Lelia Chealey

Recently my husband has taken a liking to Dr. Phil. Not only does he enjoy watching the show, Gene will quote him once in awhile. Usually in the middle of a heated discussion with me is when he’ll say something I know he heard from his tv shrink . Things such as, “This ain’t my first rodeo, Lelia” or “That dog don’t hunt, Lelia”.

But the best one so far that Gene has quoted and embedded into our lives has been,

“You do it until”.

This has made me think of my relationship with Jesus.

Life as a Christian, as a believer in Jesus Christ, does not guarantee you a life without hard times. What it does do is secure you of where you’ll spend eternity. It also offers you a relationship like no other that you’ll experience with anyone on earth.

So when times get tough and you’re praying about a situation in your life, how long do you pray about it, especially if you’re not getting any results? You do it until.

If you have a Prodigal child that their return to Jesus seems impossible, how long do you lift them up to their Heavenly Father? You do it until.

If you’ve been betrayed by your spouse, but you’ve decided to work things out, how long do you keep trying and trusting that this is what God wants you to do? You do it until. 

If you’ve made the choice of abortion, how much anger and shame do you press through to get the healing you know is available to you? You do it until. 

You do it until…

His glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.

You do it until…

He lifts you up in due time.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  

You do it until…

He restores you and makes you strong.

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

So my friend…hang in there and persevere through the tough moments.

Keep trusting God and seek Him and no matter what, you do it until…

He is found.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

So today, I’m listening to the wise advice from my own Dr. Phil, even when he says things like  “No dog ever peed on a moving car, Lelia.”

Blessings,

The italicized sentences are from chapter 4 of Renee Swope’s book, “A Confident Heart”.

 I remember a friend (Wanda) telling me God wanted to heal the pain of my past and use what I’d experienced to pave the way to His plans for my future. Honestly, I didn’t want God to use my pain or my past for anything.

 Even though I had heard great testimonies of God’s redemption, I hoped my story would be overlooked and never fall into the “Ashes to Beauty” department, especially my abortion. A secret turned into an ongoing testimony of His love for those that feel they’ve out-sinned the grace of the cross.

Through my past God sheds the light of hope on women who are sitting in the dark of their past. Even though I wish no one else knew I had chosen the path of adultery and abortion, I know my story is in good hands. Hands that bear the scars of forgiveness.

 One day I was talking with my friend Wanda. She was a safe place to be real, so I unloaded all of my hurts, disappointments, and doubts about God on her. Then she shared her story with me. I didn’t sense doubt or pain in her words. Instead I sensed confidence and hope.

 Renee goes on to say, Wanda told me God wanted to heal my hurts and that eventually He could use my pain to comfort others with the same hope He wanted to give me. I could tell she was talking from experience. God’s redeeming love was the source of her joy. She had allowed Him to take her pain and give her purpose.

 That’s so key! Renee recognized that Wanda knew what she was talking about because she had experienced the love and forgiveness of God. I was at a conference recently and the speaker talked of letting God use our past and said “stop trying to invent the wheel! Look at what others have done and try it.” Sometimes we think what worked for “her” can’t possibly work for me, but with God there’s always purpose behind a shared story of His redeeming love.

 The pain of our past makes it hard to believe God’s promise of hope for our future. It’s easy to lose confidence in Him and ourselves. As we come to know God and fully rely on His love for us, we stop allowing the past to determine our future. It took me awhile to get to that place. I got angry easily but didn’t know why.

 The day I changed editors of my story from Satan to God, my old editor was furious. For years I had allowed my worst enemy to write my story, dictate my feelings, lead me into anger, depression, frustration and shame. But the day I knelt in my basement and surrendered my life to God, my story changed hands. I still felt some of the old feelings, but being led by a patient God, I eventually saw my future differently. When we begin to rely on God, change isn’t Federal Expressed overnight from heaven to the doorstep of our heart. Change takes time and daily trust in God and in the process we’ll experience a lot of emotions.

 We can trust God’s plans as we realize that His story is being written in ours. His power is perfected in the broken places we consider to be our greatest weaknesses—our most vulnerable emotions we don’t want anyone to know about. In those hiding places,God calls us out of captivity. When we’re willing to let Him, He brings hope for our future despite the pain of our past.

 It took me the longest time to understand and believe God could use my mistakes and hurts for His greatest purpose if I would allow Him to change me through them. I wanted God to burn the pages of my old story and write what I thought would be a better story for Him to tell. Instead He wanted to finish what He started, completing the work He had begun in me with a narrative that would bind up my broken heart and set this captive free.

 WHATEVER you have in the vault that holds your past, I encourage you to let God have the key to it. Let Him set down with your manuscript full of brokenness and really stupid choices and let Him change up your story and re-write it in a way that you are left in awe of how great He is.

 Your usable. Just like Renee is and like I am only because of God. Two women with completely different pasts and yet both given hope for our future. He is just that good.

 The relationship I have with Jesus isn’t always easy, but no matter how tough it can be with Him, it is pure hell without Him. I need Him, love Him and He’s worth following. I’m thankful that He never gave up on this mess of a woman and like Renee said, I’m thankful He has set this captive free!

~RENEE SWOPE~

If you want to see what’s going on with Renee’s online study along with thousands of women, go to her blog HERE.

Blessings,

The other day, my 4-year-old granddaughter Amiyah was talking up a storm during dinner.   Her 2-year-old little sister, Juliana apparently had enough of all the talking and she stood up and said,                                                                                                                                             “Hey. Chill out.”

I wonder if God ever wants to tell us, “Hey. Chill out.”

We come to Him during our “quiet time” and it turns out to be anything but quieting ourselves before Him…

Psalm 46:10                                                                                                                                         Be still, and know that I am God.

Sometimes I run my mouth the whole time I set aside to spend just with God and I never let Him have His turn…

Zephaniah 3:17                                                                                                                           The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.                                                            He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Sometimes I worry about circumstances and instead He wants my heart and thoughts to be anxious free…

Philippians 4:6                                                                                                                              Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Last football season, the grandgirls decided to hang out with their Grandpa and watch the game with him. Amiyah had me push the couches together to be close to him and made him wear earmuffs and snuggle in soft blankets.                                                                    Then Juliana just chilled with her Papa…

Today, I’m going to take Juliana’s advice she gave Amiyah and just chill out with my Savior.

Blessings,

One of my favorite testimonies in the Bible is found in Luke 8:42-48 (NIV)

As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing You.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

This woman was marked as unclean and untouchable because she bled for over a decade. Set apart from the clean men and women in her community.

Then she heard that Jesus, the Miracle Maker, was coming to her town.                          That morning she dressed with the belief that it was her day. Clothed in bravery, she stepped outside of her home and beyond the boundaries that had been set for her. She  walked into forbidden territory with one mission in mind: healing.

She had nothing to exchange for healing but her faith. In Mark 5:26 it says She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 

But before today she had never sought help from Jesus. 

Mark 5:27-28 says When she heard about Jesus, she came up from behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” 

Just hearing about Him gave her the guts to leave her home and she left hand in hand with faith. Faith guided her through the crowd to her Healer, but it was not easy for her.

It says the crowd almost crushed Jesus, so she had much resistance to fight through to get to Him. I’m sure she probably felt frustrated, maybe depressed, but had she stopped walking toward Jesus, her helpless suffering would have continued.  Instead, she pressed in against the odds past the obstacles that were in between her and Jesus. 

When she got to Him and touched just His clothes, she had immediate healing.                   She got what she came for after 12 years of suffering.                                                             She wasn’t leaving the same way she arrived.                                                                         How her heart must have been racing as she turned away from the crowd.                            A smile had to be pressing into her cheeks until the crowd stopped walking and Jesus asked a question only she could answer.

He knew who had touched Him. Before He set foot in her town He was thinking about her. He knew the pain, shame, embarrassment and loneliness she had endured and He had healing available for her. Her smile must have vanished, the pounding in her chest probably flipped from excitement to fear when He kept asking who touched Him.

But this is my favorite part…

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed.

 In the presence of the people. The same people who had shunned her for 12 years were the same ones the Man of Miracles let witness as He acknowledged that the power they desired from Him, had gone out to her and for the first time, they wanted what she had.

Seeing that she could not go unnoticed. In Mark 5:32 after Jesus asked the crowd who touched Him, it says But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. I imagine, not only Jesus, but everyone’s head in the crowd was on a swivel looking around for who touched Him. Finally, she turned and fell at His feet. Her once broken body crumpled in a trembling heap at His feet all because He refused to let her leave unnoticed and unchanged.

For 12 years she had sought treatment with no success, so why should this be different. There had to be doubters in the crowd.

Until she opened her mouth and shared her story.                                                                   Not only did she tell what Jesus had done for her, she shared with the crowd her why.  Why she did what she did.                                                                                                           Why she woke up that morning believing that if anyone could heal her it was Jesus.      Why perseverance shoved her through the crowd until she was close enough to claim her miracle.

But Jesus wasn’t done letting her have her healing moment…

Then He said to her,                                                                                                               “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” 

How many other hearts were healed that day from her testimony? 

There are so many women living in seclusion, just as she did. Not to the point of being separated from society, but living within their own private hell of shame and guilt.     Women who don’t believe they deserve Jesus’ healing…

Women who have cheated or are cheating on their husbands.

Women who have aborted their baby or babies.

Women who are addicted to street drugs or prescription meds.

Women who have been raped or molested.

Something has caused them to hide and believe that the healing Jesus offers is not for them. What they did or what has happened to them is too big for Him and they don’t deserve it.  The truth is though that all it takes is faith.

The woman in the Bible was clearly defeated. She lived in shame.                                       And yet that did not stop her from trying Jesus and seeing if what she had heard about Him was true. She heard what He had done for someone else and instead of thinking there’s no way He could or would do that for me, she was filled with hope and a determined faith.

She heard what he did for HER and it gave her hope.                                            Then others heard what He did for HER and they too were filled with hope. 

When we put our trust in Jesus and believe that He is capable of healing our hurts, then we give others hope when we share our story. Lives are changed and women walk in a new freedom they have never experienced.

It won’t be easy, but He’ll make sure it’s worth it.

Blessings,

I found a coffee shop to escape to and write. My friend Kasey had posted a few times on Facebook about working here and so I finally made it here last week. 

I was actually heading to Panera Bread last week when I suddenly felt I was to go to Loveknot.  I turned around and found this cute little shop. From the moment you walk in not only does the smell of coffee embrace you, but the decor does as well. I feel like I’m sitting in someone’s living room. I want to live here. I have been to a lot of coffee shops around town and this by far is my favorite. 

Why?

Because this place is alive with ministry.

There is Christian music playing.

There are people with laptops working on the ministry they work alongside.

The other morning there were 2 men with an open Bible on the table between them discussing the life of Jesus.

There is a table of Titus 2 fellowship going on as an older woman ministered to a young woman.

I posted about this coffee shop on Facebook and a lady I’ve known for 13 years who goes to my church commented on it and we made a coffee date. First time we have ever sat down together and talked was last week at Loveknot.

There’s a wall featuring items to support Tiny Hands International. A powerful ministry saving young girls from sex trafficking. A ministry that Loveknot employee Kasey Yates and her husband Paul work for and also my friend Doug Dworak and his wife Shirley.

I love hearing that the owner Roxanne and her family wouldn’t budge when customers wanted the shop to be open 7 days a week. There’s just something about a business owner standing firm in letting Sunday be all about God. 

From my view from my table, I see that Loveknot is more than a cute coffee shop, it’s a mission field.  Right here in the middle of the capital city.

Opportunity given to help rescue innocent girls displayed on the wall, Bibles opened on tables. Effective ministries such as Campus Life and Tiny Hands being worked on from the laptops of those involved. Christian blogs being updated, a book being written for hurting women. Fellowship over a game of cards.

God’s work is alive and well on South Cotner Boulevard in the middle of Lincoln, Nebraska. But not everyone that walks through these doors know Christ and what they see going on here has to have some kind of quiet draw because that’s just how Jesus works in lives.

Loveknot has shown me that we just have to be available to be used by God.

Roxanne and the McCoskey family has made their java joint all about Jesus.

It is evident that the light that shines within in this place has nothing to do with the bulbs in the ceiling, but all about allowing the light of Jesus to shine bright within these 4 walls. 

Is your life a mission field for Jesus?

Those who are called to serve Him on foreign soil is so needed, but we also need to let God use whatever small space you have in your own city for His glory. When we choose to live our lives about and for Him, opportunities will come that give us the chance to share Him. Make your life about Him…He won’t disappoint.

And you just never know when you show up at Loveknot to get some writing done if you’ll be blessed by another friend with some morning coffee. Thank you Doug for taking a break from working on your Tiny Hands stuff to bless Amy and I with some delicious caffeine! I’m pretty sure we’ve written more than talked today…

Blessings,

For more information on Tiny Hands International please click HERE and like these FACEBOOK pages…

Tiny Hands International and Loveknot Coffee Shoppe and Amy’s page New Nostalgia…all 3 will bless you!