Left handed prayer

I have recently had a slight MS relaspe, nothing serious but my right hand and arm are aching more than usual.  So I decided it might be a good idea to try to learn to write with my left hand.  Today as I practised forming the letters, especially "S" around the right way I found myself writing this prayer.  The words flowed of out me, they were not planned and I did not correct them. 

The left handed prayer speaks for itself.

Praise God in the heavens

praise God in the earth
sing to Him as little children
open your hearts and sing
open your mind to receive Him
use your imagination to praise Him
take pictures made in your heart to bless Him
add music to his name
fall at his feet to worship Him
offer Him your heart full of your love
bless His holy name
dwell in His presence
rest when reading His word to listen
His sheep know his voice
talk to Him of your love, share with Him your dreams
trust in His timing and His answers to you
submit to His plans for they are greater than yours
offer Him your time and lay down your ambitions
go where you are lead but if the door closes, leave it shut
try a new direction always lead by prayer
walk through the openings He has made
work with and pray over those He gives you
do as to all as you would have them do to you
thank the Lord for His provision in good times and bad
practise listening for His voice for He wants to be heard.

Resting In God

God is waiting for you to talk to him.

Nothing fancy, nothing religious, just talk for remember he is also a person like you.

It is always helpful to talk about your problems.

You could call 0845 456 7729, UCB prayerline.

MS and Restless Legs, Muscle Relaxant Problems

Well the doctor told me to take a muscle relaxant drug to help me cope with the restless legs and tight hips I have developed, well I did have the restless legs before the MS, to help me cope with the aches.

Now I am a tea drinker. I mean I can drink one cup after the other all day, without counting. I do not really drink coffee as I do not like it much, with sugar it is passable though.

I took Tizanidine, from 1 mg increasing up to 18 mg a day, so not the highest dose that you are allowed to take but I found the more I took the more my legs seemed to play up.

After a time of reading up the medicine side effects information online, bearing in mind this is the 5th drug I have tried, and so far this one that has not made me depressed or given me mood swings, I stuck with it. I increased the dose over the weeks until I got to 12 mg, and then finally after seeing my doctor I went up to 18mg a day, the maximum dose according the packet is 36 mg a day; it made me very tired but still my legs ached.

I started to sleep more in the day, so much that I was becoming nocturnal. So time with my family was compromised, and intimate time with my husband was almost non existent.

So I read up and prayed over what to do. I felt a strong need in my mind to read about the effects of caffeine. Withdrawal includes some headaches. So after reading that caffeine is a stimulant, not so good for my legs; I felt in prayer that I needed to reduce my tea intake, I have.

Now for two days I have taken one 4 mg Tizanidine pill in the morning, and reduced my tea intake to two cups a day. I do have a headache, but that is not surprising is it after all the tea I was drinking. I do use Co-codomal if I am in pain with my neck or legs but I very rarily take more than 4 pills a day; which is half the maximum dose but I feel well. I am not falling asleep all the time and my legs are feeling less restless. I have cervical spondylitis in my neck, from an injury years ago.

So the moral of the story is doctors do not know everything, but God does. So seek Him in your illness and you will find He is willing to assist you in your condition and treatment.

The Creator's Rhythm

As you know I was diagnosed with MS in October 2010. I have had to learn to rest more, to not fight my mind when I feel it is time to sleep, or rest a little in my day; and for me that has been quite a challenge to get my head around as I was always a busy sort of person, doing this or that and never at home.

Over the past year or so I had noticed that I was tiring more easily but I just put it down to age, or being slighlty overweight. I had not considered that I could have MS, the same as my sister, for my symptions were quite different.

However now with time I have adjusted to my diagnosis and in so doing I have been praying for guidance from the Lord as I felt inside that it was like I was achieving so little in my day.

Today I had an email conversation with my friend Mimi, she has ME, and she told me that she also had had problems adjusting to her new slower life routine. She also looked to the Creator for his help; Jesus used her pet fish to help her: they have a set rhythm with times of slowness and times of more activity.

I had to smile when I read her email, for I have been struggling with the same issue and I have found myself watching my cat sleep!

My cat comes and does as he pleases but he spends most of his day sleeping, more sleep than I need! He seems to be content with much rest, and I would guess that he is happy. He goes out to protect his territory. He minds my house when I am out. He comes with us to walk our dogs and we love his company. It is good that he wants to spend him time with us.

So I have been considering this: Creations rhythm is the Creator's rhythm. It is not a world, busy, busy, busy efficient rhythm it is life at a gentlier pace.

So all of a sudden the fact that I need to slow down becomes a blessing to me, for I am able to live in God's rhythm and rest. I have times of work, and times of rest. I enjoy the time that I am able to be more active but now I also enjoy the times that I rest too.

Thank you Lord for your thoughtfulness to both myself and my friend Mimi for showing us that your gentle life rhythm is the best way to live and that the world's rhythm of busyness is not good for it does not appreciate the person who does the work but rather it pushes them harder and harder to do more. Then when you are worn out it drops you like a stone and you sink into oblivion.

I urge you to take time to stop and count the cost of what you do. Do you allow yourself enough rest? Do you allow yourself time to sleep? Do you allow yourself time to consider who is important in your life and why? Do you spend time with this person, or do you rush way to your next busy task?

In God's rhythm I have come to appreciate that I am so loved, for He gave up all He is for me by dying on the cross to pay for all my mistakes. ALL my mistakes.

He appreciates me. How amazing is that?

He is God and I am so small that if you could view the whole universe on a page I would not show up under the most powerful microscope known to man! Yet God values me as a person and has promised to never leave me.

He died for me.

What is your priority? Is it you? Or God?

He died for you too.

Take time to read about Him in the bible, or talk to Him = prayer.

Eve x

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF MY EMAIL LIST PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL DELETE YOUR ADDRESS OF THE SYSTEM, THANKS.

Forget religion! How to be real with God

We often hear the phrase What Would Jesus Do and we try to act as we think He wants us to but living like Jesus and trying to be a Christian is not easy. So we end up struggling and feeling unnecessarily guilty.

If you are trying to approach God because you love Him and want to know Him more, don't you think He knows the real you so why beat yourself up when it really is not needed.

So forget thinking this way and read on!

Jesus loves you and accepts you whatever you do. He understands that you are a child compared to Him, so He knows that you will: try, forget to try, muck it all up, feel like a failure and feel like you are doing it all wrong compared to everyone else around you.

Every person on earth is different. Every person’s walk with God is individual too.

Time spent with God is never wasted

Jesus knows your to do list; your deadlines*. To spend time with God means you read His word in the bible, or you pray or you simply sit and consider things in your mind. The bible is the word of God but it is very hard to grasp straight off for there is much depth in His words. It is like eating a chocolate cake, some days you are starving you eat much - the icing as well; other days you just pick the icing off or you dig out the creamy centre and just eat that!

Sometimes we can not take in God’s word in big chunks because we will have stress happening in our lives - life on earth is tough - on these days it is better to just read the cream. Try one proverb or one parable (story) that Jesus told, it is enough. You can gorge on the bible or you can consider a few words. Gorging makes you sick and tired but a healthy bite of Gods word can satisfy you for then you will find you think it through later.

If you find you can not remember everything you read in the bible that’s normal too, it has been happening like that to me for years but over time suddenly you realise that you have learnt much. Remember your teacher is God, so let Him teach you at His pace for He knows what you are ready to retain.

If you do not understand ask Jesus for help, it’s that simple.

Oh one more thing, if the Christians around you answer your questions in religious language that you can not understand, remember that they are trying to explain what they are still struggling to understand too!

Prayer is like a conversation

A good friend is hard to find for they are so concerned with self needs that all they want to do is tell you about their own problems, so you end up frustrated and feeling like you were not listened to or cared for.

A conversation with Jesus often seems one way for at the time, usually, you do not receive an answer. Tell Jesus what’s on your mind, and tell Him in the normal everyday language that you use.

Remember Jesus hung around with coarse fisherman and whores when He walked on earth so tell Him your needs in your own words, your expression of language will not shock Him! Jesus is able to hear and understand all things.

Be real with Him.

Imagine that Jesus is sitting in the room with you, then spill the beans until you are done. You will feel better and Jesus will listen patiently.

God does speak to His children but it is in many ways, it could be a voice in your mind, or through a Christian friend, or through His words in the bible, or through a sermon, or through your memory of a time when everything seemed to work out for the best despite the circumstance. Remember your experience with God is as individual as you.

Jesus is always with you for He sent the Holy Spirit to live within your heart but it takes time to feel Him. Knowledge of His presence grows over time until inside you just know. This knowledge of Him turns over time into peace. Peace is not a warm cosy feeling that all is well, it is the certainty that God lives with you and understands you.

Stop struggling in your own ability to understand everything at once.

God bless to you, ej x

*your tasks seem to be finished in less time after you have spent time Jesus first!

Prayer!

So why make prayer so bloody difficult? I mean who are you trying to impress - God with your prose? Why not just tell Him how it is? Use the words that come to mind, don’t just quote scripture… He knows them more than you!

Tell Him how you feel, like you would a trusted friend, but remember He can understand your minds heart too. He knows your true feelings so don’t wrap it all up in sugar sweet candy to be polite. You can’t shock God, He has heard it all before.

He choose to hang out with coarse fishermen and whores, not the religious elite!

Jesus cursed the religious elite for being superficial.

So then tell Him how it is - how it really is in the words you know how to express your thoughts and deepest needs.

If you are angry tell Him.

If you are really really angry swear it all out at Him, if you need to, or do you think your language is worse than that of a whore?

Then when you are done, rest and smile knowing the He heard you and loves you despite yourself…as He so loves me.

The religious elite will tell you God is holy so be polite…. but remember it's in the bible God cursed those who thought their religious piety was correct!

If you don’t believe me then read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see what Jesus called the pious priests ruling in Israel. You may be surprised.

The Message is the most easy translation of the bible to understand for it is written in real words, not polite sentences.

The words in the Message reflect life today.

Ej x