What voices are you listening to?

Most of you know that I work at a Level One Trauma Center in downtown Houston, TX. It is one of the busiest Emergency Rooms in the United States and is the only hospital in the Houston area that has a Psychiatric Center that is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. With that being said I see and experience LOTS of VERY interesting things during my work day. Unfortunately one of the growing needs and concerns is in Mental Health whether that is due to addiction, trauma, psychiatric crisis etc. Questions regarding suicidal thoughts and plans are now a basic question that we ask every patient that walks through the door.

Almost every patient that states that they are actively suicidal and having thoughts or plans to hurt themselves also state that they hear voices. Every single incident that I have talked to patients about voices they say, "The voices are telling me I am worthless, stupid, ugly, never going to amount to anything, waste of time, no one loves me.." Never do they ever tell me that the voices are saying anything good or positive about them. Most say there are multiple voices and they argue amongst themselves about how 'bad I am and why that I should die and not live'. The patients sometimes tell me, "the voices are so loud and they never leave and they are driving me crazy so all I want to do is die so that they will finally stop and I can finally rest." This admission of course is mind-boggling and so incredibly sad. I have my own thoughts about what these patients need in regards to deliverance and often times feel such a strong demonic presence that I am rebuking Satan all the while working. These shifts are my most exhausting but I am so blessed that I have a group of people that pray for me daily that covers me and gives me an extra hedge of protection.

The reason why I am sharing this is because sometimes we too hear voices...maybe not on the same level as what I just wrote about...but we listen to lies of the enemy and it can be just as destructive. It is truly amazing how we can decree and declare the promises of God over our lives and feel infallible and that we are going to go out and kill giants with our mighty sword and we are prepared with the armor of the Lord! But someone says something about us and we are suddenly naked in the corner sucking our thumb and are listening to voices telling us that we are rejected, unloved and unfit to do anything for the Kingdom!

The fact is this...when we are weak in our communion with God; those are the times that we fall prey to the enemy. I have experienced this before and found myself in a deep pit of depression and then suddenly my eyes were opened and I thought, "Why did I even think like that? What in the world was I doing?" If you will allow it; the enemy can actually place blinders on you and you don't even realize it! That is why you have got to let people speak into your life...friends, pastors and leaders can hold you accountable and ask the hard questions to help you know if you are going the right way or not. You also need to stay in the Word and in prayer so that you can discern the voice of God.

"When the enemy shall come against you like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him".                                      Isaiah 59:19

In reality the enemy can come against you but the Spirit of the Lord will like a flood swallow up the lies that Satan throws at you and send them and him packing downstream! The Word also states that you need to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ! (2 Corinthians 10:5)  For the Lord has great plans for YOU and they are to prosper you and not to harm you, He has plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) You just need to listen for His voice in your life and discern and ignore all others :))



Keep shining for Him,

Jonna

God...Make Me Like a Duck!

There is nothing like observing a family of ducks swimming in a pond or lake. It is one of the most beautiful things. They swim so majestically and effortlessly like they have not a care in the world. The ducks webbed feet are paddling away underneath the water but look as calm as can be above it. 

I remember one cold day that I brought my two sons to a local park that had a pond and playground. As we sat there enjoying the view of the ducks; my oldest son Trey asked, "Mom, why is it that the ducks don't wear coats and we do?" I remember chuckling at his innocence and answered him, "Because God made them with waterproof coats. The cold and the water cannot touch their skin so they stay warm and dry and safe." Trey being the inquisitive and persistent 6 year old asked another question, "Then why didn't God give us that kind of coat?" I was surprised at that question and scrambled to find a good answer and in my attempt stated, "Because we need to take off our coats and the ducks need to keep theirs on." I wish I could tell you that the questions stopped at that point....but they continued. What sweet memories.

Many times that day I thought about that question. And I asked God, "why is it that we as humans are so prone to hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness?" At that time in my life I was personally struggling with some relationship issues and had found myself feeling the sting of hurt and I was carrying a heavy load. God literally spoke to me that night in prayer and stated, "Jonna, I want to make you like a duck." I remember crying and feeling heaviness being lifted off of my shoulders. It was the beginning of a healing that I didn't even truly realize that I needed. I had been hauling bitterness and resentment and it had been affecting every part of my life. 

You see God created the duck to live on land, fly in the air and swim in the water so that it could be comfortable in several totally opposite situations. Ducks waddle along on dry ground and can quickly and easily glide across the water at a moments notice and then of course seamlessly take off and fly in the air. Feathers perfectly placed by it's creator act as a barrier to allow water to simply roll off of their body. A duck does not even notice the rain water because it is a creature that is able to adapt to all environments. Water is not something that is unexpected but anticipated as the duck encounters it every day. Therefore, it does not stop to get out of the rain or fight to stay dry but simply goes on with its daily routine. 

When we become Children of God by accepting Jesus Christ, like the duck, we have a dual citizenship. I know this seems far fetched in some ways but hear me out! We live on this planet Earth but our hearts inhabit Heaven. These are two very different places with extremely opposite atmospheres and conflicting principles. Yet we are not to conform to this Earth in order to survive but rather live victoriously until we make our transition into heaven. The Bible tells us that there would be various trials in our lives according to Jame 1:8 and that we need to count it all as joy.

You see ducks aren't just waterproof without any work. They are diligent with "preening" their feather's constantly. Ducks nibble at their feathers and this motion distributes oil from a gland that covers the feathers from head to toe as well as remove scales and parasites. The oil makes the top layer of their feathers water-resistant and causes them to be bouyant and the water to literally, 'roll off their backs'. Being waterproof allows the ducks to stay in the water for long periods of time and not be affected by the cold at all. Without being waterpoof the duck's feathers will become saturated, their heart could stop beating and the heavy weight could cause the duck to possibly drown!

Living successfully in differing environments is definitely not without it's challenges! God though has equipped ALL His creations for adaptability and given all of us tools for survival. Just as ducks expect and anticipate the rain we too should prepare ourselves for adversity and recognize it when it is occuring. The Word of God and His oil of annointing will cause us to be bouyant and rise above all the "stuff" that tries to distract us and hurt us. We have to protect our heart from becoming hardened because we are called to live out our life with love. David wrote in Psalms 69 with a heavy heart because of insults from others and he was crying out to be rescued. If you are struggling today to keep your head above the water you need to know that God has already done His part...now you have to do yours.

Remember that the Lord knows exactly what is going on in your life and He is watching intently! You can easily decide to be that graceful duck swimming and content on knowing that all cares rest on the heavenly Father. When offenses creep up and the cold and wet try to get you down remember to look up and say, "God make me like a duck!" and watch the things that "so easily beset us" in this life just roll off your back leaving you happy, content and amazingly unaffected. 

Jonna

Compassion is a Verb

So many people tell me that I am such a compassionate and loving person. I sincerely appreciate the compliment but it is truly a God-given attribute and it is not without any sad and faulty beginnings. Don't get me wrong...I have always loved people. I grew up watching my mom and dad give literally the clothes off their back to people that were in need. I was raised in an environment of giving, loving and investing in people. And despite that I made a horrible mistake one day that I will never easily forget. 

I was in Junior High and there was a new boy at my school that was close to 6 foot tall, had failed several grades and had some unsual facial features which made him stand out BIG time. Everybody made fun of him and no matter where he was or what he was doing there was always someone calling him names and taking jabs at him. I felt sorry for him. He would just put his head down and never say anything back.       
    

One day after school there was a group of kids outside and I approached the crowd and recognized several of my friends. They were berating this boy from the way he looked, how old he was, the clothes that he wore, etc. I listened to the remarks until it was over. I stood in the group; silent but guilty by association. I wanted to take up for him and tell everyone to be quiet and leave him alone but I couldn't find the courage to speak up. After all...what would my friends say? What would the girl that I wanted to be friends with say if I said anything? I remember the last time I saw him; he was walking home with a few kids behind him. I am sure they were harassing him the whole way. 

The next day we got an announcement at school that our classmate had killed himself. He had went home wrote a suicide note, put a bag over his head, tied it around his neck and inhaled gasoline through a hose. In the newspaper it talked about how his father and him was new to the area and that he had recently lost his mother to cancer. I was devastated and my chest literally hurt. Some of my classmates actually laughed. I cried. 

It isn't popular sometimes to take a stand and do right when others around you don't seem to be. Since that fateful day I have replayed this scenario in my head a million times and asked myself what I could have done and how it might have ended differently if only I would have stood up for the guy. I cried out to God asking for forgiveness and to take the guilt away. I also prayed that the nightmares would disappear quickly...but they didn't. But slowly God did a work in my heart and I began to look at people through different eyes and I found myself being drawn to those eating by themselves, intervening when someone was being ridiculed, and just being more aware of people in general. I really feel like God placed in me a compassion for people that are hurting and a love for the unloveable. In many ways I feel He gave me another chance and I will NEVER let Him down again.

Compassion is a word of action. It is not observing from the sidelines; it is the heartfelt care for another with both intent and action. It exemplifies the character of God in who He is and how He responds to His children. In fact it is one of the Ten Commandments in "loving thy neighbor as yourself" and let's not forget..."The Golden Rule"! The compassion of Christ carries the notion of tenderness and affection. It is a feeling with and for others that is a fundamental and distinctive quality of God. He is the God of all comfort and the Father of compassion (Psalm 116:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Christ's compassion has no limits. He ignores categories of people that are set within society and touches those who would come to Him — no matter who they are or what they have done. The poor, disenfranchised, suffering, and marginalized in society are precious to God (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; 6:20; 7:22). Jesus cares for the oppressed and downtrodden (Luke 4:18,19). 

If we are going to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus then we need to be willing to stand and take action when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient and unpopular. Never think that what you say or do cannot make a difference in someones life.....it could actually be the difference between life or death.

--Shine your light!

     Jonna