Learn More. Worry Less.

Check It Out: Hi, welcome to Check It Out, Understanding Your Body and Devotional, Learn More, Worry Less. I'm Susan Westman. In Matthew 414, it says we are to be the light of the world. What about light in the darkness moments? You may not realize it, but your very presence can ease someone's fears. Your smile and compassion, whether you're a nurse or not, can bring someone a bright moment you never expected. In 1 Thessalonians 5.18, it says to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you and Christ Jesus. The scripture encourages maintaining a thankful heart not just when things go well, but also during challenging times or trials, as a consistent expression of faith. I have a hospital story to tell you about this. I was working in a on the correction side and I was on the night shift and I had just started my shift. I was making my rounds and when you make rounds on when you work on the correction side, you always have a guard with you and escort with you at all times when you go in the rooms. I got down to my last room. And I walked and we walked into the room and this inmate had the saddest looking expression on his face. He looked very down, very depressed. I got to the side of his bed. I did my assessment and I asked him, why are you looking so down? Why, why do you look so depressed? Well, his answer blew me away. I wasn't expecting what he said to me and neither was the officer that was with me. He told me that. He needed to talk to God real bad. He'd been trying to reach God, but God wasn't listening. God didn't want to talk to him. And I said, yes, he does. And I said, I talked to him this morning. So I know he's there. And he said, well, well, how do you know that for sure? How do you know he's there? And I said, because I spoke to him this morning. And he said, well, you must have a different phone number than I got because I can't get a hold of him. He's not answering me. So can you give me your number? I said no it's the same number that you have and I'm sure he wants to talk to you and then he said I've done some really bad things and I don't think he wants to talk to me I've done too much I've done too many bad things I said no I disagree if you want him to forgive you all you have to do is ask him he's waiting for you he's ready for you to call him back I challenge you to call him again and talk to him and tell him you want to talk to him He's waiting for you. I guarantee it. And just before we left the room, he said, are you really sure you really think he wants God wants to talk to me if he is really even there? And I said, I'm positive. Try it. We left the room. The officer, the officer looked at me and said, well, do you think he'll do it? I said, well, I sure hope so because he sure needs to. I went about my business. I went back to the nurse's station and I got my medications ready for him and everyone else on the floor, patients that I had. It took about 30 minutes. Got back down to him. The officer stopped me as we went into the room and said, be sure you ask him because I want to know, be sure you ask him. I'm like, yeah, I will. We walked into the room and you should have seen the complete transformation of this inmate. He was completely different. He had a smile on his face. He looked relaxed. He was just completely different. I got to his bedside to give him his medications. I said, well, did you make that phone call? And he said to me, yes, ma'am, I sure did. We had a nice long talk and I feel so much better. He was a different person from then on out. It was amazing to see such transformation just from asking to him talking with God because he saw God was there and he knew God cared. If any of you are having the same doubts on any same issues, maybe like he was having, not the crimes that he committed, but Other things in your life that maybe you don't think God cares or maybe you feel like you can't talk to God He doesn't want to talk to you. I guarantee you he does I Promise you he does All you have to do is be willing to sit and wait a little bit and wait for him to to meet with you I've had prayer and my prayer times where I went into my prayer time and I literally had to wait about an hour But man, when his presence came, it was worth every waiting minute. And I did not want to leave that presence. It was awesome. And he got the same feeling. He got the same experience. And it showed. When you're in prayer with God and you wait long enough, it may take a while. It may not be five minutes later. It may not be a minute later. It may not be even right away. He may want to see just how bad do you want to talk to him. Just how bad do you want to spend time with him? He wants to spend time with you, I promise. I guarantee that. But how bad do you want that? If you want that bad enough, all you have to do is wait and you'll get it. And you'll be glad you did. So I implore you to. Try that if you haven't done it already. if you've never experienced that. You may get that experience of being someone's light, of being someone's compassion. I know, I have more than once. When you focus on what you don't have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, countless other gifts from God. You look for what is wrong, but refuse to enjoy life until those things are fixed. That was what Eve did in the garden. We are to bring him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun. Before Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, thankfulness was as natural as taking your breath. Satan's temptation involved pointing Eve to the one thing that was forbidden her. The garden was filled with luscious, desirable fruits, but Eve focused on the one fruit she couldn't have, rather than being thankful for the many good things the garden had that was available to her. And this negative focus darkened her mind and she succumbed to the temptation. But when we approach God with thanksgiving, the light of His presence pours into you, transforming you through and through. Walk in the light with Him by practicing discipline of Thanksgiving. God's word says we are to give thanks, no matter the situation. That can be hard. Giving thanks in all situations can be very hard. But I have found that when I do give thanks in all situations that I get blessed by it. I know God is in control. I know He knows what He's doing. And I trust Him. I have faith in Him. I love the fact that just recently we had the airman that was rescued after being shot down. And his password to let everyone know that it was him was Godisgood. He had every reason in the world to be mad at God, be telling God that you don't care about me. But he didn't. And it was Easter Sunday, of all things. How much better is that? But he said, God is good. And God is good. And I can't imagine anybody feeling that God doesn't love them, doesn't care about them. I also read about what ⁓ Savannah Guthrie said last week on Easter Sunday that she is very disappointed in God for not helping them find her mother. You know, sometimes God answers our prayer is not the way we want. The answer may be no. Maybe, no, not yet. Maybe in time. I think that Nancy will be found eventually. But just because God didn't answer her way. And when she also compared to her suffering, the same as Jesus suffering was on the cross, was unbelievable that she would make that kind of comment. There was no way she is suffering what Jesus did on that cross. If she really read it and knows how he did suffer, she wouldn't even be saying that at all. And a lot of people, I think, took offense to what she said from what I understand. But God forgave him, didn't he? He told God to forgive them for they know not what they do. And God first took him still because he had to because of our sin. Because of my sin, because of your sin. So yes, he was alone. He ended up being alone on that cross because he had to be. God that can't look at sin. God turns away from sin. So I hope if you haven't made that decision yet to give thanks and glory to God for whatever your situation is, it really doesn't matter where to give thanks in all things. No matter how terrible it is, we are to give thanks because that's God's will for us. That's what he wants us to do. And I think you'll find that you will be blessed because of that when you do. I know I have. One of the things that has been hard for me this past two years in giving thanks, but I did, was because the last two years, I have had to have both my hips replaced. And on my second hip replacement, six weeks later, I was burned during the surgery. The caudery burned my leg. Third degree burn. But the surgeon would not acknowledge it. He wouldn't even do anything about it. In fact, he even told me that maybe I caused it. Because of that burn, I had to be in the hospital twice more to get treatment for it because it was infected. It was very badly infected from a hospital acquired infection that he still would not acknowledge. So I went through six months of intensive advanced special type of one care. And the one job that I had that I've been waiting for for years, I lost. And I really, I've been waiting for so long to get that. was an ER position that I wanted and was qualified for. I had it earlier, but I had to leave it because of my hips. I could no longer walk well. Extreme pain. Walked with a walker. I went through a great deal with my both hips being replaced, but it had to be done. But I'm so thankful. I'm so thankful that it was done, that things went well. Otherwise, I knew God was in it. I knew he was there. And I gave him praise and thanksgiving anyway. and things have gone pretty well since then. I hope you find ways and reasons to give thanks to God for your troubles for what you're going through. And if you do have any prayer requests, I hope that you'll let me know so I can be putting in my prayer list and pray for you. I hope you find this devotional to be beneficial. I will be doing devotionals with each one of my understanding the body. I'm working on that now. I've been an LVM for 18 years. There are some things in the ⁓ understanding your body that vocational school nursing school doesn't doesn't give you so i'm learning some things on my own but i've learned some major things this last week that i will be sharing with you In the meantime. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. God bless you and again if you have any prayer requests of any kind please let me know. Thank you. Good night.