Tag: Trials

My Why

Good Morning! Here is another “Lost Writings from OC.” This was written in 2020.

Today’s a new day! Writing has been part of my crazy beautiful health journey. Writing has allowed me to see life in a different way and experience healing in many parts of my life. Writing has allowed me to experience the following:

God has put me on this earth to love and serve others. To encourage others. To hopefully inspire people to think about their own life journey.

God created me to truly experience life. To embrace the good…and bad moments of this journey. I am here to learn. Just a little advice, we should never stop learning.

I am here to overcome my physical limitations. I am here to transform inspiration into action.

I believe in living a peaceful life. Peace within myself. Peace with those I have disagreements with.

I no longer expect or demand to be understood. I understand myself. Most importantly, God understands me and still chooses to love me.

I am not alone when I connect with God and the amazing people He has put in my life. Those relationships fuel me.

I ache and grieve alongside the pain and suffering of others. I empathize with those who suffer.

I seek to overcome suffering by finding its meaning, purpose and lessons.

I no longer force my beliefs on others. I choose to show respect to those with different views, opinions and beliefs.

I choose not to be selfish. I love sharing and helping others. Serving others helps me experience God’s love in a meaningful and real way.

I choose to let God write my story, even though there are times I want to steal the pen.

I choose to be awake. To be present. I am called. I feel God’s presence within me. I can truly be me because He lives in me. ~OC

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Hope in the Storm

Good Morning! Here is another “Lost Writings from OC.” I wrote this back in March 2019 while in the hospital.

Today’s a new day! As I have walked through this crazy beautiful health journey, I have found there is hope in the middle of my battle. I do not say this lightly, as this health journey has taken a lot from me physically. But, as I continue to walk through this battle, I have felt the presence of God and He continues to remind me that He always gives beauty for ashes. 


Beauty for ashes can look like oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, and a closer relationship with Him. God’s love fulfills our every need, not only in the natural but also in the eternal.

I want to share some Bible verses that have helped me as I continue to walk through this season of health issues.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.”~Psalms 57:1

I pray that you see it’s God’s mercy that has you here. I do not know what your storm looks like, maybe it looks a bit disheveled or completely unrecognizable. Whatever the case might be, God is a permanent safe place; His refuge isn’t one that collapses or gets overwhelmed by a storm surge. No, it is filled with great peace that surpasses all of our understanding. God is where we can place all of our trust.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. ~Habakkuk 3:19

As I studied this scripture from the Old Testament, this is what I learned. A hind is a deer that can place its feet exactly where its front feet stepped, not missing an inch. A hind lives in mountainous regions and can run the terrain without fear. They are truly free even when crossing difficult paths along the way. I believe this verse is saying that God does the same with us. In His great sovereignty, God reshapes our feet to fit the mountain we are climbing. I pray it brings you some strength as you walk through your own storm.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”~Romans 15:13

I pray as you walk through a season of storms, you will see God as your hope. Hope that devastates all brokenness and holds us through what we couldn’t imagine through the heartache. We can always call on our Heavenly Father, who gives us great joy and peace that stands in the face of everything we might be going through right now.

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” ~Joshua 1:9

This verse sounds like a bold ask when in reality it’s a bold invitation. Be strong and courageous because the Lord is with us because He has never left and intends to go before us wherever we go. What a great promise from God who led Joshua and the Israelites into the Promise Land. That same God lives today and is there for you and I. So take heart, for God has overcome the world.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” ~2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I pray that this verse finds you on both sides. Some of you have found yourselves in great need of comfort from our Father of compassion. Others have been comforted and are searching for ways to do the same for those in trouble and currently dealing with the storms of life. I want to lift up the first of you who were so blindsided by all the damage done and be expectant on how God will use His people to give you a helping hand and abundant love to get you through. For those that fall into the latter, I pray that God will give you healing hands as you go out into your community and renew your strength daily to not grow weary in doing good.

I know this post was a little long, but I hope it brings you some peace and comfort if you’re currently walking through a tough season of life or just coming out of a trying time. God Bless ~OC

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A Monday Morning Prayer

Good Morning! A prayer to start your day. ~OC

Dear God, sometimes we can be so wishy-washy when it comes to taking hold of Your promises and making them ours. So today, we choose to lean into your amazing plans and promises for our lives. Help us to not allow our human experience to talk us out of our spiritual inheritance. Dear God, help us to set our feet upon every promise that You have given us . Let us go all in! It’s in Your precious name that we pray. ~Amen

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A Saturday Prayer

Happy Saturday Morning! Let us pray before we start another day. ~OC

Dear God, thank you for another day. Another day filled with challenges and beautiful opportunities. Refresh us this morning. Allow us to live in your presence. Allow us to welcome and encourage every person we encounter today. Allow us to be present in every situation today. Dear God, teach us when to speak and when to listen. When to ponder and when to share. In moments of challenge allow us to lean into the whisperings of your heart. Dear Lord, feel us with the simple gift of your peace today. Allow us to celebrate your joy this day. When our day goes well, may we rejoice. When life grows difficult, surprise us with new possibilities. When life is overwhelming, call us to rest. Dear God, restore your Peace and Harmony in each of our hearts. May our lives reveal your goodness. Dear God, we pray all of this in your precious name. Amen

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Facing Challenges

Good Morning! I do not have a date for when I wrote the following. But as I looked it over, I thought it was relevant to what so many of us are facing today. ~OC

Today’s a new day! There will be times in our lives that we will face challenges in life.

There will be times when we see blatant disregard for God’s Word even within the Christian community.

There will be a time when some Christians will choose political power over the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There will be a time when Christians will be put in a position to stand for what’s right or choose to be guided by the allure of power.

There will be a time when Christians will need to step up for what’s right. Even if that means standing alone.

Sometimes, we will find ourselves in situations where we will need to decide if we will obey God or “follow the crowd”. Our decision will either glorify God or give the enemies of God an opportunity to scorn Him. It is very important to stand for what you believe in (especially if your conviction is coming from what God has clearly said); even when others have a different opinion or thought.

It Takes Courage

The truth is, standing alone requires courage.

It is important to know that courage is not the absence of fear; it is confidence in something or someone greater than the emotions of fear.

To stand alone, one must have confidence that obedience to God and His word will ultimately result in a superior outcome. We can always stand alone for truth, if we have this confidence in God and His Word.

Standing alone can definitely be hard, but certainly not impossible.

There are several examples of people in the Bible who towed this path.

In Hebrews 11:7, we see where Noah chose to believe God. God told Noah about bad things that would happen. Nobody could see what would happen, but Noah believed God’s message. He was careful to do exactly what God told him. He built a large ship to save his family. As a result of his faith, Noah showed that everyone else in the world was wrong. Noah himself became one of those people that God accepted as right with him.

Just imagine. It was only Noah and his family on God’s side against all of the naysayers on the other side.

But Noah did it. And if he did it, then we can too.

God’s Word Is Our Fortress:

When it comes to standing for what one believes in, it all starts and ends with what the Lord is saying – either through His revealed word or His spoken word directly to us.

God’s Word is the believer’s most powerful weapon against evil and it is his most potent fortress when it comes to standing alone.

Scripture is no doubt a deep source of strength. It has been my anchor in overwhelming situations that have required me to stand alone. I am a living, breathing testimony that standing alone with God is the best because you will always win.

Remember that when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, He defeated Satan by quoting the Scriptures. In His response to the enemy’s first temptation, Jesus emphasized the necessity of knowing God’s Word, pointing out that our need for God’s Word is even more critical than our need for physical sustenance.

“But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ~Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬

We must know the Word of God in order to stand alone for truth.

You Are Not Alone

When you are standing for what God says – which you have come to believe in, it may seem like you are all alone. But the truth is, you are never truly alone because God is standing with you. He promised to never leave us (Isaiah 43:1-5; Matthew 28:20)

Knowing this, we need to always turn to God for the grace and strength to face whatever may come.

Stand Strong! God is with us. I pray the following scriptures will give you hope:

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. ~1 Corinthians 16:13

Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. ~Deuteronomy 31:6

Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have placed my trust and found refuge. ~Psalms 16:1

This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!” ~ Jeremiah 7:23

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10

Dear God, we have chosen to obey you by standing alone for the truth, please help us to be courageous. Grant us grace and strength to face whatever may come and at the end Lord, please give us victory to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

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Paying Attention

Today’s a new day! Since the inauguration of the current administration, many people are either alarmed or are at least paying attention at what has transpired.

We wonder how putting flawed inexperienced people in charge of our government agencies will make our lives better. We see one of the main issues that got him elected — inflation — take a back seat to revenge and retribution. We see the destruction of the rule of law and allowing a unelected out of control billionaire actually run the country.

One of my biggest fears is the loss of checks and balances in a president who appears to have no ethical compass. I wonder what our deceased men and women of the military, who gave their lives fighting for our freedom would think of our current gutless Congress who are willing to throw out our democracy and cower in fear of being primaried from our billionaire overlords.

I think the American people need to hold these compromised representatives accountable for the sake of this generation and generations to come. Thanks for listening. ~OC

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Takeaways

Good Morning! Here is another entry from “The Lost Writings of OC.” This is from 2021.

Today’s a new day! It has been my experience that God uses what seems to be our weakest moments to propel us to the next chapter in His plan and purpose in our lives.

During this crazy beautiful health journey, God has given me the strength and motivation to take steps forward each day. Here are three takeaways.

1). Pray – This is sadly usually the last resort. We as believers usually pray; however, we pray after we have done everything that we can do in our own strength. In Matthew 6:33, it says seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Go to Him, talk with Him and invite Him into your situation.

2). Listen – Over the years, I have spent a ton of time telling God what my next steps are, and sometimes I picture Him looking at me, shaking His head and saying… “Are you done yet?” I have historically been terrible at this. I’ve wanted my relationship with God to be very transactional. However, I have learned over time that this isn’t how He tends to work. We must lean in and listen. I also try to write in my journal what I feel God is speaking to me at the time and what the next steps are in my situation that I am struggling with. Pausing to write has been a very important way for me to allow God to work in my life.

3). Act – What if we truly walked out the Scriptures that look good on a t-shirt or bumper sticker, such as Matthew 19:26…with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. What would happen if we lived with the mindset of “do the next right thing?” Today, just take one step forward. Just a small applicable steps in the right direction allows roots to take hold, grow and build a strong foundation rooted in God.

I am not sure what season you might be walking through right now. It could be something as small as what cereal to buy, or it could be some huge life-altering situation that you just don’t know what to do with. Give them to God and let His strength shine in these moments. I know that this is counterculture but remember another promise from Scripture in Matthew 11:28-29…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

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Dear Christian,

Hello again. I am loving going through old journals and finding these writings that I have entitled “The Lost Letters of OC.” I wrote this back in 2019.

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

I have wanted to write this letter for a long time, but I wasn’t sure it would do any good. Like you, I’m on my own journey.

I have been frustrated because it feels like Christians have stopped listening to the needs of others, unless it fits their agenda. Do you really care what non- Christians or people from other faiths really think or care about ? Do you truly care about your neighbor or coworker that feels like their life is filled with roadblocks? How about the neighbor who is struggling to just pay their bills? How about that neighbor who votes differently than you?

You talk about truth and the Bible in such a way that it seems like you’re shoving your faith down people’s throats. You often judge those around you. What you believe in appears more important than what the scriptures have to say. You make living out the Christian faith seem like an impossible task. I doubt anyone including other Christians could ever measure up to your standards.

To be honest, your religion seems to make you angry all the time. It’s a real downer when you continuously point out everything you find to be wrong in this world. You seem so against everything, it’s hard to believe you could really have anyone’s best interest in mind. Your complaints don’t exactly inspire anyone to give their life to Christ.

Dear Christians, stop rolling out this angry type of religion, and ask that neighbor or coworker about their life. People want to know you truly care about them. People are looking for Christians to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Life is tough. Some people are feeling empty and lonely. They’re feeling excluded by a group of people who should be making them feel loved and welcomed. So when you say, “Jesus is the answer,” your words ring hollow. People do not want to want hang around people who are always judging them or trying to set them straight.

What people really want to know is if you care about them as a human being. They need real friends who stand by them when they’re alone, afraid, or hurt. If you want to influence people, just act like a decent, kind and caring person.

Your Brother in Christ,

~OC

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My Life With Parkinson’s

Good Morning! I wanted to share a bit of my Parkinson’s experience with you today. I was diagnosed with PD in 2007. The disease is starting to take its toll on me, but I continue to live with an attitude of hope. I originally wrote this in 2019 and updated it the first of 2025.

Today’s a new day! Living with Parkinson’s takes hope, persistence and a strong will to live. Because Parkinson’s never takes a day off. Parkinson’s is a daily battle. In the presence of Parkinson’s, one must have courage, the strength of character, and for me a strong faith.

While there’s life, there’s hope. Each morning when I wake, I do a full-body inventory, thinking ‘Okay body, what awaits us today?’ I remain hopeful that my just-completed sleep has re-fueled my brain and re-stocked my body. Of course that’s on the nights I actually sleep. Cloaked around every fiber of my body is my unwelcome guest named Parkinson’s; however, the day has started anew, and there is much to accomplish. I use hope as an anchor to secure my body and mind against the slowly rising tide from Parkinson’s. There is still time while staying hopeful.

Living with a positive attitude makes a big difference. Before I get out of my recliner, it can be easy to feel sorry for myself. I have Parkinson’s, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. And that’s the negative mindset Parkinson’s has provided but I try to never allow myself to stay there for very long. There are days that are going to be difficult; yet staying positive and focusing on the plans God has for my life is where I choose to place my focus. I choose to look at my life with a positive attitude. That is completely opposite of how this disease wants me to feel and live.

I have found living this journey and sharing my story has been a privilege of a lifetime. I start each day with a prayer to focus on what plans God would have for me on that particular day. I choose to stay engaged with the everyday activities of life. Things are starting to get much tougher these days, but I make the choice every day to embrace life to its fullest. I remind myself there is much left to accomplish in my life even in the presence of Parkinson’s. I will close with a prayer I lift up to God every morning:

Dear God, thank you for another day. Simply use me today. This is going to be a good day. I remain hopeful not hopeless, positive not negative, happy not sad, and driven not complacent. Thank you for Your strength, wisdom and courage as I walk through this day. Amen. ~OC

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Believe Me…The Suffering Is Worth It

Today’s a new day! I’ve grown comfortable in my wilderness moments. The ups and downs of this crazy beautiful health journey is a place I no longer fear. I know how to operate here. I know how to encourage others that are walking through their own suffering . Because when you walk through enormous trials and God continues to show up in huge ways, you become changed by it. When you stand by people in places that conjure up feelings of death and God’s love swarms around you like it has in no other moment, you start to see even the worst pain differently. You start to see the beauty. The beauty that can be present even in suffering. That amazing message that I will never stop proclaiming because I believe in it with every fiber of my being. That God is present with us in the pain and the suffering of this world. And that He can use everything–absolutely everything–for our good and His glory. Even when it isn’t good in those moments of despair. Even when it feels like a million shades of awful. But remember, this wilderness place is never where our story end.

It’s a question that I have gotten a lot over the years, but I wonder if people actually really want the answer. The question is How could God allow me to walk through so much suffering? This is how I choose to answer that important question. Having a relationship with God and following Him for many years, I see more of His character each day I walk through this pain and suffering. I have experienced God’s outrageous love that has come through for me over and over and over again, in this long and winding road of suffering. I truly believe His ways and His timing are best for me. Let me ask you a few questions. Do you truly want an intimate relationship with God even if it means that enduring pain and suffering is part of the process? If it strips you of pride and idols and all the baggage that just continually brings us down? During my long health journey, I have learned that most people see the world through narrow eyes. They only see the temporal things. They see just what is in front of their face at any given time. And often what is staring back at them is so overwhelming–how could they possibly see anything else? But we have to look at the full picture standing in front of us. We have to think about how our stories ultimately ends.

Our God who gives us the choice of whether or not to love Him–because could we truly love Him if He didn’t give us that option? God is too big to accept that kind of response. He wants us. All of us. God wants us to love Him for who He is because He already loves us for all of who we are. And with the option to love Him also comes the option not to love Him. To go our own way and forge our own identity. We all have a will to choose, and we all at different points choose the wrong thing. And the world is broken and full of pain and how do we even begin to reconcile it all? How do we reconcile that God is still good? He promises to be our God. Our deliverer. Our Savior. Our refuge. Our strength. God promises that we are held safely in His everlasting arms. So why doesn’t He move those enormous mountains in our paths? Why does God sometimes make us take the slow and grueling climb to the top? The climb that eventually leads us up to the steepest peak where we can look below and see the landscape that was always there, but was just always over the next rise. The view that allows us to take it all in–the whole journey. To see both where we have come from and where we are going. The reality is, God doesn’t remove every single mountain in our path. He wants us to climb them. He wants us to put one foot in front of the other and feel our muscles trembling with every single step. We feel like we are drowning in our struggles and our sorrows and we cry out to Him for rescue, and the waves just get stronger. We forget that He already parted the seas for us. That our lives are not measured from one circumstance to another, but from His Son making the way for us and the forever that still awaits us. That there is another side to the mountain that we are climbing and the narrow road we walk is so much shorter than we could possibly believe. Every single step up the steep road strengthens our bodies and minds to continue the walk home. It can be hard, and it can be painful, and at times we fall over and feel like we could not possibly take another step. But it’s still the amazing road home. Will we make the choice to choose it anyway? Are you going to choose a road that is full of pain and sorrow and hurt? Because God shares throughout scripture, that suffering is part of the path. That suffering will always be a companion on our journey. That in this life we will be hated and slandered for God’s name and that by signing up to walk His way, we are signing up for some struggles and heartbreak. But would He ask this of us if it wasn’t worth it? Evil is running rampant throughout this world. This world can be full of so much pain and sorrow, and it is far too much to bear on our own. There are people all over the world struggling with more than we could possibly imagine, and why does God allow it? But would we know His goodness if He didn’t? Because there is a difference between allowing something to happen and condoning it. Approving of it. And if you spend anytime in God’s word, you will know that He so wholly and completely disapproves. He doesn’t like it anymore than us when we are faced with a huge mountain to climb in our journey –but He will use it. God will redeem it. He will show up and walk the road with us. Because God is good, and He wants the best for us. He can see more than we can and sometimes that means the hard road. Sometimes the hard road is the only road.

Evil is very real, but if we just focus on that part of life, we are missing the whole point. Because evil and wickedness don’t just offend God, they stand in complete opposition to God. He opposes it in every way–His perfect righteousness cannot stand for it. And He will get the final say over it. Ultimately, God will show just how much He does not approve of it. And the fact that God delays to set this world right is actually a mercy–it gives more time for people to come to Him. To choose Him. To take hold of the freedom that He gave us in the garden that we took and totally screwed up. Because as hard as it gets and as ugly and painful as the world may seem, God would not allow anything into our lives unless He knew that one day it would be worth it. That it is worth it when God leaves us in our tragedies. Because when He wages war on all that is evil, the fruit and beauty of our pain will be more than we could possibly imagine. The tears will turn into complete celebration because we will see–we will see what it was all for. Every sacrifice, every sleepless night, every painful moment and the utter senselessness of tragedy. Those very things will become our joy. We have to remember the full story. We have to remember that where we stand right now in this moment is not where our stories end. That our journey began in a garden full of promise and that the freedom that God gave us to love Him and choose Him, we took and turned it on its head and still He comes after us and promises to set it all right. God constantly gives us way more than we can handle, but He can. There is no situation or struggle that we walk into that catches Him by surprise. Including suffering. Including the worst of the worst. Including the darkest and loneliest nights. God is there. He never leaves us. God has already won. And the moments of our journey that we spend in the deep, shape us and allow us to become more like Him in the process. Because God would not lead us straight into the fire without knowing that it was worth it in the long run. And that is the beauty of it all. That as we step further into the darkness of pain and sorrow and still trust God in it, eventually He turns it all to light. The trials that turn into a testimony and a journey that becomes more than us being stuck in an impossible situation, but becomes about our Sovereign God and His strength and power that overcomes it. The deep that we despise becomes light for others walking their own path. The storms we walk into blaming God for and walk out of praising His name.

Remember, God has already won the war and is coming back to finish the final battle and get the final say over all the injustice and ugliness of this world. I, for one, would not have this deep relationship with God without the pain and suffering. Without walking through struggles. The darkest moments of my health journey have led me directly into His embrace. The storms that God allows even in all their heartache because He sees what we cannot see yet and knows that one day even we will find worth and meaning in those darkest moments. So the question becomes are we going to stand with God or against Him? Seeing the world as it is today and knowing what we know, are we going to choose God anyway? Even when all the pain and suffering doesn’t feel worth it, are we still going to trust that it is? Will we run straight into the deepest sea if it is the only way to get to God? Because over the steep rise of that mountain peak, there is beauty beyond measure. And just because we cannot see it yet does not mean that it is not there. Just like how the stars still shine in all their brilliance in the light of day, but only in the night sky can we take them all in. It is there. All the beauty and wonder and joy of our struggles. It’s at the end of this short and sometimes rocky road in the forever beyond. Believe me, it will be worth it. ~OC

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” ~Psalm 46:1

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ~Hebrews 13:5

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ~Romans 8:28

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” ~Psalm 23:4

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