Miracles

Feeling the familiar ache on my right upper back, I donned my shades to protect my eyes from the glare of the already blistering sun. I looked at my rear view mirror and saw the electronic gate remained opened behind me, as another staff's car was waiting for me to clear for their turn to get out of our gated staff parking.

We had a good night despite the few doctor's orders my co-worker and I had finished in a short period of time. Most of the staff was relaxed, chatting and sharing jokes, remembering scary episodes at work or simply just browsing in the Internet.

"Thank You Lord!" I prayed as I guided my steering wheel steadily to turn my car to an on ramp of the freeway that would lead me home. "Thank You for the quiet night we had." As I turned on the soft music, my mind wandered about how many miracles that God constantly had shown me in every day that passed by.

No! I'm not dying of cancer. Nor did I die and was given another chance [almost at one time but that would be another story]... As I learned to trust in Him, He had proven time and time again, that He is alive and that His promises stand true up to this day! He proves them to me through all these life's miracles that if I am walking away from Him, would hardly be noticed by my mind and heart.

These were the past miracles:

When I accepted Him into my heart, same time with my husband...

When my son at 8 years of age, understood what it meant to accept Jesus into his heart as my oldest Christian brother shared Jesus with his young mind.

I saw His miracle in 1997 when I hurt my neck in the hospital and when the doctor told me to get out of Nursing, He brought me to the prison to remain as a nurse, when I cried out to Him in prayer.

I saw His miracle when my husband got out of the US Navy and wanted to help me be there for our child and in desperate times while he was out of work, He had shown the job that he wanted to join when I picked up the Sunday newspaper that I usually never bought and the ad needed applicants right away. He got hired right away!

I saw His miracle when my father was dying from colon cancer and he had shown tremendous strength and joy amidst that painful trial. I saw happiness from his eyes when he looked forward to going Home and promised me that he would wait for me, when my own time comes.

And He continues to show me more:

I see His miracle when in just a matter of minutes, He helps me find His Word or video that will apply to what He inspires me to write in my blog.

I see His miracle when I know that His guidance and discernment are working in my child's life.

I see His miracle when all of us are able to get through the day, unharmed, provided for with our needs, and given peace during life's trials.

I see His miracle when friends pray for each other, even in this blog world.

I see His miracle when our prayers are answered and in other instances, we remain waiting yet in that silence, hearts of friendships have grown closer, love and concern displayed through either material or non-material things.

I see His miracle that I am able to finish my work, despite the little aches and pains, He sustains me with His strength and comfort.

I see it when amidst sinful environment, He protects me and guards me in my ways.

I see it when pregnant inmates choose to keep their babies and not have abortion.

And so many other things that may seem little but truly are God's gift of His miraculous ways. Glory be to You Oh Lord, God of miracles!!!

And His best miracle in each of our lives, is His invitation to accept His gift of salvation. We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

Learning To Be Contented

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

I knew right away at first glance that she was not lying. Constantly rubbing her upper stomach area, she kept complaining of burning pain that just wouldn't go away. She just wanted help to make her more comfortable. Not in a demanding way. More of a pleasant request, allowing me to intervene to the best of my ability.

I gave her a white concoction of 3 medications that usually treat any epigastric discomfort. With complete submission, she downed it despite the awful taste that coated her tongue as soon as the liquid touched her mouth. She quickly flushed the medication with a small cup of water I gave with it. Few minutes later, I saw her grimacing more and seemed to be in distress. Yet, she never came up to the window to demand to be sent to the hospital.

I loved helping those kind of inmates. They were the kind that never abused the system. They were the ones who seemed to be contented with the kind of treatment they were getting, despite the delay, or inadequate relief for their suffering.

I phoned the on-call physician and relating with him the symptoms I noted on my own, at first, he didn't want me to send the inmate to the ER. But he changed his mind when I kept telling him that she looked more in distress. He gave me a "go" signal. No rush. Just with our transportation deputy.

With tears falling down on her cheeks, she thanked me and breathed a sigh of relief when I informed her that she was going to see the doctor. She uttered a soft but warm "thank you" and sat back down on one of the plastic chairs and quietly rubbed her stomach. I knew she would be patient to wait for the deputy but I reassured her. She thanked me for my kind gesture. Little did she know, I was the one who should thank her for her contentment. By seeing her not whine and tried to endure and be contented with all the efforts I did, she reminded me of Paul, the apostle. The man in love with Jesus who learned to be satisfied through all circumstances that he faced.

"How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ Who gives me the strength I need." - Philippians 4:10-13

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Oh Lord, with us living in this world full of discontent: discontent with laborious or low paying jobs, discontent with spouses, discontent with our looks, and I can go on and on, please help us learn contentment, the way Paul discovered it. Help us to have confidence and strength that comes from You. Help us to remain trusting in only You. That is the only way to be contented no matter what is going on around us. Thank You Lord for all of Your provisions. Please forgive me for the times that I have complained and was just focused on the gifts, instead of You, the Giver. Thank You Lord for always being merciful, for Your faithful love and grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.



By the way, that inmate came back all smiling and felt much better after the doctor gave her something stronger for pain. She was diagnosed with gallstones. Then, we went from there and knew what advices to give her prior to sending her back to her unit. And our jail doctor would see her again for a follow up treatment.

CPR

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"The focus in revival is Jesus Christ, not revival. A genuine revival is characterized by a fresh revelation of the grace, greatness, and glory of Jesus Christ." - Mark Stibbe

There it is….an old book I have to read every two years before my CPR expires. It’s time again…So, I’ve been cramming last night. Reviewing techniques, sequence, ratios, and other pertinent things that have slowly faded in my memory bank, in between these past two years. It’s not often we have “Code Blue’s” at work. But when the need arises, of course, every nurse in the prison must work together to save a precious life. So, it’s just right to review and be reminded of the skills that we must not forget.

Tomorrow, I’m off to our annual training. The first part of the day is usually spent with our doctors and other staff taking turns, educating us if there’s anything new that is going on with correctional healthcare. We get a lunch break. Then, the remaining half of the day we spend on the floor, by ourselves and then, by two’s, practicing CPR skills on a dummy. Maintaining a patent airway is very crucial and if pulseless, then, that’s when chest compressions are initiated. But there has to be a right depth, right rhythm, right ratio…I’m already tired thinking about it because I know it will feel like a real scenario. But I know I must be refreshed. It’s vital and necessary.

Becoming saved does not stop there. I used to think “I’m fine, I’m saved. I’m going to heaven.” Amen! Then, I wanted to glorify the Lord through writing and I discovered this blog world. Met a lot of sisters/brothers in Christ. Blessed by their own writings as well. Unfortunately, it's not all about that. To mature in Christ is a continuous, lifelong process. Not just being saved and meeting other Christians.

It's not just about prayer and sharing that help us grow in our faith. We need to also exercise or "flex" our spiritual muscles that God gave. However, we have that need to be connected with each other. And that relationship as His family and church is very real!

We need discipline to keep growing in His knowledge.

"Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true, and everyone should accept it. We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe." - 1 Timothy 4:7-10

I admit, I am a big work in progress, like you. As we become a blessing to each other through our blogs and prayers, may we all be encouraged to keep growing and mature in Christ, through the different spiritual gifts we learn from each other. How true is that saying "no pain, no gain!" But with Christ, the pain we endure helps us to grow in our faith. It is a good kind of pain if we choose to suffer with Christ.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish." - Hebrews 12:1-2

So, meet you here? Same place, same time? To seek our Lord Jesus daily and repent for our sins, and continue to practice CPR [Christ's Powerful Revival] as his family. And while you're here, I just want you to know I'm so grateful to have met you and thank you for your prayers and friendships. May God bless all of you richly and to Him be the glory in everything that we do!

Don't Believe The Lies

Nearing our night shift yesterday morning, I got up from where I was sitting to help my co-worker who was assigned to see an inmate being wheeled by a deputy on a guerney. This inmate was complaining of “severe dizziness”.

His medical history recorded how he just came back from the hospital couple of days ago, treated for ingesting an illegal substance and for dehydration.

The balls of his eyes were constantly rolling upward as he laid his head against the thick wall. As I approached the other nurse, she looked unsure of what next step to do.

“May I help you with anything?,” I asked her.

“Check this out Rcubes. What do you think? He’s so dizzy but all his vital signs are normal. His blood pressure is a normal high,” she answered.

Hearing that the vital signs were normal, especially the blood pressure, without any other known medical conditions, I already had a gut feeling that this inmate was faking. When dehydrated, blood pressure usually dips down as some of them don’t drink enough water in the prison.

“Nurse Rcubes, this is legit!” commented the deputy.

“Hmmm…I wouldn’t say that yet,” I replied as I made some head movement suggesting he was not sick.

He looked at me baffled why I didn’t believe him when he saw everything when he went down on the floor as he tried to walk in his unit.

“Have you tried doing a postural blood pressure readings?” I suggested to the other nurse.

“You’re right! Now, we’ll know for sure!” she exclaimed as the male inmate slightly opened his eyes and wondered what I meant for that kind of test. He started rolling his eyes again. There was no nausea nor vomiting. We told him to get up. Leaning upon the walls, he walked in a slanted position and down he fell on the floor, his head almost hitting a big trash bin, but he immediately avoided it. The 2 deputies immediately ran to help him get up. I just smiled and didn’t say anything. I knew the other nurse saw me and felt why I just smiled and didn’t seem concerned a bit. The deputy still looked at me and wondered why I wasn’t doing anything to help this inmate.

All the blood pressure readings and the pulses were not widened. They were all normal as I started giving the report to the daytime nursing supervisor. We decided to keep him in the back cell until the jail doctor arrived. Not saying anything yet to the supervisor, except the blood pressure readings, when she saw the inmate got up and pretended he would fall again, she uttered loudly, “Oh my God! I haven’t seen any drama like this!”

And the deputy looked at me and finally got it that I was right about this inmate faking the whole thing. He wasn’t dizzy. He wanted to go to the hospital so he could be given something for his drug seeking habits.

We don’t need to believe everything this world says. Our beliefs and faith in One true God Who is the Truth would help us discern the lies this world brings. This world is ruled by our spiritual enemy Satan and his angels. Everything he wants is to keep us, believers apart from God’s truth. His goal is to deceive everyone. Proverbs 14:12 - “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

But Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31-32

I have learned from this life’s journey that some things in the past will not help me to keep pressing on, the future I’m completely unaware of what’s to occur. But He does. I have no option but to look up and know that His ways and thoughts are truly higher than ours. What this world says, I don’t believe because the enemies are making sure to try everything to thwart God’s purpose in my life. But thanks be to God, I [we] have His mighty power and might, His armor to wear to guard me against all evil ways.

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw close to God and God will draw close to you.” - James 4:7-8

I enjoy watching cloud formations on different days. But lately, I have been noticing clear, cloudless blue skies. As I was sweeping the leaves in the front yard, I took this picture because it reminds me, aside from the truth that He is higher than us and that He knows and sees everything, God is not God of disorder but of peace. [1 Corinthians 14:33]. He is God of clarity...

“I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” - Psalm 121:1-2