What If God Is Working On Your Issue Right Now?

Intro

What if God is working on your difficult life issue right now? There's a lot to unpack here. Come on, we're going to talk about this. Welcome to Hope Blvd. I'm Geri Carlson. If you're looking for hope, faith, and the courage to keep going, you're in the right place. Because there is always hope. Always. This is our eighth episode of Hope Blvd. Yay, I'm so glad you're here. Let me just be real with you for a minute about this podcast. Can I can I just go there? I am learning a lot for non techie. I mean, whether it sticks in my brain, that's a whole nother subject. But I'm working to getting these episodes to you every week. So let me know if there's a topic that you'd like for me to discuss. Leave me a message at hopeblvd.org /contact. I'd love to hear from you and what topic you're thinking of. This show is certainly a labor of love, and I love all of you. So I'm here to serve you friends through this podcast. And I'm looking forward to this week's episode. So let's do this. If

Truth

you've been listening to this show, you know I'm a firm believer that there is always hope. But what about truth? We're going to get to the topic of whether God is working on your life issue, but let me start here first. It's going to tie in. I have a saying that I have said for decades. I know it's another one. I have a lot of these. Ask my kids. They're all grown adults now. They're scarred by all of my all of my little sayings, all of my little quotes. And but this is one of those things that I believed in my core. And, you know, this is something that I believe is really important because I believe that words matter. So I have the saying, and here it is. There is nothing more important than truth. That's it. There is nothing more important than truth. That is a Geri Carlson quote. I even had it embroidered on the side of a carrying bag. And so listen, I own that belief. I wholeheartedly believe it. And I have to ask, I mean, what is truth? I'll tell you what it's not. Truth is not abstract. In today's society, somewhere along the line, I mean, people aren't getting that memo. The definition of truth is an accurate or exact depiction or real actual facts. I think of truth with a capital T because in the Bible, when truth is spelled with capital T- R-U-T-H, it's referring to Jesus. And I understand that that might not resonate with some of you, and I respect that. You're still welcome here. I love you. I personally believe there is nothing more important than truth and Jesus. That's why when I hear this next statement, that there is your truth and my truth, I believe it brings confusion. Friends, there is only one truth. Whether you put a capital T on it or not, truth is absolute. Truth is not abstract. There isn't my truth and your truth and his truth over there and her truth over there. There is one fact or one truth.

Perspectives

And now look, we can have different perspectives. I'm all about that. I love that. You know, here's the truth in the middle. Here's your perspective, here's my perspective. And I think that's where discussing perspectives can be really valuable. First of all, come to the table for a discussion. Why don't you? Right? There are some people who will just kind of fly off the handle. No, if you don't believe the way I do, that's it. It's just my way or the highway. And you know what? We need to stop, hit the pause button, listen. I'm talking to myself on this. I really am. So I'm I'm right there with a lot of you that sometimes I need to hit the pause button. I like to think that I'm always willing to do that. Almost always. Always is a big word, but almost always willing to do that.

Mindful

So it's important to be mindful of that, to be self-aware. It's a good reminder for us all. My circle of therapists and counselor friends understand this concept of one truth. So when I do come across a counselor who talks about their truth and my truth, it is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Please, counselor friends, help people understand this basic concept that truth is not divided, it is actual and factual. Words matter. So we can have our individual perspectives. Thankfully, we live in a country where we can have open discussion. We may need to do so a little more respectfully, but that's important. Offering perspective. I mean, that's what we do on this show. Hope Blvd isn't just about addressing problems, although we do that sometimes as well. But we're about offering some perspective through storytelling about life's learned experiences and relationships. And I hope at the end of each episode that you're uplifted. That's my intention. Think about your most challenging situation right now. Whatever it is that is bringing you anxiety or stress or even hopelessness. What if, here we go, what if God is right there with you? What if he is working on your situation right now, whatever your issue? What if he knows what your enemies are up to or what they've done? What if he knows everything, all the secrets, all the pain, all the sins of everyone involved? What if God has a plan and he has your best interest at heart? What if everything will be okay and it will work out for good? What if? How would that change your focus and your mindset? If you could believe that, if you could focus on that. We talked about truth a moment ago. It is important to know what it is and where we find it, because if you're going to believe that God is going to provide such hope and peace and joy, then let's look at that. I believe the word of God is all true. Every word. To try to edit or delete any part of it would mean that it's faulty. And then I wouldn't be able to believe any part of the Bible. So to accept it in its entirety is crucial.

Faith

My faith take today comes from Jeremiah 29, 11. I know many of you, this is your favorite. I get it, it's one of mine too. But I want to take it a little past the 11th verse. So I'm going to read Jeremiah 29, verses 11 through 14. And this is what it says. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. In Jeremiah 29, 11, another translation in the NIV, it says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope in a future. The earlier version I read was from New King James Version. So can you allow your mind to consider the fact that God is working on your issue? Can you accept God's word as absolute truth and begin to let it sink in that God is with you, even if you don't feel like he is? Can you allow yourself to trust God Almighty in every situation? You know, we tend to think of strength and resilience from a physical and mental perspective. But what about spiritual? Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we also have a spiritual part of us. And we all believe in something. I believe Jesus as Lord. I believe in Almighty God. And I have come to know Him as the God of hope, the God of truth, the God of love, you know, and our Father God. So hanging on to my mindset of there is always hope didn't seem as challenging as I think some people might suppose, especially when I was going through my illness and becoming paralyzed. When you believe in something to your core, it's hard to separate. It's in my DNA. There was no way I was going to divert from that because it is part of who I am. I also think it's really healthy to challenge our beliefs sometimes. I think that's really important. But when we come to a decision on where we stand, stand firm. And that's where I am right now. That's where I have been most of my adult life. However, with that said, there is lots of room for growth. And I have been committed to being a lifelong learner, convinced that I will learn with my dying breath. That's who I want to be. I don't want to be really stuck in my thinking. And, you know, what if I'm wrong? What if I'm wrong about anything, about any topic or any any situation, but especially about my belief in God and who He is. At some point we have to trust. And I'm turning my page right now as I'm talking to you. Um and I go back to Proverbs 3, because this really goes along well with Jeremiah 29, 11. Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6 says this trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. You know, that speaks to trust. At some point, we have to decide if we're going to trust that God is who he says he is. I encourage you to study the character of God. And in the Word of God, He's going to show you who He is. I would recommend that you believe it. And I encourage you to pray to Almighty God and ask Him to shine light on the truth. There is nothing more important than truth.

Beds

Today my husband Rob helped me put clean sheets back on the bed, and it really caused me to reflect on the day that I came home from the hospital. Today we're putting sheets on a beautiful bed, queen size bed with a nice bed frame, and it just looks wonderful with pillows and I love it. But it also reminded me of the day I came home. I came home to a hospital bed, a smaller twin size, basically. And I was so grateful for that bed. I was so grateful that I just got to come home after eight months in the hospital. So I was thrilled, and I didn't care what the bed looked like, I was grateful for it. Besides, someone had gifted us this bed that was tremendous. So I I was grateful for our friend who who gave us the bed. I was grateful that I was just home to be able to lay in that bed. I couldn't move from the neck down, but boy, I could be home. And I was just as grateful for that bed as I am for the bed today that I don't have to sleep in a hospital bed today. I am in a regular bed. I have been for quite some time, but I am really grateful for that. And, you know, sometimes we look at our life and it's easy to see the negative, or it's easy to not be grateful for something that just seems so simple or small. Well, there was nothing small about that hospital bed. It was wonderful in every way. And it served its purpose, and I'm glad I don't have to be in it anymore. But when I came home, it was wonderful. This just caused me to think about how we can have different perspectives. Even me having a different perspective today than I did two years ago when I came home from the hospital. How different today looks. I don't have a full healing, but I am out of that bed and I'm doing great. I'd love to do better in so many ways, but you know what? I'm grateful for where I am and I'm okay.

Thank you

Thank you so much for listening. If this has been encouraging in any way, please share it with someone. And I hope that you'll return back for episode nine next week. Until our paths meet again, make it a great day for you and someone else. And remember, there is always hope. Always. Bye for now.