• What are you BECOMING???

    ByKathy Stephens

    becomingThrough out my life I have done a lot of things. UNLIKE my husband who worked at the same job for 30 years. I’ve owned a State approved Day Care, Owned a nail salon, been to nursing school, taught art to elementary students, Been a wedding Photographer, worked on Capital Hill, built spec homes, sold real-estate and i’ve always laughed and said “if God had given me boobs i’d probably have been a stripper”. I KNOW, I KNOW. some of you are gasping for air right now. ha SORRY….. it’s a joke but probably does have alittle truth mixed in cause I do love to dance. (side note: it was just sorta true when I was much younger)… It seems that i’ve never really known what I wanted to be when I grow up.

    Over the past couple of weeks i’ve had the privilege of visiting with a friend of mine as she watched her husbands health decline and who ultimately went to be with the LORD and this morning my day started out with a 7am phone call from an official asking me to come to another friend of mines home cause her husband had just passed away. I say privileged cause it truly has been. My heart breaks for both of them. I know what they are facing. This doesn’t make me special but because of my journey, it make me broken, it makes me available, it makes me….. well it allows me to know what that truly feels like. I just hope that in some small way my pain can become a source of help for another. It has once again reminded me that life is truly fragile and sometimes short. It then reminds me to remind you of that fact in hope that you will take an extra moment tonight, tomorrow or next week to spend some extra time with someone you care about.

    I’ve been asking GOD a lot of questions as I approach the year anniversary of my sweet husband’s home-going. “what would you have me to do Lord?”. That’s been a big question. I’ve told him that I will do what ever He ask me to do but truth is I’ve begun to realize that it’s not about DOING… it’s about becoming….. I saw this inspirational quote the other day and I’ve been pondering over it ever since. It’s so true of my life. I’m becoming. Many things about my life have been taken away and GOD is brining new things into my life and I PRAY that I can truly BECOME what HE has meant for me to BE all along.

    What journey are you on? What are you becoming??? The word BECOME means to undergo change or development. GOSH I sure need that. What about YOU???

  • OUTCAST !!!!

    ByKathy Stephens

    boatsFor some strange reason I love taking pics of boats. I snapped this one last friday night when my girlfriends and I were eating at Cobalt. One of my FAVS at Orange Beach. It was the perfect weather to be sitting outdoors and watching the boats come in at sunset under the Bay Bridge.

    As I was uploading the pics today I saw this particular boat photo and immediately the word “outcast” jumped out at me. The only boat in the picture with a name. Truth is I didn’t see that when I took the pic. I thought to myself that’s sorta what I feel like these days…. An Outcast. Being a widow brings with it a lot of changes, a lot of new feelings, territory that seems like strange land. It’s so much more than just the death of your beloved partner.

    After a little bit I began to remember how many other times in life I felt like an outcast. Didn’t quite fit in, wasn’t invited, didn’t feel a part of … You fill in the blank. Have you ever felt like an outcast? Here’s what God’s word says about it. Psalms 147:2-5 He gathers together the outcasts of Israel ( and every other place… I’m adding) He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name (YOUR NAME GOES HERE). Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

    pierLove that … Read it again if you need to…..

    He heals the brokenhearted, ( that means there is HOPE) He binds up their wounds,( His love covers it all) He is mighty ( all power is in HIM) and He understands. His understanding is infinite.( He gets it and there is no end to Him getting it).

    What more could you ask? You are NOT an OUTCAST…..

  • The Compass

    ByKathy Stephens

    CompassSometimes we lose our way. Sometimes we find ourselves at the end of the road. Our heart begins to beat fast, we panic… We think, “so which way do I go now? In grieving it’s sorta the same way. You are walking thru this journey lost and some days NOT knowing which way to go. You panic. You think if you move ON you are leaving your loved one behind. The last thing you want to do is move so far from the pain that you feel like your dismissing them from your life.

    Last night in my grief share class I heard a story about moving forward. How to move when you feel so stuck. If you have experienced the loss of a loved one you know how HARD this step can be. It’s especially hard when so many around you are telling you they think it’s time for you to move on. ( I often wonder what they really mean by that)

    In our lesson this guy had lost his wife, He was crippled by the idea of moving forward and he was struggling with what to do. BUT then he explained…He said if you just MOVE ON then it’s as if your leaving your loved one behind but if you move FORWARD then your taking them with you. AS simple as that sounds, it was PROFOUND. Everything changes. Your compass begins to come into focus. For those who have lost a loved one this point in grief seems to be one of the hardest. Knowing that your heart is still broken but your trying to find a way to trust GOD for the HOPE of a new normal… Trusting HIM for a glimpse at the future. Moving Forward.

    There is great Grief because of Great Love. There is comfort in knowing that truth. There is no time frame to be OVER losing someone who changed you, who made you be a better person, who was always in your corner. There is no right or wrong way to recover. It’s when you look down at your compass and begin to take a few little steps and you know that you are simply moving forward. The arms on the dial are spinning.

    How many times in your life have you come to the end of the road and wondered what to do? Did you gain strength from the things your life has taught you? Did you locate a compass that said, “go this way”. What did you use to get back on track? To make the right turn? Did your heart beat fast in the moving forward.? God is the only COMPASS that we have. He says,” I am the light and the way”. He promises to be your guide. In his word it says, Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; Your rod and Your staff, ( and your compass- I added) they comfort me…….

    I hope that IF you are at the end of a ROAD today ( from what ever life has brought your way) that you will find the COMPASS that heals, restores and gives great HOPE for your journey.