Last Thursday was a great day in our house and if you are a parent you can appreciate what I am about to say - it was the last day of school!!! For Josh it was the last day of sixth grade, he attends a wonderful Christian, Classical school here in Spring and we absolutely love it. The sixth grade is still a part of the Grammar school so next year he we be a part of the Upper School - which is the middle and high school combined. We are in the BIG league now!! I have no idea how the time has gone so quickly and it was a little bitter-sweet for me as a Mom to say good-bye to sixth grade (even though we will not be changing schools or anything) it is the little things that will change. But, life goes on and they must grow up...
I am very excited to see the summer arrive - I think I may be more excited than Josh! It has been a tough year for me and this tired, old mom is ready for a break - so I am thankful to say, no more school until September 7th.
I am looking forward to the lazy days of summer. Sleeping in, a steady stream of boys in my house for 3 months, spending time with my mom while Stephen and Josh are at church camp, playing board games with Josh and watching "I Love Lucy", reading my very favorite book, "To Kill A mockingbird", as I do every summer, taking our family vacation to Branson Mo., no schedules or routines - and did I mention sleeping in?! That might be the best part!
I praise God for this sixth grade year and how He has worked in Josh's life and heart - I know he continues to grow spiritually as well as academically and we are beyond thankful for what the Lord is doing in his young life. Seventh grade will be here before we know it and I give it to the Lord, knowing He is in control of each day - I am looking forward to seeing what the new year holds!
But in the meantime, I am going to enjoy this summer and time with my son. God is good to give us every minute and I will treasure them all.
Rejoicing in Hope in the Summertime,
Roxanne
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I will Stand
I have learned a valuable lesson over the past few days, well, I guess I should say I have re-learned. This is something that believers learn from day one of becoming a Christ follower - we have an Enemy.
The Bible says, "Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
The past few months of physical and emotional tailspin I have been living in have allowed me to forget that because I am a Christian I walk around each day with a target on my back and Satan will always strike where you are the weakest.
He has taken the opportunity, mostly because I have given it to him, to shoot off fiery darts at my weakened state of emotions only to weaken them more. I had forgotten that I am in a daily battle for my spiritual life and Satan will stop at nothing to pull me under the tide of doubt and hopelessness.
Over the past few days the Lord has taken me by the shoulders and reminded me of who I am. I am a Child of the King, a Daughter of the Most High God and Satan is a defeated foe - he has no power over me simply because the God of the Universe resides inside my heart and life. Hallelujah!! I needed to hear that so badly and maybe you do too. I needed for God to remind of who I am in Him and that I can and will stand firm in His power - no matter how high the water or how deep the valley!
I have been focused on the Armor of God found in Eph. 6 - my Sunday school class has been studying this passage for the last few weeks and God has really used it to open my eyes about who I am fighting each day.
"Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Eph. 6:10-12
So, please learn from me, if you are going through a trial or even if life is being good to you, put on the whole armor of God and fight. Stand firm on the promises of the Lord. Remember, as I have had to, that you do indeed have an enemy but God has not left you powerless. All the power you need is in Jesus. Cling to Him, stay in His Word, allow Him to teach you and stretch your faith - even through those tough times, after all, that's how we most see the power of God demonstrated anyway.
I would like to thank my special circle of friends that I called on to stand with me in prayer, Heather, Melissa, Keri, Casey and Cathleen. You are precious friends and I thank you for lifting me up in prayer when I needed you the most. And my mother, who I love so much, thanks for always listening to me and praying for me - you are a blessing.
As far as my home, "the pit" goes, I am overjoyed to say it was only temporary! The Lord has pulled me from that awful place - I have some dirt under my fingernails from clawing around in there but I am looking into the Face of my Father knowing that He has rescued me once again!
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!" Lam. 3:21-24
The Bible says, "Be sober, be vigilant; your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
The past few months of physical and emotional tailspin I have been living in have allowed me to forget that because I am a Christian I walk around each day with a target on my back and Satan will always strike where you are the weakest.
He has taken the opportunity, mostly because I have given it to him, to shoot off fiery darts at my weakened state of emotions only to weaken them more. I had forgotten that I am in a daily battle for my spiritual life and Satan will stop at nothing to pull me under the tide of doubt and hopelessness.
Over the past few days the Lord has taken me by the shoulders and reminded me of who I am. I am a Child of the King, a Daughter of the Most High God and Satan is a defeated foe - he has no power over me simply because the God of the Universe resides inside my heart and life. Hallelujah!! I needed to hear that so badly and maybe you do too. I needed for God to remind of who I am in Him and that I can and will stand firm in His power - no matter how high the water or how deep the valley!
I have been focused on the Armor of God found in Eph. 6 - my Sunday school class has been studying this passage for the last few weeks and God has really used it to open my eyes about who I am fighting each day.
"Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Eph. 6:10-12
So, please learn from me, if you are going through a trial or even if life is being good to you, put on the whole armor of God and fight. Stand firm on the promises of the Lord. Remember, as I have had to, that you do indeed have an enemy but God has not left you powerless. All the power you need is in Jesus. Cling to Him, stay in His Word, allow Him to teach you and stretch your faith - even through those tough times, after all, that's how we most see the power of God demonstrated anyway.
I would like to thank my special circle of friends that I called on to stand with me in prayer, Heather, Melissa, Keri, Casey and Cathleen. You are precious friends and I thank you for lifting me up in prayer when I needed you the most. And my mother, who I love so much, thanks for always listening to me and praying for me - you are a blessing.
As far as my home, "the pit" goes, I am overjoyed to say it was only temporary! The Lord has pulled me from that awful place - I have some dirt under my fingernails from clawing around in there but I am looking into the Face of my Father knowing that He has rescued me once again!
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!" Lam. 3:21-24
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Days of Old
God is so good - that seems so simple and obvious to say and yet as believers we all say it. God is of course so good and has moved through our lives in countless ways - sometimes all we can come up with in our very limited way of thinking and speaking is, "God is good."
I have been almost living in the Book of Psalms lately. Those of you who know me, know that it is one of my very favorites and it is also a balm to my soul - to all of our souls. The words wash over me as if they have been taken from my own life - I love how the Lord knew I would need that, how we all would need that.
The past few weeks He has used Psalm 77 to wash over my soul time and time again and so today I thought I would share it with you (parts of it anyway) - I pray that you are encouraged and filled with the hope the only God can give as you go through your day, your mountaintop, your valley or wherever God may have you.
Psalm 77
I cried out to God with my voice - to God with my voice; in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled; I complained and was overwhelmed.. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart and my soul makes diligent search...
And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work and talk of all Your deeds."
I have been prompted by the Lord to go back over my life and meditate on how He has worked and all the times He has been there and touched my life as only God can do - and remember that yes, he is very good. I have been doing this for some time now but this time I wanted to include it in the blog and maybe encourage you to look in your own life and thank Him for all those times when He has been so faithful...
So, Lord I thank you for walking with me every step of the way even when I didn't know you were there...
When Mama carried me so long ago and there were problems no one could have ever dreamed of ... You were there working.
When I knelt beside my bed in 1982 and gave my heart and life to you... You took my heart and have held it so tightly each day since then.
For allowing me to meet Stephen in High school and ordain our love and relationship at such an early age... God you have worked through Stephen in so many ways to teach me, grow me and lead me closer to you.
For allowing me 7 seizure free years in the beginning of our marriage... Lord how awesome you are to allow me that time.
For August 26th, 1996 when we found out we were going to have a baby... what a precious gift from You Lord, the gift of Motherhood is always so sweet but for a person with such severe disabilities, I am still overwhelmed.
For walking through a hard but rewarding pregnancy with me Lord, every week of getting my blood levels checked, not knowing how long my veins would last and the peace that You provided through it all - God You are faithful.
May 2, 1997 - our Joshua entered this world and You led me through it every step of the way, never taking Your hand from me.
Lord, I praise You and thank you for each time that I have fallen during a seizure - too many to count, my face bruised beyond recognition and my teeth knocked out 3 different times, countless stitches and trips to the ER - through it all I have felt the presence of the Lord in a powerful way and You have used these horrible times to draw me unto Yourself.
Lord I praise You when you have wrapped Your hands around my heart when friends may be talking on one side of the room and I can't get up to join them - You are always so wonderful to remind me that this is not the most important thing, and you comfort my heart in the process.
The joy of our first home... You were there to remind me that all praise goes to you.
The fun, love and memories of our family vacations - Your mighty hand has led and guided us through each one and reminded me that it is only by your grace.
The fact that I have have had 2-3 seizures as I have typed this and yet the Lord has helped me through it... I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God - thank you Lord for helping me finish what is so important to me and what I hope brings You glory.
I could really go on and on, these are just some of the amazing things God has done in my life that have allowed me to say... "God is good". It is a joy to focus on those days of old and think about all the ways He has worked and all the things He has yet to do. So, as I come to a close, what about you? How will you "remember the wonders of old" that only God can do?
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"We give thanks to You, O, God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near." Psalm 75:1
I have been almost living in the Book of Psalms lately. Those of you who know me, know that it is one of my very favorites and it is also a balm to my soul - to all of our souls. The words wash over me as if they have been taken from my own life - I love how the Lord knew I would need that, how we all would need that.
The past few weeks He has used Psalm 77 to wash over my soul time and time again and so today I thought I would share it with you (parts of it anyway) - I pray that you are encouraged and filled with the hope the only God can give as you go through your day, your mountaintop, your valley or wherever God may have you.
Psalm 77
I cried out to God with my voice - to God with my voice; in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled; I complained and was overwhelmed.. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart and my soul makes diligent search...
And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work and talk of all Your deeds."
I have been prompted by the Lord to go back over my life and meditate on how He has worked and all the times He has been there and touched my life as only God can do - and remember that yes, he is very good. I have been doing this for some time now but this time I wanted to include it in the blog and maybe encourage you to look in your own life and thank Him for all those times when He has been so faithful...
So, Lord I thank you for walking with me every step of the way even when I didn't know you were there...
When Mama carried me so long ago and there were problems no one could have ever dreamed of ... You were there working.
When I knelt beside my bed in 1982 and gave my heart and life to you... You took my heart and have held it so tightly each day since then.
For allowing me to meet Stephen in High school and ordain our love and relationship at such an early age... God you have worked through Stephen in so many ways to teach me, grow me and lead me closer to you.
For allowing me 7 seizure free years in the beginning of our marriage... Lord how awesome you are to allow me that time.
For August 26th, 1996 when we found out we were going to have a baby... what a precious gift from You Lord, the gift of Motherhood is always so sweet but for a person with such severe disabilities, I am still overwhelmed.
For walking through a hard but rewarding pregnancy with me Lord, every week of getting my blood levels checked, not knowing how long my veins would last and the peace that You provided through it all - God You are faithful.
May 2, 1997 - our Joshua entered this world and You led me through it every step of the way, never taking Your hand from me.
Lord, I praise You and thank you for each time that I have fallen during a seizure - too many to count, my face bruised beyond recognition and my teeth knocked out 3 different times, countless stitches and trips to the ER - through it all I have felt the presence of the Lord in a powerful way and You have used these horrible times to draw me unto Yourself.
Lord I praise You when you have wrapped Your hands around my heart when friends may be talking on one side of the room and I can't get up to join them - You are always so wonderful to remind me that this is not the most important thing, and you comfort my heart in the process.
The joy of our first home... You were there to remind me that all praise goes to you.
The fun, love and memories of our family vacations - Your mighty hand has led and guided us through each one and reminded me that it is only by your grace.
The fact that I have have had 2-3 seizures as I have typed this and yet the Lord has helped me through it... I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God - thank you Lord for helping me finish what is so important to me and what I hope brings You glory.
I could really go on and on, these are just some of the amazing things God has done in my life that have allowed me to say... "God is good". It is a joy to focus on those days of old and think about all the ways He has worked and all the things He has yet to do. So, as I come to a close, what about you? How will you "remember the wonders of old" that only God can do?
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"We give thanks to You, O, God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near." Psalm 75:1
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Pit
I have had a new home for the past few months. I haven't liked it very much, not my style at all. It has been cold, unpleasant, uncomfortable and very lonely. It hit me the other day that I have been spending too much time in, we'll call it "The Pit" - over the past few months due to the especially deep valley I find myself these days.
Disability and depression go hand in hand - it is very easy to get down over the difficult situation you are dealing with on a minute by minute basis. I have dealt with this some but not much. Well, that is where I find myself these days, knee deep in the muck and mire of just trying to deal with it all. Never in my 42 years have I had so many medical things thrown at me at one time as I have over the past 2 years - it has been relentless.
My emotions are worn to a frazzle, they have been ripped from me so many times only to be patched back into place with Elmer's glue. It has been a rough road and right now I just don't know if I am coming or going.Over the past few weeks I have seen myself sliding deeper into this pit as if there was no way to stop it - my emotions have been all over the place, crying over anything and everything and let's face it if you're a woman reading this, you've been there!
I have not been in a place like this in quite some time - not since I surrendered to my wheelchair 4 years ago. And I don't like it, I haven't felt this alone in a very long time. Now, I know I am surrounded by a family who loves me and stands by me and by my God who loves me more than I will ever know and has promised to never leave or forsake me - but sometimes when you are fighting a battle day in and day out, it is easy to feel like you are the only one on the front line.
That is where I have been for about two months, but I am happy to say I am slowly (very slowly) coming through to the other side. I have felt the presence of the Lord in a powerful way these past days and He has again reminded me that when I can't get to Him, He will come to me. And He has, over and over. I wish I could say that I was feeling like my old self but the truth is I'm just not there yet.
Through all of this I am thankful for I know God has a plan and purpose that I cannot even perceive and He is faithful even when I am faithless. So for now I will continue to rest in Him and allow Him to teach me what I need to learn from all of this as well as stretch and grow my faith - that is my number one goal anyway so if this is the vehicle the Lord chooses to use to achieve that, then so be it.
Right now, I am looking up from the bottom of this pit and I can see a tiny stream of light coming in along with the Arms of my Father reaching down to pick me up - thank you Lord.
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me. And heard my cry; He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. And set my feet upon a rock; and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth, Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3
Disability and depression go hand in hand - it is very easy to get down over the difficult situation you are dealing with on a minute by minute basis. I have dealt with this some but not much. Well, that is where I find myself these days, knee deep in the muck and mire of just trying to deal with it all. Never in my 42 years have I had so many medical things thrown at me at one time as I have over the past 2 years - it has been relentless.
My emotions are worn to a frazzle, they have been ripped from me so many times only to be patched back into place with Elmer's glue. It has been a rough road and right now I just don't know if I am coming or going.Over the past few weeks I have seen myself sliding deeper into this pit as if there was no way to stop it - my emotions have been all over the place, crying over anything and everything and let's face it if you're a woman reading this, you've been there!
I have not been in a place like this in quite some time - not since I surrendered to my wheelchair 4 years ago. And I don't like it, I haven't felt this alone in a very long time. Now, I know I am surrounded by a family who loves me and stands by me and by my God who loves me more than I will ever know and has promised to never leave or forsake me - but sometimes when you are fighting a battle day in and day out, it is easy to feel like you are the only one on the front line.
That is where I have been for about two months, but I am happy to say I am slowly (very slowly) coming through to the other side. I have felt the presence of the Lord in a powerful way these past days and He has again reminded me that when I can't get to Him, He will come to me. And He has, over and over. I wish I could say that I was feeling like my old self but the truth is I'm just not there yet.
Through all of this I am thankful for I know God has a plan and purpose that I cannot even perceive and He is faithful even when I am faithless. So for now I will continue to rest in Him and allow Him to teach me what I need to learn from all of this as well as stretch and grow my faith - that is my number one goal anyway so if this is the vehicle the Lord chooses to use to achieve that, then so be it.
Right now, I am looking up from the bottom of this pit and I can see a tiny stream of light coming in along with the Arms of my Father reaching down to pick me up - thank you Lord.
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me. And heard my cry; He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. And set my feet upon a rock; and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth, Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3
Monday, May 3, 2010
Thirteen
Yesterday was a big day in the Broussard house, our only child, Joshua, turned 13! We can hardly believe how the years have flown by.
Diapers, bottles, bouncy seats, ear infections, teething, Veggie Tales, Bible Man, "blankies", first steps, Kindergarten, friends, birthday parties, sleepovers, Christmases, first cell phone, growth spurts, "peach fuzz" on the lip and all the countless other things that have been packaged into the last thirteen years. So many memories...
And yet all I am able to do is think of how it all began. Stephen and I and were so unsure about getting pregnant with all my health issues, we were thinking of adopting for a long time but it just never seemed like the way God wanted us to go.
I was at Precept Bible study one Thursday morning and our teacher,Betty Miller, a wonderful woman of God who has gone Home to be with the Lord, began to talk about a recent trip to the doctor with her three year old son, Luke. She described a man with a hook for an arm who came into the office and Luke went right up to the man and asked if he had ever asked Jesus to heal him. Well, I'm sure the rest of the story was just as great but at that point I stopped listening only to hear the Lord speak to my heart and say, "Roxanne, have you ever asked Me to give you a healthy baby and a safe pregnancy?" Well, in all honesty, no I hadn't.
My life and heart were changed that day, I knew that God had spoken and I was to be obedient. After talking with Stephen and much prayer and seeking the Lord, we began to try to conceive.
August 26th, 1996 we found out we were going to have a precious life and we were both so excited we hardly knew what to do with ourselves! My doctor visit a few days later was great, we were blessed to find out the baby was due in early May.
At one of our earlier exams my doctor said some very shocking words to us, "If things don't look right to us, due to your medical problems, we can help you with that if you don't want to go any further." We couldn't even believe the suggestion was brought up! "Doctor, this is our baby and whatever the outcome, he/she is a gift from God. We will love this baby no matter what." It was never mentioned again.
On May 2nd, 1997 Joshua Aaron Broussard came into this world and our lives have never been the same since. He is truly our miracle and we are blessed every day to have him. We have no idea what to expect from the teenage years, we just give them and our Josh to the Lord each day and pray that God will continue to work in his heart just as He has for the first twelve.
I am so thankful that I obeyed the Lord so long ago, the blessings have been countless. Joshua is a miracle to us for sure, when I stop to think of the severity of my disabilities and the likelihood of pregnancy and a healthy child it makes me cry every time - only the God of the Universe can do such miraculous things. Joshua will be our only child but we are honored to have him - he has blessed our lives more than he will ever know. I will forever praise my God for allowing me the honor and joy of experiencing Motherhood - it has been such a thrill and it can only get better!!
Happy Birthday Josh - I love you!
Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne
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