Grieve with no regrets and you will be able to focus on happy, positive memories

My words and thoughts are coming out of a  grieving heart.  My heart is broken because my younger sister, Jeanne died last Sunday, October 18th.  We were very close.  She had moved from Ohio to the West Coast many years ago. Ever since then she has called me every Wednesday morning at 10:00 and I called her every Saturday at 10:00.  I always spent my vacations with her in California.  We never lost touch with each other.  When her husband had a stroke a couple of years ago, I went to stay with her until he recuperated.  She also came to be with me whenever I was in a crisis situation.  

My heart is broken but my memories of our lives are sweet memories.  She sent me the following poem in January, this year, with a sticky note saying:

"Hi, I don’t know when I wrote this but evidently it never got sent!"  Signed “Much love from your sister Jeanne.”

SISTER DOROTHY

HERE’S TO A SISTER WHO IS VERY DEAR

WE’VE ALSO BEEN FRIENDS FOR MANY A YEAR

WE HAVE LAUGHED TOGETHER, CRIED TOGETHER, BEEN SAD AND BEEN GLAD

BUT NOTHING WE SAID OR DID EVER MADE US MAD

FOR THE LORD BROUGHT US LOVE AND CARING AND SHARING

AND NOW THAT WE ARE OLDER AND OUR BODIES ARE WEARING

HE STILL LOOKS AFTER US FROM ABOVE AND THERE’S

NOTHING MORE PRECIOUS THAN SISTERLY LOVE

JEANNE

I thank the Lord for the time I had with her.  She is now in His care and I now I will see her again when Jesus calls me home and will be able to spend eternity with Him and my sister.

Many emotions come into play at the death of a loved one.  COMFORT because they are no longer in pain.  PEACE because they are with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  LOVE because of the many loving memories we have of our lives with them when they were still here with us.  JOY because when our days here on earth are ended and the Lord calls us home; we will be united with them again for all of eternity.  

While our loved ones are still here with us, we need to build up a treasure chest filled with happy memories to be recalled by us at any given time.  We also need to be sure our relationship with them is not marred by unforgiving hearts or any other negative emotions that would cause us to have memories of regret after they are gone.  Family, friends and loved ones are of the essence.  We all seem to draw close together when we are in the midst of grief.  I intend, in the very near future, to write a letter of love to each member of my family and my closest friends. I want them to know how blessed I am to have them in my life.  Prayerfully, that will comfort them when I no longer can.  

Some scriptures to substantiate this are as follows:  

Psalm 23:4 – “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they COMFORT me.  

Psalm 40:1 – “ Comfort, yes, COMFORT my people ! Says your God.” 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore COMFORT each other and edify one another, just as you are doing.”  

Isaiah 53:3 – He is despised and rejected by men.  A Man of sorrow and acquainted with GRIEF.” 

Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.  Let them do so with joy and not GRIEF, for that would be unprofitable for you.”  

Galatians 5:22, 23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (loneliness), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, Against such there is no law.” 

Paul’s advice to us in

Ephesians 4:1,2,3 – “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness with longsuffering (loneliness) bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  

Colossians 1:11– Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power; for all patience and long suffering (loneliness) with joy.”  

Ephesians 2:13,14 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the wall of separation.” 

Colossians 3:15 – “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

2 Corinthians 13:11 – “Finally brethren  farewell.  Become complete.  Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace:  and the God of love and peace will be you. 

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

Trust in our Omnipotent Almighty God Who guides and protects us

Have you ever heard the worldly saying, “All the plans of mice and men often go astray"? The definition of ‘'astray” is off the right path or route, or away from what is proper or desirable.  We start out our day with a list of activities we hope to accomplish one by one as we planned.  At the end of the day, we look back and find that this expectation was not necessarily so.  Our day had gone in an entirely different direction.  As we pray and ask God to bless us and protect us in all of our ventures, we should add “If it be Your will” or, “Your will be done, not mine.”

I recently heard of a young man who was returning home from a dental appointment.  As he drove down a narrow country road, his car swerved slightly to the right, hit a ditch, then went airborne, hit a lamp post, rolled over and landed upright.  This could have been a fatality, but God spared his life. He had no broken ones, just a few lacerations from the broken windshield glass.

When what could have been a catastrophe like this happens, we need to praise the Lord for what did not happen: a saved life is far more important than a wrecked car and also that no other person or car was involved.  God’s will allowed the accident to happen but God’s will also allowed this young man to come out unscathed.  Our young man was responsibly following the guidelines of the  authorities such as:  his seat belt was fastened, he was not texting, his cell phone was in his pocket available to call for help, and he kept both hands on the steering wheel.

A lesson to be learned from this is to praise the Lord first for His protection, then ponder on what could have happened.  If the results had been the opposite we would have been devastated, but comforted knowing that instead of coming home to us he had gone home to be with Jesus and we would one day be with him in eternity.

As parents and adult relatives of young drivers, we need to teach them to learn and practice the guidelines of the authorities and also be sure that they know our Omnipotent Almighty One who protects all of us.  Omnipotent means having virtually unlimited authority or influence over us.  He is also always watching over us from heaven. We find these truths in the following scriptures:

Revelation 19:6 – “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of many thunderings,  saying, “Allelula! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” 

Psalm 33:13-15 – “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.  From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.”

We can be confident that we are never out of God’s sight and He is watching out for us.  Never fear – God is always near. Praise the Lord for His provision, protection and peace.

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

Focus on the Fields - As God's laborers tell, teach and train the unsaved

Laborers have to show up for work to get the job done and reap His benefits.  The job description is as follows:

FOCUS ON THE FIELDS

Focus on the Fields – the harvest is out there,

You can’t look at the hurting and still not care.

Jesus is sending us out to the field,

To bring to Him those who need to be healed.

Their souls are in jeopardy, as they wander aimlessly about,

We have the answer and need to shout it out:

 “Jesus is the only way”,

That is what we have to say.

All hope is in Jesus – but they do not know,

How can we reap if we do not sow?

Let us put God’s Word on our lips and feet to our prayer,

And bring in the lost who are waiting out there.

They need to be told and they need to be trained,

Not left in the crowds of the spiritually maimed.

Once they believe, they must have a foundation,

Built on the Word of the God of creation.

Then they can go out as we have done,

And bring in their crops to the Holy One.

John 4:35 is our command.

To lead the lost to the Promised Land.

by Dorothy Witt aka Granny

Do you want to apply for the job?  Your wages will be in blessings, not dollars. although sometimes the blessings are in a financial situation.  You will never need to retire until Jesus calls you home. And, prayerfully, He will greet you saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

We are again about to enter into my favorite season - Fall and the Harvest!

October is not only the end of summer, it is also the beginning of a beautiful splash of color in nature. It is also a time for farmers to harvest their crops.  Many people give “Mother Nature” the credit but believers know this is a gift from God, Our Father.   A few years ago, as my eyes took in the beauty of this change in nature, I was inspired to write the following poem to put into words the awesomeness of this view of nature changing before our eyes.

THE BEAUTY OF AUTUMN IS A GLORIOUS SIGHT TO SEE.

CHANGES FROM GREEN TO RED, BROWN

AND ORANGE ARE SEEN ON EVERY TREE.

AUTUMN SIGNALS THAT WINTER IS SOON TO COME,

BUT, THIS THOUGHT IS OVERSHADOWED AS, TO THE BEAUTY, WE SUCCUMB!

GOD, OUR FATHER, THE CREATOR, PUTS ON AN AWESOME DISPLAY,

IT IS FREE FOR ALL TO SEE – NO ONE HAS TO PAY.

IF ANYONE DOUBTS GOD’S EXISTENCE, THEY CAN OPEN THEIR EYES AND SEE,

WHAT WONDROUS BEAUTY HE CREATED FOR ALL THE WORLD

INCLUDING YOU AND ME!

God invites all believers to be a part of His spiritual harvest.  Most of us have family members or friends that have not surrendered their hearts and lives to Jesus.  He  clearly extends this invitation in the following scriptures:

John 4:35 – “Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

Matthew 9:37, 38 – “Then He said to His disciples, the harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to sent out laborers into His harvest.”

I Corinthians 3:9 – “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”

II Corinthians 6:1, 2 – “We, then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain; For He says, In an acceptable time, I have heard you, And in the day of  salvation, I have helped you.” “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

I pray that everyone who knows Jesus and also knows unsaved people will be an effective Christian witness to them.

2 Corinthians 2:15 – For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

Actions and attitudes speak louder than words.  Are our actions seen as consistent with the actions of Christ when He lived here on earth?  Are we, as Jesus was, loving, forgiving, helpful, giving of ourselves and our possessions to others in need?

Ask yourselves “Do the unsaved people I know see the love of others in me?  All believers are to be representatives of Jesus to the unsaved.  If we have accepted that tremendous responsibility, Praise The Lord!  The unsaved are the harvest and we are the laborers.  This spiritual harvest is not seasonal, it can be an everyday opportunity to be one of His laborers.

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt

Complete Trust in God Brings His Peace

I used to think that, normally, Psalm 23 was to be read during the eulogy at a funeral service to assure the family and friends of the deceased that their loved one is in a better place.  But, after studying each verse and thinking about what  God was saying to us about trusting Him, I realized He was confirming that we could be in a better place spiritually while we are still alive.  His care for us is the same on earth as in eternity, IF WE COMPLETELY TRUST IN HIM!  

This phrase “in the presence of my enemies” in verse 5, seems to say that unbelievers are watching you to see how God is taking care of you and how you are responding and sharing these blessings.  We are a living example of how God provides for us and it is important that we tell others and that we be sure to give God the credit.  

Psalm 105:1 “O, Give thanks to the Lord!  Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the people.”  

As a young Christian, while living in Florida, here is an example of this from my own life.  I heard  a young mother praying for financial help at a prayer meeting I attended.  Her husband had left her for another woman.  Before the husband left her, this mother had laid away some Christmas gifts for her children at a local “Big Box Store” and was going to have to have the gifts put back in stock because she was now unable to pay for them.  I listened to her story and realized I had the means to bless her anonymously.  I went to the store and paid cash for her layaway to be sure I remained anonymous.  My husband had died recently and I was still expecting to have to pay some of his final medical costs.  The layaway total was $100.00.  When I received his final medical statement, it was $100.00 less than I expected to pay.  I realized the Lord had replaced the money I had spent.  

When my husband died, a Christian friend had referred me to Psalm 146: 9 –

”The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down”.  

I did not make up this story.  It was this answer to prayer that confirmed to me that there is no situation that is not covered by a scripture.  I also learned that if you put your complete trust in the Lord, knowing He is providing for you,and is protecting you and yours, then His peace will prevail.  That was many years ago, and God is still taking care of this widow  and blessing me every day.  

My Scripture prayer daily and for this lesson is: 

 “Isaiah 26:3 “You  will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”  

This gently reminds me Who provides me with everything I need and Who protects me and mine and Who to thank for both.  The results are heavenly:  His Perfect Peace.

Thank you for reading this,

Great Granny Witt