If My Nail Breaks….

I’ve asked friend and colleague Andrea Rodriguez to be a guest blogger on Junkyard Wisdom today. Andrea is one of the least likely people to be on a blog with the word junkyard in it. I call her the Belizean Oprah because she hosts a daytime TV talk show in Belize — not exactly the image of junkyard tough. But Andrea has a strength of character that belies her Divaz Next Door image (that really is the name of the TV show). Her energy and enthusiasm for impacting the youth of Belize is fun to see, and her husband Dion works full time with PathLight to make that happen.

A recent post on her blog made me realize that my readers should see this insight as well. So here is guest blogger Andrea Rodriguez sharing the story If My Nail Breaks….

We have all heard the saying “hanging on by a thread” at some point right. I’ve heard it, said it and felt it far too many times.

Times are hard everywhere it seems but if you’re in Belize it tends to feel that it’s even harder. Keyword here is FEEL. I was driving past a street when I felt prompted by the Lord to visit this lady and just bless her. So I turned around and obeyed. (let’s hope my left hand can’t read what my right hand is typing 😉 )

I’ve always tried to do the right thing with the right attitude. Yup, because sometimes we can do the right thing with a wrong attitude.

The wonderful lady is really struggling like so many of us. No job, single parent and loves the Lord. She’s one who is always praying for others, encouraging and helping when she could. She had prayed for us fervently when my husband was without a job.

Lately she has gotten some hard blows and it’s seem almost too hard to bear in this season. She said, “Girl, I feel like I am hanging on by the tip of my fingernails, if my nail breaks… I’m done!” This is the reality for so many women, mothers, parents in Belize.

I could relate to her pain and the different feelings she’s experiencing. I’ve been there too. All I could say at the moment was what my Pastor told me. “My heart’s cry when I hit the wall is, God, I just want to be faithful…” I told her many times when I didn’t know what to say or do all I could say was “God I want to be a faithful daughter.”

I know this might sound too simple or even crazy but that has helped me so much, I know that HE is faithful and I want to remain faithful to Him too even when I am going through my darkest hour.

So today I want to encourage all of us, take the time to look around you today. Is there someone on your heart? Do you know someone in need? Can you help? Is there someone you haven’t seen at church or prayer meetings for a while? Give them a call. Does someone need encouragement? What can you do?

Let us love the way Jesus wants us to love. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18