But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 Corinthians 8:7  (NIV)

As we look upon the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday…let’s think about how we can give generously for all the favor AND the gifts that God has so generously poured forth into our lives.

We’re thankful for our family, our friends, our talents, our opportunities,…our nation. None of those gifts are perfect. They may even be a thorn in our side….but any of those gifts could be gone in the blink of an eye!

God has a plan for us, even if we lose our gifts!  I’ve told the story of the loss of my physical balance due to a brain injury numerous times. That was 27 years ago! Let’s see a more recent example of how God can bring good things out of tragedy.

Officer Nick Wilt had just completed his training in the police academy.  The first week on the job, Nick responded to a bank robbery and ended up being shot in the head while he was trying to protect those around him. He lived. PRAISE GOD!

After two years of intensive therapy, Nick is able to walk with a cane. On Nov 15^th, he was honored at the 22^nd annual Brain Ball benefiting the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky (BIAK), for his courage and determination. Nick is only 27 years old. That’s a decade younger than I was when I had my car accident & traumatic brain injury. Because of his ‘youth’, I’m confident that he will recover further and faster than I did.

Like me, Nick has been overwhelmed with the good wishes and ACTIONS of friends, families and total strangers who have wanted to help him on his journey.

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Deuteronomy 15:10  (NIV)

Why should we give to organizations that help the lives of those facing unforeseeable challenges? If we give generously, even when we don’t feel like it, the Lord will reward us.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7  (NIV)

I’m sure that Nick does not feel blessed by all the hardships he has endured. Yet we can both be thankful that our obstacles have brought out the compassion and generosity of others as they try to make our lives a little easier.

I can’t think of a better example of Giving Generously.

Dear Lord,

You’ve given us all so many gifts. Forgive us when we do not appreciate them or acknowledge that they came from You.

Please inspire us to give generously to those who need our assistance. Help us to always remember that You love a cheerful giver!

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How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:2  (NIV)

We’ve all heard of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the Old Testament. Abraham is called the father of our faith. His grandson Jacob, however, was given a name that means ‘deceiver’.

The Bible tells us that at one point, Jacob wrestled with a man that represented God…all night long. All Jacob wanted was for God to bless him. Jacob had some issues though. He WAS a deceiver. He manipulated others to get his own way. God didn’t approve of that, yet Jacob continued wrestling with Him to get His blessing.

Ultimately, God DID bless Jacob…but not before He dislocated Jacob’s hip. With His blessing, God gave Jacob a new name too. He changed his name to Israel.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Genesis 32:28  (NIV)

Somehow Jacob knew that the man was from God.

So Jacob called the place Peniel,^[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Genesis 32:30  (NIV)

God doesn’t mind if we wrestle and complain to Him. King David cried out to God all through the book of Psalms. God would much rather have us complain to Him. What He finds unacceptable is when we complain ABOUT Him.

So complain to God! We are his children and He knows that we need to vent our feelings. He’d prefer we take our problems to Him instead of family and friends.

As humans, none  of us really like a complainer…usually because we can’t do anything to change the situation. But God can! He can work on others’ hearts. He can turn things around for us…or change OUR outlook about the problem.

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

Luke 18:7  (NIV)

In wrestling with God, we must be sure to also give Him praise and thanksgiving for all that He is…and has done in our life.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being a loving Father who takes it in stride when Your children moan and complain to You. You can and will change others’ hearts (including ours) to bring peace that will remedy any situation.

Help us always to remember to bring our grievances to You first. Thank You also for all the good and prosperity You have brought to our life.

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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21  NIV

I was shopping at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago to get supplies for a project I was working on. I saw the BELOW trinket sitting near the cash registers and grabbed it! I wanted to place it somewhere in my home to be a constant reminder to me. So it’s sitting on my kitchen counter just over the dishwasher and next to my little TV.

It’s there to remind me that I AM CRAZY BLESSED regardless of what the news on my TV is telling me OR how difficult it is for me to unload a dishwasher. Life will continue to give us things that are hard…opinions we don’t agree with…tasks we don’t want to do.

My blog last month was entitled TERRITORY ENLARGED( https://mvarga.com/spiritual-insights/territory-enlarged/). Remember that Jabez asked God to bless him indeed. He was asking the Lord to give him abundant blessings. He was asking God to make him CRAZY BLESSED.

Wouldn’t we all like that? Regardless of what is going on in our life, God can and WILL give us crazy blessings….look for them…EXPECT them. Many times the blessings we see come directly from a challenge…even a tragedy we are facing.  See my Jan 2021 blog post on Being Transformed. Be Transformed – MARY VARGA (mvarga.com)

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33  (NIV)

Can I be crazy blessed even with the physical challenges I face? ABSOLUTELY! I have to be constantly cautious as I move through my daily life…for fear of losing my balance. Yet the very brain injury that caused my physical disabilities is the same one that prompts others…even total strangers to be kind and helpful as I go about my day.

Read what St. Paul has to say about it…

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong

2 Corinthians 12:7-10  (NIV)

I must admit, I don’t boast gladly about my weaknesses. I do believe though that God has given me the gift of inspiring others. Maybe He’s given that gift to you too! So don’t be embarrassed to try something unnatural for you. We never know who we can inspire by our actions.

 Just remember that as life gives us increased blessings, increased temptations and troubles may often come with it.

It’s so easy to just coast through life without pushing for more abundance! We’re already doing more than most. Can’t we just relax and enjoy what we have? . This is how Satan keeps us from going for the gold! 

 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 30:18  NIV

 We can’t let Satan fool us though. God DOES offer us abundance. He wants us to be crazy blessed. For our part, we need to continue living a life that pleases Him as we wait for His perfect timing.

Dear Lord,

Some days we feel crazy blessed by You. Some days we don’t. Help us remember that our feelings are often not in the same ball park as Your reality. The Bible tells us over and over of Your love for us.

Remind us of what Isaiah tells us….

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31   (NIV)

 Give us the hope and patience to wait for your wondrous blessings.

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 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4 :10  (NIV)

This opening scripture is about an ordinary man that showed extraordinary faith…and God answered his prayer.

Jabez is highlighted right in the middle of a long list of names (a geneology) in 1 Chronicles. The only thing we know about him from the previous verse is that his mother named him Jabez because he was born with great pain. Jabez means pain. How would we like it if our mom gave us a name that meant pain? That would give me a self esteem problem! Then we never hear his name again.

Jabez asked God for His POWER in his life. Jabez wanted God to REALLY bless him AND to enlarge his sphere of influence in life (his territory). Apparently God likes those bold kind of prayers because He answered it.

I remember the very first year after my brain injury, a dear friend gave me a little booklet called, ‘The Prayer of Jabez.’ I certainly wanted God’s blessing at that time in my life. Most importantly, I wanted Him to enlarge my territory. Actually…I wanted God to GIVE me a territory…any territory. I had lost so much, it was hard to imagine what the Lord wanted my purpose to be now. How was I supposed to ever help people? They were always helping me!

God answered my prayers a dozen years later when I started teaching exercise classes for seniors. Yes, it’s a job…but it also defines my happiness. Being able to inspire these men & women everyday makes me look forward to Mondays every week. I am finally able to do something good for others. They’ve become like a second family to me. And be assured. I get more from teaching these classes than they get from attending!

What do we want God to do for us? Improve our health, our finances, our marriage, our influence? Just ASK HIM! He wants to give us our heart’s desires! We can expect Him to answer our prayers…many times not in the way we were expecting!

Remember that God is not a genie either. Time usually transpires between our prayer…and God’s response. Life will continue to happen, but keep asking and keep trusting that our heavenly Father’s timing is never wrong. So pray for patience. God is never late. He may even end up changing our heart’s desires.

The 2^nd thing Jabez asks for is God’s PRESENCE in his life. (Let your hand be with me.)

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”

Luke 7:16  (NIV)

When we ask for God’s power in our life…it will most likely come with added responsibility AND tests. Jabez realized this too. That’s why he prayed for the Lord’s presence to guide him and keep him on the right path.

The 3^rd thing Jabez prayed for was God ‘s PROTECTION in his life.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 5:11  (NIV)

With God’s POWER & PRESENCE in his life, it only made sense to also ask for His PROTECTION over his life. Just like us…Jabez was only a man capable of getting full of himself and not thinking of the greater good. So he asks God to keep him from evil and harm that he may not receive OR inflict pain.

The more territory we have…the more successful we are…the more we open ourselves for others to challenge us. They won’t bother us much with just a little bit of influence (a small territory). Jabez was wise to ask God to protect him!

We can do the same! We can ask God to protect our belongings and reputation as we lean into Him…trusting the He will show us how to enlarge our borders by staying in constant contact with God…and expecting Him to protect what we do.

Dear Lord,

Show us how to be influencers for Your kingdom by allowing our personal boundaries to grow. We invite Your presence in our life so we don’t start believing we did it all by ourselves.

We know that all things are possible with You. Help us to never forget the…wih You…part of that promise.

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6  (NIV)

Let me tell you a story of how life  happened to me these last few weeks. Then you can join me in praising God for answering our fervent prayers!

I have been leading senior exercise classes since 2010. One of my favorite places to teach just permanently closed their doors. I have been calling and texting and emailing, trying to find a new home for our classes. It’s been beyond frustrating!

I finally found a church that was willing to host both of our classes. Only problem was they only had folding chairs to provide us. Those are not stable enough for an exercise class. Where could I find affordable stackable chairs? And where was I going to store them?

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10  (NIV)

I have always believed that my fitness business (SilverStrength®) was a calling from God. Perhaps He wanted me to go in a different direction now. I was so confused! Please lord! Show me what you want me to do.

That was my prayer as I was walking up to noon services at my church. I didn’t have a class that morning anymore. I might as well do something else valuable with my time.

I reached the church at the same time another friendly stranger did. He was obviously faster than I was on my walker and reached the locked church door before me. Since Mass was cancelled that day…we spoke for a few minutes. At that point, I hadn’t yet found a place for my classes. He offered to call some of his contacts to help me find a place.

After several texts back and forth, I still couldn’t find a home for my classes. A few days later, when I finally got a nearby church that would host us…I encountered the next hurdle of no chairs.

That’s when that friendly stranger stepped up. (I now consider him a friend!) He contacted a friend in the catering business…and they purchased the 20 chairs I needed. They even made arrangements to have them delivered directly to the church. I was relieved, happy and stunned!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28  (NIV)

I shouldn’t have been stunned though. I have seen God come through for me so many times in my life. I pray that God shows His favor to my new friend AND his friend in the catering business. They have not only done a priceless favor for me, but for all my class members as well.

Why did me new friend do this for me? In our texting back and forth, he told me that he goes to church to chat with God. The day we met outside of church, he told me that God chatted with him. What an amazing testimony of how God does His best work through other people! And what a generous, selfless kindness my new friend showed to me!

And that is why I call them my MIRACLE CHAIRS. Now all of my class members will be able to gather with the same folks they’ve been accustomed to exercising with…on the same days, and at the same time. We’ve become like a family in the last few years. We’ll all easily become acquainted with our new church home. And God bless them too for opening their doors to us!

I frequently find myself telling others that God has my back. Jesus has all of our backs if we but put our faith in Him. (See https://mvarga.com/spiritual-insights/hes-got-your-back/)  Jesus most certainly had my back in this dilemma!

We all need a Father and a Savior we can cry out to we find ourselves needing new chairs in our life. Whatever is happening in your life, God is there. Pray to Him for direction…then EXPECT Him to show up in ways we couldn’t even imagine.

Dear Lord,

You always have our back. Help us cling to that when life seems unsure and we don’t know which way to turn. Remind us always to turn to You first for guidance and direction.

Others are a part of Your family as well. When they try to help us, remind us that You are behind the scenes making a straight path for ALL involved.

Thank You for loving us all so much!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5  (NIV)

What do we desire more than anything else? What is our heart’s desire? Most of us would probably say to love and be loved. We can be talented, attractive, intelligent and wealthy, but that’s not the same as receiving (or giving) the true love and fellowship that makes us all happy.

I just started reading a little booklet called “Is God Speaking to Me?”

It explains the five ‘D’s necessary to grow into a closer relationship with our heavenly Father. The first of those ‘D’s is DESIRE to truly want God above anything else in our lives.

Above  our spouse? Our children? Our parents? Our friends? What about our career? Our physical and mental attributes? Our financial security?

The answer is a resounding ‘YES’…remembering that He is a God of love. He IS love. He wants all of these things for His children! He creates opportunities for us to obtain and then savor the rewards of seeing our desires become realities.

Along with DESIRE, the other ‘D’s needed for growing closer to God are DISCIPLINE to always put Him first in our lives; DISCERNMENT to know the difference between our own thoughts and God’s voice; DIRECTION to know His will at every crossroad or decision in our lives; and  finally, a sheer DELIGHT in our relationship with God…not just a sense of duty.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4  (NIV)

God truly is our heart’s desire. It takes many of us a long time to come to that conclusion. For some, like myself…it takes the loss of something held dear…that we THOUGHT was our heart’s desire.

I THOUGHT my heart’s desire was to be the best wife, mom, friend, runner and business professional. After my Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), all of those desires needed to be altered to go with my new physical challenges. Some heart’s desires…running, for example, had to be eliminated. Others had to be reinvented to fit my new life circumstances.

That’s when God innately became my heart’s desire. I cried out to Him from a hospital bed when I thought things couldn’t get any worse. That began for me daily, (sometimes hourly) conversations with our God. I’m happy to report that much of my ‘crying out’ has been replaced with lots and lots of ‘Thank You’s.

Just like the title of my blog (Life Happens), especially as we get older… we can continue to expect corrections in our life direction. They could be good and positive. They could also be challenging and just plain tough.

I’ve found the best way to navigate any interruptions in our life is to stay hopeful and lean into our heart’s desire. Pay attention to the nudges He gives us when it’s time to make a course correction. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. WE WILL!

Mistakes are inevitable as we try to go forward with God’s plan. We need to rely on His grace to bring us to the place He wants us to be.

Dear Lord,

Please continually remind us to keep You first and foremost as our heat’s desire.

With You by our side, all things are possible.

Things may not happen exactly as we planned…but we are not You! Help us to trust that You have the very best in store for each of us. Let us trust Your lead on the best course for us to go.

With You as our heart’s desire…our other goals and desires become secondary…whether they come to pass or not.

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We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 

Romans 6:4  NIV

The chocolate bunnies have been eaten. The Easter baskets have been stored away for next year. Yet the church is still in the middle of the Easter season.

We are celebrating Jesus the Christ being raised from the dead after a horrific, painful and humiliating death on the cross. He allowed this to happen in order to defeat our enemy (Satan) and open the way for all believers to share eternity with Him in His heavenly kingdom.

In one specific way…celebrating Easter is kind of like celebrating the New Year. We get to start all over! God gives everyone a second chance. We have a new life…a resurrection life.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3  (NIV)

We will all live the resurrection life once we leave this world if we’ve put our faith in Christ. How can we share in that life on this side of heaven? We can do that as we continue to live as an image of God….not to become gods ourselves, but by living a Godly life.

There was nothing negative or pessimistic in Jesus Christ. He came to show us how to live with hope and encouragement and purpose. He calls us all to be a light…and to shine that light in our often-times DARK surroundings.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Philippians 3:10  (NIV)

We will not have a glorious, resurrection body like Jesus until we are joined with Him in heaven.

In the meantime, we can become more like Jesus by getting to know Him through His word, and by imitating His actions and reactions to others. By doing this, we can have our own resurrection life right here on earth!

Dear Lord,

You tell us that if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!   (2 Corinthians 5:17  NIV)

 Jesus died so that one day we could all join Him in eternity.

As we celebrate this Easter season of new life, show us all how to live in a way that brings glory to our risen Lord!

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33   NIV

Jesus continuously told others to be confident…to be of good cheer…to not be afraid. He did this up to the very moment He was betrayed and handed over to be persecuted.

Even then…even as He suffered, He knew that God had His back. In the midst of being beaten and ridiculed…He knew there would be a happy ending.

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ).

Mark 15:34   (NIV)

Jesus spoke those words in his humble humanity. But our savior and Lord knew that His Father would not abandon Him. He knew that this was the reason He was born into our world. He also knew He had to die (the ultimate sacrifice) to redeem us from Satan’s power over us.

Because of His close and intimate relationship with His Father, Jesus knew that regardless of the suffering He would endure… God (His dad) would work all things out in a way that would glorify both the Father AND the Son!

Just like His son, God has our back as we try to lead a life pleasing to Him! I know He’s protected me countless times from bodily harm as I unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) do something that jeopardizes my physical safety.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Philippians 3:10  (NIV)

I like to think though, that I’m able to identify more with Jesus’ suffering and death because of my disabilities. Yet that’s what we all do when we face tremendous challenges…when life gives us more than we can handle. It’s then that we need to remember that God always has our back.

On Good Friday, we commemorate the crucifixion and death of God’s Son. At this special and holy time of year…may we ALL deeply identify and testify to the RISEN Christ who died for us to conquer all the evil that Satan throws our way. In doing that, He ensures that we all can have a resurrection life.

Have a blessed Easter!

Dear Lord,

We celebrate Easter every year as a reminder that You sacrificed Your Son so that we could all spend our eternity in Your presence.

Jesus’ death and resurrection is a constant testimony for us that You have the ability to bring us all to new life as we put our faith and confidence in Your Son.

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The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8  NIV

No matter the size of the obstacle or challenge we are facing…Jesus is with us step-by-step. We may not even feel Him with us, but He is there. SO DON’T FREAK OUT! DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL EITHER!

Sometimes the blessings the Lord is trying to get to us are hidden in the very struggles He allows to come our way.

HE IS ALWAYS THERE TO HELP US… TO GUIDE OUR JOURNEY.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13  NIV

This blog post, I’m sending you a song that a friend gave to me, performed by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton. They sing about how we should look (expect?) God to give us buried blessings in our broken pieces.

Enjoy as you look for His blessings hidden in the hard times.

Dear Lord,

Help us to turn first to You…and remember that You are the one to help us as we try to navigate the broken pieces of our life.

May You equip us with everything good for doing Your will, and may You work in us what is pleasing to You, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:21  (NIV)… paraphrased

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