Pregnant and I Know It!

I’ve always been pretty spoiled when it comes to my physical health.  I’ve never broken a bone (except for the time I put a hairline fracture in my nose when I was 5 because I tried to do a back flip off my brother’s bunk bed and landed on my face, but since no cast was involved, I figure it doesn’t count).  I’ve never been to the hospital for surgery or even to the doctor for anything more than the usual minor sicknesses that pop up on occasion for most healthy people.  So overall, I’ve had it really great. 

From Little Pink Planes to a Big White Dove…

The Bible says that our works are prepared for us and our days before God are numbered according to His will.  Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

There was day for me in my junior year of college that I gave up trying to figure out what to make of my life on my own.  I surrendered any plans I had and asked the Lord for His path and plan. 

KayC’s Story

KayC (Huseby) Zimmerman isn’t here to tell her story, but she had a great one. Her story was handed out at her memorial service in Grand Rapids, MI, back in March of 2002. Here’s a scanned copy:

Feeling Left Behind

At the age of 14, my family received terrible news, my twin sister had a brain tumor.  She was given around 6 months to live and they said she had a 50% chance of surviving the brain surgery.

Becky and Leah

Fears overwhelmed me when I heard this news.  Thoughts flooded my mind, will we be able to celebrate our 16^th birthday, will we graduate together, and will she be at my wedding?  Every thought started out as fear, but as we walked through this dark valley as a family, I began to feel left behind.  My parents were overwhelmed with my sister’s medical needs and desire to be there for her, my older siblings were planning their weddings, getting married and moving on with their lives, while I was still at home wondering “What about me?” 

Wimbledon and Depression

Serena Williams in today’s Wimbledon final.

I’m sitting here waiting for the women’s final to start at Wimbledon and Charles Barkley is being interviewed. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Interview a basketball superstar at the tennis championships? 🙂 They were talking about sports injuries in reference to Serena Williams and her injuries and health scares over the past few years. She’s playing in the final today. In reference to a serious injury, Charles Barkley says this: “The first thing your doctor will tell you is that you’re gonna get depressed. You ARE going to get depressed.” I’ve learned that the hard way. But you also get depressed after traumatic life events like losing a best friend, like losing everything in a fire, like having a major surgery. It’s true that some people are prone to depression just by the way they’re wired, but these major life events can also trigger depression.

Identity Crisis

Every one of us wears a badge of honor that proudly displays our righteousness. We show off this badge to all we come into contact with, we boast about it to all our friends, we are defined by it. For some, it’s a job to which they ascribe their worth, for others it’s a romantic affection, or it could even be a pious religious pursuit. Whatever it is that you place your identity in, no doubt you have nothing but the best of intentions, but is it possible for these intentions to be fulfilled by our efforts? How can we know that our intentions are actually pure and good and right? Is it possible that we can work so hard as to finally attain the prize for which we have fought so hard? Is it possible to actually live a fulfilling life chasing after this identity? In my limited experience I have found that my own efforts and intentions have left me utterly hopeless and wanting.

Contentment With Being Single

In Philippians 4 the apostle Paul writes that he has learned how to be content in whatever situation he’s in. How is that possible? He also often wrote about his “thorn in the flesh” and praying for it to go away…but it never did. I wish I could say that I’ve learned to be content in every situation, but I haven’t. And I’ve got some thorns in the flesh, too, that aren’t going away. However, my singleness is not one of those thorns. I HAVE learned to be content in my singleness. I couldn’t always say that. What’s changed?

What’s Your Story?

In the book of Ecclesiastes, wise King Solomon wrote:

Whether your life’s path has been crooked or straight, you’ve got a story to tell. My intention in starting this blog is to help share everybody’s story. You’ve got a story to tell but you may not have a blog…now you do. Share your story with others…to encourage them…to find encouragement yourself…or just because.

Send your story to Everybody’s Got a Story (everybodysstory@yahoo.com)