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A Prayer for Cancer,
Patients and Caregivers
.






Our World
"...and a child shall lead them"
Isaiah 11:6
What a husband and wife
are taught by their daughter.

Blessings and Gratitude
Amidst Our Trials


My Dearest Friends,


As we approach the year 2012, some fall prey to the many rumors and frightening doctrines that create fear and anxiety. Yes, we do live in changing times, those that have been prophesied as troubled times, and some say perhaps even the end of times. My belief is that while life is changing, it will not end. God will not allow for the total destruction of the world he so loves, and created. But change it must, and for our own good.

Life is hurting many with the current shift in our economy and change in our moral standards. And like the growing pains a child might feel before reaching puberty, we too, must go through the pain and agony of growth to evolve to greater heights and we can only do that through every trial and challenge brought before us to face. Life, offers opportunities meant to increase spiritual growth. And what challenges us, no matter how great, or small, can only bring us to greater understanding that will strengthen us and help us to overcome weaknesses. The effects generated from all experiences are exhibited in our individual lives, in our communities and in our nations.Through pain and suffering we will learn where to make every appropriate change.

My love and prayers are with you as you face your life trials, heartaches and grief. Suffer them, we must; endure them, we must; and triumphant over them, we must. We can do this if we walk in the knowledge taught us by Christ.

During his lifetime, and even now, Jesus’ kindness is often mistaken as weakness. While he was kind and humble, he was neither a weak or fearful man. Jesus was a man of gentle strength. Brought to task, he got the job done. He was a man balanced in both the things of the physical and spiritual. He was a man of utmost strength.

It stands to reason that if we are to follow after him, we must stand-up for what we believe in and not shrink from what is right. We can only do good if we do something about our good intentions. This is not the time to become fearful of life or of living, but it is the time to stand strong in your faith and show strength through your beliefs.

When I am asked what I think about the year 2012 and where I plan to be on December 21st, my mind immediately takes me to what will be the 20 year anniversary of the publishing of "Embraced By The Light," and I hope to be celebrating it! IF you would like to join with me, let’s make it a date!

        With all my love,

        Betty

         




A mother is prompted to pray for her son seven days in a row.
A daughter turns the loss of her mother into gratitude for the years spent together.

 

Street preacher or angel sent by God?
A picture drawn for "Grammie" blesses another family who is also losing a loved one at the hospital.
A letter from a stranger becomes this woman's witness of God's love.



Losing a Child

Click here to listen to Betty read this quote from the audio book..


… Slowly and deliberately she spoke between sobs. “You see, Betty,” she said, “I saw Jesus, too, like you said you did in your book. When I had my last surgery, I died like you did. Jesus came and met me. He hugged me, too.”

Her body began to tremble as she cried, and I wanted so badly to pull her into my arms. Her mother was racked in grief from listening to her brave little girl, but we both knew Holly wasn’t finished with what she had come to tell me, so we didn’t move or interrupt her.

“He . . .” she began again, stuttering ever so slightly, “he, well, he told me that it was time for me to come home now.” Her throat tightened and a high-pitched sound came from her voice as she continued speaking. “I want to go home where he is, but it makes my mommy and daddy sad. You see, I’m the only girl, but I have two brothers. When I’m gone, my mommy and daddy will have no daughter at home.”

. . . I thought of the spirits I had seen preparing to come to earth and was reminded that all of their deaths were planned . . . as are all of ours . . . before we came. I knew some came knowing that they would be here for a short time. They were spirits who did not need long mortal lives to develop further spiritually but who chose to help the growth of the spirits of those they touched during their brief time on earth. I knew that the pain that their deaths left behind would be washed away when we are all reunited as spirits and that the suffering of those who remained longer was all part of the spiritual development that brings all of us here. We are here for the growth of the spirit, and as I looked into Holly’s eyes, I felt both her family’s pain and the power of her love, of the loving sacrifice of her purpose here on earth. Seeing the pure beauty of this child’s soul touched my heart and filled me with love.

… Holly’s lips began to quiver again, and her eyes filled with tears as she stepped to my side to whisper in my left ear. “I talked to Jesus, Betty. He told me to tell you not to quit what you are doing!” Again her voice tightened to a squeak, and she repeated herself. “Don’t ever quit, Betty!”

I couldn’t restrain myself any longer. I reached and drew Holly into my arms and held her there. Tears and sobs could be heard from the three of us, but we were in our own world for now and felt unashamed.

“Holly, when you go back home to Jesus, will you give him a message for me,” I asked. I could hardly speak, my voice was so filled with emotion. “Tell him that I love him and I won’t quit, but I miss him so much!”
—The
Awakening Heart, pages 135-139




Readers Ask Betty

How can I go on after my loss?

When we lose a loved one, we cannot help but ask, “Why?” Death seems so final. In addition to grief, we often feel anger and may even blame ourselves. Remembering our eternal nature will help us draw strength as we understand that our loved one is now free of the physical pains of this world. "My new body was weightless and extremely mobile, and I was fascinated by my new state of being. Although I had felt pain from the surgery only moments before, I now felt no discomfort at all. I was whole in every way—perfect. And I thought, This is who I really am . . . The fact of a pre-earth life crystallized in my mind, and I saw that death was actually a 'rebirth' into a greater life of understanding and knowledge that stretched forward and backward through time." — Embraced By The Light, pp. 31-32

Even with an understanding that death is an opportunity for us to grow spiritually, the emotions and pain we feel often would halt us in our ability to carry on. “After a loved one dies, grief may overwhelm us no matter how prepared we think we are; a relationship once taken for granted is suddenly stripped away from us, And an awesome void enters into our lives. We are left with sorrow, uncertainty, and a sense of helplessness. Often, vulnerability replaces confidence, and simple decisions become unfathomable matters of confusion.” –The Ripple Effect, p. 222-223

One of the most loving gifts we can give to another is to pray for them, we can pray for our departed loved ones and find healing ourselves. “Pray for one another that ye may be healed…” (James 5:16)

"Letting go of loved ones when they pass into the next life is natural and right. In letting go and praying for their continued growth, we share our love for them and open ourselves up to the power we need to move on. We need not insist that they return to comfort or calm us. God is able to do that as his spirit works among us, guiding us to the full and rich lives he intends for each of us." –The Ripple Effect, p. 231


Dearest Betty, If God has all power, then why does Satan have power over our spirit? Why do we have to battle evil?

Ultimately, the devil—or Satan—will not have power over our spirits. His eventual fate is eternal banishment. God does have absolute power, and there is no room for Satan in the Kingdom of God. In this sense we might regard the master of evil as an illusion, because he is already defeated by the power of Christ.

But why does evil exist at all? The answer is that our spirits grow faster and stronger through adversity. The pain of experiencing wrong doing and loss burns into our souls and encodes itself into our cells and our energy. The lessons we learn from our troubles become part of our very essence. Negative experiences also grant us the power of empathy, to see others as we see ourselves, to comprehend joys and sorrows and all the human impulses. As our eyes are opened and we grow in empathy, our ability to love unconditionally increases. To develop our highest potential, to become like God, we need to gain that love which only opposition allows us to gain. Without an opposing energy, our power to love would never be strengthened sufficiently to allow us to progress in the eternities. –The Ripple Effect, pp 81-82

The adversary uses our fears, the opposite of love, to draw us away from God’s light and love. I talk about this in depth in the chapter “The Problem of Evil” in my book The Ripple Effect. We can discern his influence by looking prayerfully at the fruit that grows from his sway. Continuing on page 82:

Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light, appearing to be the answer when in fact he is the problem. Fortunately, a false spirit posing as an angel of light casts a long, dark shadow. That is the nature of evil. It is a tree that bears bitter fruit that can always be detected over time...

It is important to recognize that Satan, the Deceiver, masterfully uses our own fears to hold us captive. Fear is the opposite of love. It warps and destroys love’s power to heal and to expand us. Some of us in this life and in the world to come are afraid to go to the Light and accept Christ’s love. And Christ will not force us; rather, he gently and ever so patiently guides us along. During my near-death experience, my transformation by his healing love began in the darkness before I ever saw him. This love grew in me until my fears departed and I believed I was accepted of him. Then I couldn’t be held from him and went to his light. While in darkness, each of us has the right to feel God’s love. But we must accept it. Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space; it is an impossibility…

We hold the keys that lead in and out of Satan’s realm. The Heavenly Father has given each of us all that we need to withstand and overcome adversity, and he will not give us more than we can bear. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1Corinthians 10:13)

A great enemy is often our own thoughts and words. Jesus taught that it is what comes from our own being that “defiles” us. Continuing this chapter again on page 85:

To dwell upon a thought is to give it energy. To act upon a thought is to give it life. The Lord discusses this principle in Mark 7:15. “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” When we give something place within our nature, it manifests itself physically and spiritually. Giving place to negative thoughts by repeating them, pondering them, gnawing on them, gives them energy and thus the power to transform...

God does have absolute power and allows evil for our benefit so that we can have greater joy as we learn to choose the right in all that we do; and we do live in troubled and trying times. Evil seems to be reaching new depths and broader acceptance in the lives of many. We must remember that at the same time, truth is expanding also, blessing us with new opportunity as we face our challenges. From page 87:

I know the endless love of God, and I know that if there is a way to reach any soul, he will find it and use it—for eternity if need be. Every spirit has the seed of God in it, a seed that only he knows the greatness of, and we cannot judge.

Evil exists for a divine purpose. Because of it we become aware of our weaknesses. As we gain control of appetites and desires, we begin to see how the influence of evil has strengthened us. The force of opposition can actually propel us forward. When we see it for what it is , we become less susceptible to its negative influence, more able to let our spirits take command of our bodies. We become free from ignorance and fear and therefore more wise in choosing our course down the river of life. Moreover, we are awakened to the multifaceted nature of God’s love for his children...

Know that we can and will see our world cleansed of all evil. Our earth will be blanketed with a greater glory, even the glory and love of God. But we must each believe and act in that faith. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

 

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website updated
August 16, 2010

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