The Great Value of Patient Endurance

 Sitting on my back, porch enjoying the sunshine of New Years Day 2014, I reflected on t 2013. It was a year of  great changes for me and life happening pretty fast. It was a year of finishing a long long journey down the road  that I had been on since 2003.

Mom and Dad dancing in 2010 

In 2003, my mom was diagnosed with a rare disease. Her medical condition was too difficult for my dad to manage, so for years, I had gone to numerous doctor’s appointments, arranged caregivers, managed care while she was hospitalized and made more trips to the pharmacy than I care to remember...they know me by first name. Slowly watching the vibrant life being sucked from my precious mother was difficult emotionally. There were many days I was not sure I would be able to take another step as I juggled work, motherhood, being  a wife, becoming a widow, living single and being determined to have fun and discover new life.

My Mom in 2011

Then my father became ill with heart disease and bone cancer...There were days I would just have to breath deep, ask God for strength to serve and honor them and often feeling like I had two special needs children. Unless you have been the child in town responsible for your aging sick parents, I do not think you can really comprehend how challenging this can be. 

2013 began with just loosing my sweet mom, doing major repairs to our home from a house fire in December and realizing my dad only had months to live due to his declining physical condition. I was determined to finish this journey strong and all I knew was to just take the next step. I was also determined to not waste the suffering on this bumpy road knowing God makes all things work together for good.

My sweet daddy left this earth February 5th, not even two months after losing mother. Then the trip down memory lane began as my siblings and I began to sort through their personal belongings and putting their home, my childhood home, on the market.

Reading II Corinthians 1:3-6 and could see some of the bigger picture. It says, “... the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” I Corinthians 1: 6 says, “...if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in patient endurance of the same suffering we suffer.”  (NIV) I began to see as this 10 year journey, God was working in me was patient endurance. This unexpected trip down a long dusty and bumpy road had produced something in me that I did not even see. Often times we simply move through the motions of life and don’t see the bigger picture. 

Beauty in the valley 

Patience and endurance are greatly valued character qualities and mentioned numerous times in scripture. Colossians 1:11 states, “...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience...” Too many people quit instead of hanging on to God when things don’t go our way. 

1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Endurance produces faith and hope.

I Peter 1:6 & 7 tells us, “...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold...” 

I still look around and wonder how I made it through and am grateful for the joy God brought in spite of the difficulty. My new husband, I think is the funniest and most steady man alive and has kept me laughing. I am overjoyed with both my new grandchildren that arrived in August of 2013 and am looking for those around me that need encouragement and comfort because I have a lot to give away in 2014. 

Austin holding my Truett and Collins

Whatever road you find yourself on, do not quit or lose hope. God is working in ways you cannot see and I am confident you will emerge with patient endurance and pass the test.

Kathleen Maxwell is a native of the Hill Country, a social worker, writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping others discover the joy of walking with God and their value. You can contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com and on her blog www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

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Holiday Highlights with the Family- 2013

What a wonderful and fun holiday! The kids arrived the Thursday and Friday before Christmas. Life was filled with babies, target practice, hunting, laughter, food, presents and more food and laughter. Such an awesome week full of family and fun.

Proud Mama Max and Pops

My pretty daughter-in-law and daughter with their babies.

 Laura, Austin and Collins-Truett, Mallory and Rob

The girls are learning that babies have a mind of their own!

 Christmas day with my kids. Poor Price had to work...

Uncle Price Maxwell holding his niece Collins and nephew Truett!

Proud daddies holding their babies! Rob and Austin

It was fun to see both babies and how different they are. Collins is all girl, a little girl, dainty and only weighing 11.5 lbs at 4 1/2 months. Truett is all boy, very vocal, constantly moving around.

Uncle Price loves the new additions to the family!

Truett enjoying his Exersaucer!

What else do you do with a mule deer?
The boys went hunting and killed 5 deer and a hog!

Exhausted parents...

I'd rather be with my uncle Price...

Packing up and heading to Uvalde!

Collins and Mama Max

Whitney Rambie and Javi-

What a joyous Christmas with these two!

 A handfull even for a Lt. Commander

Christmas in Uvalde

Uncle Barrett Rambie with Collins

Nephews and grand kids!

Sisters

Wishing all a wonderful and joyous 2014 full of His grace and filled with His love.

Pulling Grace to Your Heart

Mama Max with grand daughter Collins

Playing with Mama Max

Working diligently in my office, I began to sing the Christmas carol that played on the radio. “

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

As I sang the words, to the last verse, “He rules the world with truth and grace,” I suddenly stopped, as the phrase came to life. I pondered the words, and began to think that if Jesus rules the world with truth and grace, what would it be like if all of us ruled our lives with truth and grace.? I knew God was speaking something to me that wanted me to discover what was in His heart. It was the beginning of a Holy Spirit adventure. God loves us so much and wants us to seek Him. This was my invitation to an adventure with Him and I knew it.

I have sung and thought often of the words to that song and asked the Lord to show me what he wanted me to discover about the gift of His grace.   John 1:17 says “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The provision for me has been made because of Jesus. His grace and truth will make a way for me in every situation. John 1: 14 states, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Collins Maxwell

One definition of grace is the divine influence on our heart and the reflection in our lives, liberty, highly favored, and joy. Jesus was full of grace and truth, and since we are made in His image, we can be full of grace and truth too. But how does that happen in our everyday lives? For me, it began by realizing this was His desire for me and asking God to fill me each day full of His truth and grace and access this wonderful gift, especially when I needed an extra dose.

Then the test came...something that hurt me some time ago, resurfaced. As the tears rolled down my cheeks from the residual pain and grief, I saw a picture of me holding grace in my hands and God saying, “pull grace to your heart to cover the the pain.  I felt the Lord say, “each time something hurts, pull my grace to your heart to heal it.” Such a hope and freedom came to me, and the hurt dissipated. His grace engulfed me and I felt love for the those that caused much pain.

 My nephews and two grand babies

Sometimes we need His grace to help us embrace a truth because sometimes the truth hurts. When we pull grace to the pain, we can then see God’s truth about the situation.  To illustrate this, let me tell of you of a recent event. A woman came to me asking for prayer because she had discovered that her husband was having an affair. She was feeling lonely, rejected, abandoned and unloved. Embracing the truth of her husbands actions and her feelings was hard. As I prayed for her, I asked God to reveal His truth to her. She was loved by God, she was accepted  and precious to Him, God would never leave her and abandon her and He would give her grace and wisdom to know what to do in the situation. 

Perhaps this holiday season, you have to be around that relative that has been unkind to you and rejected you and caused you pain. I challenge you to pick up the grace Jesus has give each of us and pull it to your heart.  I ask Him to fill you full of His grace and His truth about the situation and pour His love into your heart. How exciting to discover that we can be full of His grace and truth. May it be your best Christmas ever as you discover Jesus- full of grace and truth.

Last Christmas...missing my parents this Christmas

Find the Adventure and Look for Someone to Hug

Collins, my granddaughter, that I get to see in a week!

Kerrville Daily Times

Community Journal

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

December 2013

Most of us think of the holidays as a time of celebration, gatherings with friends and family, and pretty lights. For others, the holidays only remind them of what is NOT in their lives anymore. Grief often shows up unexpected during this season triggering the pain that might have remained hidden the rest of the year. 

my grandson 

The good news is God is with us in our pain. I speak from experience.... The things I have learned from walking through grief have been some of the best teachers in my life.  Learning that no matter what I face, God holds my hand and is full of compassion has given me great confidence and expanded my compassion for other people, which is priceless.

 God cares when our hearts hurt and wants to heal us. Psalms 34:17 states “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  It may not feel like God is close in our pain but the truth is, He has never been closer. As I have experienced Him guiding me, encouraging me, and His kindness, it has made the above scripture very real. God relentlessly kept showing me He was right beside me. Too many times our feelings lie to us and in tough times, we feel like life is over and God has forsaken us, but we must believe the truth of God’s word and press through the feelings.

If you are brokenhearted over losing a loved one, recently divorced, or another loss, let me encourage you to ask God to open your eyes to see his nearness and to encourage your heart. I have done that and it works! You are precious to Him and He cares that your heart hurts.

hunting in Alpine

Sunset at Thanksgiving

With the loss of both of my parents this past year, this Thanksgiving was the first holiday I faced without either one of my parents or my children. As I approached the holiday, instead of focusing on missing them, I began to wonder what adventure would God had ahead for me. God is always good and I’ve learned from losing my late husband, that when facing something new and different without a loved one, I find comfort and joy looking for the adventure and God’s goodness. Needless to say, it was different this year as I spent the holiday in Alpine Texas with my new husband on a 40,000 acre ranch mule deer hunting and helping him with his hunting business, a side business he has done for years. The beauty and majesty of the area was breath taking and I missed a 10 point buck...I’ll get him though! My dad loved west Texas and it will always remind me of him. Enjoying something he loved so much brought me a smile. I’ve found joy in the differentness and enjoyed the challenge.

How to make use of a trophy mule deer

 You may not be grieving this Christmas season, but God may want to use you to be His arms of compassion and love. Often people that are grieving just need people  to affirm their pain and loss and encourage them. Life isn’t the same without those that have been a huge part of our lives. It is challenging to go on without them. Love and compassion will always win and bring healing. Love never fails. Sometimes someone else's  arms  and kind words mean the world to a grieving person. 

The Holy Spirit is the best comforter and is what Jesus sent to us, but let me encourage you to ask God how he might want to use you to be a gift to someone hurting this season.  Being sensitive to others helps us be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and vice versa. Jesus said he would send the comforter. That is a promise so look for the great comforter. Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Hang on to the promises and enjoy the new adventures that await you. And don’t forget to look for people to bless with a hug.

I

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Home on the Range at Thanksgiving

Home-home on the range!

Thanksgiving 2013 in Alpine

Thanksgiving on the ranch