resilience – rootedbythewater.blog

More than enough

March 19, 2025Leave a Comment

This evening I was so moved by a text from a friend. Me, my husband Ron and son Joshua just got home from serving with RiceNBeans ministry to the homeless in Rock Hill. To say I’m tired this evening would be an understatement. However, it’s always a fulfilling kind of tired.

As I was letting our dog outside, the following text came in. My friends text said ~ “While in prayer I felt impressed to tell you this. When you feel overwhelmed in life know that God is with you. When you feel compassion for J and think as a mother how he’s inherited much of the same as you. Remember you were only the vessel God got him. When loneliness, sadness and if onlys try to distract you. Remember God is with you. When you look at Ron and feel he has so much on his plate remember God put you together and He never makes a mistake. You are loved, you are beautiful and you are strong. I love you my sister and friend.” As I read it, tears started streaming down my face. In life sometimes we deal with it to the point where we don’t realize the deep sadness we have stuffed deep down within as we are pressing on. I showed Ron the text and he too teared up. The guys left for the gym and I sat down and read the text again and began to cry again. I closed the iPad and began to pray. Lord you know my heart. You know how I feel. I know you are with me and our family. Let me be able to say that’s enough. As I prayed I began to worship and praise God. I don’t understand this life here on earth. I don’t pretend to even try to understand it. I just wake up daily, spend time in prayer and God’s Word. Fortified for the day, I just dive in to whatever the day holds. I know this is not my home. I’m just passing through and here to bring God glory in whatever way He sees fit.

I am always truly blown away when God puts things on peoples heart to share with me or speak into our family. I’m beyond thankful for God’s compassion for us and knowledge that we know He is El Roi ~ the God who sees. He sees, He feels and He knows. Even when we push things so deep down we don’t even acknowledge it ourselves. He knows and reveals Himself in various ways. Tonight it was through a friend’s text, which led to a heartfelt time in prayer and worship.My heart is FULL!

God is good all the time. Whatever you are dealing with, just know God is with you! He is there always. We don’t have to be understood by people. We are understood and fully known by our Creator. I can’t thank Him enough. Good night!
Www/shannonkhinson.com.

Morning Song

March 17, 2025Leave a Comment

Occasionally I will wake with a song on my heart. I love mornings like today. I woke from a deep sleep, all wrapped tight in warm covers. The light of dawn was faintly coming through the window. Lying there I longed to go back to sleep but instead a song began in my heart. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim. In ight of His glory and grace. (By Sovereign Grace 2019) This was such a precious way to start my day.

Yesterday I struggled with disappointment in people. I’m not usually one to “vent” because it just weighs on another and accomplishes nothing really. We had stayed home from church since the weather was rainy with gusty winds. I watched both early and late service with no closed caption. The second service I followed fairly well. Thank you Jesus.

It is interesting how when you aren’t busy, your mind can become a battle ground. The guys had gone to the gym. Staying home, my mind turned to people issues. Of all things Why in the world would my mind go there? We can’t do anything about the way people are and how others can drain life out of us. So yesterday I did want to “vent” but I prayed instead. I asked God to check MY heart. I asked Him to help me to respond in a way to bring glory to Him. Did my feelings go away? Nope! However, I started straightening up the closet and rediscovered a perfume box full of old pictures and cards. I sat at the table and began looking through them. Ron and Joshua came home and they too began to look through them. I found pictures from a Croatia mission trip when I was 3 months pregnant with Joshua. There were pictures of our first house and from a trip to the Bahamas with friends. Joshua saw these pictures from early in our marriage and he said, “What happened?” 😂I said , “31 years of marriage!” All in all it was a nice distraction from my previous line of thinking.

I did finally reach out to a friend late last night. I had told Ron I was feeling a bit depressed, but I’m the type to just “suck it up, buttercup”. I just deal with it and let it go. Or try to. It was nice sharing with my friend late last night She too understands disappointments with people. I told her I’ve learned to try to be content with whatever. (I can’t drive. I can’t do the things I want to do. I can’t make people care.) I’ve just learned to be content. My friend said, “A female version of Paul: Paulette”. That was seriously one of the nicest compliments. After sharing my heart, she had given me a different perspective and I felt better. So this morning, waking up to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” was so fitting. It’s a new day and the sun is shining. It doesn’t matter what today holds, Jesus goes before me, follows me and lays His head of blessing on my head. I will turn my eyes upon Him and sure enough the cares of this world grow strangely dim, in light of His glory and grace.
Have a blessed day!
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Anticipation☺️

March 9, 2025March 9, 2025Leave a Comment

I absolutely love the sights of Spring approaching. About four years ago we planted a Tulip tree in honor of my Dad, Every year since, it blooms around his Heavenly birthday. This Wednesday marks four years. We sure do miss him but he is in a better place, fully healed from cancer. When I see the buds on this tree, I begin to anticipate the beautiful blooms that are sure to come soon. Yesterday I noticed more color and it made my heart smile. I’ve clipped back the very bottom breaches so it grows more into a tree form rather than a large shrub. My husband Ron and I expanded the border stones yesterday so we can add more nourishing soil and mulch. Haven’t finished yet but we have time.

Spring is coming soon. The signs are all around and my allergies sure have kicked up as well. One cluster of daffodils have bloomed and the others should be opening their beautiful yellow petals soon. Things come back to life after a lifeless Winter. The sun is delightful in our Carolina blue sky as the days are a little bit longer. Spring puts a little “pep in my step” and makes me happy. The beauty of the Tulip tree is bittersweet as the budding reminds me that Dad has finished his race but he’s with Jesus. I can’t wait to see the spectacular blooms and I also can’t wait to be reunited with him and Jesus someday.

Www.shannonkhinson.com

Roll on~

February 25, 20252 Comments

See that piece of old tape on that zoom dial?

One of my least favorite things to do is organize our study room. If I could see well it wouldn’t be so bad, but I have to put every single paper under my video magnifier to see what it says. Not to mention that old video magnifier has a zoom dial that is broke. As I’m looking at whatever, it zooms extra large to small at the tiniest touch of the broken dial. Lord help me! Ron was looking into replacing it but I said NO! Those things cost a lot of money and I can just tape it at a reasonable zoom level….again!

Yesterday I asked Ron if we could switch our large desk around. It’s a large L shaped desk with the computer at the angle, my video magnifier on one end and his stuff on the other. I wanted to try switching ends. What was I thinking? I created a pile of papers that now need to be looked through and probably shredded. In the midst of those papers and notebooks that I had tucked things into, I found some “GEMS” Tucked in one of my journals from 2006, I had put a Christmas card picture from an old childhood friend. Wow! I don’t even remember getting the card. It was in the envelope, with return address. Wonder if she still lives there. Gosh, it’s at least 17 years old from the looks of her children who are now grown adults. I also found a card I received 19 years ago when I was getting ready to have my cochlear implant surgery. Lord have mercy! I really need to look through these things but…. like I said, I have to put everything under my machine to see what it says.

Sometimes we have to “roll with it” and get it done but oh my word, I’m not looking forward to this. Speaking of “roll with it” I don’t mean literally. We have two office chairs in the study that roll on the wooden floor. Last night when I sat down in one of the chairs, I just made it to the edge and the chair started rolling backwards across the floor. The treadmill saved me from busting on my butt. That would not have been good with this being week two of being out of the back brace.

We really do have to “roll with it” in life. My day started wonderfully. My friend Katie who is a Pastor/Missionary’s wife came to visit. I really loved seeing her and having time to catch up since we haven’t seen each other in years. When she left I sat at the computer to put in a Mary Kay order and things went downhill from there. I haven’t sat at that computer in months and my bookmarked page was no longer there. Keep in mind I have to “Ultra zoom” to see the computer. I’m talking so zoomed the font becomes like little pencils. AND my bookmarked page was gone. After much frustration I finally got it figured out and Ron bookmarked it for me again.

Next thing….. yes there’s a next thing. There is always a next thing. The tax booklet from the accountant still needs to be complete. I’ve got one more section. That means back to that machine, and I’ll be sure to not “fall out of the chair” when I “roll with it” this time. Ron told me we are also having a house guest tonight. I told Ron, I just washed the sheets so they would be clean when our son returns from out of town next week. I joked that our house is the “Hinson Inn & Call Center”. If you’re having a rough day and need a sounding board just give us a call. (Well Ron, not me) If you need a place to crash, come on by. (I’m kidding but it’s kind of what happens). Years ago our son Joshua was always having friends over. He’s an only child, so we always welcomed them. I used to look out the window and know who was here by whatever car(s) were here. Yes sometimes more than one. I used to tell Ron we needed a sign for the yard. “Hinson Inn ~ NO Vacancies” ~ drive on!😂

We go through seasons in life where there is change and we have to declutter, making room for new growth. After the stressful afternoon I decided to get out in the sun. This is my kind of February day, sunny and 67 degrees. Perfect! I needed to trim the bottom layer of limbs on Dad’s tulip tree. We planted that tree in his memory almost four years ago.. Trimming the bottom branches will help me be able to see if anything is hiding underneath when the tree blooms. It has buds all over it and always buds around the time he passed. It’s bittersweet.

That’s the thing about life, it gets cluttered, you have to trim things back, you have to “roll with it” and continue to be a blessing despite the stress. Tomorrow is RiceNBeans day, which brings life into perspective. Our homeless friends don’t have a place to call their own. They don’t know where their next meal will come from. Two weeks ago my friend gave a lady the boots off her own feet because the lady’s shoes were soaked from the cold rain. That was one of the most beautiful things. We are beyond blessed; papers I can’t see, machines with the broken zoom dial, phones to enable people to call who need a listening ear (Ron’s) , clean sheets for the next guest. There is much to thank God for. He is faithful. Even when we don’t understand why He doesn’t fix things the way we want. He sees the big picture. Let’s just raise a Hallelujah and “roll on”.

Www.shannonkhinson.com

Testing 1…2…3…

August 18, 2024August 18, 2024Leave a Comment

My Advanced Bionics Marvel Cochlear Implant processor.

Story of life! Seriously, it sort of is. Here’s the thing, almost one week ago I had some big adjustments to my cochlear plant. For some reason over the years, four of my16 implanted electrodes had been turned off for various reasons. In my 18 years of implantation with my cochlear implant, I’ve had differing levels of success or lack there of. If you know, you know 😂 (You can count on me to keep it real.) I love my current Audiology Center called Lakeside Audiology in Fort Mill, SC. I started going there about five years ago after much frustration at my previous hearing center. The team that works with me at Lakeside Audiology sent my files to Advanced Bionics AB (that makes the type of implant I have) in California to have a specialist there review and make recommendations for improvement. Since I also have low vision due to optic nerves issues, I rely heavily on my cochlear implant to help me hear. The AB Specialist made some recommendations to implement. Last Monday when I went for my appointment, three electrodes were turned on that were previously off. I noticed a difference although I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. My levels of pitches were adjusted as well and it was louder. I did better hearing the sounds in the sound booth. I went home, determined to work with the new changes. Little did I know I’d be back four days later.

Tuesday and Wednesday were a blur of activities and I didn’t have time to really pay attention or work with the new adjustments. I did pick up some things I did not notice before but it also really grated on my nerves. Just try to think about it; Each of these electrodes stimulate my auditory nerve allowing me to hear different pitches. Three more had been turned on so my brain was being more stimulated. Thursday I finally had a slower paced day and that’s when I realized it was just too loud for me. I don’t complain but my nerves were “strung” and I was tired from all the effort and simulation. I e mailed the Audiologist and Ron called. I was able to go in Friday to have the levels turned down a bit. Little steps are sometimes needed to make progress. I kept the electrodes on, just had some volume turned down. Now I’m back to listening activities with Sound Success, Word Success and iAngelsound.

I have noticed maybe a little improvement. The thing is, I’m never consistent. I asked my Audi why I have such issues with the rate of speech and she said it is due to the type of hearing loss I have. Neuro sensory relating to my lovely nerves. Seems everything boils down to nerve issues. (Vision and hearing issues) It seems to me that doctors would come up with something to help. What about oxygen therapy treatments? Dietary changes? Supplementation? Come on! I did ask a previous primary Dr. his thoughts on dietary changes to help with nerve issues. His response? “That would take a long time to work. “ That might be true, but “Pop a pill” isn’t the answer to everything. Just being honest here.

Back to my story. On Saturday Mom and I went to our Lit & Latte Book Club that we attend once a month. The ladies went around the table sharing prayer requests before discussing this month’s book selection. I DID understand a little bit during the sharing of prayer requests. Just bits and pieces, some voices better than others, but everyone talked one at a time. Once we began the book discussion I was lost in overlapping chatter and laughter. Mom did help me to follow some of the discussion. At one point I kind of “zoned out”. I told Mom later it’s kind of like going to the gym. You go and get your workout in. When you get tired you leave and it’s over until next time. Not so with hearing rehabilitation. I go and listen intently, but once I’ve had enough, I still have to continue listening. I do have friends with cochlear implants who just take the processor off to give themselves a break but they can see way better than me. Mom and I stopped at a few stores on the way home. When I did finally get home I was beyond exhausted. I laid down at 4 pm and took a two and a half hour nap. Whew!

I’m determined to work with the new changes and God willing my brain will make the connections and comprehension will come. Until then, I will continue to test myself with the various exercises. I was telling the audiologist that it’s a challenge while doing the iAngelsound app as I have to zoom in to see the word selection and the repeat button is over to the side. (On iPad screen) Sometimes I don’t see the word right but hear the sound. Oh Lord have mercy. It’s like a never ending rollercoaster that you want “off of” 😳Thankfully at home I can function fine without the processor although I prefer to have it on. I don’t want to miss “life” happening around me. So the testing goes on. My husband is so used to me having my processor on that when I do take it off and he starts talking, I’m like….. “I don’t have my processor on. Let me put it back on. Okay what did you say?” Yes… that’s an every day thing.

Just a little glimpse at my world. Technology is a marvel. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I want to throw it out the door but I will keep working with it. Eighteen years and counting. God is good and faithful. So thankful for the resilience to keep going, stay real and keep smiling. All for His Glory.

Www.shannonkhinson.com

Morning Squab Fun

July 6, 2024Leave a Comment

Opening the dining room blinds this morning, I noticed the Squabs (baby Mourning Doves) were very active and have grown so much. I grabbed my iPad to video them. They are such a wonder to observe. They really do make my heart happy. The Momma Dove sits all regal while her Squabs “carry on” with their activity. It is truly the neatest thing to watch.

Yesterday when I looked out the window, the Momma had left the nest but the Squabs were there. I told my husband Ron, the Momma was possibly watching from somewhere in the yard. I’m guessing from their size, they may be near the time to leave the nest. I was telling my Mom about them yesterday and mentioned how I’d like to clean the front porch once they have learned to fly and leave the nest. I told her, “ I’m going to put a pause to any more “dovey” reproduction plans until I get my porch cleaned. “ Every time I get ready to pressure wash the porch we see a new nest. They are messy but they are also worth the mess with how precious they are.

Life is like that in so many ways. Sometimes our “plans” are put on hold for whatever reason. We have to wait until the “busy squab-messy” season has transitioned to resume a “normal” life. (If there is such a thing) We are in a season like that. Our son moved back home in April and has been in a full time Massage Therapy program. He has given up driving and sold his car, due to his visual issues. He’s trying out his hearing aids once again to see if they might help him understand better in class. That’s yet to be seen. He hears some voices better than others. I am so proud of him. He’s not perfect, far from it actually (but aren’t we all) but he has humbled himself and is doing his best with what he has. He’s learned to “laugh” at what life throws. He has a resilience and takes his frustrations out in the gym.

Like the Momma Dove, we as parents are there while he’s learning to transition and handle what life throws. He is a marvel to watch and he makes my heart smile. Ron has been so awesome with him, willing to take him wherever he needs to go. The things you do for your “squab” but it’s worth every second. God has a plan and we are trusting Him every step of the way. I will be the first to tell you, it’s not easy. It can be hard. As a parent you want to “fix things” but God is the one who is leading. Sometime we need to stay out of “His” way and just pray and trust. That’s where I am at this point.

I know God has us. He is trustworthy and won’t fail us. He has a plan and we are holding tight to His hand. God has you too! Whatever your situation, you can give it to Him and trust Him to strengthen you as you wait for His plan to unfold. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”(NLT)

If you liked this blog post, please subscribe and share. It’s interesting the way blogs come to life. I will see something, read something, or something might ha and God speaks to my heart. Those are the times I write. It usually happens once a week, sometimes more. I am coming up on my third anniversary of blogging and have posted over 200 blog posts since July 18, 2021. The blog is a continuation of my journey that I shared in my autobiography, “Rooted by the Water”. You can find it on Amazon. I am considering writing a fiction novel, but awaiting on confirmation from the Lord concerning that. We will see where He leads. Life sure does give much fodder for story line.

God bless you all and have an awesome Saturday. I will post on my Facebook page, the video I took of the Squabs this morning. Check out my page on Facebook, Rooted by the Water.
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Learning to Be Still

June 19, 20242 Comments

I find it slightly ironic that I’m writing on “the fly” today about learning to “Be still”. I’m not talking about physically being still but rather “being Still before the Lord”. It’s vital to learn to rest in Jesus despite any and all worldly chaos churning.

Sometimes you can feel so alone even in a group of people. You begin to feel kind of “down and out”. You can go from a season of constant movement to one of a slow pace, seemingly alone. In those alone and quiet periods, the enemy tries overtime to cloud our minds with half truths and speculation. When you don’t have the previous rapport of companionship for whatever reason (vacations, busyness with families, or just dealing with life) thoughts can pop up and your imagination runs with it. Knowing enemy tactics is so so important.

A friend sent me a word of encouragement the other night. Just kind of out of the blue and it touched my heart. In a nutshell, she told me , “Shannon I feel impressed to tell you stop worrying and stressing yourself. He’s got you, Joshua and Ron in his hand and will. You are never a burden on people who love you. Satan tries to cloud your head with that. He’s a liar. You all are a beautiful family. Rest my dear sister and friend and let God do what you can’t. I love you. Nite nite”. A beautiful sister in Christ sent that to me and it touched my heart. Yes I had been stressing and yes I had been worrying. If you knew my story, you’d completely get it. BUT God doesn’t want me to stress and worry but rather to “Be Still” before Him and trust Him.

Knowing there are things I can’t do and need help with, like drive and make phone calls: I’m guilty of going “over and beyond” with the things I can. That puts additional stress on me. I must learn and maybe you should too, that I can’t be everything even in those duties I can handle well. I’m trying to cook more for our family to save money. ( Eating out with three adults is expensive even at the cheaper places.). I can cook just fine but the stove/ glass top range is the new digital kind and I have the hardest time seeing it. I can’t see if it’s on high or medium. I turn the dial and watch the burner. If it’s fully red I’m assuming it’s high….. and you get the picture. It’s a challenge but with God’s help I’m getting it done. That is just one tiny example of dealing with life with low vision. Don’t get me started on the hearing loss issues. What can I say….I’m unique. 😜

Living ilife can feel so lonesome at times. It’s during these times, it’s so vital to turn our thoughts on Jesus and stay in His Word. I will tell you as I was just typing that, my iPad completely closed and went to my homepage. Isn’t that just like the enemy to try interfering with “Kingdom Work”? The devil tries to frustrate us and make things more difficult, hoping we will “throw in the towel” and just forget it. Not going to happen here! When my iPad messed up, I just “dug in my heels” and found where I left off and kept the encouragement flowing.

Do you understand where I’m going here? These times when we feel alone, God is actually teaching us things people can’t teach us. He is molding us and forming us into vessels that absolutely MUST SEEK HIS FACE to make it through the day. I know from a human perspective that’s a hard place to be BUT from a spiritual perspective that is THE PLACE TO BE! Let’s give GOD GORY IN THESE QUIET TIMES as HE IS PREPARING US FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD! Nope… I’m not yelling at y’all but I AM emphasizing an important point. Armor up Saints. The devil plays very ugly vile games BUT he is DEFEATED already! ALL GLORY TO JESUS!

I think I’m done here but publishing this blog will have to wait until later tonight after RiceNBeans outreach. Right now I’ve got to get the hotdogs cooking and rice in the oven. Beans have been on all morning. It’s going to be an awesome day. Whether you’re alone or in a crowd, keep your eyes on JESUS! Reach out and encourage someone. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you. Ministry is a two way street. Let’s go!

It’s my prayer that you have received encouragement or perhaps even been challenged through this blog. I find it so refreshing when people can be real and transparent. We can all learn from each other. Life lessons are amazing teachers. I’m thankful for all The Lord is teaching me. Please check out my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon (hard cover, soft cover and ebook formats) I pray it’s a blessing to you and encouragement to never give up in hard situations. Be blessed and better yet, be a blessing.
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30 ~This is Us

April 30, 2024Leave a Comment

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f6b_28HdTCPQpeKLfZx2_tkQ

Today marks 30 years of marriage. If I knew in the beginning what I know now, I would have held my tongue on the petty stuff that wasn’t worth arguing over. The saying “you live and learn” has certainly proven to be true. Marriage goes so much further than that though. You also grow, learn to work through tricky situations, listening to each other, Praying for each other individually and together. There is a balance of love, encouragement and persevering that develops over many year.s. We have seen some great times, making great memories. We have also seen some of the toughest of times, shedding tears and even laughed through some of them in utter disbelief but we do it together.

We are better together. Are we perfect? NO! We fall down, we get back up. We fuss, we apologize. We forgive and honestly move on. Marriage is working through life together. We are not a Ron or a Shannon, we are a couple. We’ve seen so many couples hit rough patches, have midlife crisis, entering new stages in life then “toss in the towel”. Little do they realize that when a couple works through these things together, they come out so much stronger. Hold on to your marriage! It’s worth fighting for. You won’t always feel the “warm fuzzy feelings” that are there in the beginning. Love is a decision. When we exchanged our vows, we meant it.

I’m thankful to be Ron’s wife. Through it all, God has strengthened our love for each other as we grow stronger in Him. I’m thankful for this life we have built together and continue growing each day. I pray God blesses us with many more. Happy Anniversary Ron! I love doing life with you!🤟🏼

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3 Years Tomorrow

March 11, 2024Leave a Comment

The tulip tree we planted in honor of my dad.

Time sure does fly. You blink and a three years has gone by. Tomorrow, March 12 is not only my husband Ron’s birthday but also my dad’s third heavenly birthday. Three years ago tomorrow we took him to the hospital, fully expecting to bring him home. After all, his momma lived to be 101, bouncing back after many trials. It’s true that God’s ways are not our ways. When God calls us home, we will go.

We have handled his loss well because we know we will see him again. It was a “see you later” knowing he is with Jesus now. No more cancer, no more pain. But I sure do miss him.

Today when I was outside changing the garden flags, I walked to the back fence and smile. There in full bloom was the tulip tree we planted almost three years ago in honor of dad. He and mom have a beautiful one and I love their tulip tree. When dad died, I asked Ron if we could plant one. It blooms around the time of his heavenly birthday each year. Our upstate South Carolina soil is red clay. It’s not the best for growing things but we were extra careful mixing in some peat moss and good soil in the large hole we dug. I wanted to make sure it had the best chance of survival. So far so good. Each year it’s grown a bi more and has more blooms. Seeing those blooms today put a smile in my heart.

Grief is the oddest thing. Memories come all the time of treasured moments over the years. I was a “Daddy’s Girl”. I could talk to him about anything and he would listen and give sound advice. He enjoyed a good game of Skipbo with the family. We used to have four generations around the table playing that card game. He and his momma were sharp players and they both played to win. I recently found Skipbo online and downloaded it on my iPad. It’s a fun card game but nothing compares to the memories when we all played it together.

Tomorrow is also food pantry day. Mom and dad both volunteered at the Fort Mill Church of God food pantry for years. Eight years ago I started volunteering with them there. Dad would swing by and pick me up to take me with him and meet Mom there. He would always stop by and get me and mom a cup of tea: sweet for mom and half and half for me. I miss him when we are volunteering. Seems like he should be in the next room praying for the clients as them come in. Mom still does that and I help pack the food boxes.

Most of all I miss the talks. He was a very generous man who loved his family well. His generous spirit and legacy lives on in us all. In honor of my Dad, this blog is for you. Oh and one more thing Dad… Forrest is doing so well and your great grands are showing the Kenley genes. My goodness. When I see pictures of them I see your boy. I know you would love that. Mom sure does. Shes doing very well too, a strong woman. Love and miss you always.

Me and dad on the way to volunteer at the food pantry

Www.ShannonKHinson.com

When you can’t fix it

February 28, 2024Leave a Comment

My fixed elephant tail and my processor that stopped beeping.

We all occasional break things and reach for the super glue. Sometimes the glue works, other times it doesn’t. In the last two weeks my husband Ron has fixed one of my favorite pair of shoes,a ceramic bird and my favorite baby ceramic elephant. I still don’t know how its tail broke off. Last Wednesday I saw Ron with his super glue working on my elephants butt. Somehow its tail broke off but he managed to fix it.

Technology is a different story. Today while I was prepping my Bible study notes I send to the girls in our Bible study group, out of the blue my cochlear implant processor began to beep. There was a series of three beeps that happened over and over. It was like it was being programmed but I had no idea why. I turned it off then back on, but the beeps continued. I changed the battery twice but that didn’t work either. I also tried disconnecting the bluetooth feature from my iPad, but it still kept beeping. Oh my word! It was so annoying but I could not fix it. Ron was taking me to my friend’s house to help her cook for the homeless ministry. While in the car, I e mailed my audiologist. The beeping finally stopped but I still have no clue what caused it.

People matters can be a whole different issue. I love human nature and how personalities click or clash is intriguing. People mess up. That’s just a fact of life. People hurt your feelings and you have to forgive and forget. Some have an easier time with that than others. Someone recently told me about a situation where they were at fault and it caused issues in a relationship. They told me they just could not fix it. I said, “Have you apologized” The answer was yes. I then asked, “Have you prayed about it” People don’t always think to pray about situations. The fact is, God can work in the hearts of all involved. Sometimes you’ve got to swallow your pride and admit you did something wrong. Sometimes people look at the same thing from a completely different angles and can’t see eye to eye on something. Oftentimes we just have to let it go. Learn from the situation and move on. Live, learn, let it go and move forward.

Tonight at the Rice N Beans outreach in Rock Hill, Ron struck up a conversation with a man waiting at the bus top. I was standing there with them but I could not understand the conversation. The mam had good eye contact. Ron did sign just a little bit of what he said so I could follow a bit. The man has been through a lot. He was my own age. Ron was trying to encourage him. All the sudden I found myself speaking about God giving joy in the midst of hard things. Ron asked him if he knew Jesus and he said yes. As Ron talked with him, I said a silent prayer that God would open doors for this man.

Life happens. Things break and people mess up. Sometimes you can fix it, other times you can’t. In the midst of it all, God is working. You might ask how. God is always at work behind the scenes. In the most troubling times, He is at work in the hearts and circumstances. Keep praying and keep trusting God. We humans can really mess it up when we take things into our own hands. It’s wise to acknowledge Gods sovereignty and surrender to Him. He can bring beauty from ashes.

As my friend and I were preparing the food today, we also talked about our upcoming Bible lesson. This next lesson is on Elizabeth, John the Baptist mother. She and her husband Zacharias had prayed for years for a child, but they still had no children. They probably assumed that God had said “no”. In reality God was saying “wait”. His timing was perfect. It warmed my heart to be reminded that God hears my every prayer. When it seems He is saying no to my requests, it actually is yes to His best. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ‭(NLT‬‬)

Do you have something in need of fixing? If you find you cant fix it, you can always prayer about it. God has ways of working things out. Give it to Him and trust Him to bring out the best. You are loved more than you will ever know. Be blessed.

f you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.