO.” It’s taken me this long to get to where I am now.
I finally did something good in my life. I made a turn for myself, something I never knew possible.
One of the big steps I’ve taken is to come here to Christian Women’s Job Corp. I was nervous and afraid because I didn’t know if I could commit to such a big step. Afraid that something or someone will cause me to be weak and submit to other people’s needs and pushing my own aside, again.
I would drive down the street back and forth. I walked up to the front door, and almost turned around and walked away, when suddenly, something stop me. I thought, “What am I doing? Taking this step would be the greatest thing for my kids and I to have a better life, not to be afraid of anything anymore. “
So you know what? I did it! I’m here and learning. Meeting wonderful teachers who are so awesome! I never thought people like them existed.
The women, who attend this wonderful school, have been through a lot and are here. It’s great to have them as friends. I haven’t had friends in such a long time.
I’m so happy that I made the decision to come here. The best thing that have crossed my path in years. But I owe this not only to the strength and courage of taking that first step through those doors. God pushed me and guided me here. So now, I’m committed on doing the best for my kids, myself, for anyone who crosses my path that I can be a blessing to.
I will no longer submit for the wrong reasons. But I will submit to obey God, the father, the king, the leader, because I cannot do anything, and I cannot be anyone special without him in my life.
And I believe I will make it through.

CWJC – Anger – Perspective by Mary

This emotion to me is a very powerful emotion from injury done deep within the soul. When you are injured, the first reaction is to be angry, followed by hurt. If left unattended, the anger may cause further damage.

Many years I played the role of being angry, growing up in a world of abuse, fights and fear. I learned to play my role well. But I longed for love, for someone to care for me and to be nourished like a child should be. I would often call on God, but I really didn’t know why because I didn’t know Him. I just did. Now I know He was always there. Being constantly provoked by those who were supposed to love and take care of me, I just didn’t understand why some one would not help me.

Being young and unaware of many things, I went through life this way. This is what you’ve been taught. The woman who had me and the man she lived with hurt me every day. They were very angry people to begin with.

But something inside of me kept calling to this God that I just didn’t know. But I had always heard that He loved everybody and I wanted Him to love me. Aware that this was indeed wrong, justice became a very important word in my vocabulary. Unable to forgive, I was growing up like my abusers. Anger was killing me like a cancer eating one from the inside out. This strong emotion of displeasure became a way of life for me.

When you’ve been provoked to so many emotions, you feel misunderstood. And the need to be understood, to explain yourself, causes you to over react and at times to lose control. It’s hard not understanding that people just can’t see the whole picture. How could they? And again this causes you to be misunderstood and once again angered. You begin to understand and accept that this is just the way it is for me.

But still this God kept surfacing within me. I just didn’t understand or know why.

Then one day after many invitations and many no’s. I finally said “yes” only if they promised never to ask me again. Little did I know that that evening I was going to meet that God that kept popping up. He filled me that night with fire and I felt that I could fly. Something was lifted off and I felt so light. I could not stop crying. The more I tried, the harder I cried. My Catholic friend kept telling me, “You’ve received.” But I had no idea what she was talking about.

I remember the next day, the birds were singing like many times before, only this time I could hear them. The world looked different. But, how could it? It was the same world I had always known.

I walked up to my mother and I told her I love you and everybody. She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. But I’d never been more sane. I told her I met Jesus and He lives in my heart forever and He could live in her heart. She began to cry and she held me for the first time in my life that I can remember.

And, so you see, anger, it’s just a word that you don’t have to live with. And it’s something that can change. Jesus can give love, peace and joy all the days of my life, and yours. Because He lives and there’s no one like Him. He’s my Lord, Savior, and the King of Kings. Sometimes I remember how He was always there, I just did not know. And He teaches and guides you every step of the way.

Mary

March 13, 2009

CWJC - Persistence - Perspective by Alicia

My day has come when all I have is my will from today till tomorrow. The tension between my “today” and my “tomorrow” sometimes frightens me because I contemplate too many tomorrows.

I can always imagine the worst about my finances and illnesses that tomorrow might bring. All of my energies have become divided between the process of living for now and the fear of my tomorrows. I feel as thought I have forgotten that I have a Heavenly Father to whom I can cast all of my tomorrows. In II Corinthians 12:9, He has promised me His grace. “My Grace is sufficient for you.” So what I need to do is to be persistent and seek Him first. Call out to Him. Cry out to Him in prayer.

So, yes, as of today, I will cast my todays and tomorrows to Him that will make it right. I will be of great persistence and will not give up hope even when others with less hope have given up on me. I will make the best out of any existence and learn to live a more abundant life that God has promised me. For He loves me so much that He was willing to give His Son, Jesus Christ, in order that I might be able to make the best out of my life. From now on, I will not question what life is all about. Instead I will work on how I can make my life worthwhile. This way I can find some of the happiness that others seem to be having, while serving the One and only One, God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I sometimes feel like the man in John 5:6 where Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” The man’s answer was not a clear yes, but instead a complaint. “I have no one to put me in the pool,” he answered. I, too, feel that when Jesus asked me if I will just cast my todays and tomorrows on Him, I forget to recognize the divine Power in Jesus words.

Maybe it is not what I have done, but instead of who I am. Perhaps it’s now even my withered limbs, so much as my withered spirit. Now Jesus has said that His Father is still working and that He, too, is still working in verse 16. Both are still working with the withered spirit of the ungrateful and the unknowing. And, yes, I feel like God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is still working with my body which is easy to be cured, and, my spirit which is more difficult to cure.

So, I think that I know that I do need to get right with my Father and seek Him with persistence so that I can receive His promises that are written in His Book, the Holy Bible.
I once heard someone say that God gave us gifts, and that we are to give back, too.

Have no fear for the gifts you give
But the gifts you dare withhold
In a world that needs your helping hand
Your heart, your life, and your gold.

Alicia
March 13, 2009