I Found My Superpower

A friend of mine, also a blogger and widow, shared a line in her blog that I told her “I’m going to own it!” She said: “When my husband went to heaven, I learned to lean into God even more. He transformed my pitiful into powerful. Widowhood is my superpower to invest more time into people and love them and myself into lifelong transformation.”

Don’t you love that, fellow widows and widowers? Widowhood can be our superpower if we get ourselves off our minds and we take what God has given us and invest into others. We’re the ones still here, so obviously, we have things to do and things to accomplish, plus people to love and to help them live with a powerful mindset instead of a pitiful one.

It’s a way of living “I not only can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength, I WILL do all things that Christ gives me to do on this side of heaven!” Oh, I get it. Nothing likable about our loved one no longer journeying through life with us. Nothing joyful about sleeping and eating alone and definitely nothing fun about being the only “one” with couples all around. But there’s another side to being a widow/er. Some glorious, eye-opening, wouldn’t-trade-anything-for-them moments come when we are willing to embrace this scripture: “In all things give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Donna, are you saying you’re grateful that you’re a widow? Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Feel free to shake your head and roll your eyes at this point. The truth is, my gratitude has nothing to do with eating, sleeping and being alone. My gratitude has everything to do with Christ. After many decades of knowing Him as my Lord and Savior, I now know Him as my Comforter, Healer, Confidant, Counselor, and Friend. Unequivocally, I can tell you I have never been more aware of His presence or more in awe of His power than at this widowhood stage of life I’m living. And I’ve never felt more compelled to speak up about Him and His great love for me. Though I wouldn’t wish widowhood on anyone, I long for my friends to experience firsthand what happens when we accept the reality of our circumstances and not only trust God, but also thank God for the path He has laid out for us.

My family doesn’t feel sorry for me or worry about me and feel the need to console me. Sure, they know how much I miss the love-of-my-life. Every. Single. Day. And so do they, but they are so relieved that Mom has a dance in her step and a song in her heart. They know that widowhood has given me: a greater sense of God’s faithfulness; a richer understanding of His peace; a constant assurance of His goodness; a deeper dependence on His presence. Oh how sweet to trust in Jesus – just to take Him at His Word. His peace is my greatest source of charging up my superpowers. His goodness and mercy follow me everywhere I go. His sweet presence that assures me I may be alone – but I am never lonely because He never leaves me.

My beloved married, single or widow/er friends, however this new year has started out for you and whatever you might be facing right now, I am grateful for the honor of encouraging you and assuring you that trusting in Jesus gives us superpowers – no matter if the sky is falling or the mountains crumbling or the wind is raging – we can be assured “It is well with my soul and it is well with my heart!” The great "I AM" lives in us so, of course, we have SUPER POWERS!

Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

💥💥💥💥 2,000 and Still Counting 💥💥💥💥

This day, July 11, 2019 -- is the BIG ONE! The BIG ONE as in posting my 2,000th blog. Pardon the personal high-fives! 🤚🤚 I’m beyond grateful for God's faithfulness to me to inspire, motivate, encourage, drop nuggets of His fresh Word, opened my eyes to see the beauty in each day and to savor the moments when I would get an “aha” lightning bolt revelation to share with you. Most of all, I am so thankful for those who commented or “secretly” sent me private messages about how one of my posts was “right-on” for what you needed for that day. Thank you to those who privately asked me for counsel and advice and to pray for you. The praise all goes to God! 🙏🙏

On April 26, 2010, I wrote my first-ever blog. It was the beginning of the faith journey of our lives and I knew God wanted me to live our journey out-loud to document the abiding and constant love that we knew that the Father would pour out on us. We wanted our light to brighten the way for others who may have been facing similar situations. We were embarking on travels that were not without God's oversight and provision. While we had always considered our walk with Christ to be an amazing faith journey, with its many twists and turns and ups and downs, we were always secure in knowing He was on board with us, come what may. But, this new road we were on, was one that came out of the clear blue, unexpected and we needed to put on our combat boots and gear to handle this one. We were so full of faith, determination and great expectancy. Here is that first blog, just in case you’re interested in reading it:
https://mypeacezone.com/our-great-faith-adventure-begins/

If you read it, I know you might think "Bless her heart, with all that faith, their prayers weren't answered.” Oh, contraire! They were answered when he survived the first surgery which the medical industry says is the most life-threatening surgery there is. They were answered when God gave us a first-class medical team -- second to none. They were answered when we laughed and celebrated in the midst of the pain. They were answered when God supplied our needs during the loss of income times. They were answered when friends and family co-partnered with us in prayer, providing meals, and support. They were answered when doctors, nurses, other patients and visitors were touched by the strong courage we maintained. They were answered when the most incredible peace that passed all understanding kept our hearts and minds throughout the journey. And they were answered as this widow still maintains that wholehearted trust in God's faithfulness.

At that time, I was randomly blogging about our faith journey and then in January of 2011, after he passed away, I asked God what my new mission would be for that year. It was as clear as any message I would hear from someone who was face-to-face with me. God nudged me to continue my blogging in my new season of widowhood – to keep letting His light shine in my every day musings. It was still random blogging until 2014 when I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I was to make blogging a life mission DAILY, posting before 6 am each day. Not just aimless blogging but mind-of-Christ blogging. Being a social media missionary. Consistently being a light in the darkness. Every day. To start the day. For those who needed some gas-in-their-tank, a fresh word of hope, a breath of fresh air, a reason to live, and the knowing – nothing is impossible with God.

Often, it's all about ME because I need those reasons to start my own day. I know I need to get out of bed on the RIGHT side of being a determined, strong, fearless and powerful woman who believes we were ALL created to make a difference in this world, in our workplaces, in our communities, our schools, our churches and our homes!

Here’s the deal. Aimless, selfish, my four-and-no-more thinking isn’t why God created us. He created us to be the ones to step up and out of our comfort zones and our comfortable homes and comfortable mindsets. Our world needs "behind the scenes prayer warriors", social media missionaries, powerful living-out-loud faith-filled, devil-chasing, armor-bearing believers who light up their corners, workplaces, homes, churches, schools, and even the marketplaces with God’s presence and light.

Maybe you are being nudged by God today – to begin blogging, or volunteering for your church or community center. Pay close attention. If God nudges, we best get after it! And, as we go, I'm quite sure when we open our mouths, it will be filled with God's wisdom, and the teaching of kindness will open doors to bring healing and wholeness to our world -- being peace-makers, joy-givers, hope-bringers, lovers, and compassionate healers!
See you tomorrow, for blog 2,001!

Growing Older is Fun, as Long as You Do It With the Right People

This is my dear friend, Jo Silvey Our birthdays are just a couple of weeks apart so we celebrated and "caught up" yesterday.
Jo has been our family's hair stylist for years along with the many other attributes she has that has blessed our family for a very long time. She drove to Tulsa from Frisco to give my Sweetheart his last haircut on this earth. She opened her home to my kids when they moved to Frisco while waiting to move into their new home. She continues to have a full schedule of clients who come to her home for their hair appointments. We have "widowhood" in common and we are living audaciously in this season of our lives.

We talked about our husbands and the trying times during their illnesses -- hers was lengthier than mine, but she persevered with relentless determination -- caring for him while carrying on her very successful hair salon business.

We talked about this Road of Life being unpredictable despite our most careful planning. Our best-laid plans in life were upended by unexpected changes, which were both challenging and exhilarating. We've come to realize that setbacks, losses of loved ones, illnesses or accidents, broken hearts or troubled souls, are not uncommon occurrences in our lives. On the other hand, at another turn in the road, we have found unanticipated blessings and exciting experiences.

Going through life, we've both confronted setbacks and losses and that's when we heard clichés abounding from others. We're advised to “Ride the waves, get on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride, and roll with the punches,” etc. And though we've complied with all that advice, we are still sensitive and emotional beings, not robots. We've shed tears and wondered if we could make it to the end. And, based on the faith and determination that she and I both have -- no doubt we'll not only make it to the end, but we'll be riding that wave in and yelling "What a ride!"

We know what it is to gather our thoughts, remind ourselves how strong we are and we do overcome. We've both come to appreciate so much good in our lives. She recently took her granddaughter for a graduation trip to Colorado. I just returned from a trip to Austin to see and make momentous times with my grandchildren and returned to make even more memories with these Frisco grandchildren.

We talked "girl talk" -- what we're doing to maintain and sustain good health and fitness habits. That's typical for women of our age. But, most of all we talked about the blessings of God and the "fun" we have celebrated, along with the joy of having the Lord as our companion as we travel on down the Road of Life. He makes the journey fun and He fills our days with sunshine, even on cloudy days.

I’m happy to report that Jo and I both feel that with each passing year, the ordinary feels more extraordinary, simple kindnesses matter more, time with family and cherished loved ones becomes increasingly precious, and life’s small enrichments bring greater contentment to our hearts than any material riches ever could. Now that's what I call FUN!

Psalm 91:16 "With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”