Liz's Letters

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Dick Cheney Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

I love the book of Esther and her story. It is my favorite story of God's sovereignty. I love how He brings these things into my life at just the right time. For such a time as this. Esther 2 1AFTER THESE things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he [earnestly] remembered Vashti and what she had done and what was decreed against her. 2Then the king's servants who ministered to him said, Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. 3And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the capital in Shushan, to the harem under the custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their things for purification be given them. 4And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so. 5There was a certain Jew in the capital in Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, 6Who ...

God's presence fills me up today as He surrounds me with people who love me, as He expresses His own love to me, and reminds me of how awesome He is. Words cannot possibly describe the wonderful way He meets me exactly where I am, pulls me up out of the mud, washes me off, and sits me beside Him as His beautiful and dearly loved child. I have gone through some difficult and trying times, some are the consequences of my own wrong doing and some from others' wrong toward me. My mind wants to try and figure out why these things have happened, but my heart tells me to not worry, my Lord is sovereign. Today, I am not worrying. I might have lost one of my best friends, but I would rather live my entire life without her than to live a single moment lost from God. His friendship and His intimacy satisfy my every desire. His plans and purposes are perfect and He can make good from all things if I allow Him to lead me through. I have no regrets, no wishes that things had turned out diffe...

A few years ago, one of my co-workers gave me one of those daily flip devotional calendars. I am very grateful for her and for the calendar since often times, God uses the calendar to help me remember Him through out the day. Occasionally a work related situation becomes easier to handle, or I am reminded that I represent God in my office as well as in my home and with my outside relationships. Today, however; was a reminder for my current attitude about life in general. Today, I am aware that my thinking is negative and am having a difficult time seeing all persons through the eyes of God. Too often my behavior has not been reflective of Christ in my life, nor has been the way other's have behaved toward me. God planted a beautiful reminder in front of me today as I read the thoughts that are on today's calendar. Joyfully and with all desire to do good, I share the words of Anne Graham Lotz. When God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a li...

Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church , the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms...Eph. 3 8-10 He is truly amazing. Even in my cynicism, in my sinful attitude, God is faithful to me. My family and I attended the weekend service at our church home last night. We sat with friends of ours (funny...both of the relationships were formed through the recovery program...but they are also "church" friends nonetheless.) And once again, God's word was loud and gentle and true and exactly what He wanted me to hear. Matt's message was on the church. God's message was on the church. My hope is renewed, my heart is swollen with the am...

Today's meditation: Before coming into Al-Anon, I spent most of my life having expectations of, and making unrealistic demands on, everyone around me. Anyone who didn't follow through on those demands invited my wrath. However, of all those I placed under my jurisdiction, the person I was hardest on was myself. It felt strange, therefore, to come through the doors of Al-Anon to a place not governed by cruel dictators who gave harsh commands. Instead, I heard things like "Keep It Simple" and "Easy Does It." It was like entering a new and different world where I was taught to love myself and to treat myself with dignity and respect. Luckily, I didn't have to learn these difficult lessons alone. Rather, I learned by watching other Al-Anon members treat themselves - and me - with love, dignity, and respect. As other members modeled these approaches in relating to me, I was eager to use each one, right away! Quite often I stumbled while trying to imple...

Oh how it feels good to be home. The time I had in Virginia was fun and relaxing for the most part. I totally enjoyed spending time with my friends and most certainly, my son and his girlfriend. My daughter was able to see people and places that have been near to her heart and learn that things do change and God has her where He wants her right now. And I was able to accomplish what I hoped and prayed would happen. I discovered truth and lies. I have been waiting for years for particular words to be spoken and they finally were said. What a relief. I no longer have to wonder what is true and what is not. Intuitively I knew some things and they were confirmed. It feels good to know that I am not totally crazy, that I have been lied to, and to finally know the truth. I now walk ahead, knowing who I am, living with what God will accomplish in my life as He has lead me through the season in my life that has come to an end. Even though I have wandered off the path He was leading m...