Life Plan Devotion #169 [raising the dead]

Hi, Everyone.
For those of you *****ad what I wrote yesterday, about my father [Devotion #168], I want to give you an amazing update. No, we haven't talked, he and I, but...something amazing happened today.
As many of you know, I've experienced abuse in my life...more than once. It caused me to ask, "What is wrong with me?" Surely, there is something wrong with me, for in all those instances, the common denominator was me.
Well, today, I played back my father's two answer machine messages, and in the second one he says, quite angrily, "What is wrong with you, Lou Ann?" [my middle name].
As I heard him ask the question that I have asked over and over, it hit me. There is nothing wrong with me! I'm not cursed, I'm not inadequate, I'm not broken, I don't wear a sign that says "Go ahead, do what you want with me." I'm not a victim, I'm not fragile. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me!
I don't know what my father wanted to accomplish by asking me the question, "What is wrong with you?" but it really doesn't matter, because today, God raised me from the dead!

Life Plan Devotion #169 [raising the dead]

John 11:3, 6, 32, 39-40, 43-44 [NLT] "The two sisters [Mary and Martha] sent a message to Jesus telling Him, 'Lord, your dear friend is very sick.' [Jesus] stayed where He was for the next two days... When Mary arrived and saw Jesus [who had finally come], she fell at His feet and said, 'Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died.' 'Roll the stone aside,' Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, 'Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.' Jesus responded, 'Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?' Then Jesus shouted, 'Lazarus, come out!' And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, 'Unwrap him and let him go!'" [Note: Information added in brackets by author, for clarity.]

     In the interest of space, I chose a minimum of verses from chapter 11, to tell the story of Lazarus. I would encourage you to read the entire account of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44). This is one of my favorite stories, because it shows how, despite the desperation of cir****tances, God knows what is going on, He has a plan, and it is good.
     Mary and Martha did the right thing. They sent a message to let Jesus know that the friend He loved was sick, and they asked Him to come. They knew He was the only one who could help their brother, Lazarus, to get well. But Jesus did not come, and Lazarus died.
     Can you feel the question mark hovering over Lazarus' family? Can you feel their confusion, their disappointment, their grief? I can. What do you do when it looks like God is not answering your prayer, is not meeting your need? You do what Mary and Martha did--you do what needs to be done, and you wait for the Master to come. When He does, you find out that even when He's four days late, He's still right on time.

What this has to do with weight loss: Most of us who choose weight-loss surgery do so because we have (or will have) so many health issues that something must change, and soon. Perhaps we have been seeking God to remove those health issues, only to find that nothing changes. Then we pursue weight-loss surgery, and life changes for the better. Perhaps we are waiting for insurance to approve our surgery or we are trying to find the money to pay for weight-loss surgery. Where is God? Is He late? No. His answer is right on time, and it may be a combination of weight-loss surgery and healing.

Today, Jesus says to you, "Come out from your death cave!" Give Him all the glory, and He will make sure your death wrappings are removed. Listen to Karen Peck, as she sings "Four Days Late." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTLl7C77gSc

Blessings,
Mary