Still Amazed!

"Delight
thyself also
in the Lord:
and he shall
give thee
the desires
of thine heart.
Commit
thy way
unto the Lord;
trust
also in him;
and he shall
bring it
to pass."
Psalm 37:4-5

Have you ever been so amazed by something the Lord has done in your life that you just can't seem to find adequate words to explain it?

If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, that's one example of being at a loss for words!  How can I possibly put into "just the right words" an explanation for the reason why Jesus would die on the cross for MY sins so that I could be forgiven and be with Him in Heaven one day??  That leaves me completely SPEECHLESS!

The Lord does "every day" things for us, as well, that can leave us at a loss for words!  SPEECHLESS!

Well today is one of those days!

Today is a very special day!

A day of celebration for me!

Today, six months ago, the Lord allowed this website to go live!

I KNOW I should have at least waited until my one year anniversary, but I just can't contain my excitement!  

The Lord has done great things and I just NEEDED to share them with you all!

When the site first went live, I prayed and dedicated it completely to the Lord.  I knew it was His site and I was just the overseer.  I asked the Lord for His wisdom and guidance so that it would bring nothing but honor and glory to Him.

I gotta be honest, when I hit the publish button for the first time, I was "shaking in my boots!"  I was opening myself up on the world-wide web!  I was allowing anyone and everyone entrance into my life, my thoughts, my beliefs and most of all my heart!  But I took the step of faith trusting in the Lord and holding His hand the entire time, and I haven't let go yet!

I've enjoyed writing ever since I was in grade school.  In fact my first "book" was an English assignment, written about my precious Mom and entitled, "The Autobiography of Lucille Hagy Pierce", complete with black and white snap shots of her!  I still have that treasured keepsake!

I also greatly enjoy writing in my many different journals, but writing for others to read is a "whole other ball game!"

I had only been writing since the end of August before jumping out on my own on November 25th!

At the end of August, I began writing weekly for my very good friend, Shelly, on her website, "Renewed Daily".  After writing for about one month or so, she began dropping subtle hints about starting my own site, to which I would always quickly reply, "Ummm, that's okay, I'm fine where I am!"  This back and forth "bantering" continued for several weeks until I finally succumbed and told her I would at least pray about it!  In the wee hours one morning as I was praying, the Lord gave me the title for the site, "Casting Your Care", which is based upon one of my most favorite verses.  This direct answer to prayer completely left me SPEECHLESS!

I couldn't wait to contact Shelly the next day, and things quickly began to fall into place, which was another confirmation that the Lord was definitely in all of this!  And here we are six months later!

It's been an amazing journey thus far.  It has definitely stretched my faith that's for sure!  But the blessings abound in so many ways.

The many people the Lord has allowed me to "meet" has been a tremendous blessing.  No, I have not met them in person, but as close as we have become, it's like I've known them most of my life.  

Some are writers.  Some are homemakers.  Some are in the workplace.  Some suffer from chronic illnesses.  Some live in the States.  Some live in foreign countries, like my precious friend, Linda, who lives in New Zealand!  

I refer to Linda as my Barnabas!  She contacted me at the beginning of January after reading one of my posts, and said the Lord laid upon her heart to "stand with" one or two ladies who were already established in writing ministries and she chose me!  She diligently prays for me and the website and we stay in contact through email.  We are getting to know each other so much better with each message which is sent and received.  She truly is my Barnabas.  My encourager!  This leaves me totally SPEECHLESS!!  

And there are so many other friends I never would have had the privilege of meeting if it were not for the website.  I praise God for each and every one of these dear friends!

One of my greatest joys are those who have sent me personal prayer requests.  They have shared their burdens and have allowed me the honor to pray along with them.  Another example of being left SPEECHLESS by the Lord's goodness!

Some weeks I have something all written out, but the Lord completely turns it around!  Some weeks if I have nothing in mind, let alone a rough draft written by around Friday, I begin to panic somewhat, but no need, the Lord always comes through!  SPEECHLESS!

I'm so thankful the Lord allows me this opportunity to share my life, my struggles, my victories, my chronic illness, and especially my faith with others.

One thing that leaves me with my mouth wide open but absolutely no words forming is all the different foreign countries the Lord has taken this site into.  As of today, so far it has reached into thirty-one foreign countries!  Right there just verifies that it's ALL the Lord and NONE of me!!  Places like Turkey, Singapore, Hungary, Poland, Angola, Chile, Ghana, New Zealand, Indonesia, France, India.  Totally SPEECHLESS by GOD'S GREATNESS!

The lady who hardly ever gets out of her house due to the symptoms of a chronic illness is traveling around the world!  

PRAISE THE LORD!

My prayer every week as I hit publish is that the words the Lord gave to me will help, bless, challenge and encourage others.  I also pray that just one who may read the post might come to know Christ as their personal Saviour.

Thank you to all who take the time to read the posts each week.

Thank you to those who share the posts on your facebook page.

Thank you to those who write comments after the posts on the website and on facebook.  That's a huge encouragement!  

Thank you to all who pray for me and the website.  

May the Lord richly bless you all!

A very special thanks to my "bestie" Shelly for believing in me and for gently nudging me out of the nest to fly solo!  A special thanks to her amazing husband and all his hard work in getting me up and running!

A huge thank you to the Lord for taking my smaller than a grain of mustard seed faith and watering it, tending to it, pruning it and allowing it to grow in His grace and His mercy.  For giving me the desire of my heart and for leaving me SPEECHLESS over and over again!

Like the
song says,
"Little is much
when God
is in it.
Labor not
for wealth
or fame!"

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May God Bless You,

Barb