Morning Cuppas With Glenys

I am comforted.

I am on fire with pain. Literally from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I don't believe I am being punished for my sin. Jesus took that for me...

But I do believe that we live in a fallen world and I am genetically weak with many inherited maladies from both sides of my parentage.

At nearly 73, I am unravelling. It is just the facts.. my body is failing me. I am in agony and I cannot get medications that will successfully keep the pain at bearable limits. This is because some who abuse opioids have closed the door on help for everyone who truly needs it.

They don't believe that I need pain relief, but here is a brief description of my pain in mostly every area of my body.

My head: PMR temple pain and headache. TMJ causing jaw pain and earache. Fibro brain fog.
My neck: Polymyalgia rhuematica pain (PMR) Hashimoto's disease.
My skin: psoriasis and rash on shins from lymphedema of left leg
My shoulders: fibromyalgia and PMR muscle pain. Lymphedema in my right arm (from the angiogram)
My heart: angina, costrocondritis. Hole in the heart. Ongoing IHD
My blood: antiphospholilipid syndrome. (Sticky blood)
My lungs: pulmonary hypertension. Only my left one working.
My stomach: gastroparisis, GERD. Navel hernia repair done with mesh which is tearing away from flesh
My pancreas: failing due to diabetes 2
My kidneys: failing and dropping- currently 56 Makers of 50+ kidney stones
My arms: muscle pain with tearing ligament pain.
My hands: deformed from osteoarthritis. Trigger finger on left pointer finger.
My back & hips: PMR, fibromyalgia, spinal canal stenosis, ankylosing spondylitis, Scheurrmanns disease. No lower discs left. Coccydynia
My knees: lymphedema, ligaments torn and a fabella in the right knee. Arthritis.
My legs: fluid from heart disease and lymphedema.
My feet: arthritis, peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, heel spurs

Each day brings more pain. The level fluctuates, but it never goes. And I am still treated like a drug abuser when I ask for pain relief- and this is all verifiable by medical tests.

In fact, the only "help" I have gotten is through a pain management clinic where I was told to play Candy Crush to keep my mind off it. It is a joke.

In spite of all this, I have had comfort from the LORD. He has helped me to seek truth and set the evil one to flight in moments of doubt. It is easy to wonder if one is being punished during a trial of pain and illness.

Sometimes I haven't even been able to formulate prayers and yet He has calmed my heart and made His Presence felt in giving me a peace.

He has led me to rest in Him, allowing me to drift into a sleep that has seen me restored and refreshed enough to cope during even the most painful of episodes.

His Holy Spirit has reminded me that this too will pass and that Jesus is preparing for me a place of eternal joy and health. And that the suffering I have now will fade in the beauty of His Presence and Holiness where nothing will cause tears and pain and where there is no death.

I have truly felt His Love for me wrap itself around me like a cloak of protection and ownership.

Sometimes He will bring a song of praise or worship to mind, and I will praise Him in spite of it all. For He is worthy.

Through illness and pain, I have felt a Father's concern and love and I have held on to His Promise that He will not leave me comfortless and will come to me..

The pain is relentless, but so is God's Love and Presence.

It is true: I am not alone. I am comforted.

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

Why I don't read salicious books

There has been a lot of publication of p*rnography for women, such as the trilogy "50 Shades of Grey". It seems every woman was immersed in it and most had bought all three books. Even my daughter, who is not an avid reader, had it on her iPhone.

Everyone seemed to be reading this trash. However, I didn't be read them. What I have gleaned from comments and hearsay is that it was basically "Mummy p*rn" A tale of demeaning sex and sado-masochism. But most of the young mothers I know were digesting every filthy word of it and jokes abounded that by book three, most husbands would be very happy men with an excess of sexual favours in all kinds of manner!

Why won't I read it? you ask. I won't read it because I value my God and my marriage too much, and I have self-respect. As a married woman, I owe it to Chris to keep my thoughts and impulses for him alone. I would hate to be intimate with him and be imagining Christian (or any other man).... Jesus Himself has warned us against this, saying that to look lustfully at someone not your spouse, is adultery in the heart. He meant this for women as well...

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28

As in cyber sex, and sexy chat room relationships, reading pr*rn stirs the carnal side and weakens the intimacy and trust in the marriage union and pervades into our relationship with Christ. Sadly, many Christian women are getting caught up in this sin. And it is not only the married but the single woman. Goodness knows, remaining sexually pure and unstained in this world is hard enough without igniting flames that should not be kindled until marriage..and then again only to be kindled in marriage..

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please. Songs 2:7

Anything that lures ones' mind away from God or ones' spouse creates an opportunity for sinful behaviour. The formula for sin begins in one's thought life...A thought = a decision = an action = sin. I know if Chris was thinking lustfully about another woman, that it would upset me. He wouldn't do it to me. Likewise, I won't do it to him.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1:15

As a born-again Christian who is redeemed and cleansed by the Blood of Christ, I have too much self-respect- or really, I should say respect of Christ living in me, that I refuse to dwell on sinful things. We are a holy people and have been called to be separate from the world.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, 2 Corninthians 6:17

I do not want to waste my energies on thinking about licentiousness. Being human means that occasionally one may have a sinful thought- we won't be perfect until we meet the LORD, but that doesn't mean that we should dwell on rubbish. I prefer to dwell on things of Christ. However, should we dwell on things not worthy of our Saviour, then we are instructed to train our thoughts away and bring them in line with God and His Word.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

It is my hope that any Sisters here will bypass those types of books and any other distractions that take us away from our most important raison d'etre. Our life is to keep ourselves spiritually pure as we await our Saviour. So many world events point to His coming soon. We have to stay strong. In faith. In purity. In Spirit. In prayer. For we are the Bride of Christ.

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Just as you hopefully would keep yourself pure for your husband, how much more so do we need to keep ourselves pure for Him? We must guard our hearts carefully at all times, for out of our heart, comes our life.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:24

Don't let the world tell you that reading "Mummy p*rn" is not sin: it is. Our standard for living is not the world's, but God's. And before you take offence at my words, please know that I too must bring my thoughts into the captivity of Christ. I don't feed my spirit on garbage. Therefore I won't read 50 Shades of grey or see the movie.

What manner of people ought we to be then?

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Ephesians 5:3-9

As the Bride of Christ, when the Bridegroom comes, I don't want Him to find me being wanton, licentious and lewd. I want to be holy and pure for Him. He deserves that.

There may be fifty shades of grey, but there is only one shade of white. I choose white!

And that is why I don't read salacious books! (this post was originally posted March 2019)

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. Revelation 3:4

What is a home?

"What is a Home?"

A home is a haven and a place of rest,
A sanctuary where loving acceptance go
Hand and hand with teachings of Christ,
Who is invited to dwell by His Spirit,
And rule as rightful Head.

A home is the solid earthly foundation
For God’s Word to be lived out daily
And His Love shown
Even in small things.

Home is a place of worship
Where true expressions of faith
And love for God can be expressed

In the most intimate
Of relationships,

The family.

A home is a blessing from the Lord.
May you find the peace

And love of God

In your home

"The curse of the LORD [is] in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just" Proverbs 3:33

Don't let it become an idol

Weight can become an idol. Unfortunately, it is often so depressing and all consuming that it can distract us from our relationship with Jesus.

As a chronically ill woman who truly doesn’t eat much, my weight gain is mainly inactivity from heart disease and taking Prednisolone for polymyalgia rheumatica.

I have tried losing weight following every diet, going to Weight Watchers and even Gloria Marshall using passive bed/machines. But to no avail. And as the years passed, my weight increased.

If I dwelt on weight gain and my consequent obesity, I would be so depressed that I wouldn’t have time to write for the LORD, or feel close to Him.

Because obesity can affect our spirit, I would say that we have to bring those negative thoughts into the captivity of Christ and not allow it to distract us from what He has for our life. He loves us no matter what our size.

By all means keep an eye on your weight, but don't let it become an idol...

Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5

You will never regret it!

I am nearing my 73rd birthday and as most of us do when getting older, I reflected on my life thus far. There are plenty of regrets and missed opportunities.

Like most people who have lived for many years, I have made mistakes, taken wrong turns in life's path and sinned.

I have struggled on when ill health and tragedy struck, and I can say in truth, that I sometimes didn't feel God's Hand on me during those times, but in hindsight, I can see His love and concern was always there.

There are many things I have regretted and many times I have fallen down, but the one thing I will never regret is falling at the Feet of Jesus and being forgiven, healed and redeemed.

If you are not saved, know that the Holy Spirit is wooing you and longing for you to accept Jesus. Today is the day of salvation: the Holy Spirit says, "Come!" You will never regret it!

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10

Let the children play!

In the 50 and 60's when I was growing up, we played a good deal of our spare time. Often we played outdoors, making mud pies, making houses in Dad's shed. These houses were not only homes to us, but often were hospitals, churches for weddings, and shops.

Play was often quite physical with the customary games of tiggy chasey, hopscotch, skip jump and marbles and jacks. At school play time we made houses out of stones in the playground. We re-enacted shows on TV such as Flash Gordon and Jet Jackson.

When my children were little, they played similar games to us and I encouraged them by playing with them and making cubby houses for my little girl, Sonia. She would spend many a happy hour making me cups of tea and serving them to me in her tiny china tea service.

Her brother Mark often would jump on her cubby house, trying to fly like Superman, a tea towel tied around his neck. Sonia and Superman would often have a falling out! And later on they were joined by their brother Greg and sister Dianne, getting a ride on the back of their older siblings' trike with the little trailer on the back.

I can still remember with fondness my older son's patience with his baby sister as she toddled up to his cricket bales, knocking them off for the hundredth time, chuckling as he replaced it. She obviously thought that he was doing it for her amusement. They were happy and healthy times.

Today, I have noticed a shift in play. Children don't seem to have much imagination. They get bored easily and need constant stimulation. One child in our family needs a DVD to watch in the car because she gets bored going out and about... bored? I can well remember our fights to have the window seats when Dad borrowed a car for our once a week outing. Everything was exciting!

We had an imagination that came from a natural curiosity with the world, not through constant stimulation of TV, DVD's and X-Box computer games.... There aren't even a lot of children out playing with new bikes and toys in the streets on Christmas morning like days of old. They are too busy being entertained by cyber games and computers. They are getting old and fat before their time.

I saw a documentary recently that said that we must return to the old ways of play, for in them children gained insight to how things worked, and became socially skilled. They learnt many skills both vocal and social and learnt how to co-operate and how to assert themselves without resorting to fighting. They became more confident.

It also found that children who were denied the chance to play with other children or outdoors, lacked the social skills and motor skills found in children who played in the old-fashioned way.

Recently, I have been minding my grandchildren and I have been encouraging them to play out of doors. They have been having a great time riding their scooters, digging in the builder's sand, making mud pies and generally behaving like *children*

It has been good for them and fun for me too. Hearing their laughter reminds me of their mother Dianne and my other now grown children playing as youngsters and it is comforting to know that I am doing them a service by letting the children play.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Zechariah 8:5

Love in action

I have been reflecting on the amount of grandmothers who have a large role in bringing up their grandchild or grandchildren, or who even have custody of them.

Some of my childhood memories include playing with my father's work mate's children. This friend was a widower and he was left with two young children to bring up. He was helped by his mother, Mrs B.

Mrs B was a senior woman of about 75 years. She wore her grey hair in a tight bun and sported black lace up shoes that gave her appearance a rather severe look, especially with her long black skirt and white blouse that did up right to her neck. She wore no jewelry and I guess you could say she was a plain person.

At the time she took on her motherless grandchildren and moved in with them, she was enjoying a wonderful life as a companion/assistant to a woman of wealth. She was widely traveled and lived in a large prestigious house. Yet, she gave it all up to raise her son's children with him.

Even as a young child, I was impressed by this woman and thought how great was this lady's heart and love that she gave up a truly salubrious life for them.

It is only as a senior great-grandmother myself, and on reading that God classes this devotion as a mitzvah and is especially dear to His heart, I realise that this self sacrifice is so precious to God and to the grandchildren being cared for.

This to my mind exemplifies the sacrificial life of His Son Jesus, Who was perfect in love and sinless. Such kindness is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

To all grandmothers who care for their grandchildren, know that your sacrificial love is indeed pleasing to God. It's more than being kind: it's love in action.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. -2 Timothy 1:5