Deal or No Deal

Jamie and I were really into watching "Deal or No Deal" last year. Each of us would pick a case, and then we'd proceed to yell at the contestant telling them which case to pick. (My case was usually 18 due to that being the day I was born and all.) We were definitely "Deal or No Deal" junkies for a time. We would even record it on our DVR, so that we could fast forward through the commercials.

Now that we don't have our DVR anymore, we have gotten out of watching it. It's just too suspenseful. Still, I catch a show on occasion. I especially like the holiday shows....like the Thanksgiving one. Did you see it? Instead of money, they had T-giving food words such as cranberry sauce, gravy, and squash in the cases. The contestants already had enough pressure with being afraid that their case that they chose would have a small amount of money, but with the T-giving one, they had even more to worry about. I mean, what if their chosen case had gravy in it? Who would want to go home with gravy?? It was so suspenseful watching the poor guy trying to decide whether he should trust the case he had chosen or take the deal that the mean rotten banker was offering him.

Don't you think life is like "Deal or No Deal"? We each have cases of our very own to open....some good, some bad, some we open with the good advice or bad advice of our friends and family, and with each case we have to make a decision. Do we listen to the banker and take his deal or do we yell "No deal" trusting that our final case is better than the ones we opened? We all know the banker. The Bible says he prowls around looking for whom he can devour. (I Pet. 5:8)Yep, that's right he's Satan. You see, Satan, our banker, tries hard to convince us that his deals are way better than any case that we could ever open.

As we're going through life, we may open a case that's not very nice or, unlike the game, that someone else may have even opened up for us......maybe its cranberry sauce or gravy. Who would want to settle for gravy? My children can't stand gravy, and they'd be yelling "No deal" without a problem. Yet our banker, well, he tries to convince us that this is all we get...all we deserve. In fact, he may even try to heap extra gravy on top. Satan tries so hard to get us to settle and push that button yelling "Deal".

Have you had gravy in your life? I have. There was a time in my life that I bought into Satan's lies. I thought my life was worth nothing more than gravy. I couldn't imagine that God could possibly have more for me. I had so much gravy that I was suffocating under it all. I used to beg God to remove the gravy, and when He didn't, I would beg him to remove me. In fact, (and I am not proud to say it), there was a point when I held the pills in one hand, ready to push the "deal" button with my other. I bought into Satan's lies big time.

You know what happened? I was rescued. Not by Howie or any girl wearing a way too short skirt, but by Jesus. As I stood crying for mercy, I saw a wonderful vision of a little girl being held by a wonderful man in white. That little girl was me. That man in white was God. You know, afterwards, I still had the gravy. Lots and lots of it, actually, but after that, it didn't seem so suffocating. God was there; holding me.....making it easy to say "No Deal".

Are you buying into Satan's deals? Maybe you're not holding pills, but are you having a rough time? Did you know that GOD promises to be there for you?

Isaiah 43:1-2

But now, O Israel, the Lord who created you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." NLT

He loves you so much. He created you simply for HIS pleasure. (Rev. 4:11) Still doubting?

Psalm94:18-19

"I cried out, "I'm slipping!" and your UNFAILING love, O Lord, supported me.
When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

You see, my husband and I chose our own cases when we played along with the game on TV, so we were sometimes left with, well, gravy. BUT, you know who picks your case in life? God. And do you know what He has in it? He tells us......

Jeremiah 29:11
"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."

Picture the one thing you most want....Is it a million dollars? A new car? A moment of silence? God may give it to you and so much more. BUT, if he doesn't, it's because HIS plans are SOOOO much better than you or I will ever dream. His cases are full of hope and a future. He plans so much good for us. After all, every perfect and good gift comes from Him. (James 1: 17)

If I had said, "Deal", well, it makes me want to weep at what I would have lost- my handsome husband who makes me feel like the treasure that God created me to be, my two sons who make me laugh at least ten times a day (even when I am mad at them), and my beautiful daughter, Kyla Victoria whose name means Lovely Victory, who God promised me so long ago.

Feeling like giving up? Don't. You see, there is one more thing I want to share. I am doing this Bible study called Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore. It’s an intensive study on Jesus’ life, and I am learning SOOOOO much about my Lord. Anyway, in Luke 11, Jesus is accused to be from Satan, because he is casting out demons. Silly huh? He quickly tells his accusers that a house divided can never stand then goes into this story about how this really strong guy guards his house and keeps all his stuff safe. But then, another person even stronger than that strong man attacks and takes away that stuff and divides up his spoils. Beth Moore points out that Satan is the strong man and that he has stolen a lot of stuff from us all. Can you think of a few? I sure can. BUT, and here’s the coolest thing: The stonger man is God, and do you know who he divides up the spoils with? US!! Oh, how I know this to be true. Thirteen years ago, I thought life was hopeless, without blessing, that I had lost all. And now……oh the blessings indeed. God has given me back what Satan stole and even more!!

Don’t give up, beloved. Listen for Jesus. He so loves you. You are so valued. He was there for me, and I know He is ready and waiting to hold you in his arms just like He did me. Take your hand off that buzzer, there is no deal worth as much as God has planned for you.

The most romantic words....

My husband, Jamie, said the most romantic thing to me yesterday. It had been a rough afternoon and for you to understand rough, I must explain.....

1. Her highness, Ms. Kyla, decided napping was optional and after two different times of trying to get her to sleep, I gave up. This meant that around three she became extremely cranky (Think Godzilla in a two year old's body) and needed to be held all the time which was difficult due to the next statement.

2. To get Kyla to go to sleep, one must sit in front of her room for around ten minutes. This will keep her in her room (Kyla is an accomplished Houdini, nothing except another human a.k.a mom can make her stay in her room.) and hopefully will get her to fall asleep.

Sooo, Josh gets out of school early on Wednesdays which is nice, because Sean USUALLY gets in less trouble with him around. Soooo, I left them downstairs expecting them to play quietly (which they did) and stay out of trouble (which they didn't).

Anyway, I come downstairs after unsuccessfully putting my daughter to sleep and find my two boys in the bathroom making a concoction in the sink that I have yet to figure out the purpose. This lovely little recipe consisted of enough water to fill the sink, all the soap that was in TWO soap dispensers, I believe, a half roll of paper towels, and some toilet paper. Oh yes, and DIRT. Sound messy? The wall of the bathroom had mud smeared down it, the floor was wet and dirty, and the sink looked well muddy. Josh, who is holding a blue piece of paper which I will get to later, immediately blames Sean. Sean who is elbow deep in the muddy bubbly water simply smiles. I tell Sean that it would be in his best interest to get upstairs as quickly as he can. He takes my word for it and runs upstairs, although not quick enough for me to notice his used to be white shirt now covered with mud stains. I then explain to Josh that this is one of those things that he will hold equal responsibility for and that he better scurry into the garage and do some major cleaning.

Long story short, we spent the next two hours cleaning the bathroom, the garage, and anything else that I could think of that needed cleaning by my "sweet" little cooks.
As always, cleaning is just the highlight of my life.....right next to root canals, so you can imagine my mood when my hubby came home. After hearing the above account of my afternoon, he said the most romantic thing. He asked me if I'd like him to take the kids and go pick up some chicken for dinner from Popeye's. *Sigh* He is such a romantic. =)

By the way, the blue paper had a little checklist of various objects created by my oldest son who said it wasn't his idea. Here's a pic of this recipe. Did I mention that there was so much dirt that it clogged the sink up, and I needed (with Josh and Sean's help) to scoop out the water with a coffee can?

One more thing, my hubby also bought me a very nice necklace, bracelet, and earrings which he presented to me after the kids had gone to bed. Very romantic, but just not as romantic as that box of chicken. =)