#custommade – rootedbythewater.blog

This morning I woke up smiling with a song playing in my heart. I love when that happens. “God is healing someone,making a way for someone, God is up to something right now.” I wasn’t sure the lyrics in my heart were the right lyrics so I looked it up. I wasn’t too far off. I got on our church website to check the music from this past Sunday. You can check it out for yourself at http://www.centralnc.org The lyrics were “He is healing someone, He is saving someone, God is doing something right now.” I’m not sure the name of the song.

I love when the Lord ministers to my heart through music. It’s also kind of amusing because being hearing and visually limited, I get parts of it then make it my own version. I know I’m an “Oddball” but that’s okay. There is nothing wrong with being your unique individual self.

Yesterday a friend and I met for our first week of Bible study. She lives a few houses down from me, so I walked down for our first study together. We are doing Kay Arthur’s Bible study, Lord I Want yo Know You I’ve done the study before on my own but I thought it would be good to do it with a friend. There is nothing as refreshing as studying Gods Word. Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬ says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (NLT).

This particular Kay Arthur study we are doing is a study of the names of God in the Bible. God reveals His character and attributes about Himself with each name we study.

Yesterday we discussed Elohim, God our Creator. We talked about the purpose for our existence. According to God’s Word, we were created for His glory. See Isaiah‬ ‭43:7‬, “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’”(NLT‬‬).

One of the beautiful things about doing a Bible study with someone is the opportunity to share. I was open as I shared my frustrations of my hearing and visual issues. In all honesty I told my friend I didn’t think I would be the person I am today if God had not allowed me to be “broken”. God has brought me to a place where I must rely on Him rather than myself. I shared with her about a devotion I came across last week about Gideon. (Judges 7) In a nutshell, God had to reduce Gideon’s men so only God would get the glory in the victory. God reduced Gideon’s men to 300. That’s a fraction from what he started with. They each had a horn and a torch in earthen vessels (clay jars). The 300 broke into groups of three. When the horn sounded they broke their earthen vessel and the light shined through.

Sometimes God has to bring us to brokenness so His light shines through. A place where we can’t rely on our own strengths but have to fully rely on Him. It’s a hard place to be but He surely brings victory and is glorified.

There are treasures found in brokenness. It is when we can’t do it that God pouts His strength into us to enable us to shine on for His glory.

It would be so easy to sink in despair and stay in my comfort zone. A place where I’m not worried about what I can’t or can’t see, can or can’t understand. A side note, I see some of the signs but can’t always see the right hand shape with sign language, so I miss parts of what I should be seeing. When talking and listening to conversations, I understand parts of it with my cochlear implant processor but I also miss many parts. I know in my heart, God did not create me to live in my “comfort zone” where I’m not challenged and used. I was created to bring glory to Him, my Elohim, my Creator. As I soak in Gods Word, He restores me and enables me to rise up again. He is our victory. And just like that song I woke up to that was playing in my heart….“He is healing someone, He is saving someone, He is doing something…right now”! Be Blessed.

Check out my autobiography “Rooted by the Water” for more of my story. Find it on Amazon and other online retailers.

Pictures used in this blog were found on Pinterest.
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Using labels for medical purposes is inevitable. I see the need to use them, however I also see the negative impact once labels are given. A person should never be defined by his or her impairment or disease.

I personally have been labeled deaf and legally blind. It is what it is, but I don’t own it, My point is, yes I do have these limitations but I don’t let them define who I am. There is such a range of functioning with any label. As a legally blind person the label makes it sound like I see nothing. That’s so wrong. Sure I don’t see normally, as a matter of fact at my last eye appointment almost five years ago my vision was 20/400. So, do you think I use a white cane and seeing eye dog? I actually don’t. My visual impairment is due to my optic nerves being abnormally small. All the stimuli doesn’t get through my smaller nerves to tell my brain what I’m looking at. Is it blurry? Thankfully no, it’s just not big enough to know what it is. Size, shape, color and lighting help me figure things out. So I see things as they get closer.

Hearing loss has such a wide spectrum of functioning as well. Some people can hear nothing, some can hear a little with hearing aids. I got an Advanced Bionics cochlear implant in 2008. This technology helps me to hear environmental noises, some speech, nature sounds and music. I can’t understand it all but it’s better than nothing.

Some people may not have issues with labels. Labels might create comfort zones where they have excuses not to try anything out of the ordinary. On the contrary I am the opposite. Labels make me feel like I’m in a box and am limited by the expectations. I’ve alway liked to defy the odds and try anyway. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines and let everything go on around you.

Labels denote what one can’t do, what’s broken or wrong with them. So instead of saying I’m deaf and legally blind I prefer to say I can hear some and see some too. Only God and I know how much.

Recently I was trying to find out about services for an autistic young teenager. I was asked if he was high functioning or low functioning. I would rather say, “ What are his abilities and social skills?” to find the right placement where he would be most comfortable . I am mindful to keep it positive so people have a feeling of acceptance. So instead of labels that depict what’s wrong or can’t be done, let’s focus on the positives of what can be done. Sometimes a positive change of perspective is very helpful.

Check out my autobiography “Rooted by the Water” available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Target, Walmart and Park Road Books. My story of learning to live triumphantly despite disabilities, through Gods strength and lessons He has taught me along the way. Be inspired!

Tag: #custommade

The Treasure of Brokenness

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