Sending you Love Janelle!

Today we are having a blog hop for a very special person, Janelle. (Details on how you can participate are at the bottom of this post!!) Many of you may know her.  I know her as an online friend and count myself very fortunate to have the honor to "share" in her journey as she travels down a very hard path fighting a brain tumor.  You know those kind of people who inspire you and encourage YOU during THEIR difficult times?  Yeah, she is one of those!  Her posts are uplifting, even while bearing news that is difficult.  Her posts bring me closer to God, even through tears.  She is a women who I can only hope to be like if I were to ever be going through such a difficult period.

But, instead of me TELLing you, let Janelle herself SHOW you!  This is an excerpt from her Show & Tell blog on her February 28th post:

"Psalm 44:5-7a

"Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name we can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives victory over my enemies;..."

This is one of those verses where I use a little leeway and plug my words in to make the verse make more applicable to me: "Only by the Lord's power can we push back this brain tumor; only by His name can we trample this disease that's trying to kill me. I'll take the treatments, but I won't count on them to save me. Only the Lord will give me the victory over my disease."

And, that's how I make a verse personal to me."

Reading Janelle's blog is like reading an excerpt from one of my best devotional books.  She is so inspiring and so full of faith!  As often as she can not only does she share a verse that has been spoken directly into her heart, but she also shares a card or project that she has made.  I can only imagine how many people she has ministered to through this difficult illness!

So today, we celebrate Janelle and the beautiful gifts that she has given to everyone who has had the opportunity to be a part of her story, whether in person or online through her blog.  We celebrate her husband, Ken, who is faithfully at her side during the good and the bad.  And we celebrate her family who stands by her as well.

This card is for her, for them.

Janelle, Ken & family we love and support you! We pray for your healing!

I want to close this post with more words directly from Janelle's blog posted on February 26th that really spoke to my heart about my own obedience to the Lord and what He is calling me to do or accept. Janelle writes:

"I want to be obedient to the Lord. But I am selfish. I also want to live. Maybe God will allow me to live a long life. But maybe He has other plans for me. I have to be willing to accept that. And so do those who love me. That's a tough one, isn't it? One that I'm continually having to work on. How about you?"

**If you would like to participate in this blog hop for Janelle and make a card for her letting her know you are thinking about her, you can link your card on Laurie's blog. **