Changing Life's Plans

"20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:20-24 (NIV)

Sod being removed

And I was very sure at that time…that I would not be mowing the lawn for a while. I forgot. There is no stability with life’s plans. They are always changing. I found the green flyer I kept and my husband called the man who ended up removing the sod for us.

But my husband and I decided we could pick up from there. We decided to finish the lawn ourselves by replacing the grasses with gravel.

After laying down the fabric that would prevent the weeds one afternoon he got home from work, we ordered the gravel. The following morning, everything was delivered. It was a piece of cake in the front yard as the truck just dumped the gravel in the middle and all we needed to do was to rake and level the little bits of stones.

my husband leveling the gravel

After waiting for the day’s heat to cool off a bit, it was more laborious to haul the gravel piled in the side yard to the back yard. Oh how our muscles ached scooping and scooping and my husband pushing the wheelbarrow many, many times. It felt like forever. When night time came, both of us were moaning. But we both knew, it was a good kind of pain. We ended up laughing so hard.

I noticed some neighbors sort of stopped at their tracks to look at our yard. One couldn’t help but asked my husband when he was outside why we removed our grasses. He told the neighbor, we wanted to save water and with that, we anticipated a drop with our water bill.

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Rcubes,” the lady at the other end of the line uttered. I could sense she was trying to find the right words to comfort me.

My fight against some people at work was taking a long time. I knew that beforehand. But I didn’t have any other option. I must go through that process if I wanted the light to shine in some shady places going on.

“Give it about 6 more months,” she stated, relieved when I responded that it was okay and I knew the process would be slow. She must sense the calmness from my tone.

She would never know the reason of how just like my husband and I changed our yards, removing the grasses and replacing them with gravel to save water, I had accepted the change from my work despite being treated unfairly, as a part of God’s plan for me. I began to understand the moment I let Jesus into my heart that my life would never be the same, requiring the “constant” to “change”. Needing to step out from my comfort zones to zones of afflictions.  Because in doing so, I must work hard to remove the old habits to be new in order for me to serve God.

6 months sounded like a long time. But I only wanted to face what I needed to, a day at a time. My old habits never developed in a day. They developed during many years and would not be fast in changing them. A day at a time. To change my life’s plans and know what God truly willed for me, knowing that my life’s purpose was not what I wanted but what He had planned from the start. He had already given the tools for me to use. The question would be… “What choices would I make?”

I saw a glimpse of a father, toting his young child on his back, stopping his walk and not seeing me from the front door, he stood in our front yard, looking at every corner as if he was mapping the landscape in our front yard. So it is with my Christian life…People are watching…

"¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." - 2 Peter 3:17-18(NIV)

Bath Salts

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

I heard the news few days ago. I was still tired from working this past weekend and my mind kept processing all the things that happened that were new to me. I was talking about the mandatory test we all had regarding increasing our knowledge with another form of substance being abused out in the streets. It’s called “bath salts.”

The headline was that the man was naked and kept chewing out of another man’s face. It took a lot of bullets before the police officer was able to stop him. The Miami cops believed the man they killed was under the influence of "bath salts".

I dealt with one when I went to work this Saturday in the prison. He was housed alone for his weird behavior. He was so unpredictable that the deputy who asked us to re-evaluate the said inmate, refused to open the main door in his cell. He opened a tiny window from the door and I had the inmate stretched his left hand so I could take his blood pressure. Though might not that be accurate but was safer to do. He was cooperative. Only to be so upset next minute. He kept changing his answers. Suicidal at one point then later denied. He was so restless. Pacing in his tiny cell, he would get up and started washing his shirts. Then, he took a shower.

“He’s not having an alcohol withdrawal,” I told the deputy.

“But he definitely needs to be assessed by the Psychiatrist. Good thing he’s still here. I’ll let him know right now,” I reassured.

The Psych Doctor sensing the urgency from my demeanor didn’t refuse my request for him to see the inmate though he was not on his list for that day. He agreed with me. His bizarre behavior was drug-induced. Next thing we knew, 4 deputies were trying to hold him down, their strength unmatched with his despite him being in a handcuff. He was thrown in another cell at Intake part of the prison where he could be monitored intensely by other deputies after he ripped off something in his previous cell. There, he started banging his head and ended up cutting his right hand from the metal door. We went ahead and sent him out to ER to be evaluated and treated with high alert to the deputies that they might need to restrain him for the risk he posed against himself and toward staff. Few minutes later, he was calm and cooperative as the deputies put him in the Sheriff's car to go to ER. I had never seen any psychotic changes like that in my career. It was either one was crazy or faking it but not on and off symptoms. It was something harder to deal with. And how dangerous it looked, especially for the health status of that person abusing bath salts.

Currently, there are no clear tests to determine bath salt use. The symptoms are way worse than other known abused drugs. They are known as “Ivory Wave”, “Purple Wave”, “Bliss” and “Vanilla Sky”. Don’t confuse them with those things one puts in their bathtubs. By calling them “bath salts”, those who are selling them illegally are able to put them out in the market under this name.

I just want to share that with you and to watch out for those you might suspect are abusing “something”…As one’s mind is clouded with the drug use, I believe the spiritual enemy can gain his ground in someone who doesn’t have a clear perception of things. It is sad that one got killed and the other man got hurt pretty bad because his face was eaten. Some thought the other man was a “zombie”. No matter what we hear, the act done was so evil.

“And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

– Genesis 9:5-6 (ESV)

5/31/12 - Here's another link from ABC news if you have time and want to know more about this dangerous drug:



http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/bath-salts-causing-excited-delirium-29514592.html

A Soldier- Father

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
~ Psalm 119:45 (NIV)

“Has it been 22 years already?” I thought silently. I was pondering about my husband being involved in the war against Iraq in the 90’s. How fast the years had gone by. As if they were sand that slipped through our fingers.

I remembered those times. Of facing fears. Whether we would still be seeing each other. Whether he’d be coming back in one piece or not. Of worries. If he was safe. Able to eat. Able to get some rest and sleep that was hard to come by, perhaps, as him and fellow soldiers were always on high alert.  Of wondering. If they were safe as they trusted on the security from the battleship that tried to avoid scattered mines being tossed by the Arabian waters.

I remembered praying harder. For God’s protection. Comfort. Courage. Strength. Endurance. And most of all, His provision to safely bring him back, along with the other soldiers who were willing to risk their lives. And bring him back, God did. Except he was a changed man.

A soldier by career but also became a father who from past experiences, became eager to build than destroy. His heart that loved to see life despite the risk of death. Not taking things for granted. The man who learned that he needed to tackle a much bigger war than the war he was in. And that was to hold his family together, despite the adversities that he faced and still face in his home.

He is now a “father-soldier” who teaches his son to look up to the One Who heard his prayers and my prayers. The One Who comforted him during those lonely moments as his turn came to searched for mines, miles and miles up ahead to keep their battleship intact and lives protected from dangerous blasts. The One Who gave him the courage to face each day and gave him hope despite the dangers that surrounded him. The One who protected them and provided for their needs in a foreign land.

As wars continue nowadays, some died young. Well…a lot…They knew that sacrifice. And they knew that freedom was worth fighting for. May we remember our courageous soldiers in our prayers. For those who had departed. And for their families' comfort and strength. Like what Gen. Douglas McArthur said, "The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."

And a lot of times, those unseen battles in their hearts are what they must fight harder against... 

The Power Outage

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Photo Credit

The tea lights flickered, creating a dancing form of ember lights upstairs at the loft. We had an unexpected power outage last night. It seemed like just the houses in our street were the ones covered in darkness. Thank God for my husband’s preparation for times like those, each of us was able to get a flashlight within reach. I love tea lights so I lit up some and in no time, we, three, were able to see, able to let go of keeping the flashlights in the palms of our hands.

The power returned by almost midnight, a little over 3 grueling hours of darkness, perhaps, for some of the neighbors. My family and I took advantage of telling each other stories, sharing laughter and enjoying the not-so-often incident.

“So, how did you like it last night?” my neighbor hollered as he passed by holding on to the leash of his beloved pet as they started their morning walk. I was sweeping in the front yard.

“Oh, I guess it was okay. Thank God, I love candles and tea lights so I just lit up some,” I replied.

“Man!!! It took us a while to find a flashlight. It was awful! That was a good idea what you just said. Guess I’d be doing that,” he uttered, trying to keep up his pace with his dog that started to have quicker steps from his 4 paws.

“Well, since we don’t know what happens anymore, it’s good to be ready. But you have a nice day!” I added as his form slowly disappeared and wished me back the same with a waned volume.

I shared my encounter with my neighbor to my son as we both were having breakfast before he went to school. I told him how spiritually, it was the same. How awful it must be to not have the Light (Jesus) in our lives! It would be hard to see like the blind ones. But to be able to see yet, see things falsely must be more awful than being blind!

“But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” – Matthew 6:23 (NIV)

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” – Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)

“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.” – Luke 11:35 (NLT)