Probable

Behold, I do a new thing.

It is beautiful,

it is reachable.

Do not go left or right,

but straight ahead.

I am already there.

Complaints

Why are American women considered promiscuous? Surely, men around the world can see that not all American women are.

We are more alike than the media portrays us to be.

Why do I have to pick out what I'm wearing so far in advance as to not have my husband's family stare at me for the holidays?

What gives men the right to stare at women in any way they wish? Why do the parts of our body that belong to us have to be kept concealed? Aren't we allowed to feel good about ourselves in any manner we wish?

Do I have to be a bitch to bring it to your attention when you try to do it? Then I will.

And while I'm on a roll... I am tired of trying to meet everyone else's expectations of who and what I am. I know I am a child of God, special and uniquely made for a purpose specific for me and me alone.

So enough of what a stay-at-home mother is supposed to do and be. I will do exactly what God has called me to be.

Feel free to send me a message about your complaints if you like. We could all use a bit of venting this holiday season!

Responsibility

 You sin and follow their gods,

on your own.

Wander

No, it is the enemy.

He is not the king of men.

We know that it is the LORD

who reigns.

You're being tested,

learn from it and move on. 

Overindulgent Sinner

Now that is pretty ridiculous considering it's just a big bowl of oatmeal. Sometimes I wish I was actually conducting the crude things the enemy is trying to accuse me of in order to justify the guilt I'm feeling.

Why is this? I remember when I was serving in the military in Korea for one year and the rumors were that I was having sexual relations with just about every man I was friends with. It was actually quite disgusting the things women have to tolerate in order to serve next to them if not in charge of some.

The point is there is a seed of guilt every time we walk out in our new raiment. We are children of God and deserve to be treated with honor and dignity, nothing short will satisfy.

Don't let the enemy be your friend and pray for your enemy. Right? So conflicting and yet this is the world we live in. We too are full of contradictions.

Deep Rooted Pain

You must pull it out completely

to expose the serpent.

Don’t let it return.

What to Do

Their strength is to sit still.  Isaiah 30:7

You Can Try

When sin comes knocking on your door pulling you back to where you started… you got this… repent and move on.

Idols

You must not follow their gods,

search for the pyramids

and send them to the lake

of burning fire.

While you’re there,

take out the foxes

and the shadows.

Good Works

Not when someone is watching, but most importantly when they are not. It’s integrity for yourself, for your own conscience. 

It will save your soul.

Mothering

We have a son who suffers from a severe anxiety disorder. It is truly heartbreaking watching him fail at attempts to control it.

We are finally going to medicate him. Pray that the doctors are sensitive to his fragile nature.

He Poisoned Me

I cannot sleep, too much coffee today. I am being attacked by the enemy because I will never measure up. The things I did with that man are unforgivable. I deserve to be lonely and sad.

Redemption is not for me.

What is redemption? Someone stepping in for us taking it all away. Clean as snow, white as a pearl, no more stains.

Washed clean.

Childhood

For me, it was very tumultuous. I had to ride on so many roller coasters that my nervous system is still healing.

It is beyond my understanding, but I continue to do yoga, meditate, study the bible, and try to have hope. Hope that I will get better slowly but surely every single day.

I want to be a good wife, mother, and sometimes the most difficult show kindness to myself.

I never had the luxury when I was growing up to have anyone really care about me in every aspect. Honestly, we didn’t have all the required needs fulfilled (i.e., shelter, food, etc.).

So, my mental and spiritual needs were never even attempted. Now, I have the ever presence of the Spirit and can’t but embrace His calm waters. It is the thing I strive for every single day.

Even though the pain of my past slips out on occasion, I always follow up with an apology and love. I am far from perfect; we all are.

Spent

Not spending too much money… lol! I have been so exhausted. I got super sick; literally on the brink of hospitalization. It was rough and my body is still healing.

But, if you know me at all yet I’ve been on a journey of healing for a long time now. That’s really the point of this blog for me.

Interestingly enough I keep running into people in the same state… a crushed state. In the bible this is a contrite spirit. The great news is this is when God pours his grace into us without even asking.

It is in this place that you can show your light to others. Why? Because your empathy is at it’s greatest. You feel so beside yourself that you can truly see others in the same state.

This is what we are here for.

Princes

 You must be mighty,

you must fear God.

You must not be

overly ornamental.

You must be honest

in all things.

Being a Woman

You cannot blame a woman simply because she is a woman.

My sexuality was exploited in the military. I did not understand it until now. In order for men to have morale, the military hires women in all the career fields to keep men going.

But what about the morale of the women? To be used for our intelligence is not enough? You have to use us for our bodies as well? As if that God given difference deems us unequal.

Why would He make us women to serve you? We serve our families for the honour and glory of God, not man.

This is not to be mixed up with sexual feelings of any kind. Those belong solely to a man and woman united in marriage.

Obscurity

 Doomed to prison

for unforgivable sins

beneath the weight

of shame and regret.

The pain will not last.

Return to the way.

Warning

 Do not be deceived,

you must worship God alone.

You cannot worship the Gods

of the land.

It is promised to lead to destruction.

I have tasted it,

and it is bitter and lonely.

You will be rejected from God.

Canaan

 I am here and

you are on your way.

I have defeated

many foes.

The way is clear now.

Promised Land

It is not a place, 

it is a state of mind.

It is where you are.

Do not be fooled by your flock.

They hear the words from God,

but do not follow through.

They will know that He

send His prophet.

Leavened

I am a lot sicker than I can comprehend right now. It is in my blood stream resulting in sores with puss on my skin. It is not my iniquity, although I have enough. It is not someone else’s. It is simply God’s way of humbling me and making me rely on him.

It is a struggle to continue in great hope. It is small. But my faith is persistent; thank-you, LORD.

Love of Saints

Having the mission of Elijah is not my doing; I’m only obedient to God. I would not have chosen to be united in faith with so many lovely saints to only get deeply wounded and feel a great mourning.

I would go back in a heart beat if God had not strictly told me to flee and never return.

Knowledge

When a person is sick, it is not their fault.

The sin is not theirs.

There is always some wrongdoing

that can be linked to their past.

Your Calling

When you are feeling sensitive,

you are open to being filled with God’s love.

Nothing is standing in the way.

Church 1

I’m on a mission to find a new church.

I visited my first recently. It was warm and welcoming, however something was amiss. Why were the lead pastors not involved with the food ministry? Why was the outreach pastor so empty?

Their food ministry was pure and so worthy of praise. The church’s service was thought evoking and moving. However, the teaching pastor directed her pain at the congregation.

The music was the choice of the lead musician that did not allow the Holy Spirit to reach up into the rafters. The congregation was desiring a shift within them and it was quietly delivered even in the lacking environment.

Some of the sins of the church were on display in their members, but God was not mocked. They too were being healed.

No leadership and no board of elders to make the decisions on behalf of the congregation.

They love you Lord; make it their only desire.

Hard Truth

I had already helped raise my two little sisters. Now, I had a baby brother to raise.

My mother just wanted me quiet, so they sent me to live with some family friends. I spent the entire summer there.

I cannot recall all that happened, nor do I really want to. But knowing he was a pedophile is all I need to know.

His mark on me changed me and I don’t know how to undo it.

Deliverance

 I believed your words.

I believed that my participation

was needed.

I believed you loved me.

I believed that you truly

believed in God as well.

I did not know that you

would hurt me.

Perception

The fault with the wicked is that they believe Christians are not warriors. We must be weak and just stand on the side lines watching the wicked do what they want.

But the truth is we have been given gifts that make us able to see through their cloaks and disguises. We can see what their hearts are conveying. It’s a lot to see sometimes.

It’s not our weight to carry; it’s just an experience for us to learn from. Now we have even greater discernment.

Derision

I recently visited a church and had the strangest experience. The head pastor actually disliked how “good” I am.

She bullied me and tried to get me to join her Anti-Christian Christian movement. It had to be one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve had at a church in a long time.

I have been quite comfortable doing home church by myself for over a year, maybe two now. I can’t confidently say when it began. Probably for the past five years I’ve slowly pulled away from organized religion and found freedom in honoring my relationship with God the way I need to.

Maybe it’s a little strange, but at least I’m not on the storming the White House team.

Isolated

Not alone anymore.

It’s Time

 You too will heal.

My Mother

She was born the sixth child of my grandparents, although only the fourth alive. She was the baby young enough to be her brother’s daughter.

Her father adored her until he went to heaven. Her grandmother was distant and even further was her own mother.

What those people did to her and her cousin was unforgivable. So young and so in need of love.

One died young lost in her addiction. The other still struggling with her own.

They were united through the trauma but never understood. They suffered because no one tried to help them go through their pain.

The loss of their mother’s love.

Love and Hate

So, why would God care about me? What makes me or you so special? Absolutely nothing. When we all look deep inside we all know that we are all selfish, worthless, and can find countless reasons why we shouldn’t be loved by God.

We truly understand that the love we have for God is because he loves us. When the gratitude hits us, then we can finally start to heal.

It’s only His love that makes us want to be better, not that we can do it ourselves. Only by His grace.

So I stand before you worthless and defiled but priceless and perfect in His eyes. This is what it is all about.

Lost It

I have a long history of risk of breast cancer. I have three women in my family who have died from it.

Today was another mammogram. I didn’t know I was scared until someone set me off.

This person was driving really close to the back of my car. Normally I just pull off the road and let them pass.

I did that, but then the car between us made a turn.

I then aggressively drove close to their car in return. I know… not very Christian of me.

I justified it because they needed to learn their lesson. I even backed off at least two car lengths after and felt terrible.

I decided to show them how to properly follow a car. But, do you think they learned their lesson by me doing the very thing they were doing wrong. I’m sure they were convinced I was crazy and that’s it.

I am broken and scared. I don’t want to be scared anymore.

Warning

The meaning of your dream

is a fair warning. 

If you do not listen to the LORD,

it will all come crashing down.

Revolving Door

Chasing the wind,

looking for approval

from the enemy.

It doesn't have to make sense;

the person who hurt us

was for the enemy,

not God.

Now surrender

and release the pain.

Position

Align your allegiance

with Jerusalem.

Although it appears to be Egypt,

it cannot claim you.

You will always be mine.

Within

The walls are down,

the blood is poured.

Jesus will reign

until our death

when we join him

at the right hand of God.

Do not falter or be dismayed;

the battle is won.

False Spirit

 It does not reside in you.

The seed was planted long ago,

and continued to be watered by others,

even saints.

You have the strongest possible

discernment now,

the biggest gift of peace.

Just remember the problem is theirs.

Good vs. Evil

Weeping will last for the night and joy will come in the morning.

We are not in immortality or eternity yet. But God sees us and brings the deliverance we seek.

We exist in two realms, here with our ever struggle with the ways of the world and above where grace and mercy fill up to overflowing.

I pray that you will build a beautiful heavenly cascading wall around yourself open to heaven alone.

Let the rest dwell with the demons of this age. They will get their due in the here after.

Betrayal

 Place your hope in God alone.

The voices in your head

are from the enemy.

It will tell you things

that you want to believe.

Just remember God can work

anything for good,

even by our standards.

Wayward Woman

 Likened to a serpent

with her flattering tongue.

Do not let her beguile you

with her charm and deceit.

You are weary and beat up,

but not foolish.

Direct her interest

to herself.

Enemies Within

My mother is still a drug addict. She still believes she knows more than me. She still thinks that she can do nothing wrong.

I do understand that drug addicts use out of their pain. But I keep waiting to see when she will start emotionally growing past adolescence.

She self-medicates her pain which makes her an expert with medicating others, like me.

The last time I spent time with her, she had me smoking more than I was ever comfortable to get me through a very difficult time.

But now I’m fearful to be around her again. I have had the luxury of living far away from her since I was 19 years old. She stirs so many feeling in me.

I’m sure I still blame her for not being able to protect me from being raped. And I don’t need her trying to take care of me by always being over critical by telling me to relax and passing me some kind of medicine.

I’m over it. What’s wrong with being raw and vulnerable? What’s wrong with talking about the painful stuff?

My job should not be to puff up her ego any longer.

New Normal

 Where did you hide

with your pride and evil intent.

There is nowhere you can go

that God cannot find.

It is time for change;

your conscience will not rest

until you do.

Remembrance

I recall the wrath

you sent to me.

I recall the mistrust

you assumed

because I was sick.

I recall

the assumption

that I no longer

clung to my integrity.

You were mistaken.

God has a plan

for even the disappointment.

War Cry

 I don't think you know who you are messing with.

I am seem docile, even humble.

But what you don't know is that
God has made me a warrior.

You can say whatever you want
however mean you think you are
will not touch me.

You have to answer to God.

Triangles or Rectangles

 You seem to be an isosceles triangle

but really are an obtuse rectangle.

You can't seem to fit in with

right angles,

too rigid in your ways.

Back off and be alone.

We do not need your judgement.

art

Too Elevated

When your perspective

becomes skewed,

find someone to talk

sense back into you.

It's not that life has

lost it's meaning,

but not every thing

is meaningful.

I pray that you

gain discernment

in your enlightened walk.

Made It

On the other side of the storm now.

My health was so debilitating at times; more than I thought I could get through.

Now on to active recovery mode.

Hope you are getting healed as well.

Beaten

Wayward and broken,

not wandering,

just following Your will.

Letter to Steve

By the power of Jesus, you no longer have power over me.

I was free born.

You may have used my relationship with God to manipulate me into your web of lies; but, I see you for what you are. So does God.

You cannot deceive God.

You may not be in jail for what you did; but, be aware you will sit in the judgment seat.

You are guilty!

No More Tyranny

We are free to be

who we are called to be,

not what anyone else thinks.

Let all your chains come off.

Let us fly like eagles.

He made our calling before we were born.

Deep Rooted Pain

It will not leave,
ever present reminding me
that I am not enough.

I will never be enough.

The shame is too deep,
the pain is now everlasting.
I am in anguish.

Despondent? Sure.
But more than that.
Disappointed in humanity.

There is a pain in our country
that I feel as my own.
They are tied together as one.

I release this.

Solemn Regret

With harassment running rampant and having to serve the mission before my needs left me with a nervous breakdown right before I had to retire.

Don't get me wrong, I am more than grateful that I got to retire at 20 years. But, quite frankly I served all 20 years with integrity.

I do not regret one single decision. They were from a place of honesty and definitely my pain.

So maybe I was in more relationships than I would like to see for my daughter, but that is not my shame.

Maybe I drank too much on too many occasions. That too is not my shame.

How others take advantage of us as survivors of abuse in not our fault. It will never be our fault; the shame lies on them and them alone.

War Zone

Sleep never comes easy. My gear is under my bed when a missile comes our way. It happens every couple of weeks and we are the target.

There are mosquitos carrying malaria. There are camel spiders and scorpions everywhere. Must check my boots every time I put them on.

There are schnucks (army helicopters) carrying soldiers to and from the front line. Not all come back.

I have such vivid dreams that I actually see men coming into my room to get me.

I am terrified.

Remorse

This is so painful to share. God, please help me through this one.

I was emotionally abused by my mother. She has a lot of issues of her own; she is still an addict. It is complicated.

Her mother was not her best ally. I did everything for my mother's approval. It seemed that no matter what I achieved, she always found something negative to say.

Even now you can have a pretty good conversation with her as long as you know the conversation is going to revolve around her. Then toward the end she will convey some bit of wisdom and love. But at the very end she bites you with her words. It is always mean spirited.

This is the relationship I have with my mother. It is messy. It is self seeking. It is dysfunctional.

Now I owe my children a better version of myself for their sake. It is grueling on some days. It seems I cannot move past my own pain and disappointment. 

No one ever saw my potential. If they did, they did not convey that to me.

Now I want more than anything for my children to dream the impossible and believe that they can do it for themselves. I also want that for myself.

No More Condemnation

I have always been a believer.

Even now, in this dark place of a terrible trigger. The couple that raped me when I was a child used my Christianity against me. They twisted it into a way of getting me to obey them. It worked also because I was only nine years old.

But I want my relationship with God to be mine only. I don't want anyone else's input on it. I don't want another preacher using the word in a twisted way to condemn who I am as a believer.

It's been long enough.

Comfort

I was paralyzed with fear yesterday. Complete illogical fear, but that did not keep my body from responding. My nervous system was so attacked I could not keep solids down.

After nursing myself back to health, I sat on the couch to watch a fun show with a bag of Cheeto's; not my normal snack food, but I felt like I just had to.

So, sure I ended up on the toilet one more time before going to sleep. But it felt worth it.

I took a two hour long bath trying my hardest to calm the storm.

It was so overwhelming.

I really hope you can find comfort when and where you need it the most as well.

Powdered Donuts

My husband went out last night to pick up our son's new glasses and was supposed to pick up batteries but came home with powdered donuts instead. It made for a fun breakfast for the kids with cereal and juice.

But the taste brought me right back to being a kid myself. I was about five years old and my parents had just separated. My sisters and I were living with our mother in our new house.

It was always a lot of work to get me to school in the morning. But on this one morning my mom had a friend over who brought me to school on his moped. We stopped by the gas station on the way for powdered donuts and orange juice.

I ate my breakfast on the way to school on his moped. It was so fun. I decided I liked this guy. Could he be our new father?

That same day I waited outside my school for a long time for anyone to pick me up. Could be that man on his moped again. Could be my mother.

But no one came. So I walked about a mile to my grandparent's house. My children would not be able to do this now.

From that day forward, my grandfather picked me up from school.

Are you on edge?

On the edge of what, right?  Exactly. Could be good, could be bad. I know; I'm feeling it too.

Our experience would tell us that something bad had to happen. My kids made a loud noise last night while making dinner and I was instantly in "fear" mode. I was so scared something terrible happened to one of them.

And this is not too far off of the truth. When our oldest child was three, he was bit by a dog and had to go the hospital to get staples. Wow, was it terrible.

It was exactly your worst fear come true. So, I get it. I've had terrible things happen to me, I've seen terrible things happen to my loved ones, and now what?

We can do this. We can walk into liberty and freedom. We can quiet this incessant anxiety that is trying to take us down.

At least it's not depression. But somewhere in the middle would be better than this.

Please, God help us get through this breakthrough without fear.

Untrapped

I was recently reminded that almost anything can send you right back to a traumatic event in your life.

I found myself completely helpless in the fear and anxiety my body immediately felt. I reacted in a way that was not like me.

I was five again.

My parents had just separated from a terrible marriage; my father was physically abusing our mother.

Now we were in our first home away from him and I finally felt like we could have a good future. But he came over uninvited and had a physical fight with my mother in which she got burned by our kitchen stove.  When he left, I was hysterical.

I actually had a hard time breathing; I was overcome with fear and could not stop crying. It was overwhelming. I thought we would never be free from him.

This is what the pandemic has felt like for many of us. The truth is that the battle doesn't seem to end. We can't see the kindness. We can't even see people's faces.

For the survivors out there like myself, please keep your head up and know you are not alone. We can get through this one as well. We were made for it.

Overwhelmed

I keep getting triggered by my mother-in-law. I really sincerely love her and want her to be a part of my children's life. But, she makes me so anxious when I am around her and eventually I lash out at her.

I really don't know what to do but avoid her for a while again. It is frustrating because she really doesn't bother me that much. She just sends me into a spiral of despair.

That's it.

Flipping It

I was abused by a married couple. They planned on raping me for some time. They set fear so deep inside of me that when the even occurred, I immediately buried it deep down inside never to see the light of day again.

At least that is what had happened until two years ago. The wife was a nurse and she was good at keeping me quiet. The day after the incident she alone was with me. I had no choice but to bury my secret.

But now I can see that it was a bit of a gift in disguise. The truth could only come out in a loving and supportive environment. This is where I am.

So I choose to confront my past with the viewpoint of hope for the future. Why? Because God would not have allowed that to happen to me if it wasn't going to be used to help someone else.

I hope to spread some love to all of us who need it the most.

https://www.artbykristingreen.com/2021/01/tree-of-life.html

Always

There are awakenings that are just too dark and ugly to accept.

There are truths that no matter how much you want to believe are beyond understanding.

There is pain that cannot be extinguished.

You are not alone.

Know that you do not suffer by yourself.

Hold you head up just a little bit.

https://www.artbykristingreen.com/2021/01/always.html