What Frightened or Hurt You in Your Past That Paralyzes You Today?

My post today is taken from my daughter's post yesterday. It brought back so many memories of the night at 10:30 pm when I received the phone call to pray for Payton, my 10-year old grandson. Larry and Staci were downstairs and heard a blood curdling scream coming from Payton. Realizing this was not an I’ve-had-a-nightmare-scream, they bounded three stairs at a time and made their way to Payton who, they found, had a stinging scorpion under his pajama top – it had stung him four times and each of those places where he was stung was turning red and swelling up. Staci was on the phone to Poison Control when Larry called me.

Here is Staci's post from yesterday, along with the photo and video of my new grand-scorpion baby:

Seems we have a new pet, ELAH. There is a story behind this Emperor Scorpion and why we would allow such a beast in our home. When our son, Payton, was 10 years old, he was stung four times in the night by a scorpion. It was a crazy event that left us all a bit freaked out about going to bed at night, thinking there were more scorpions under our sheets, in our shoes and lurking like the boogie man ready to attack.

Over the next two weeks, we found 22 more scorpions in the rent house we were living in during a time my Daddy was in the hospital in his last days in Oklahoma. The "exterminators" said there is nothing you can do about scorpions unless you find the Queen and destroy her nest.

Needless to say we moved immediately, but the fear and mental picture of scorpions plagued our psyche for months. It was as if we could feel them on us. Our senses were heightened to the possibility of them everywhere. But worst of all, was our sweet son, who had never been introduced to FEAR, was not able to sleep at night. How do you tell your mind to turn off the mental pictures of what was seen, felt and perceived as intense pain?

As a mom, I wanted to make his fear go away, but I knew in my spirit that God was going to use this just like he did little David who was alone in the night tending sheep when he had to fight off the lion and the bear. I told Payton about that story and encouraged him that one day, he would use the victory over scorpions to slay giants.

Well, here we are, seven years later and what once enslaved my son's mind has become his slave and pet. Payton made the choice to buy this scorpion as a sign of dominion over that which the enemy sent to bring fear. Today, Payton has Elah in his room encaged in a large aquarium. He named it Elah because that is the location where David killed Goliath.

Payton knows life will bring greater battles than a scorpion will wield but as he grows in wisdom, courage and favor, ELAH will stand as a stone of remembrance that GREATER is HE that is in us than HE that is in the world (1 John 4:4). We were born for dominion.

What is it in your past that has enslaved the emotions of your present? Isn't it time to turn what the enemy meant to harm you into a weapon that gives you courage, strength and dominion? Like the old saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I'm so proud of my son for conquering giants in his life. I did, however, tell him snakes were OFF LIMITS!

It Only Takes a Spark to Get a Memory Going

Over the last few days, I’ve been attracted to watching some PGA golf (certainly not my usual choice for TV-watching). Maybe it was because my son was playing in a golf tournament this weekend. When I turned on the TV yesterday afternoon and the women’s 2017 Solheim Cup was on, my mind was flooded with so many memories that brought precious “in-the-now” moments. BTW – the Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers with teams representing Europe and the United States. The men’s event is the Ryder Cup which is played on the off year from the women’s Solheim Cup. This year the Solheim Cup was in Des Moines, Iowa. The U.S. won yesterday for the 2nd year in a row – 2015 & 2017. I watched the final shots that secured the U.S.’s win and I saw Juli Inkster, the Team Captain, cry tears of joy.

It was in 2003 when our car dealership manager called to ask if we'd like tickets to the LPGA Tournament the next weekend at Tulsa Country Club. Of course we did -- we loved watching Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster, Nancy Lopez, Kerry Webb, among other women's golf greats. He went on to say, "And, oh, by the way, Ron, how about playing in the Mercedes putting contest? We need one more for 50 entrants. You and your wife have a current passport, don't you? You could win a great prize!" We didn't know what it was, but my mission was to get him practicing his putting every day until then. And, Ron's Mom gave him some great advice "When you get up to make your putt, take your time, pray, and picture that hole like Goliath's head, then like David, take aim and sink that ball like David sunk Goliath!"

It was the day of the 50-yard putting contest during the LPGA. There were 50 contestants who putted in alphabetical order. Yay -- at last to be grateful for a name at the end of the alphabet. They had to hit the ball in an upside down L (a dogleg left) to the hole. The closest to the hole was 3-feet when it was finally Ron's turn. Like his Mom told him, he took his time. The Golf Network was televising this whole event. Ron stood there, looked at the course, then looked at the ball. He looked at the course, and he looked at the ball. The announcer said, once again "And now, Ron Wuerch!" Like his Mom told him, he had been praying. When he finally took his stroke, it was as though that ball was on a laser course......it made its L-turn perfectly, and.....that ball went straight into the hole. The cheers went up in a roar, and Ron held his arms and hands up like he was a pro golfer winner. What a moment of achievement and celebration. But the best part? That hole-in-one merited us a prize of an all-expenses-paid 8-day trip, flying on the 747 jet with the entire LPGA Team the next day to Barseback Golf & Country Club, Skane, Sweden, for the 2003 Solheim Cup. where they would be playing the European Team. We were beyond grateful, exhilarated, and truly felt God's favor over our lives. It was one of those “pinch me to be sure I’m not dreaming” moments. I’ll never forget my never-met-a-stranger husband chatting with Juli Inkster on the flight to Sweden and expressing that she had always been his favorite female player. So, of course, seeing her as captain of the winning U.S. team yesterday, played that memory in my head like it was on a giant cinema screen.

Since the official games didn't start until Thursday, we became adventurers and went to Denmark, and if that weren't enough, we decided to adventure to Germany, my husband's country of origin. After riding the bus, the ferry, the taxi and train, we made it to Berlin. It was a thrill to see the remains of the Berlin Wall that heralded not only the last days of communism in Eastern Europe, but also the emergence of a reunified and reinvigorated Germany — a country that is now Europe’s economic leader. What a blessing it was to be at the site of the fall -- to be able to put our feet on the place where history was made and a new day and a new beginning began.

So, thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving me that little window from the past that I peered through with such gratitude. We celebrated life when we could. We didn’t hold back for another day. We took on this day and another day and another, and I continue to live with that mentality.

I'm so grateful for the treasured memories of the past.....as well as the brand new day, today! What a sweet life it's been -- and as sweet as the journey was in the past, I still get a thrill out of God’s surprises and mercies that are new every morning. Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing about the ones I make today, for some time in the future!