Standing...On The Promises

Today, as I write, is Easter Sunday! I was blessed by the televised service at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh. It was BEAUTIFUL! THEN, we...yes...WE, Mitch and I shared Easter lunch with Mama, at her house, along with Jessica, John Robert (our daughter and son-in-law), and our grandchildren Micaylah and Damon.

YES!!! What more Easterish way to celebrate this holy day celebrating Christ's rising from the dead than the day I "up from my house, I arose" (ala "Up From the Grave He Arose and what Jessica said) and went visiting family?! This was my FIRST time leaving my house since the Christmas Eve service. I was supposed to be dead by now, not being wheeled to Mama's. I ate good (for me), I enjoyed myself and being with my family. Only James was missing, but he's in Georgia and will come after this semester ends. It's like God put legs to the aforementioned hymn! I'm living the power of God to raise someone up and show folks what God can do when man can't. I'm good with that!

I'm standing on the promises of God! He doesn't promise that I'll literally stand, I can't do that by myself, but let me tell you, I'm not just standing...I'm running spiritually! Today's a great, blessed day and I feel like I'm living on pwn Easter. Can't beat that for a way of celebrating!

And I'm finally learning to get myself around in the wheelchair once Mitch gets me in it. I can't get myself in and out of the chair by self...he has to help me with that. It hurts his back so I only do it in the morning and when it's bedtime. I could probably done that before now, but I didn't thiink about ot. I had to look at how to do it and figure it out for myself. I taught myself how to wheel myself around. Douesn't sound like much, I know, but that's how my brain works. I had to figure out how to do this. Anf it took a while to do that.

Today has been a true day of living out the Resurrection in my own little way. On Easter. The day the world changed and Satan couldn't stop it! The day God said, "I'M God and you aren't and no other 'god' is either. Me. t\The Great I AM."

And in the wee hours of the morning, God revealed His calming-in-the-storm power to the friend of mine who walks MelaRoad with me on Facebook and her journey, right now, is treacherous. Roadblocks are being constantly being thrown in her way and up until the wee hours of this Easter morning, she was not a person of faith. But, after talking with a friend who followed God's lead, she found faith and experienced God washing His calmness over her. A calmness that she knew was Lord-given! Heavily, and I do mean heavily, burdened with melanoma...she found Jesus and He was right there with her in Melaland...had been there all along and she's standing on the Rock now.

I tell ya, folks, today is Easter and God's at work and He's giving people a new life and resureccting them from the dead! And it's exciting!!!

Whether we stand from our chair or in our bed or onour own two feet, we stand. We fall seven times, yes, but we STAND eight. Nobody will actually see me standing, on my own, now. I do try, but I jusy can't do it. But I tell you what...

I stand. In my mind. In my spirit. I stand on the Rock. I stand on the promises of God. I do not sit, I stand and I will continue to stand. I will not sit. I will fall, and I have fallen...I am fallen. But God is faithful to stand me up, dirt and all, and pick me up.

I always stand eight. Never down for the count.

And when my time comes and people see down for the final time, may they remember looks can be decieving for I will not be falling...I will be standing and I will be running to the Rock through His Gates of Praise and I'll never fall again...I'll still be standing.

This time, I'll stand on my own, without a chair and the only Power supporting me will be God. I'll have Easter everyday and will experience the Easter I can only read about right now. And I'll rememebr today. For a mortal human being living with melanoma, I'm living the Easter life right now.

Today I STAND eight.

May you stand eight, also and be blessed.

charis