A couple years ago, I saw some fabric with Bible verses on it at the store. I like sewing so I got it, not knowing what to make. A quilt with the verses in it came to mind, a mountain landscape design. I felt like a pre-schooler making a project. Knowing what a loving Father we have, I knew he would appreciate any attempt to remember Him and his words, even if a preschooler had made it. In cutting the shapes of the leaves and different layers of the landscape, I thought of God creating each of these masterpieces in nature. How much love He put into each blade of grass, each tree, each flower, every cloud, every hill and mountain- all for us. Later I was shown that when the earth was created by our Heavenly Parents, they were creating their altar, the place their sacrifice of their Son would be given. Everything in nature was created with Jesus’ sacrifice in mind, all of it was created to point to Him, and his atoning sacrifice. With all the tiny fabric pieces, I couldn’t sew them together, so I scanned and printed it on fabric through an internet company. It is a comfort to me to see the words of scripture in the quilt when my challenges are too big for me alone. I picture myself in this place. I had not planned on sharing it, but others may take comfort from it. Following I will put the scriptures that are part of the quilt. The scriptures are in italic. Starting at the bottom of the quilt:
Rock- The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10; I know that my Redeemer liveth. Job 19:25. Jesus is our strength, our Rock, our Redeemer. Fig Tree- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 To me Jesus is the tree of life. I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me. John 14:6. Jesus is our only way to the Father. If you look closely, you will see figs on the tree. Meadow- He makes all things beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:11. Meadow flowers take time to blossom, yet they are intricately and perfectly made. Miracles happen in the Lord’s time and for his glory. For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37. Things that are impossible to man are possible with God. River- We walk by Faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 This scripture reminded me of Peter walking on the water with Jesus. As long as his focus was on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water. When his focus changed to the waves, he began to sink. A reminder to me to focus on Jesus. Hills- They shall call His name Emmanuel which means God With Us. Matthew 1:23 The angels told the shepherds this when they announced Jesus’ birth. "God with us" is also a description of the Lord’s walk with you and me in our challenges. Be still and know that I am GOD. Psalms 46:10 Stillness and trust in God- so overlooked. Often feel like I have to be running to the point of exhaustion before God will help me. Being still and trusting in Him is something I need to do much more. Mountains- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillippians 4:13 The mountains are the challenges we face, Jesus hikes the mountains with us, encouraging and strengthening us. He is our best guide and companion. Clouds- My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! Luke 1:46 This was Mary’s response when the angel told her she would bear God’s son. Mary’s rejoicing in God’s plan despite the difficulty it would mean for her is inspiring. Do not fear for I AM WITH YOU. Isaiah 41:10. This reminds me that the Lord was with the children of Israel- a cloud by day and a fire by night. He is with us too! Sky- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5. God’s love for us is like the blue sky, covering all of us. I hope my love and devotion for God grows to become endless like the blue sky too.
What do you see when you look at nature? What in nature reminds you of the Lord? I would love to hear!
The father in the movie, "Big Fat Greek Wedding" made us laugh with his favorite cure all- Windex. We all have our own "Windex", our way of dealing with what ails us. When it comes to illness, everyone has their own ideas of what will help- essential oils, herbs, vitamins, supplements, exercise, etc. The corona virus concerns we are facing today won't be over quickly, even with quarantines. It will most likely take at least a couple winters before this virus finishes running its course. We need to be thinking of long term health habits, not just surviving a couple weeks of quarantine. This is going to take some time to go away. Focusing on long term health and healing is our best bet.
What things work for you when you are feeling sick? When you want to heal, what steps do you take? I would love to hear your suggestions. Here are some of the things we try to teach our kids: 1. Do your very best at staying healthy and then pray and trust God to do the rest. Pray for God's help and protection over your family. God is in control, and He can help each of us through any trial or challenge. Read the stories in the scriptures of God's help and miracles for his children. How did God help them? How has God helped you through the challenges you've faced? I will come back to this a little more at the end of this post. The people in the scriptures were ordinary people like you or me, and the Lord was with them. We have the scriptures so that we can remember the miracles, and have faith that God will help us and be with us too. God's help is often given in the last second, after every other resource has been exhausted. Trust that God will deliver you, even if you can't see a path out of your situation. Look for God's love and blessings around you. 2. Healthy eating. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Pick simple foods closest to their natural state. Eat at least one fresh fruit or vegetable or even better, several, with every meal. The enzymes in raw foods will help you digest your cooked food better. Getting Little Caesar's for dinner? A salad or cut up veggies and fruits on the side will really help! Drink lots of water, water helps everything in your body work better. Avoid sugar as much as possible, especially if you feel illness coming on. Viruses and bacteria grow more quickly in an environment of sugar. If you feel illness starting, avoid things that are hard to digest so that your body won't have to work so hard with digestion, and can have energy to heal itself. Avoid foods high in fat, like fried foods, and avoid excessive meat. These things are harder to digest, and take your body's energy away from healing. Dairy can be hard to digest and cause inflammation for many people, so that may be a food to avoid, especially if you are feeling sickness starting. Fermented dairy products like yogurt and cheese are easier on the stomach than straight milk. 3. Wash your hands every time you come into your home, even if you just went out for a little bit and don't feel like you touched anything dirty. Take your shoes off when you come inside. Wash hand towels frequently, or use paper towels if there is an illness going around. Change clothes and shower when you come into the house if needed. 4. Sleep. Most of us don't sleep enough, yet sleep is what restores the body. When weekends come, let your family catch up on their sleep. We are so busy during the week, most of us don't get the rest we need. Sleep also helps with thinking more clearly. One of the best pieces of advice given to me was from a cardiologist who had adopted many children, several of them with special needs. He said that if his children were giving them trouble, they put them in their room to take a nap. When they felt better, they could come out again. I often remember that advice when one of my children or I are feeling fightful or argumentative. A good nap is like magic. Even if it is afternoon, sometimes it is better to take a nap than to argue and fight through the evening and wait until bedtime. Make rest and sleep a priority. 5. Sunshine- get your vitamin D, it is critical for your immune system. Even with plenty of sunshine, many of us are deficient in vitamin D, and need a vitamin D supplement. Sunshine is also a great mood booster. Take a walk outside, or just sit in a sunny spot and enjoy looking at the blue sky. Put your bare feet in the grass, get in touch with the earth. Gratitude for the beauty of God's miracles in nature and his creations is healing. 6. Exercise. Go on a walk or a run. Get enough exercise that it energizes you but not so much exercise that it leaves you depleted for the rest of your day. Exercise gets your heart rate going, and cleanses your lymphatic system. If you can't walk, because your back or legs hurt, do arm exercises or leg lifts from a sitting down position. Something is better than nothing! If it is bad weather, do some push ups, squats, arm lifts or other exercise in your home. Turn on a yoga video and do some stretching. Good stretches, like they do in yoga, are like a massage for your internal organs. 7. Vitamins. Vitamin C is so important in fighting illness. If you are recovering from illness, you need much, much more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Vitamin C in large doses, can help moderate cytokine storms. A cytokine storm is when the body's response to illness is excessive, causing too much inflammation and mucus production. It can be dangerous, even deadly. There is a lot of research on taking large doses of vitamin C for illness, and is worth looking into. Here is one video on taking Vitamin C. Liposomal vitamin C is the best kind to take if you can find it, and there are tutorials online of making it at home. There are a lot of different types of vitamins out there, and their absorption varies greatly. For example, with Vitamin D, which is needed for healing, there are 3 or 4 different chemical versions of it. Some Vitamin D types have a 4% absorption, others have 50% absorption. You might think you are getting a higher percentage of Vitamin D, when in reality that variety is very poorly absorbed. Do a little research about vitamin types before you buy one. If you take a multi-vitamin, those made from real, raw fruits and vegetables, are more easily absorbed than those created from chemicals. 8. Be gentle and allow your body time to heal. You can't rush healing. When I was working as a triage nurse at a pediatrician's office, it was very common to have a parent call with a complaint like this, "My child was throwing up for a couple days and feeling so sick. They got better, so we went out to eat, to celebrate their recovery. They threw everything up again. I don't know what is wrong." I would ask, "What did they eat?" and they would reply, "Well, my child loves french fries and hamburgers, so that's what we ate." The body needs more time to heal after an illness. Keep the soft, easy to digest foods for a few days after the symptoms of illness go away. With vomiting, give the tummy a time to rest without food for 2-3 hours after vomiting. Then begin with very small amounts of clear liquid, very gradually increasing the liquid. After tolerating liquid without vomiting for several hours, then start up with small amounts of bland, plain food that is easy to digest. Toast, rice, bananas, applesauce, chicken noodle soup, plain baked potatoes. Give them natural foods in their natural state as much as possible. Do this for a couple days, and slowly go back to their normal diet. Be gentle in allowing a body time to heal. Expect that the need for more rest, sleep and mild nourishing foods will continue several days after the illness. It really is miraculous that God has created our bodies to heal themselves. Be thankful for your body, and the miracle it is. 9. Bone broths. The minerals in bone broth are especially good for your intestinal health. This broth is so mineral-rich, that it is best eaten in amounts of 1 cup or less per day, or diluted in soup. Cook the chicken bones or beef bones in your crockpot with a couple tablespoons of vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Let them cook on the low setting for 2-3 days. When a soup calls for broth, I use bone broth for about 1/3 of the liquid. It is good for anywhere you would use broth- soups, curry, rice, gravy, mashed potatoes. 10. Eat fermented foods with live, active probiotics in them. Much of the vitamin absorption in your digestive tract depends on the healthy bacteria in your intestines. The good bacteria working on your food make it easier for your body to absorb the vitamins in your food. Some fermented foods with beneficial bacteria in them are yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and fermented vegetables, like kimchi, and natural Sauer kraut. Small, frequent amounts are key here. If you are buying fermented food, the label should say "Contains live, active bacteria". Fermented foods are pretty simple to make at home. This book is great for learning how to make fermented foods. 11. Garlic and other herbs. It is amazing how garlic is something so small and inexpensive yet is so strong and has so many uses. It is great for treating viruses, bacteria, and fungus. Garlic is also good for heart health, and diabetes. Eating raw garlic is where the most benefit is. Finely dice a clove, then put it on a spoon and drop it under your tongue, followed by a drink of water. You will hardly even taste the spiciness. Garlic is super easy to grow. Buy some garlic at the grocery store, and plant the cloves in your garden in the fall, they are ready to harvest in the early summer. Garlic also helps moderate a cytokine storm. Other herbs that can help moderate a cytokine storm are turmeric, ginger, grape leaves and skullcap. The subject of herbs is too big to cover here, but one of my favorite places to learn about herbs is here. 12. Learn to grow and eat sprouts. Sprouts are one of the foods highest in vitamins and minerals, and they are inexpensive and easy to grow. If for a time you can't go to the grocery store, you can still have fresh sprouts to eat, packed with vitamins and minerals. Sprouts only take 3-5 days and a little water to grow. There are different types, some with a little spiciness in them (like broccoli or radish sprouts), or others that are sweet and crunchy (alfalfa). You can also sprout beans and wheat. My kids really love alfalfa sprouts. You can put sprouts in sandwiches, in soup, on rice, or eat them with salad dressing. 13. When using household cleaners, limit the use of strong chemical disinfectants to the surfaces that need it the very most. Soap, hot water, and hydrogen peroxide are good cleaners too and can be used for the majority of cleaning. Overuse of strong chemical disinfectants can cause hormone disruptions and breed superbugs. A little extra elbow grease, hot water, and soap on a washcloth are just as effective. 14. Cultivate a loving, kind spirit. Hidden resentments can keep us from feeling at peace, and being able to fully heal. Pray and ask God to help you mend any broken relationships. Forgive others, remembering that you need to be forgiven as well. Ask for forgiveness if you've hurt someone. Be kind to yourself in your thoughts. Evaluate your feelings and thoughts. If there are any thoughts or feelings that are judgmental, prideful, then replace them with feelings of kindness, love, and patience. Judgmental, contentious, selfish thoughts are like bad weeds that will grow and take over if you let them. It is so easy to get bitter when challenges come. Train your thoughts to stay positive and to see yourself and others with love and patience. Imagine a sign posted on each of us that says "Under construction. Thank you for being patient with my mess." Find humor in your challenges. A good laugh is priceless. Especially in times of stress or illness, laughter breaks the tension. If some relationships are a constant source of stress or draining demands, distance yourself from them. Make sure that the atmosphere in your heart and your home is peaceful. Do whatever it takes to make your heart and home a healing place. What would increase the peace felt in your home? Is it letting go of some activities? Is it playing uplifting music? Is it taking care of yourself spiritually or physically so that you can be a more peaceful influence in your home? Do you need to organize an area of frequent clutter? Would cleaning out unhealthy food help? Is it time to set limits on the use of electronics? Ask God to help you know what will bring you more peace. Do what you need to, to make your home a peaceful, healing place. Take a look at your life and see what things you can leave out or change so you will feel more at peace.
There is a lot we can do to improve our ability to heal from illness. Most important of all is to stay close to God, the Master Healer. He can tell us what to do, and guide us through these challenges. Praying for our families and loved ones takes on more meaning in situations like this. There is real protection and power in praying with love for each other.
Native Americans taught that wherever there is a problem, the remedy for it is within reach. If you were bit by a snake, the remedy for the snake bite was supposed to be within your reach. I believe that the principle is true, that God always provides the help we need. Sometimes our eyes aren't open to the miracles He gives us. A couple years ago, a fuzzy little plant that looked like a rosette started growing outside our front door. I didn't know what it was. It was a pretty little fuzzy rosebud, and I felt it was special. On a plant walk with an herbalist, I learned this was mullein. It is helpful in treating the conditions our daughter with special needs was born with. It is now one of our favorite herbs. When I see mullein I remember God's love and miracles for my daughter. Pay attention to the plants around you, learn their names and what they do. Many decorative plants, like juniper bushes are wonderful healers as well. Juniper helps the body get rid of things it doesn't need, like excess mucus. Look around and see the miracles God has placed in the plants and nature around you. Seeing God's hand in nature helps me remember that He is in control and His ways are better than mine.
Hopefully this virus will bring the best out in people- returning our focus to God, and to helping each other. I hope it will re-center each of us on what matters most in our lives.
A few months ago, I was thinking about the timing of God's miracles. His timing is definitely part of his message. When the Israelites were saved from slavery in Egypt, the Lord saved them time and time again. The 10 plagues, and the Passover were huge miracles. God alone had saved them. When an impassable ocean was in front of the Israelites, and Pharoah's army behind them, the Lord again showed them his love and power. He helped them cross the ocean on dry ground- an unthinkable paradox. Crossing an ocean on dry ground could only be accomplished by God! He showed them that he would take care of their captors that had made them slaves, at whose hands they had suffered so much. The Egyptian army was made powerless by God. The soldiers that had once stood over them with whips became like twigs tossed in the ocean, completely defeated by God's power. When the Israelites wandered in the desert, the Lord also provided. Where there was no food, God provided food from heaven, manna. Where there was no water, God provided water from a rock. It was as if the Lord was trying to teach them to trust Him, even though all physical evidence pointed to their destruction. The Lord told the Israelites to teach their children about these miracles, to not forget their deliverance. Someday the things that cause us fear and worry will also be like twigs in a deep ocean of God's love for us.
What is it that God is trying to teach me about trusting in Him? What lesson is there that God wants me to learn? How many times in the scriptures has the Lord taken an impossible situation, and made a miracle out of it? A miracle that only He could do because he is our Creator, our Father.
When Daniel was put into the lion's den for praying to God instead of bowing to the king, his destruction seemed to be in his immediate future. What were his thoughts as he was being led to the den of hungry lions? There were many days before that night in the lions den where Daniel was the subject of criticism, scorn, rejection, and felt abandoned by man. His trust was in God alone. The Lord sent an angel and stopped the mouths of the lions for Daniel. Trust in God seemed to be the message. I think that even if Daniel had been killed by lions, he still would have praised God.
When Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put into the fiery furnace for not worshipping a gold statue of the king, surely there were some who thought, "They got what was coming to them! We are not surprised at all that this is their end!" When Neubchadnezzar asked them who would deliver them, they answered, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image" (Daniel 4:17) But their God saved them, in the last minute. His timing was part of the message again. They were not saved while they were being tied up, or while they were held captive in the prison. God did not stop them from being thrown into the fire. But the Lord saved them IN the fire. God was with them, IN the fire. Can you imagine their thoughts as they are being tied up, and bound so that they can be put in the fire? Did it seem that the enemy had won at that moment? God is amazing in his works and miracles. God saves his children, in his timing, in his way.
Does it ever feel that you are in an impossible situation? If you feel like you are in the fire, look for God's love and power to be close by. That is where God and His salvation comes in, you are his child. "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isaiah 49:16. Do you trust God will deliver you?
One of my favorite stories is of Esther. She came out of humble beginnings, an orphan, and her people were captive. She was chosen to become queen. Wicked Haman sought for power, and for the destruction of the Jews. Esther's uncle, Mordecai, encouraged her to go before the king to plead for her people to be saved from destruction. "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed; and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther answered, "Go gather together all Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:14,16. I love this clip that demonstrates her courage and faith in God, it is from the movie about Esther, "One Night with the King." God saved his people again. Their prayers and fasting were answered.
Tomorrow (March 10) is Purim, the day Esther is remembered and celebrated by Jews. Like Esther was bold in approaching the king, be bold in approaching our Heavenly Father in prayer. Pray for the safety of your family and loved ones. God hears and answers prayers.
My testimony of God's love is that He is really with us, in our challenges. As our Father, he stands closest to us when we feel alone, and need his help the most. His power, love and grace are most manifest when we are at our lowest. He knows what it feels like to be alone, because He suffered for us, being alone. That is surely the most loving thing ever done for us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13. It is in our challenges that we see how deep his love is, and how mindful he is of every detail. How great is our God!
