Please see below for some personal notes from me regarding feeling alone, battling temptation, finding God’s will for your life, enduring “thorns in the flesh”, and parenting. I pray you will find the examples from my life to be of help, and most importantly, I hope the verses I have included from the Bible speak to you about God's unwavering truths for all of us.


------------------- FEELING ALONE-------------------

God promises us in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NIV) I have felt alone many times in my life, but I really wasn’t. How else can I explain how I survived being in a few unsafe places and making some wrong decisions during my late teens and early twenties? Thankfully, God watches over fools and little children - I’m a living testimony!

My life changed drastically on August 3, 1986 at about 1:45 pm. On the night of August 2, I had been at a weekend revival at my Papa’s church. That night after the hymn of invitation began (you Baptists know what that is; the rest of you, please bear with me), I put my hymnal down and walked to the front of the church. I didn’t know what to do or say, and no one could accept Christ for me, not even my beloved Papa. I had to take the final step on my own. I went home that night feeling very confused, but the next afternoon while reading the book of Revelation, I suddenly realized I didn’t want the judgment of God upon me. I wanted Jesus and His love. Plain and simple. And plainly and simply, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. Then I looked up at the clock and noticed the time - the very moment at which instant I felt God's love wash over me.

If you feel burdened and alone, turn toward Jesus. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV). He’s waiting for you to accept His love and eternal salvation. Consider the following truths from God’s Word (NIV):
** “For all have sinned.” Romans 3:23.
** “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.
** “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.
** “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10.


-------------------BATTLING TEMPTATION-------------------

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV). I often have to play this verse in my head to help me understand I can overcome any temptation before me, with God’s help.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Sometimes my heart isn’t ready to burst forth in praise and worship to God. Sometimes I go through the motions of daily prayer, quiet time, and worship, and I don’t feel anything. “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” Isaiah 29:13 (NIV). God, help me to understand You desire the devotion of our hearts more than our words of false praise.

Speaking of words, another one of my biggest temptations is to say things before I think about them. God is very clear about the importance of our words and the consequences of using the wrong words. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV). What a scary truth from God’s Word! God, I pray You help me to “watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. I will put a muzzle on my mouth…” Psalm 39:1 (NIV). When you are tempted to say something you shouldn’t, visualize putting a muzzle on your mouth until the temptation passes. If you must, clamp your hands over your mouth while you recite Bible verses in your head. You’ll be amazed how hard it is to say unflattering words while God’s Word runs through your head.

The good news is Jesus understands all the temptations we face. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 (NIV). When you are tempted, cry out to Jesus. He will help you, if you’ll ask Him.


-------------------FINDING GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE-------------------

“I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8 (NIV). In the summer of 2004, while driving home from the Southern Christian Writers conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I asked God to tell me what to do since I had finally begun the books He told me for ten years to write. (Yes, sometimes it takes me awhile to obey.) Be careful what you ask for! He told me to start a ministry – Blue Dove Ministries. I laughed out loud. How could I start any kind of ministry? God immediately brought to my mind Sara who laughed when Abram told her she would have a child when she was well past the child-bearing age. God can do the impossible. God is the one who created the entire universe with the sheer power of His words. Don’t you think if He can make an entire universe and every living being in it, He can equip you and me to the special ministry for which He designed us? I still don't know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, but maybe God wanted me to speak to others about how God's love can help them heal from their pain.

As soon as I told God I didn’t think I was equipped for any kind of ministry He laid on my heart, I felt that still, small voice stirring in my heart. He said, “Melissa, I gave you the ability to learn things quickly.” Yes, I agreed. I was the kid who could skim through her textbook and read over her notes once or twice and ace her tests. Then God said, “Melissa, I gave you the ability to speak in front of others.” I thought back on how much I enjoyed public speaking, all the way back to my childhood. I entered every club in junior high and high school with public speaking contests. I guided tours at Mammoth Cave National Park, and I loved talking to crowds of a hundred or more in what I called my “Smokey the Bear” uniform. Next God said, “Melissa, I gave you the skills and experiences to sell products and services.” Well, in the words of my best friend, I can “sell ice to an Eskimo”. Okay, maybe I’m not that good, but I have sold things from diamond jewelry to Mary Kay cosmetics to recruiting services to very large companies. God said, “Melissa, I gave you the business and communications educational background.” I do have a degree from Western Kentucky University in Corporate and Organizational Communications, essentially a double-major which included business classes and communication classes. Finally, God said, “Melissa, I gave you jobs in the areas of advertising and recruiting. I gave you everything you need to accomplish this task before you.” I did have two different jobs in advertising, including working as an advertising account representative for Louisville’s city magazine, appropriately called LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE. I also have more than nine years experience in the recruiting business, two years on the sales side and over seven years on the direct recruiting side.

Okay, God. You made Your point. Yes, You did prepare me.

All this to say, no matter what God calls you to, have faith He will equip you to do what He has asked of you. Where is the first place we should turn to become prepared to fulfill God’s plans for us? Paul tells us in II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV). Perhaps God has already equipped you through His Word and your life experiences, and He’s waiting for you to ask Him what you can do for Him.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV). Have you told God to send you out to do His will? Has He not revealed His plan to you yet? If not, show God you are faithful in the “basics” of your spiritual life - daily prayer and quiet time with God, daily Bible study, Scripture memorization, witnessing & teaching, and tithing. Then perhaps God will look at you and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things…” Matthew 25:21 (NIV).


-------------------ENDURING “THORNS IN THE FLESH”-------------------

Paul said in II Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV), “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul begged God three times to remove his “thorn”, but God did not. The curiousity in me can’t stand that Paul did not include the details of his problem. One of the questions I plan to ask Paul when I see Him in heaven is what exactly was the thorn he wrote about. Perhaps God chose not to include the details of Paul’s thorn because the issue was not about the actual thorn, but the fact that God did not remove it. We all have our thorns we wish God would take away. But He doesn’t. We need to quit trying to capitalize on the “poor me” syndrome to gain pity from other people or pity from ourselves, and instead realize there’s a purpose for our “thorns”, even if we don’t understand now.

One of my “thorns in the flesh” is a very common problem with food. I have hypoglycemia – low blood sugar. Fortunately, it’s not life-threatening and with proper care, it might not develop into diabetes, which is hyperglycemia. However, diabetes is often the end road for hypoglycemics (but I won’t worry about that today). Every time I have to eat, I should (and often now try to) use those occasions as specific times to direct my thoughts on God. We say a prayer ever time we eat a meal, so why can we not do so with snacks, too?

I have found an interesting parallel between the hypoglycemic’s need to eat every two to three hours (to avoid feeling icky) and God’s Word. “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NIV). Oh, how I wish I was as diligent about soaking up God’s Word as I am about running to the refrigerator every two to three hours!

Whatever your thorn is, if God will not remove it, ask God how you can still glorify Him through your pain. Ask Him to show you how to cope with it, and perhaps you can find healing in the pain, or you can help someone else who is hurting from the same things you are experiencing.


-------------------PARENTING-------------------

God has a lot to say about parenting. Perhaps He knows that is one area where we can have the most heartache. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 (NIV).

Here’s another one: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline.” Proverbs 13:24 (NIV). We don’t use a rod, but we have used a few swats! Lucky for us, time-outs and the removal of privileges usually do the trick. But how can you enforce time-out in aisle 13 of Wal-mart? Leave your child in the floor beside the laundry detergent while you finish aisles 14 and 15 for what’s left on your list? Before you ask, NO, I have never left my children alone anywhere - I treasure my "little angels" and don't risk their safety. But, all you parents out there, if you have tips for the shopping-trip adventures (you know, where your child asks you to buy everything in sight:), please email them to me. Before this Saturday’s shopping excursion would be nice…

Here’s another verse I like. “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them…” Psalms 127:4-5 (NIV). Yes, children are a great blessing! On the flip side, God’s Word doesn’t say it, but let me give all you non-parents out there a little tip. Your quiver can be full, very full, with only two children. Having children eleven months and one day apart is not something I recommend unless you can somehow skip their simultaneous diaper stage and subsequent potty-training stage. My children are now ages eight and nine, but I still remember how hard those earlier years were, especially waking all through the night with two sleepless babies!

All “kidding” aside (sorry, I couldn’t help myself), children are an awesome gift and a great responsibility. “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” Mark 9:42 (NIV). God, help me be the proper example for all the children in my life, not just my own children.