One thing I enjoy doing every day is looking at my Facebook memories. I love watching the highlights of things I posted over the years on that day. Sometimes the reminder is something one of my kids said years ago, or a post about something I was thinking at that time. Some posts are so long. I am surprised people actually read and commented on them.

The most recent memories have been of places where I was invited to be the guest the guest speaker for various women’s events. Seen the pictures moved my heart.

These last couple weeks have been a blur. Lots of really high and extremely painful lows. So much has happened in a small window of time. These memories helped my heart to see more than my current circumstances.

Daily these memories became a bright light in the morning. All the places I have gone to share the impact of God Word on my life. I also saw something you can’t see in each picture; each destination has a story behind it. A story of having to persevere through the attacks of the enemy goal to prevent me from getting on that stage.

There were times the enemy almost succeeded. I remember I was booked to speak in Mexico on what turned out to be a speaking tour: three speaking engagements on the same day. A few days before the trip I developed laryngitis for the first time... I woke up one day and my voice was gone. I went to the doctor because my voice was getting worse, she recommended I resumed talking for a couple of days. For the two days I wasn’t talking I just hoped I would be ready the day I was speaking. Before I left the doctor’s office she said, I should consider rescheduling my trip. Her prognosis was that my voice likely would not return in time. But God is faithful and a couple of days before I was to fly out, I was surprised to hear that my voice was back. It was rough, but back, nonetheless. When I arrived in Mexico one of the sisters made me a tea with local honey. We joked that if my voice wasn’t clear by the day I was speaking I will just take a shot if Tequila and see if that does the trick .

The day of the tour, my voice was back! Glory to God! That is just one example of the stuff that has happened prior to times I was booked to speak somewhere. Some of the stuff that happened were more emotionally painful and made me question if going to speak was the best thing to do at the time.

A couple weeks ago it was no different. As you know if you read my post on my trip to Guatemala, I had booked to go to speak there last year. Before the trip various things happen, including my dad having to go into the hospital for a low heart rate. There were some many uncertainties and I thought I would have to cancel my trip and go to Panamá; but God is faithful, and my dad improved enough for me to feel at peace to continue with the plans of travel to Guatemala.

This morning, I read about Abraham and how he shared with God his discouragement of not having a son. I love how God took him outside and had him look up to give him a vision to focus on His promises instead of his current circumstances. (See Genesis 15:1-6)

I believe God used these pictures of my speaking events to remind me of how he works despite my current circumstances. The pictures were a reminder to look up!

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” Psalm 42:5 NIV.

I made the video below for me to remind me that God is always working, and I share it with you to hopefully remind you of the same as I share about my life. For me sometimes I need someone to remind me of that, someone to remind me to look up God got me!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3

Song for the video: Tu Palabra by Marcela Gandara