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Grief and Pain (no, you are not stupid).

tears and sorrow

Having Grief and Pain (You’re not stupid!) 
One thing I’ve not been known to ever do, is to call people’s 
feelings stupid (or dumb, or even wrong). I’ve learned some 
times the hard way our feelings should not dominate us, but 
at the same time, I know we have them. Grief comes in many 
forms, and sometimes people who can’t cry get very angry 
instead. Maybe they won’t cry because someone said it’s 
stupid, or maybe because it embarrasses them. 
You won’t catch me telling you there are right or wrong things 
to grieve about either. These ideas such as “There are starving
children somewhere” so be grateful for your plate of liver” or 
platitudes such as: “Well at least you are alive, or if one of your
children died, you still have the other” do not really help people 
feel better. Do they? Not very often. I would say mostly, not. 
People hire therapists in part, because they fear telling friends, 
family, and yes even pastors at times, their deepest thoughts 
and fears. They have grief and want to get over it. Sometimes 
the grief “seems to be” over something stupid. The fear that 
someone will call them stupid, makes them want to hide. 
“I AM SO STUPID!” (I have said that myself) When I am very 
frustrated for giving that person another chance (and they did 
that to me again!) Or I dared to dream, and now I’m disappointed
(again for the 14th time, or even the 100th time). 
I should never say that but, I have. Why? Why do we chastize our
selves like that? 
#1 We see others getting over it, so we think we are failures
#2 We think our grief is “stupid” to begin with. (not important). 
#3 We don’t understand where this grief is coming from or even how to stop it. 
Therapy sometimes goes too far in perpetuating our grief, (getting 
us to feel sorry for ourselves, which can lead to depression) 
God tells us to “be of good cheer” but sometimes, we can’t. We 
are sad. We need to cry. It’s called grieving. 
King David danced, but he also wept about sin and disappointment. 
Jeremiah wept over the sins of God’s people. 
Jonah got depressed because God did not destroy Ninevah after he 
delivered a word that it would be destroyed. Job got depressed too. 
I believe part of soul-healing is talking about it. Whether you talk to 
God about it, or someone else. Ministers like TD Jakes talk about their
soul being torn, ripped apart, dreams going out the window, and feeling
like God didn’t care (for awhile) about their pain. This is why people love
to read their stories. They can relate. 
We need teachers and we need prophets, but we need pastors too. 
Pastors tend to be nurturing people. They love and tend to the sheep. 
If they are not this way, perhaps they should not have been pastors. 
But in the world of men, There are not any paying postions for a lot 
of the other ministries (which is sad). They are forced to ask for money
continually, because nobody offers them a home, or a paycheck. 
Those people have dreams too (you see) And it’s a heart to reach the
lost, the hurting, the broken, and the dying. They can’t get there without
someone’s help. I just put one of my dreams on the Altar, because unless
God sends a way to provide for it, I just can’t do it anymore. 
It’s called “Authoring books” to reach the hurting. I can’t afford what it costs anymore, so I have to stop. My paychecks are like .01 (last quarter) for this endeavor. I’ve been doing it for 7 years now, and it pays nothing. And it’s okay but it still hurts to have dreams come to an end. I have to stop now. Until God provides for it. If he doesn’t, oh well! I will still love him just the same. 
And no I don’t want sympathy- but I have some grief right now. God will 
surely bring me out of it too. He always does! He is faithful! I have faced many disappointments in my life. And I will live through this one, too. 
As a minister and a child of God I find that “letting go” is one of the most 
painful things I have ever experienced. Letting go of what you know is bad
is hard, but letting go of something you thought was good is even harder. 
I am reminded of the following scripture in regardes to self-preservation. 
When you are done grieving, consider putting it all in God’s hands. 
We really are better off to put our lives in the Lord’s hands and say “Thy will 
be done, thy kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven.” Amen. 
Today is November 1. Happy Author’s day. I just layed my 7 year Journey 
of writing books at the Lord’s feet. 
Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it.  Peace out (for now) Laura Grace 
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Why are some christians so mean?

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The reason there are “christians” that act like something in the cast of “Mean Girls” is that Christianity is a spiritually imparted thing, not a learned thing, not a church you join, not something you inherit from your parents, and not a lofty goal to achieve- by continually striving to get there. “Real” Christianity is receiving by God’s spirit His ways, his revelations, his fruits of the Spirit, and most of all; HIS kind of Love. The types who think they have it (and have just learned to use the bible to hurt people) are the types that will kick a new Christian when they are down, so watch out! Don’t be deceived either, into thinking these false representatives of Christ are a true picture of “who he is.” Their image may say christian while their actions continually display behavior of the evil one. 

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 1 John 3:9 

                                

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal 5:19-21 

                                                                              Laura Grace 

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AN OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTIANS, Just because you are in Christ, doesn’t mean you’re always right!

GRACE TO GROW COVER NOW.jpg

Speaking of chicken soup………(a letter to christians)
 
I feel bad I didn’t used to know this but, I needed to realize a long time ago when someone is sick (in the natural) You know how they can’t eat? Just need a little chicken broth?
 
Some are like that about Jesus- we need to be aware they can only handle so much at a time. I didn’t used to know this and I didn’t mean to but I have overwhelmed some people at times….
 
I thought I was being zealous for Jesus, and not compromising. but the truth is, I wasn’t REALLY walking in Love.
 
How I learned is by HAVING IT DONE TO ME, and instead of being all ticked off I prayed on it, asked the Lord about it, and asked him to reveal to me through his eyes, what is going on.
 
Sooner or later it’s time to say “what am I doing wrong Lord?” In the process of learning who we are in Christ (and learning to stand in his Righteousness) we must not forget we always need to be corrected. Correction is what makes us grow.
 
Without correction we do not grow! WE should know this, we’ve all seen kids who never had discipline, and how they turned out.
 
Some try to ram the whole banana of the gospel down someone’s throat and if they get sick and throw up beat them over the head for not receiving! Talk about not having a clue!
 
This is not evangalism, it’s abuse! And it’s what the so called liberals are reacting to, in many cases.
 
I do not suggest bowing to these types that want to over run the church but we cannot afford to be all uppity and assume we are always being persecuted. Sometimes…….WE”VE BEEN WRONG and we need to admit it, quit it, and start growing again. Amen
 
Let’s get a clue shall we? Maturity knows when to stop, because your mashed potatoes and gravy is making them feel sick. #getmature #growsomemore #getagriponJesus
 
Anyway this is not compromise,
 
IT”S WISDOM!! Let’s get some! AmenLaura Grace
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What I don’t want to be………

darknessThere are people

who’ve taught me…..about how to be free…………

People who’ve helped me, to hear and to see,

There are things I’ve done wrong, and been corrected by right,

And I’ve had a friend listen, in the darkness of night.

I’ve seen people whose example of patience, and love,

shines like the stars ….and the moon up above……..

But there is no example……so powerful to me…..

As the People who’ve shown me…….

What I DON”T want to be……..

by Laura Grace, Author, Grace to the Rescue, Grace to Grow, Study Guide,

Grace to Soar, Abc’s of Christianity…Available on Amazon