The Blessings in the Storms

Hey, guys!

It's been a while since I've had an epiphany, so I've been silent, but I had another one a little over a week ago, and I wanted to share. 

My youngest son's birthday is July 14; my baby girl's birthday is the 31st, and my middle son's birthday is August 14th, so they're all two weeks apart. I didn't have the finances to do anything for them this year other than bake them a cake on their birthdays. I felt horrible, but God... I was blessed with enough money to take them to the water park (after a certain time you get a reduced rate!). My boyfriend has a little boy who just had a birthday as well, so I planned for two weeks to take them all on a trip to Gulf Shores. We had the entire day planned out, and everyone was excited. 

After we turned south off the Interstate headed to our destination, dark clouds filled the sky. We pressed forward, praying the clouds were closer to our present location than to our destination. We were hopeful yet concerned until we saw a wall of water straight ahead! My heart sank and so did theirs. We knew our day was doomed by the storm, so we discussed what we should do. We all quickly decided to continue on with the day. We figured we would find something indoors we could do and enjoy.

We drove through the wall of water to find it barely sprinkling not far in the distance on the other side. As we approached the water park, we made a choice to see if they were still open for business. They were! We got a reduced rate to get in, had no lines to get on the slides, and it barely sprinkled a time or two! We ended up having a blast, and the nice overcast kept the sun from beating down on us and burning us. It ended up being the perfect time to be at the water park. No burned feet from the hot cement, and no sweltering, miserable heat taking your breath away. It was warm yet cool all at the same time. I turned and looked at my boyfriend as we watched the children having a wonderful time together, and we both decided that there was a blessing in the storm. 

That day's events had me thinking...how many times do we see a storm coming in our spiritual lives and turn back, turn around, and head in the opposite direction? We often run from the storm rather than drive straight through it. From a distance the storm seemed much worse than what it turned out to be, and had we not made a choice to keep moving forward and to not allow the rain to stop us, we would have missed out on one of the best days we've all had together. 

I think the enemy has a way of making those clouds look darker than what they truly are. He uses fear to cause us to turn away from the blessings in the storms! 

Be blessed and be made whole,

Schledia

The Serpents in God's River

 Artwork by Lauren Anderson

The title may seem confusing, but it will all be explained as you read. ;-)

About a year ago I had a dream. In this dream I was in a Great river. I was staying afloat, but the current of the river was directing my course. I knew the river was the River of God. It took me through a lot of rough rapids before taking me into what seemed to be a calm, steady flow. It was then that I saw three serpents swimming towards me. I recognized immediately that they were venomous. Fear began to set in. Each of them bit me, one on each hand and the third over my heart; it was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever endured. I thought to myself that I would surely die, but I didn’t. God assured me I would be okay; I would survive. The waters continued to take me past the place where I had been bitten, carrying me down stream through the river’s course. 

I awoke from that dream knowing God had just shown me I was in His River. I understood God was directing my path, despite the rough rapids and the venomous serpents. If anyone attempts to tell you that if your path has difficult spots it is not God's direction for you, don't listen to them. All of the Apostles had trying lives.  And Jesus himself promised us difficulties if we follow Him. John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." For anyone to propose or think the enemy's presence in your life suggests you are out of God's will for your life, is preposterous!

The Apostle Paul was bitten on the hand by a serpent which led the islanders to accuse him of being a murderer, claiming the snake bite was vengeance (or karma). He shook off the viper and did not die! know this...there will be those who accuse you when the enemy attacks you. They will claim it is a sign you are in the wrong. Do what Paul did and shake that viper off. It's not easy; trust me, I know. Viper bites are painful, and they do inject poison. 

I understood the river was the River of God, and He was directing my path because it was the river’s current that guided me. I also understood it was going to take me through some rough times that would lead me to the most painful experience of my life, but I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt God showed me I would NOT die.  What I didn’t understand was the meaning of the three serpents. God impressed on my heart the importance of the serpents and the number of them, but I was in the dark as to what that significance was. 

I prayed for months and months for God to reveal the meaning of them to me. I watched as the waters got choppy in my life. Then 6 months ago, God’s river plunged me into unrelenting rapids. I was swept into the calm waters 3 months later at the end of February, and I was bitten by those venomous snakes. My dream was accurate; it has been the most painful experience of my life! But I have survived. 

It wasn’t until recently that God revealed the meaning of the three serpents to me, and that is the reason I felt led to share this. I feel there is someone out there who may need to hear how the enemy works in the lives of those who belong to God. The serpents were the forces of darkness used to inject me with poisonous venom. Satan can and does speak to us through our thought processes, but he also uses people as his vessels. Sometimes those people don’t even realize they are being used by him. At other times they are well aware of the venom they spew. 

I was bitten, and it hurt. God showed me the three fold venom I was injected with. The enemy was attempting to destroy me through three poisons, but God saw it coming and showed me for the purpose of being able to reveal to me at the right time what the serpents were and what their venom was. Like Paul, I’ve been accused, and I survived an attack from the enemy, but I freely admit the venom did enter my body. I struggled with the painful and deadly effects of the enemy’s poison until it was revealed to me that the three potent venoms were hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness, and the poison’s mission was to kill me. The dream was about the vessels used to inject me and the venom I was injected with. 

Hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness will bring death to the spirit of a man or woman.  But what God showed me through the dream was that I would survive. The thing is…I had to deal with the venom by recognizing it and taking it to God! The poison of a serpent enters the blood, but if we take those things to our Lord and Savior, asking Him to forgive us and to help us to forgive, He is faithful and just to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. And let’s be honest, those venomous things I was injected with are unrighteous. I don’t want to have a heart with darkness in it. I don’t want hatred to reside inside of me. I want the blood of Jesus to purge my blood of all its impurities and any venom the enemy attempts to infect me with. 

Mark 16:17 and 18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

You see, believers are going to have to confront devils; they will even take up serpents. They are often bitten by the demonic forces they battle, but deadly things will NOT kill them. It may hurt, and the truth is, we (as believers) must allow Jesus’ blood to cleanse ours from the poison the enemy infects us with. Me, I’m clinging to the last of that passage…they shall recover. I’m going to recover and so will you!

Be blessed and be made whole,

Schledia

Veiled Grievances

Artwork by Lauren Anderson

Our cries are silent. 

Our tears run red.

Listen for the words,

That are not said.

Our wounds run deep.

Our fears well hid.

Look for the signs,

Our veiled grievances bid.

                                          Schledia Phillips

I wrote the above poem for the dedication of my book Wildflowers. Every writer cannot help but inject pieces of their own heart into their writings. It happens without thought on a subconscious level. Our pains and our struggles reveal themselves through the pen---the keyboard in today's world. It is a way, I suppose, of uncovering those veiled grievances, a way of trying to share with those you love what is truly going on in your heart and mind. Read a writer's work and you often gain an understanding of where the author has been and where they presently are in their life. You may even see where they hope to one day be in the future. 

Depression is something I know about more than I care to acknowledge, but my depression has never been from any sort of chemical imbalance. There are many forms of depression, including situational depression. There are also many forms of abuse. Wildflowers (the book for which the poem was written) deals with the subject of abuse. Most people look for bruises and broken bones, but verbal and emotional abuse don't leave visible marks. The bruises left by those two forms of abuse are on the soul, and it is the heart that is often shattered or broken. 

"Our cries are silent...listen for the words that are NOT said..." 

People close to me knew I struggled with depression, yet my cries were silent. You may be asking yourself, what do I mean by that? While others may have been able to see my melancholy state at times, I hid the whys from everyone. Surely you've heard the phrase, "suffer in silence." Often times people suffering from depression or abuse do just that. They suffer in silence. 

"Our fears well hid. Look for the signs..." It is a plea for someone to look and see that fear is there, yet it is being hid. Everyone trapped in any form of depression and/or abuse desperately wants to be rescued! I wanted to be rescued. God was the only one who heard my heart's cry. He is the only one I trusted to be completely open and honest with. I am a Christian, but I had seen too many who claim the name run around gossiping about others, so I held my pain inside, and I cried out to the one who formed me and knew my situation. He knew what no one else did. He knew my heart and the pain it had endured. He knew the brokenness of my life, despite the mask I put on for others to see. He heard even my silent cries and saw the blood in them from my brokenness. He heard the words I refused to speak. He saw the deepness of my wounds and the fears buried in them. He saw the signs and pulled back the veil, revealing my heart's grievances. God knew, and He loved me when others have shunned me and turned a cold shoulder to me. I'm thankful that God is God and humans are not because, despite a human's flawed nature and oftentimes their own past and struggles, they still cast stones and inflict pain and bruises on those longing to be healed.

God heard my cries, and He answered my prayers. There came a day when He handed me a key. It was a key that unlocked the prison door of my situation. And then He gave me the choice to use that key. It was frightening to shove that key in the keyhole, and I trembled as the door creaked open, but once it swung open wide and I stepped out into the sunshine and freedom, the dark veil that shrouded my life was lifted. I have been set free! 

If you are trapped in a prison of depression and/or abuse, you are not alone. There is a key to your prison door. I know it's frightening to imagine what might be on the other side of that door, but I assure you (as someone who walked through that door) it is worth unlocking and stepping through. 

Be blessed and be made whole,

Schledia Phillips

The Anagapesis

Artwork by Lauren Anderson


 "The Anagapesis"

The anagapesis is covered

By a disguise that is worn.

Onlookers see smiles,

But deep inside she mourns.

Her heart had been shattered

Throughout the years,

Yet she buried it under a mask

And hid all of her tears.

Her thoughts were to protect

Those she held dear;

To keep everyone happy

By concealing her fears.

She never imagined

she could be blamed.

For the cover-up she wore

Was only meant to hide shame.

The anagapesis uncovered

The mask now taken off.

As onlookers stand around

At her hidden pain they scoff.

Not understanding her love

Covered a multitude of misdeeds.

They jeer and point their fingers

When healing is what she needs.

                                               Schledia

The Cover Up

 Artwork by Lauren Anderson

I Peter 4:8, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." NLT

Genesis 9:20-27, "Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said,“Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers. He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” NASB

I've always been a firm believer in the story of Noah's sons who covered his sin because they loved their father. This story has been on my heart a lot because of a meme I happened across some time back. The meme read: People tend to get MORE angry at the cover-up than the mistake. Personally, I find the two sayings to contradict one another. Scripture says that love covers sins (or mistakes if you choose to refer to it that way), but the meme seems to imply that people get angry at what scripture calls right, covering sins. What I see in Genesis 9 is that Noah cursed his son who exposed his sin. Yes, Ham exposed his dad's sin to his brothers. The two sons who covered him were blessed for their action.

What the Lord has been revealing to me through the scripture (and through the meme) is the difference between Him and people. See, God loved us so much that he died, and His blood COVERS our sins. He doesn't expose our sins to the world; He covers them. This is called Grace, and we are to be like Him. We are to love one another. If you love, you cover...not expose. This to me is proof of love. I can't go around telling people about another person's sins that I may happen to know about and then turn around and say that I love that person. Yesterday's message at church confirmed what God had been saying to me about all this.

I almost always sign off my blog by saying be blessed and be made whole. This message is one of the things God has been revealing to me about how I am to be blessed, and if it works for me, it works for you too. Be like Noah's two sons who covered his sins and were blessed as a result of it. As Christians we are not to go around revealing the sins of others, even if their sin is against us. That may not be the easiest thing to do, especially when you've been severely wronged, but it will bring with it a blessing. I don't know about you, but I want God to bless me and make me whole.

Be blessed and be made whole ;-) ,

Schledia

Mother

"Mother"

God stretched forth His hand,

to create someone like no other.

He molded with love,

the woman called mother.

He chiseled away,

all selfishness and greed,

and formed a large place in her heart,

prepared to meet her children's needs.

He spoke to her mind,

Words of knowledge and wisdom---

whispering the importance 

of altruism.

Kindness He fashioned,

in her smile and in her eyes.

And promised her that gentleness,

was where true beauty lies. 

He breathed in her lungs,

filling them full of courage and endurance, 

and gave her the strength needed

to always nourish and give assurance.

With a kiss on the forehead,

He passed on His love

Saturating her with compassion,

Her heart now as gentle as a dove.

Schledia Phillips                                   

When Forgiveness Isn't Easy

 Artwork by Lauren Anderson

I shared in my last blog about a dream I had. I was traveling down a dark road in that dream. It was a path I had to take, there was no stopping it, but it was scary. That has been very true of my life recently. I shared how God has brought about healing and understanding in my relationship with the passenger in my dream. I wouldn't trade that for the world! She is one of the most important people in my life, and I love her.

Today I want to share a little of what I think the darkness on that road represents. The path to our destiny is lined on both sides by darkness, those things opposing us. Jesus' path to His destiny (the cross) was lined the same way. Jesus was taken to trial and accused. We all know that He had no sin, yet He stood silent before His accusers. The initial human response to that situation would be to defend yourself against falsehoods, but Jesus is our example. He stood silent. Imagine the emotions going on in His heart. Here was a man who had done nothing but good, and yet He had people jeering at Him and spitting upon Him, calling Him all sorts of things. The truth is each and everyone of us deserve some of what is thrown our way. We've all done something worthy of punishment, even if what we are being accused of is a falsehood.

The truth is I've been having a hard time dealing with this part of my walk lately. I haven't had a difficult time staying silent. I do that quiet well. (Ha Ha to those of you laughing right now at the thought of me being silent). I'm very good at biting my tongue and hiding when I've been injured. Do I love to talk and socialize? Yes, I do, but when it comes to what I'm talking about here, I know how to stay silent. I've done it for years.  My struggle has been keeping anger out of my heart.

When Jesus hung on the cross he cried out, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." He was praying for the one who turned Him in, for those who mocked Him, for those who spit upon Him, for those who beat Him, for all of those who placed Him on the cross, and we must do the same. It's not always easy. I've struggled so much lately with feeling justified in hating those who've purposefully injured me, but my heart cries out, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." 

Jesus help me to walk in love and forgiveness. 

Be blessed and be made whole,

Schledia