His Grace

Today while driving to a friend's I was contemplating the peace and joy I have despite the pain and stiffness that have been my companion since the wind came in the second of March. I was thinking about the blessings God has given me through this trial including all of the songs and hymns that are constantly coming to my mind. I began to hum a hymn: "Abide With Me; Tis Evening Tide". The chorus touched me: "O Savior stay this night with me; Behold tis eventide."
Paul's words in Corinthians also came to mind: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
I, like Paul, know that this trial is not going to be taken away from me but Christ's grace is sufficient for me and as I continue to praise Him, His power will rest upon me.

His Grace

I may be in alot of pain
And have trials like rain,
But Jesus is my King;
His praises I will sing.

The trials may rage,
And battles may engage,
But in Chirst will I rest.
In Him I am blessed.

Because of His great love
That shines from above,
I will reflect this light
To all caught in the night.

Because of His grace to me
His servant I will daily be.
As I feel my Savior's power,
I will serve hour by hour.

25 Mar 2008 Suzanne Halliday

The Butterfly

Today I was contemplating 2 Corinthians 13:11, "Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." I thought about the word perfect and how it means to be complete. Then a butterfly came to mind. I thought about how a butterfly begins as a caterpillar and goes thru a pupa stage which can last from a couple of days to over a year. I read about the word: chrysalis. It is the scientists word for the pupa stage and it comes form the Greek word chrysos, which means gold.

Just as the caterpillar goes through stages to become a butterfly so we go through stages. The caterpillar was not created just to be a caterpillar. It was created to change and become a beautiful butterfly. So were we created to become something of great worth if we rely on our Heavenly Father. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shll appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

The Butterfly

The caterpillar begins lowly
And grows very slowly.
But he is not designed to stay
In that humble lowly way.

God meant for him to change
And even his body rearrange,
To go from stage to stage
And a new form to engage.

He weaves a shell so bold,
A pupa the color of gold.
It may seem like the end
But glory is around the bend.

In a few days to a year
His destiny becomes clear.
A butterfly he was meant to be
Just like you and me.

We too must go thru a change
And our beings rearrange.
So we truly may become
Like the Father and the Son.

24 Mar 2009 Suzanne Halliday

An unexpected miracle

I have been having bouts of pain in my hip joints since the second of March when the wind came in. Sometimes it is tolerable and other times it seems extreme. On Friday the 13th it began to get worse. Finally it was so bad I began to talk to myself and wonder if I should get a blessing because I did not think I would be able to talk through the pain Saturday night when I had to speak in stake conference. No sooner had I thought that the pain miraculously disappeared. God is amazing to me. He answers my prayers that are in my heart. I was so thankful.

The Right Moment

Last Monday I got a Blair catalogue in the mail. On the back was a sale on T-shirts with a blue one that had a bassett hound wearing rabbit ears and holding a basket of Easter eggs. Gene said I needed it. I showed it to my friend Evelyn. She said I needed it too. I put off ordering it even though I did want it. But on Friday I felt impressed to look at my email early in the day. There was a post from Blair saying that if you ordered this weekend you could get 25% off. It was the right moment to order. I knew it. It was a blessing from God. I phoned my order in and got the blue T-shirt and the lavender one with butterflies. The lady said I could get $5 off if I ordered one more thing so I ordered the denim dress, I had been wanting. I was so thankful. God truly blessed me.

Saturday night I talked in stake conference on my mission. I had decided that if I had time I would read an email on an inspirational indexing story and use it to emphasis that not only does age not matter in serving the Lord but handicaps do not matter either. God can use any of us as long as we are willing. I read the story and afterwards my stake director who had received the email too said, "I was hoping you would read that story."

Friday I had written a poem entitled "The Path", especially for a friend. I posted it on Skype and several missionaries said it was just what they needed. I took it with me to stake conference and gave a copy to my friend before the meeting started. To my surprise their were several talks that went right along with the poem. Sunday I talked to Pam who had received the poem by email. I told her about the talks going right along with the poem. She said she had noticed that too.

The Path

Pain and sorrow may come and go,
But still every day you may know
You are loved by God here below.
You may feel His Spirit by your side,
And know He may be your guide;
So one day with God you may reside.

It is not easy to walk Jesus' path
And gain all that the Father hath,
But once your heart is on the path,
The Spirit will guide you there
As you kneel in humble prayer
And you will feel the Father's care.

The path does not go downhill.
You must discover God's will
And strive ever His will to fulfill.
As you seek to see His face,
He will fill your soul with grace,
And help you to win your race.

13 Mar 2009 Suzanne Halliday