House of Lloyd

This past week I had to complete a project concerning resilient children and what enables them to be resilient. My research required me to read and view many stories of children who have gone through the most difficult things imaginable. Some of these stories were tragic and brought tears to my eyes. These stories reminded me that I am only where I am today through the grace of God.  Without his grace there is no telling where I would be right now.  Difficult times can make help you grow into a stronger person. I am not saying that this growth will be easy, but it will be transformational.
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It is not a secret that I am a highly emotional, sensitive, and vocal person.  For many years I hid these parts of my personality.  Over time I have learned that in order for me to function without driving myself crazy I have to quit hiding these parts of myself.   When I hide parts of my personality I am not really being true to myself.

Right now I feel like no one understands me except my husband.  I feel like others in my life wish I would just shut up  get over it and move on with my life.  I am trying to move on but every time I take a few steps forward something happens to push me ten steps back.  I feel rejected by many in my life, but that’s okay because I am never rejected by my husband or my God.   (more…)

If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it is wrong (Romans 14:23) MSG. If you say you are a Christian and you treat people poorly or with blatant disregard and an uncaring attitude  you have a problem.  Jesus never treated people in these ways.  Jesus always treated people with love and compassion.  We as Christians are charged to do the same with those we encounter in our lives.  Like it or not how you treat others in your life is an accurate portrait of your relationship with Christ. (more…)

I got some news today which devastated me.  I am to the point where I do not know what to do or how to respond.  The reality is that it is too late to do anything different about this particular situation.  What’s done is done and the past can not be changed.  Maybe the lesson I have learned can be used in someway to help others.   Right now a few days are needed to gather my thoughts and process my feelings about this situation. (more…)

Joyce Myer once said, “Never use your problems for as an excuse for bad attitudes or behavior.”  It is easy to use what is going on in our lives as an excuse to act poorly,  have a bad attitude, or to be consumed with jealously.

Verse:  We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. Instead, live like the Lord Jesus Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your sinful nature (Romans 13:13-14). (more…)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago I started working through a devotional book called “The One Year Book of Hope” by Nancy Guthrie.  I am just wrapping up week two of the study.  I can already see a big difference in my personal and spiritual life.  Having never really dealt with significant loss in my life I did not know how to process my emotions when I was hit in the face with the loss of my child.   I found myself stuck in the same cycle of taking one step forward only to take several steps back.  Finally I feel like I have finished grasping at straws and am making progress in emotional and spiritual healing.

Verse: I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness.  Misery has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.  But I am trusting you, O Lord saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands  (Psalm 31: 10, 14-15). The first half of these verses describes how I spent the past several months of my life, while the second half expresses how I am trying to live now. (more…)

For those of you who have followed my blog you know that the past seven months have been difficult for me.  There is no doubt that you have probably noticed that my recent post are more positive.   The difference between then and now is that I have finally accepted the fact that being angry will not change matters.  Healing and peace can not come as long as I am  angry.  I am trying daily to be thankful for the many good things I have in my life.

Verse: Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 6-8). (more…)

I don’t claim to know everything about the Bible or to be a Bible scholar.  I do know about being brokenhearted, kicked when you are down and to feeling like you are at your breaking point.  The post labeled “Devotional” are windows into my heart and mind.  Hopefully these post will not only help me but will be of some encouragement to those who venture to look into my windows.

Verse 1: I weep with grief; Encourage me by our word.  Keep me from lying to myself; Give me the privilege of knowing your law.  I have chosen to be faithful, I have determined to live by your laws (Psalm 119: 28-30).

It is so easy to lie and convince yourself that God does not love you or care for you during times of trials.  It is easy to feel that when bad things happen you are being punished. (more…)

Yesterday I decided that I needed to focus more on hope and healing.  I did not really know where to begin, so I headed to the local Christian book store to try to find a devotional book that might help me as I process my feelings.  It seemed like every devotional I picked up dealt with pain and finding healing.  How was I too choose the one that would fit my needs?  I decided to start by looking through the table of contents of each book.  After about an hour of thumbing through the devotionals I finally found the right book .   I will be spending my devotion time reading (more…)

Recently I have been studying Numbers 13 and 14. These two chapters deal with the spies that were sent out in advance of the people of Israel to scout out the land God had promised. When the spies returned to the people to report on the land they reported that indeed the land was good but they would not be able to overtake those who currently laid claim to the land. However, 2 of the men Joshua and Caleb insisted that God was with them and the land could be theirs. (more…)