Today’s a new day! In John 3:16, we read that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Think about that for a moment. What do you love so much that you would sacrifice your only child for? This question speaks to who we are and what we’re willing to sacrifice. I encourage everyone to spend some time reflecting on this question today. ~OC
A Time of Reflection
Today’s a new day! As Christians, if we don’t love Judas do we really love Jesus? Because Jesus loved Judas. Spend some time reflecting on that today. ~OC
Hope and Joy
Today’s a new day! The following post is one that I have been writing and rewriting for months. I am not sure it’s exactly everything I want to say, but sometimes you just have to put it out there and not worry about the response.
What if I shared with you that when I look at this crazy beautiful health journey I am on, I do so with hope and joy in my heart?
In the midst of countless hospital visits, treatments, pain and surgeries there has been indescribable hope and joy that has surrounded my every step.
Let me share some truth with you. It has not been my health journey that has that brought me this hope and joy. Far from it. The hope and joy that I live with comes from someone else. You see, as I have experienced my health declining over the years, I have become intimately aware of how fragile life really is. I have become more aware of how short, and how painful our time can be on this journey called life. This has led me to crave for a life that God promised to those who would follow Him. A life where there is no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death.
As I have run this grueling health journey, I found myself more desperate for God’s word and the peace of heaven. There were days I fixed my eyes on heaven just to get through the day. But then something amazing began to happen. The more I focused on God’s promises and heaven, the more I felt alive and renewed. Even though my body continues to decline, I have experienced more hope in the promises found in the Bible than ever before. I started leaning more into those promises because that’s where I find my hope, peace and strength. I have to make a daily choice to totally embrace God’s promises or allow this health journey to consume me. To become my identity.
I began to see the scriptures in a whole new way. Verses like the following:
“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.”~James 1:2-4
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~Romans 8:18
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I know as some of you read this post, you’re facing major storms in your life. Life seems overwhelming at times. So, when some guy is telling you to “think of it as pure joy”, it might bring out feelings of anger rather than joy. I get it. But just for a second asked yourself, “What if these verses are true?” What if even during the toughest moments of your journey, the cancer diagnosis, the Parkinson’s diagnosis or some other challenge is actually being used to make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing? And that even the deepest hurt will someday be replaced with insurmountable love, peace, and joy.
The hope and joy I am writing about may not always look like happiness the way we understand it. The hope and joy that comes from following God and focusing on heaven is not the same as what the world defines as joy. I believe it’s far more rewarding.
The world connects joy to a moment, experience or circumstance. So, if life is currently full of sunshine, we have plenty of reasons to celebrate. But the amazing thing about God’s joy is that nothing in our life could be going right, but with God’s help, we can still find the strength within our soul to praise, to help others, and ultimately, still have hope and joy.
The darkest moments of my health journey are filled with hope and joy because I continue to cling to the beautiful promises of God. They are my lifeline. And as I continue to hold onto that hope, my head miraculously stays above the raging seas. The storms that surround me haven’t changed, but I know even the biggest battles in my life cannot take away my most precious gift in life, my relationship with God. And for that, I am forever grateful.
As I close out this post, I want you to hold onto the following truth: The hope and joy that comes from Heaven, far outweighs the trials we will face here on earth. ~OC
Running On Empty
Today’s a new day! Here is another “Lost Writings From OC.” This was written in May 2023 during a hospital stay.
As I was reading and studying scripture this morning, the following came to my mind.
The Question of the Day: Do you find yourself at times, spiritually running on empty?”
Speaking for myself, I can say most definitely that there have been times when I was so focused on my spiritual destination and what I needed to do to get there that I allowed my spiritual gas tank to run dry.
Let’s take a moment to break that statement down:
– To begin with, there are a lot of “I’s” and “my’s” in that sentence – almost always a sure sign of trouble.
– My focus was on “my spiritual destination” – not on God’s intentions for me in that moment.
– My priorities were based on “what I needed to do” – not on God’s priorities for me.
– My spiritual gas tank was empty because I had neglected it; in my out-of-focus focus, I had left out the ONE who should have my utmost attention.
The Word of God gives us a beautiful comparison of two sisters with differing priorities.
Martha had invited Jesus into her home – an invitation that likely included Jesus’ twelve disciples. Luke writes, she “welcomed” Jesus. She was happy and excited to have Jesus in her home, she loved Him and wanted to serve Him well. But her focus quickly shifted from Jesus to the task of preparing the food and caring for her guests. Joyful service turned to resentment when Martha saw her sister, Mary, sitting at Jesus feet listening to Him talk.
Martha was running on “Empty” as she tried to guilt and manipulate Jesus into shaming Mary into helping her serve. Jesus kindly, but firmly, put Martha in her place. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Jesus told Martha that although she was stressed out over many things, she had missed the most important thing. Martha’s focus on the busyness of hosting and serving her guests had drained her spiritual tank and blurred her focus. She was operating on empty.
We can say and do foolish things when we are tired and running on empty.
– Martha’s efforts had depleted her spirit and left her empty.
– Martha’s joy had been replaced by irritation and frustration.
– Her sincere desire to serve had been replaced by feelings of resentment.
Then Jesus spoke words that convicted Martha deeply and likely changed her perspective forever, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Jesus was saying that Mary had made the best choice – she had chosen Him. (Luke 10:42)
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Psalm 16:5
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
“The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep Your words.” Psalm 119:57
Right now is a beautiful time of the year: a time to celebrate graduations, vacations and more time to hang out with family and friends. It’s also a time to run ourselves ragged – decorating, shopping, stressing about everything we need to get done before we can rest and enjoy the moment. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves running on EMPTY.
Not just Energy Empty…Spiritually Empty.
How can we keep our spiritual tank filled?
– Remember the focus is on God’s Love and His Ultimate Gift to Mankind (Don’t focus on yourself)
– Follow God in the moment (Don’t over plan and obsess on the details)
– Make God’s priorities yours (Don’t neglect your daily devotions and prayer time, keep first things first)
– Choose Jesus, He is your best choice – your perfect portion
The amazing thing is this, when we choose God as our focus, we will be filled, and we will stay full.
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
Finally, I encourage us all to spend more time enjoying the journey and less time stressing about the outcome. ~OC
Let Love Win
Today’s a new day! Don’t you think fear has won often enough in your life? Don’t you think anger has won enough in this world?
What if, just for today, you did absolutely everything in your power to see that love wins for a change? What if your small acts of love spread from community to community and across the world? What if it creates an absolute tidal wave that circles and embraces the entire world?
What if one act of love and kindness from you was the very thing someone needed to restore their faith in humanity or try one more time to keep running their race? To not give up.
What if you are the spark the world is waiting on to shift from a fear-based mindset to a love-based mindset?
Let’s let love win today and see what happens!
Wherever you are on your journey, remember you are awesome! Show some love and kindness today. ~OC
Don’t Fear Failure
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk out this crazy beautiful health journey, I want to continue sharing some wisdom and life lessons with you. I pray they will bring encouragement to all.
Today’s Lesson: Don’t Fear Failure
I have found embracing failure is an important aspect of personal growth. Encouraging others to take big chances and not be afraid of failing can lead to the discovery of new and life changing ideas. ~OC
Dreams and Goals
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk out this crazy beautiful health journey, I want to continue sharing some wisdom and life lessons with you. I pray they will bring encouragement to all that takes the time to read my post.
Today’s Lesson:
Take time to think about a dream or goal you haven’t achieved yet. How have the efforts and experiences along the way contributed to your personal growth and development? In what ways have past “failures” taught you valuable lessons that you can apply to future pursuits? ~OC
A Challenge
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk out this crazy beautiful health journey, I want to continue sharing some wisdom and life lessons with you. I pray they will bring encouragement to all that takes the time to read my post.
Today instead of a lesson learned, I want to propose a challenge.
I want to encourage everyone to perform one creative act daily for 30 days. It could be writing, drawing, cooking, photography, dancing or any creative idea that comes to your mind. I am hoping as people take on this challenge, it will help in reducing stress and inspire us to embrace our creative side. Maybe you try something new or maybe you revisit an old talent or interest. You can choose when and if you want to take on this challenge. Just have fun with it! ~OC
Life’s Journey and Lessons
Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk out this crazy beautiful health journey, I thought I would share some thoughts and lessons learned along this journey. So for the next few days or weeks, I will hopefully share some wisdom and life lessons with you. I pray they will bring encouragement to all that takes the time to read my post.
The next few days or weeks, will be a reflection of the legacy I hope to leave behind for my family, friends and anyone who takes the time to read my post. As I continue to walk this health journey, I cannot control my declining health, but I can control how I deal with it and hopefully the positive impact I can have on others.
As I walk through this life, I want to encourage people to chase your dreams, embrace the challenges of life and to savor every precious moment.
Each day, I want to share a key lesson learned along the journey. Here is the lesson for today:
Embrace the challenges of life and make the most of your time here on earth. As I continue walking this journey, I have decided not to retreat from life, but instead to hopefully encourage others walking through their own life journey.
Finally, I hope and pray by sharing these life lessons, they will encourage you to reflect on your own journey and how you want to live it out. ~OC
It’s Time to Grow Up
Today’s a new day! Imagine your 18 year old daughter is a college freshman and all the sudden her life is blown up by a viscous, nasty and false rumor. To all my dads out there, how would you react if Mary Kate Cornett was your daughter?
That is the real life nightmare a father, his daughter and their family are currently living out at Ole Miss University because of some immature men (if you want to call them men), who have sports talk shows decided to run with a story without checking any facts, evidence or getting some clarification regarding this horrific situation. All because they have a national tv/radio show. One of these sad individuals is a leading figure at ESPN.
One of the many sad things about this case as I read the articles and responses, is how so many men and some women are defending not the victim in this case, but the childish men who decided to spread this hate without ever checking to see if was true. I am purposely not mentioning the tv/radio host involved in this case because the focus should be on the victim, not the perpetrators of this hate.
Why is it that some men feel like it’s okay to degrade a woman without even blinking an eye? I grew up playing sports and spent plenty of time in locker rooms. Some of the conversations were not PG or even PG-13. But guess what? Most of the boys grew up and became men who realized those conversations were juvenile and disrespectful. Sadly, some boys never learned that lesson and continue to treat women and anyone they feel is less than like second class citizens. And what’s even worse is that major corporations like ESPN give them millions of dollars and a license to continue acting like middle school boys.
I have been praying for Miss Cornett and her family. Her parents and grandfather have been harassed by a group of people emboldened by the talk show/radio host they listen to daily. Miss Cornett and her family are thinking about bringing a lawsuit against all the immature boys and the companies they work for. I say, go for it! Hold them and the companies they work for accountable for the pain and suffering they have caused you.
Maybe, just maybe these boys will grow up someday. None of the individuals who helped spread these rumors have even apologized to this young lady or her family. No, they keep raking in the ratings and the money while Miss Cornett has to hideout and take her classes online for safety concerns. I will ask again, men what if Miss Cornett was your daughter? ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 