Psalm 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Psalm 78 is a concise history of Israel. It rehearses the story of the Israelites as they left Egypt and traveled toward the promised land. During their journey, they complain over and over. They turn back on God over and over. Yet, over and over the Lord delivers them and provides for them.

You know, I’ve been catching myself complaining lately. I grumble and mumble, mostly under my breath, but it shows on my countenance that I am not content! I was just smitten by the Holy Spirit about it yesterday. Now, today, I read about the children of Israel and how they griped – and I didn’t read it in Exodus, oh no! I read it in Psalms! I think the Lord is trying to tell me something. And it is this: stop complaining. I need to just take God at His Word with confidence that He will keep His promises! I know He will, I’ve seen Him do it over and over! So, this is not a stretch for me to believe. In fact, it should be automatic. But, I am just flesh. I fail. I often make the same mistakes over and over. I grow weary of being in this trial….when will it end?! When I feel panicky, I must turn to God, He will help me. I must guard my mouth for it will not!

I’m so grateful for this verse! I’m so happy that God remembers I’m flesh, that my life is just a breeze that will not come again. So is this trial. Contrary to popular belief, it will not last forever. He will see me through it. I’m thankful for God’s mercy and forgiveness!

Well, now that I’ve been thoroughly convicted of my sin, I think I’ll go on with my day. But not in my flesh, in His strength.

I had an absolute blast at the ladies Bible conference I attended at First Baptist Church of Sauk Village, Illinois! Those people were so warm and welcoming that I almost just stayed there and sent for the family! 😉 I was privileged to get to speak three times. One session was called “The Christian Lady’s Survival Kit: How to have Joy in Turbulent Times”. I originally had planned to present it to the teen girls, but the Lord changed things for me and I ended up presenting it to the whole group. I thought I’d pass it along, in the hopes it would be a blessing to you. It surely blessed me as I was preparing it.

This “survival kit” of sorts contains items that we all possess. I’m hoping that these things will serve as reminders of what we need to make in the Christian life.

First of all, you need a good mirror. Big, little, medium, it doesn’t matter. We can’t keep ourselves up to par if we can’t see ourselves. Our mirror in the Christian life is God’s Word. The Bible says in James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  We can’t begin a day without looking into the mirror at ourselves, nor should we! Likewise, we should not begin a day without looking into the mirror of God’s Word.

Next, you need your foundation, or base, makeup. Foundation covers the wrinkles, scars, blemishes, freckles and anything else we want covered up. Apply liberally and smooth in! It works wonders! Foundation which covers over our past reminds me of how love covers up so much. The Bible says in Prov.10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. God’s love covered up all of my sins when he demonstrated it from Calvary. Oh how I need to cover up the sins of others by loving them!

Okay, time for blush…now, we use blush to highlight our cheekbones and keep us from looking so washed out. But, when you think of the word “blush”, you think of embarrassment, shame or humility. Wow! Do we need to be humble! The Bible says it’s better to be “lowly” (Prov. 3:34, Prov. 11:2) What are we to do as Christian women? Well, Micah 6:8 says He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? We are to remain humble, and isn’t that easy to do when we remember just how sinful we are and how perfect HE is?

Next is mascara! I think mascara is such a nice touch. My best friend used to say she looked “dead” without it. A bit of exaggeration, but the truth is, it’s a nice touch that brings out the eyes. This serves as a reminder to keep our eyes on the Lord! It’s so easy to turn to the left or right or even down! But Psalm 25:15 says  Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. If we are careful to keep our eyes on the right things, the Lord will take care of our feet! Also, our eyes affect our hearts, (Lam.3:51) so it’s good to keep our eyes on the right things: those who encourage us to do right, the needy whom we can help, and our Bibles! The Bible also warns us not to set “wicked things” before our eyes. (Ps.101:3)

Now it’s time for my favorite: LIPSTICK! Oh yes, I love a good color on my lips! Not too bright, not too dull, but something in the neutral range. I also coat on some good ol’ Blistex to keep my lips moist. Lipstick makes me think of…yep, lips, and lips makes me think of words! I use a lot of words. The average woman uses about 20,000 words a day. I probably triple that! Naturally, with the use words comes a risk: are they the right kind of words? Our lipstick can remind us to speak words of:

• Prayer
• Praise 
• Love 
• Truth

Our perfume gently spritzed on as we head out the door reminds us that our lives should be a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. Just as Mary offered the alabaster box of ointment to Jesus, (Mark 14:1-9) so should our lives be sweet smelling and pure. It doesn’t mean your background should be spotless! No one’s is, for one thing. We are all sinners! (Rom. 3:23) But it means we can begin today to live for the Lord and offer up a pure life for His use. How to remain pure? Well, it starts on the inside and comes to the outside. (Do NOT get the order reversed! Begin putting in the right things, and you will automatically (with little effort) get the right things on the outside.)

I always carry clear nail polish when I travel. I use it to stop runs in my hose! I know, hosiery is becoming a thing of the past, so call me old fashioned! But I can’t count how many times the velcro on my kids’ shoes has caused a tiny spot which grows into a huge runner in no time! Clear nail polish stops those runners in their tracks! That made me think of bitterness. It starts so small, but quickly grows and takes root around our hearts. Before we know it, we’re choking from it! We must stop bitterness in its tracks! How? By forgiving! Eph. 4:32 tells us that Christ forgave us, so we should forgive others. Sometimes, it takes a while to forgive. But how ever long it takes to rid yourself of that bitterness, start taking action. Remember, bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting on the other person to die. It just doesn’t work the way we think it will.

Lastly, I carry tissues with me. There will be tears in this journey called life. Some will be tears of sorrow, some tears of joy, some tears of hormones gone wild. But whatever causes those tears, just let them out. Ps. 56:8 says Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? The Lord cares about our tears, He keeps them, so just let them out. Cry out to Him! I like to think of it like this, if we bottle them up, then He can’t! He knows we are just dust (Ps. 103:14), and He understands us better than anyone! 

Psalm 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

I’ve spent my entire life around Christian people. The ones I was closest to, my family, were genuine. They battled the flesh, turned to God’s Word, got victory, grew, and then battled the flesh in some other area and the process repeated itself. While growing up, I noticed there were other Christians who never seemed to battle anything. If you talked to them, they were strong in faith, always upbeat, positive and victorious in their Christian lives. Then, a few years went by, and they left church completely for some unknown reason, or they fell into sin and didn’t want to get up again. That was that. So much for the constant grin they once had! I try just to be real – let folks know that yes, I struggle. Likewise, I try tell folks that yes, I know where to go for help – the Bible and my Heavenly Father!

When my Dad died suddenly seven years ago, I cannot begin to tell you some of the stupid comments people made to me at the funeral. They meant well, but man! Did they ever hurt an already breaking heart! When I was in the throws of PPD (but didn’t know it) a preacher that I believed I could trust blew me off completely. It wasn’t long after that the thought of just going on to Heaven was in my mind. I came very close to taking God’s most precious gift to me, my life. I didn’t know I had a medical condition that could be corrected. I just knew I was hurting, and that I needed someone to care. I didn’t dare tell anyone else about my problem after that, because I couldn’t bare someone else ignoring my cries for help.

David understands what I’m talking about. In the verse today, he is hurting. He looks for comforters and finds none. No one cares, no one understands. Yes, we as believers have the Lord, but we need each other, too. Sometimes, I just need to “vent”. Sometimes, I need to weep. Sometimes, I need someone to listen without judging me.

The Lord has proven to me that He is enough, He’s also given me a wonderful listener in my husband and mother and sister. They don’t judge me or criticize me, they just care about me. They put up with my ups and downs without keeping track of my failures. That speaks, no screams, “I LOVE YOU!”

This verse today reminded me that there are many hurting, struggling people out there. I want to be sure that I’m a listener and not a critic the next time someone needs to feel loved. In fact, I think I’ll look for someone to scream love to. 🙂