Friday, April 8, 2016

You Are Not Alone - Guest Post

Hey Friend,


I would like to introduce you to a wonderful young lady, Nettie Clawson. She hails from my hometown in Pittsburgh.  She describes herself as an "old soul"...I would say she has the faith and wisdom of someone twice her age.  I know that at 22, I didn't have a passion for sharing my faith like she does...


I invite you to welcome her here and give her some lovin' in the comments below.  She's working on getting her blog up and running so stay tuned...



Hello! My name is Nettie Clawson.  I am a deep old soul that’s actually only been around for 22 years and was born and raised in a small farm town near Pittsburgh, PA.   I have an adventurous spirit and vision to share Jesus with all that I meet.  I am passionate about: Jesus, people, singing, writing and ounces of coffee daily.  I also love kids and am currently a Special Education Teacher for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students at a school in Cary, North Carolina.
  Although I love the southern hospitality, I do miss my pop (soda) and talking to yins guys from the North.  My dreams of: acquiring a southern accent by saying ya’ll, and drinking sweet tea, have definitely come true.  I came to Christ when I was twelve years old as my Gram led me to front of the church altar to make the decision to commit my life to Christ. I continue to aspire to the vision Jesus placed on my heart then to this day.
  Meeting people right where they are, and revealing to them the reality of a relationship with Christ, is a genuine desire of my heart. It thrills my soul to write encouragements, therefore, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be pleasing in the Lord’s sight and that He will be praised! (Psalm 19:14)










You are not alone.  

We smile when we walk past a fellow co-worker in the morning with the usual greeting of: their “How are you?” and our: “I’m good.”  We’re relaying the message that we are okay and life is going swell.  It is a surface answer for a deep issue. The night prior our pillow was saturated with hours of unending tears, and an additional amount of face paint was required this morning to cover up the deep dark rolls under our eyes to go unnoticed.  Truly, we think, if only they knew.  If only they understood, what we really were going through.  The fact that our life was falling into shambles, and that we’re barely getting by.  It turns out that we end up walking in a daze of defeat, and struggle to get through trying situations in this life…alone.    

Studies show that more than half of Americans have no one outside their immediate family that they share their life story with.  They are left lonely.  Loneliness leads to isolation, depression, and potentially suicide.  What if, there was an answer to all of this though.  What if there was per say a “cure” to loneliness. What if people knew the truth that they did not have to struggle through this life alone?  If we look at this verse: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus talks to his disciple’s right before He was about to ascend into Heaven.  He leaves a very important message for his disciples to remember.  The fact that He was always with them to the very end of the age. Do you know the depth of what this verse means? Although Jesus was leaving His disciples, He was stating He would still be with them, but how? It’s like an oxymoron.  How can He leave them, but still be there with them? Simple, with His spirit in their hearts.

God’s spirit is something so profound and important.  The fact that God’s presence through all trials and struggles is something I recently experienced in a mighty way.  Having my car break down, ending a relationship with someone I thought I was getting married to, and having a financial hardship is a brief glimpse of the trials, but through it all I noticed one simple yet profound truth.  God was with me. There was something so comforting in that verse of Matthew 28:20 to me that I continually rehearsed over my life in the midst of the trials.  The fact that He was with me through all of that hardship was more than enough.

My friend, can I tell you something today? You have two choices.  You can choose to live in your circumstances, or you can choose to live above your circumstances. How? By choosing the joy that Jesus has given us with His spirit and knowing this simple truth. He is with you, He is with you, He is WITH YOU my friend! I can relate, I’ve been there. In the deepest, darkest times of your life when you feel as though waves of turmoil are crashing down on you God is whispering you are NOT alone, I am with you, just trust me.  Those times when you have cried night after night, screaming “God WHY?” You are hoping, wishing, praying for an answer to cure all of your trials and struggles, but still not seeing or hearing anything.  Do not lose hope. He IS doing something. 
God will work his greatest in you when you hear His whispers.  Why is that? How did God appear to Elijah when the Israelites disobeyed God and were coming after Elijah to potentially kill him too in 1 Kings 19:12?  Not in the wind, or the earthquake or the fire, but God spoke in a gentle whisper, that still small voice.   Do you realize when you’re screaming out to God “where are you?” or “why is this happening to me?” He is whispering right back you the whole time “just trust me because, I am with you.” 
God is working in a deeper way through your trials and struggles now that will show you later and others that He is with you later to come.  Yes, trials and struggles are hard.  Yes, it’s not easy to make a choice daily to choose joy, but Jesus chose you when He hung on that cross and cried out “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus chose you, when He was beaten and mocked and scorned.  Jesus chose you to endure through those trials and hardships so that others can see your faith throughout them and glorify the Father.  Jesus chose you to walk beside, and do this thing called life with when you had no one.

Now do you see, you are not alone? There are purposes in the pain and my friend, looking beyond every trial that we try but yet may never fully grasp or comprehend remember Christ staring at you with loving eyes saying I am here and you are important to me. Jesus does not want us to walk through that alone.  He is so present in all of the struggles. Through our sorrows and celebrations Jesus is there.  When you are ill or injured, Jesus is there. When you lose a job, or family member Jesus is there.  When you have been blessed with an amazing community to encourage and support you, Jesus is there. Be encouraged to go through this thing called life with someone always by your side.  Jesus. With Jesus you have the assurance that no matter what you face, you have the ability to choose joy.  My friend, He is with you and He is working a greater testimony out of your trials.

“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

Be blessed,

Nettie

Bev, here again...I'll be taking a belated spring break to spend some time with family and refueling in God's word.  I plan to be back the 21st, with a refreshed spirit. Please pray for our family...we said goodbye for now to our sweet, sweet, Zoe bear this morning.  So thankful for how this silky-furred family member gave us glimpses into God's unconditional love...miss you girl...

Please keep praying for the safety of the children that we support in the Middle East though Redeemer Christian Foundation, Inc.


"HEAR THE CRIES of your brothers and sisters
in captive nations!
They do not ask for escape, safety, or an easy life.
They ask only for the tools to counteract the poisoning of their youth -
the next generation."

- Richard Wurmbrand, in "Tortured for Christ"



30 comments:

  1. Nettie,

    Greeting from another PA native also from a small farming area near Pittsburgh. Your "pop" and "yins" comment made me smile wide. I loved your post and what a sweet message and reminder that He is always with us and always trying to get our attention but we are oblivious to it most the time. Good luck to you on your journey of delivering His message to the world.

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    1. Louanne,
      I am glad to meet you! May the Lord bless your kind, encouraging spirit. Continue to seek him in all that you do. I am so happy to hear you are a PA native as well from a small farming area, how neat! God surely works in amazing ways to connect us to others!

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  2. Bev and Nettie,
    WOW! Your words were amazing and I so needed to read them this week. Thank you for sharing your beautiful words, God's WORD and of yourselves. May God bless you both even this very day. Lisa

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    1. Lisa, you have such a sweet heart! May the Lord bless your kindness. Continue to know that you are loved by our God, who is walking this life holding your hand and delighting in your desire to know Him more.

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  3. Hi, Nettie. Nice to meet you. :) Welcome to the south! Precious words of truth today, thank you for sharing. So blessed to be shadowed by the Savior...never alone. ((sweet blessings))

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  4. Hello Brenda! It is nice to meet you too! Thank you so much for the welcome:) Amen, continue to remember the Lord is your constant companion throughout this life!

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  5. Nettie!! What a wonderful reminder that God is with us despite how it feels. He has a plan is always working out things for our good even when we don't see it at ALL. I needed to hear those words!! You are such a dear soul and I am so blessed to work with you. Your students are so blessed to have a teacher who loves Jesus! Hugs girl ~
    Monica

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    1. Monica! It is a blessing to know you! Thank you so much for your encouraging words, I am grateful to work with you as well! May the Lord bless you so much for your kindness!

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  6. Yes we must choose to live above our circumstances. I don't know how people get through life without Him to give it all to. He IS with us always.

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    1. Deborah, you are so right! Apart from an intimate relationship with the Lord this life is undo-able. We NEED Jesus and Praise God for his presence always pursuing us!

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  7. nice to meet you nettie:) i'm bee's next door neighbor today at testimony tuesday. thanks for your good words today:) hope you have a great break bev!

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    1. Martha, what a joy to meet you! May the Lord bless your sweet spirit, keep clinging to Him! He loves and deeply cares for you so much!

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  8. Nettie, thanks for sharing your heart here.
    And, Bev, blessings as you rest and enjoy family!

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    1. Michele, it is great to meet you! Continue to pursue Christ, He is always actively with you!

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  9. Welcome, Nettie! You wrote such beautiful words of truth. I love that you describe yourself as an old soul because I believe it gives you a broader perspective as well as a desire to embrace more in your life. I loved reading you are a teacher since I taught for 30 years and I am now retired. Blessings on your week!

    Bev- my heart broke when I read about your sweet Zoe. I know your heart is hurting right now. I am praying for you.

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    1. Mary, what a joy our paths crossed! That is awesome that you taught before, what a great connection! Thank you for your kind words, continue to seek Him in all that you do!

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  10. After just spending the weekend on my friend's Pennsylvania dairy farm, I can relate to your post. (Sorry to hear about the loss of Zoe.) Our blogging community would be blessed if you shared this devotion at the Literacy Musing Mondays Linkup. #LMMLinkup http://www.foreverjoyful.net/?p=1018

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    1. Hello! I am glad you can relate! I could love to share this devotion at the Literacy Musing Mondays Linkup!

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  11. Thank you Nettie for your sweet words of encouragement. Knowing that He is here with me during the hard times helps to see His great love and that He cares for me. thank you : )

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    1. Amen Kristina! He is WITH you always even until the end of this earth! His love for you is so thick and so deep that he knows the number of hairs on your head! He deeply cares for you in your struggles and will bring you out victorious in those hard times and His name will be proclaimed. God is working in your trials and triumphs, never forget who you are and WHOSE you are!

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  12. Welcome, Nettie! Thank you for your words of encouragement. It is startling that so many people do life alone. It fires me up to be intentional about establishing relationships with others. This is what Christ has done for us. Visiting from #coffeeforyourheart.

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    1. Kelly, it is a joy to meet you! It is vitally important to establish relationships with others to continue to point them towards Christ. May you continue to seek Him in all that you do!

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  13. Hi, Nettie. Great to see you joining the blogging community. What great words of Truth you've shared here. Visiting from #TellHisStory.

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    1. Hello! Yes, I am excited to see what the Lord will do and I pray that His name will continue to become famous!

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  14. So nice to meet you, Nettie! I love your heart to encourage us to know that our Savior walks with us and comforts us in all of our trials and disappointments. Thanks for sharing your heart and thanks also to Bev for sharing you with us! Btw, Bev ... I hope you enjoy your time with family! We all need a little break now and then. :)

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    1. Beth, it is great to meet you! I thank you for your kind words, may you continue to experience the love of Christ in your life!

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  15. Nettie, delighted to meet you. I have a granddaughter, Hannah 19, a student at Liberty University so I know how important Gram-relations are. You are a lovely young woman who has her head on straight and a heart to serve our good, good Father. Keep on!

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    1. Susan, such a joy to meet you! I'm so happy you can relate! Thank you so much for your kind words may the Lord bless your sweet, sweet soul! You are cherished by our Father, continue to rest in His loving arms!

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  16. Hello, Nettie! What a delight to meet a young person with an old soul! 'Especially appreciated your paragraph about Jesus choosing to suffer MUCH for our sakes; we can choose joy to please HIM. It's almost like a gift to Him!
    God bless you as you teach, Nettie, find your place in the community He has already planned for you, and as you launch your blog!

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    1. Hello! It is great to meet you. Amen, so true Jesus chose so much for suffer for our sake. Thank you so much for your encouragement, I appreciate it. May the Lord bless your sweet heart!

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I would really LOVE to hear from you!! Your thoughts, opinions, suggestions and prayer requests mean a lot to me.