Devotional for August 18, 2021

Good evening, People Care Workers!👋🏽

I WANT TO BEGIN BY REMINDING EVERYONE THAT SETH IS SCHEDULED FOR HIS EYE SURGERY TOMORROW. (THURSDAY)🙏🏽

PLEASE PRAY FOR SETH, HIS DOCTORS AND SURGERY TEAM, AND FOR GOD TO BE IN THE VERY SURGICAL ROOM WITH HIM, OVERSEEING EVERY DETAIL! ☝🏽

This week, we praise God for:

💟 Micharen praised God for all the prayers the church family has lifted up for her and her family after her uncle's passing. She is blessed to have sizing a living and thoughtful church family, and prays that we will ALWAYS be a church that finds joy in serving others,

💟 Angy praised God for His goodness and faithfulness over her children and her family, for traveling mercies for Matthew and Ashley and Karina and Alejandro, and asked for continued prayers as Karina and Ale add they travel back home at the end of the week.

💟Vasthi thanks God for allowing her brother to return home safely after travel.

💟 Vasthi also expressed gratitude for Carole, who overcame her fear of public speaking and offered a lovely welcome to God's people.

We are also praying for:

🛐 Each and every silent prayer request lifted.

🛐 Seth, who is having surgery on Thursday for his eyes. Kristina askrd that we pray for all to go well with the surgery and his relcovery. She also asks for a reprieve; that this might be the last surgery or procedure for our beloved Seth.

🛐 Sydney, Jordan's girlfriend, who had shoulder surgery. May God grant her a full and speedy recovery.

🛐JC 's friend, Kevin add he battles addiction. May Kevin enlist God's help in the battle so that he gets the victory over this disease!

🛐 Monkey, Beloved Guerrero Family pet, who is hurting after his visit to the groomer, due to "senior dog" muscle strain. May the Lord infuse his little busy with healing, strength and vitality!

🛐 Christine, Sue's friend, who was just diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and is in desperate need of healing and strength.

🛐 Catheryn, Connor and growing Baby Llibre. May the Lord watch over and protect them, their new home and their future plans as they continue to walk with Him.

🛐 Amel; that God would grant him traveling mercies and protection from Covid as he travels for work again this week.

🛐 AJ as he begins a new school year on Monday in his new home of Georgia. May God help all of the right people to see and be drawn to AJ's amazing purity of heart. May He also protect him from kids and people who would be a negative influence, and surround him with His mighty angels.

🛐 Astrid's twin brother, who received a tough diagnosis. Astrid is requesting prayer for him, that God might help him turn it around. Please keep him, Astrid and the rest her family in your prayers.

🛐 John; that God will continue to strengthen, heal and eradicate any trace of cancer from his body.

🛐 Healing for Carole's dad.

🛐 Protection and intervention on Elijah's behalf while he is in Florida. May God grant him and his family resolution on his custody case, that he might return to his family soon.

🛐 Traveling mercies and protection for David add he travels to Las Vegas for business this week.

🛐 Brianna Solis, who is taking a college exam this week. May God grant her the ability to recall all that she's learned and studied. May her hard work be rewarded as she looks forward to graduation in December.

🛐 Doris' granddaughter, Skylar, and for her entire family.

🛐 Karina and Alejandro as they travel to St. Croix to visit his mom, and then to Grenada for their delayed honeymoon. May God watch over and protect them as they travel, and keep them safe from Covid.

Tonight's Devotional was shared by someone who wants you to know that Brokenness leads to Blessing when you place yourself in God's Mighty Hands! 🤲🏽

*This story is not hers. It was shared by an acquaintance on Facebook.

B R O K E N 💔

I was at a store recently and there was a lady and two kids behind me in the LONG line. One was a big kid, one was a toddler. The bigger one had a pack of glow sticks and the baby was screaming for them so the Mom opened the pack and gave him one; which stopped his tears.

He walked around with the glow stick smiling and waving it around happily, but then the bigger boy took it from him and the baby started screaming again. Just as the Mom was about to fuss at the older child, he bent the glow stick a couple of times before handing it back to the toddler as he walked him right to the door where they could stand in the night.

I was now a couple of feet from exiting, but was completely absorbed by this scene with the brothers and the glow stick. Suddenly, the still upset toddler noticed that the stick was not just a stick to wave around, but it was now glowing, SHINING in the darkness!

As their preoccupied mom walked past me, frozen in my spot still observing, the older brother said "See! I had to break it so you could get all the light from it."

I almost ran after that big brother and hugged him, because in that moment, I could hear God saying to me, "See, my child! I had to break YOU in order to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so you could live up to your full purpose. So that you and the world could get all the LIGHT I placed in you!"

I almost stumbled when I finally started moving towards the door myself! When God has to stop you with a message in the line at the store, know He's trying hard to get your attention! I realized it and thanked God, I THINK OUT LOUD, all the way to my car!

That little baby was happy just swinging that "unbroken" glow stick around in the air because he didn't understand what it was created to do; which was to "glow". To GIVE OFF LIGHT!

There are some people who will be content just "existing" and will never miss their purpose! But.. Children of God, we have been CHOSEN by God, not just to EXIST. We have been chosen by God to be "broken" that we might GLOW! Hallelujah! 🙌🏽

Sometimes, it will mean we get sick. Other times, we will lose a job. We might go through divorce. We might go through the brokenness of addiction. We might have to bury our spouse, parents, best friend, or even a child. But it's only because in those moments of desperation, God is breaking our former selves in order to allow us and the world around us to see our GLOW! THAT'S IN ORDER FOR US AND THE WORLD TO GET AND BE BLESSED BY ALL THE LIGHT HE PLACED IN IS!

Come to think of it...those who GLOW BRIGHTEST and GIVE OFF THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT have been broken. Sometimes many times. I think if I went back and asked them, they would say it was worth it. I know it was worth it for me!

May it be worth it for you as well!