A Tested Stone

16So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who relies on it

      will never be stricken with panic.  Isaiah 28:16 
I continue to read through Isaiah. A lot of days I really don't know what to write about. I try to stay away from politics and can't seem to stay away from that. I try to let stuff I write set for a few days before I publish it and still it doesn't seem to help. I want to be more positive, I really do but it seems the words at times still sound negative. God reproves us at times. We try to be positive when raising children but still at times you have to say NO. That is a negative, you really can't get away from it. You can try to never say no, but life tells all of us no from time to time so we might as well get used to it. But as I read this verse above, I believe that cornerstone is Jesus Christ. A sure foundation, Jesus can be trusted to guide us through life. That is where our anchor needs to be, in Jesus. Though storms come our way, and they do, that anchor holds through the storm. This year has sort of been like Hurricane Dorian, it seems like it took forever to move past. This year is like that, the storms of life continue. Barbara's car broke, first a problem with the transmission, that got fixed and then it ended up being a recall so our money eventually got refunded but by that time the engine was gone. So down a vehicle, but we are making it. Then I made a mistake on medical insurance, hindsight will tell us what we did wrong, but we still suffer the consequences. We have no way of going back and fixing it after the fact. In this case, it cost us $10,000 on taxes.  Through all of this, I know Jesus is still there helping us through the storm. On top of that Barbara is dealing with a sister that wants to fight the help given her.  This sister does not need to be alone but when a caregiver is provided, she doesn't want to let her in. She falsely accuses the caregiver of taking pictures of her to try and get her fired. When meals on wheels are provided, she doesn't want to eat them. This storm is like Dorian, it just doesn't pass by.  Barbara has been dealing with this for over a year now. Twice a day she traves the 15 miles to Nettleton to make sure her sister takes the medicine she needs to survive. If Barbara doesn't do this, her sister cannot be depended upon to take the medicine. Barbara takes her sister to her appointments. She learned to drive the van, she has no choice, with the taxes being paid, it just is impossible to replace her car right now. Wisdom seems to come from making a lot of bad decisions, the problem is dealing with those decisions. So I look for things to be thankful for. One thing I held off buying a replacement until I knew what would happen with the IRS. That was a good decision. I am thankful the van is automatic, Barbara will drive it. The anchor still holds. We look to God for guidance for it is impossible to know how to deal with a sister that has both psychotic issues and dementia. Doctors that understand this stuff, also have a hard time sorting through it. But I realize what a jewel I got when I married Barbara. The storms help us to see the tree that has deep roots and still survives the storm. May I say once again Jesus is the anchor that will not fail in the storm.   We are still in the middle of the storm, but Jesus sees through to the other side. My faith and my hope are in Jesus to see us through till the storm passes by. I don't know what people do when they don't have Jesus.  I sure wish Dorian would pass by. So many people in the Bahamas have lost all. I am thankful for the storm I am facing, it isn't as bad as what others are facing. Jesus is the anchor in the storms of life. Put your trust in Jesus. Job trusted God and made it through his storm.  God bless, LVZ.