A Full Boat

     Is your boat full? Are you struggling to keep on top of things in life? Do you feel like you're drowning instead of floating?

     This is how I have felt all semester. They say junior year is the hardest. If you survive junior year, senior year will be a breeze. I was drowning in school, work and life in general until a few weeks ago when the Lord taught me a simple truth.

"Jesus Christ can float a full boat."

     Brother Russell Jones preached out of the latter part of Mark 4 at my church a few weeks ago. This was not the main point of his message but this is what God pointed out to me and has kept bringing back to mind. 

     

     Mark 4 is the account of Jesus in the boat with His disciples. While they were on the boat a great storm rose up. Verse 37 says: 

"And there arose a great storm of wind, 

and the waves beat into the ship, 

so that it was now full."

     The storm was so great that the waves were beating on the ship and the water was filling it. Can you imagine what the disciples must have been thinking? I know if I were one of them I would have been terrified and would have been thinking that I was gonna die! (Honestly, that's how I felt the first month and a half of this semester.) But...

"Jesus Christ can float a full boat." 

     To the disciples, their circumstance was probably overwhelming and terrifying but Jesus Christ floated their boat. 

     The next time you feel overwhelmed with life and you feel like you're drowning, cry out to God because He can float that full boat. 

     When your schoolwork is overwhelming and it seems like too much to do - Jesus Christ can float that full boat. 

     How about when your roommate calls and your apartment has ankle deep water in it? Yep, Jesus Christ can float that full boat too. (And that wet apartment.) 

     When you need groceries but there's no money in the bank? Yes, Jesus can float that boat also. 

     No matter what you're going through in life Jesus Christ can float your boat! No, we can't go through life and keep ourselves afloat but isn't it wonderful that we know the One who created, orders and now fills that boat? 

     

Scars

~ My scars are a constant and daily reminder that I cannot live this life on my own. ~ 

As we go through life, we each receive and endure scars whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual. Each of those scars represent an event or an injury along with a lesson learned along the way. God has a reason for each scar we have even though we may not know that reason. God still uses them for His glory, though.

If one were to look at my hands, arms and feet, they would see many scars. With these scars, you may even be able to make out a letter or a shape but it's still just scar tissue. To you it may be just scar tissue but to me, each of these scars represent a surgery and a lesson or two that God taught me through that time of surgery and recovery.

Here are some of the lessons I have learned from my scars:
     The scars on my hands - Those scars remind me that it is only by God's grace that I can play piano, hold a pen to write, crochet, knit or really do anything with my hands.
     The scars on my feet - These scars remind me to thank God everyday for allowing me to walk, drive and live independently. Throughout all the surgeries I have had on my feet, God has taught me that I just rely on Him for my every need.
     All the other scars on my body - These remind me that I must live everyday to the glory and honor of my Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it's only by His grace, love and care that I am able to walk, talk and function in normal society.

This list of lessons is no where near complete. God is still teaching me and reminding me of things from my scars and other medical things in my life.

As I have been meditating on this thought over the last few days, John 15:5 comes to mind: "...for without me ye can do nothing." I am very thankful for the daily reminder God has given me to live for Him. What daily reminders has He given you?

Summer 2018

Hello everyone! I just realized that I have not blogged in a vvvvveeeeerrrrrryyyyyy long time so I hope y'all are prepared for blog overload in the next couple of weeks. I had a wonderful summer jam packed full of adventure. From the end of May to the beginning of July, I worked in the office at Camp Chetek. Here are some pictures from camp. Enjoy!

 Fanny & I 

 I had the privilege of working with Courtney and Alyssa in the office. :)

Inviting kids to camp and giving out balloon swords with Katie and Court!  

 Darby & I

Redneck bowling!  

Us girls 

Mamma D & I  

 Erin stole Stephen's hat 

 Frozen custard after bowling!

 #PoolSquad

This is just a sneak peek into camp life from this summer. In the days ahead I plan on sharing more pictures from my fancy date night with Daddy, my last Shriners visit, the 4th of July and many pictures and stories from traveling out west so....stay tuned! 

~ Ruby James

God Provided for Ruth...He Will Provide for Me

I just love it when God smacks me upside the head with something that I have been studying! Don't you?

Last night I was thinking about finances for this school year and worrying about where the money is going to come from. As I was thinking about it, God smacked me upside the head because in my devotions I have been studying the book of Ruth. Just the other day I was reading and studying Ruth 2:8-9 which says:

"Then said Boaz unto Ruth, 

Hearest thou not, my daughter? 

Go not to glean in another field, 

neither go from hence, 

but abide here fast by my maidens: 

let thin eyes be on the field that they do reap, 

and go thou after them: 

have I not charged the young men 

that they shall not touch thee? 

and when thou art athirst; 

go unto the vessels, 

and drink of that which the young men have drawn."

God smacked me upside the head with the realization that the same God who provided for Ruth and Naomi's needs will provide for mine. He has brought me this far, He won't drop me like a hot potato now. 

Philippians 4:19

"But my God shall supply all your need

according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

I am thankful for...

     On Monday morning, Dr. Beal encouraged us students to pray about what God would have us praise Him for in our praise chapel service today at school. When I prayed and asked God what I should share, He told me "You've never thanked Me for your disability." For you guys, it may seem strange for me to be thankful for my Arthrogryposis but, I am. I am thankful for my Arthrogryposis. Yes, I have always accepted the fact that I am disabled...it is my norm...I do not know anything else (and I am just gonna be honest, if I woke up some morning and all my joints and muscles worked and nothing hurt, I would think something was wrong), but I have never before thanked God for giving me Arthrogryposis.

     Now I am gonna confess something that I do not think I have ever told anybody. When I was younger, I used to pray and ask God to miraculously heal me from my Arthrogryposis. I had dreams of one day walking and all the sudden being able to bend my knees but alas, I am still disabled. I have always been ok with being disabled but there has always been that little voice in the back of my mind that reminded me from time to time how cool it would be for God to perform a miracle in my life. And yes, while that would be cool, it is not God's will to heal me from my Arthrogryposis.

     It was not until my teenage years that I fully understood why I was born disabled. Daddy was preaching one Sunday from John chapter nine - the story where Jesus heals the blind man. In verse two, the Disciples asked Jesus:

"...Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus replied in verse three by saying: 

"...Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: 

but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." 

When Daddy read that verse, it was like the light bulb came on! God created me, Arthrogryposis and all, so that He could be glorified and others could see Him through me. 

     Something that I have noticed in my twenty years of being disabled is that many people who are disabled just sit around and have pity parties all day because they feel sorry for themselves. This is how the world thinks disabled people should be. The world sees no value in the life of a disabled person. But, how am I going to show Christ in how I live if all I do is sit around and have pity parties for myself? I will not be able to show Him in my life if that is all I do! 

     Thinking through this makes me feel honored to be disabled. Because of my disability, I have come into contact with many people that I probably would have never met if it were not for the Arthrogryposis. I cannot count how many times I have been able to encourage others by sharing my testimony as a result of being disabled. 

     Another reason why I believe God created me disabled is to keep me humble and solely dependent on Him. In 2 Corinthians twelve verse seven, Paul says: 

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, 

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, 

the messenger of Satan to buffet me, 

lest I should be exalted above measure." 

Paul saw his thorn in the flesh as God's way of keeping him humble in the midst of the fact that God gave Paul the privilege of recording portions of the inspired Word of God. Then in verse ten, Paul states: 

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, 

in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,

 in distresses for Christ's sake: 

for when I am weak, 

then am I strong." 

     Paul made a choice to let God use his life despite his thorn in the flesh. Never in Scripture do we see where Paul had a pity party because he was "disabled". (I am using the term "disabled" as a shortened form of the phrase "thorn in the flesh". We are not really sure what Paul's thorn in the flesh was but it very well could have been a physical disability of some sort.) Paul spent his life serving God and letting God use this "disability" for His will and glory.  

     So, while it has taken me twenty years to go beyond just accepting my disability to being thankful for it, I really truly am thankful for my disability. It has been so cool to see God use it and give me opportunities to encourage others because of the Arthrogryposis. I cannot wait to see how God is going to use it in the next twenty years and Lord willing, many years beyond that. 

    What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? 

~ Ruby James Mikula

Why does God use balls of dirt?

Have you ever wondered why an infinite God would use a finite human being? Really, a ball of dirt that He breathed life into? If you sit back and try to wrap your brain around why God would chose to use you, 1) you will be humbled and 2) this is something our finite minds will not be able to fully comprehend until we get to Heaven.

I have been awed over and over again by this. Most recently, God's used Job 28:9-11 to awe me along this line.

Job 28:9-11 

"He putteth forth his hand upon the rock:

he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 

He cutteth out rivers among the rocks:

and his eye seeth every precious thing.

He bindeth the floods from overflowing:

and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light."

God can overturn the mountains and rocks with His finger. 

God can cut a river into the side of the mountain. 

God sees everything. 

God's hands and His power is what keeps the rivers, seas and oceans from flooding the earth. 

He wrote the Bible and preserved it for generations to come! 

You know, God created this beautiful world. In Romans 1:20, the Bible says: 

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, 

even his eternal power and Godhead: 

so that they are without excuse." 

God is revealed through creation so man is without excuse. When you realize God's power, He could have used the animals to do His Will. Or really, since He's the Creator of all and He's over all, He could use the plants to do His Will. But no, He decided to make man. Not only did He make man but, He made us in His image. God created Adam and Eve even though He knew they were gonna sin!

This brings us back to the question: why would God use balls of dirt? The only answer for that is out of His agape love. God created me knowing how many times I would fail Him but yet every time I fall, He picks my pieces up, puts them back together and then allows me to use Him as my Rock.

I pray that we would never cease to be in awe of this Truth. May we always be humbled by the fact that God uses balls of dirt. 

~ Ruby James Mikula  

Isaiah 55:8

Isaiah 55:8

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, 

saith the Lord."

     Over the last few weeks I have been meditating on this verse and how God has worked in my life over the last 3 years. I have come to the conclusion that I am extremely thankful that God's ways are not my ways. If I would have known all the health struggles - the pain, the surgeries, the doctor visits, the hospital visits and stays, the medications and all the emotional and spiritual breaking - that I was going to go through my junior and senior years of high school, I would not have had that 17th surgery. But, if I would not have gone through those surgeries, I would not be the person I am today. 

     Before God broke me, I had my life all planned. Going into that first surgery, I had it all planned that I would be 6 weeks non-weight bearing, 6 weeks partial-weight bearing and then I would be full-weight bearing in time to work at camp. Well, after we found out my foot was infected, my plans crumbled. Eventually, I trusted God to get me back on my feet but once the end of summer rolled around, I had my life all planned out...again. I got a job and did the math. I had it all figured out how many hours per week I needed to work and what percentage of each paycheck needed to be put away in order to go to college. But, again, it was my plan and not God's plan. So again, God had to break me. I sincerely believe that if I would have trusted God to plan out my life, I would not have had to have surgeries #20 and #21. 

     It took 5 surgeries for me to finally break and see that God has a perfect plan for my life. Since God is the Creator of the earth and He created me, He has every right to do whatever He needs to do to get ahold of you. For me it took 5 surgeries. I pray that you do not have to go through trials to realize that you cannot plan your life out. Realize that God is God and you are not and let God plan out and direct your life. 

     This post has been long in the making but this summer I finally realized what God taught me. I cannot thank God enough for all He taught me during my junior and senior years of highschool. It was not until this summer that I actually stopped and thought about what God taught me. I think I can honestly say that I am thankful for those two years and how God broke me.