Delivered From PTSD

Hey all,

Today I'm going to let you all in on a little piece of my life...and though this is just a piece of my life, it was an experience that almost destroyed me.

July 23rd, 2011...it was a Saturday and my husband and I were having a late breakfast. Somewhere in the whole mix, we had a little accident and I hurt myself...sure I have heard many of the rumours surrounding the events...have even had them told to my face...people said that I had tried to kill myself...I laugh because I think I'm the type that would be too coward to do such a thing...I feared God waaaaay too much to do that...but there I stood with a gaping hole in my forearm. I could see my tendons...though I must admit I was not in any immediate pain...maybe I was in too much shock to feel anything, because I had expected to see a scratch (since that was what I had felt...a little scratch).

I still remember the incident like if it had occurred just this morning...I can remember the fear and panic, the weakness I had felt in my body as I thought that I was going to die...seeing my blood dripping everywhere. I was horrified. Thank God for my husband's quick actions and my God-given ability moments later to calm down and think clearly, else the adrenaline rush would have caused me to bleed faster. The piece of ceramic which had cut me had missed all tendons and arteries...praise God! I was fine...or so I had thought.

Of Grieving and Healing: In Honor of Deva Dookeram

Recently I lost someone that I had loved very much. A student of mine that I had become very close to "lost his battle with cancer" and passed away. To sum it all up, my heart was badly wounded. We had all been praying for his healing and deliverance, but also prayed for the will of God to be accomplished in this situation, whether he lived or died, we knew that God had a plan.

When Deva passed away, nothing my husband had said could have comforted me. It hurt like hell, and to be honest, it still does at times...but my sorrow has greatly diminished. I love these children as if they had come out of my own womb, and when this one died, I felt as if I had lost my son. No, I am not a parent, but I have listened to many a heartache, and shared in many an accomplishment; prayed for, fought for and ran after enough of them to know what it feels like to not want to lose at least one.

I knew that Deva was a believer in Christ and I believed that he would be found in Heaven, he had said that he was ready to go Home...but what tore at my heart was guilt. Guilt that I felt like I could have done more for him...been more present. The day before he died, as usual, he was asking for me. I didn't go to visit him that day because I was at another hospital in another part of the country rejoicing in my nephew's BIRTH. I had planned to go the following day to visit Deva, only to receive a phone call that he had passed away. This really shook me up...if only I had gone the previous day to visit him instead...! I felt like I had disappointed him in the last few days of his life, so my grief was intensely multiplied.

While seeking answers and comfort, I was reminded of the verse "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Ps 116:15 KJV). I guess that did it for me. My heart is more at peace knowing that it had pleased the Lord to take him home. I don't know what the Psalmist was going through when he wrote Ps 116, but from the looks of it, he had great sorrow also...the good news is that, according to him, God delivered his "soul from death", his "eyes from tears", and his "feet from falling" (vs 8). God is well able to what He said He would do...and just as amazing as He is, He always had a plan!!

Before Deva's death, he was in regular church attendance...but he was the only one from his family that did so...now that he has passed on from this world and onto the next, his family has started to attend church and want to get baptised. Maybe that was a part of God's plan all along. We have not lost, but rather we have gained. This family is such a joy to be around, and I am happy to know them. One day, when we all get to Heaven, we will all rejoice together.

Keep looking up,
Krystal

Rest in Him

Good day Kingdom Women!

The above photograph was taken by my husband on Monday. We had gone up to Las Cuevas with his uncle and family for his uncle's birthday and had such a great time. Las Cuevas is truly beautiful...especially at sunset. I think what I had enjoyed most about our little outing on Monday was that it was the first time in a very long time that I had gotten to spend some quality time with my husband...and though others were there also, I was just grateful for the little moments in between that we had the opportunity to share with each other. Life has been so very hectic lately. It's been so hectic that I did not even get the opportunity to blog! And that's what I wanted to write about today.

I read somewhere once that the word BUSY should stand for Being Under Satan's Yolk.

Marriage Article #1: In the Midst of the Roses

Hey ladies!
So my two year anniversary is tomorrow \(*o*)/ woop woop!! So happy, I can't wait to celebrate!!
Anyway, in honor of this I've decided to do an article on Marriage! Not much of a teaching, but more of a journal/word of encouragement.

I want to start by saying that marriage really has been a BED OF ROSES!! It has been, as my huzzy puts it: "A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE". Whenever people asked me how I'm enjoying marriage, I usually say that if I had known that marriage would have been so wonderful, I would have gotten married a long time ago lol.

On our wedding day, my husband and I said both traditional and personally written vows to each other...actually, we had been so busy that we had not gotten time to write our own vows, so at the altar, we simply spoke from our hearts. One thing that we both had in common though, was that we had ended our vows like this: "...and now that I have found you my love, I promise to hold on, and NEVER let go.", spring boarding from the theme scripture verse for our wedding taken from Songs of Solomon 3:4. Also, we did NOT light unity candles. Instead, we did a "Three Strand Cord Ceremony" (follow the link if you are interested). We wanted to demonstrate the fact that we knew that we could not make it in our marriage without God's help, that He was the foundation upon which we would build our marriage.

We were determined to stay together for the rest of our lives...and we are even more determined now! But I want to interject here that in the midst of our bed of roses, we have encountered many a THORN. Roses have thorns people!...and if you want the bed of roses, you must also learn to cope with the thorns when they do pop up. 

Our journey has not been perfect. Many people may want to convince you that their marriage is perfect and that they have no problems, though I can admit, we have had many ups and downs...but it has all been a part of the process that has brought us closer together and made us love each other more. You know, one of my friends once told me that her pastor told them that they should never marry a "process", but they should marry a "product"...and a part of me may be inclined to agree with that statement...but another part of me doesn't. I believe that we are all "processes", on our way to becoming the people that God wants us to be...the "product". I believe that in this Christian walk, we never stop growing. I am not the same person my husband married two years ago, and neither is he the same. Many people would have criticised me for marrying my husband back then...and I have heard much of the comments that were made behind my back. My husband was what many would have called a "process"...but looking back, if I had walked away, I would have missed all that he has now become!! And I would have been kicking myself lol. A word to the wise: That does not mean that every guy out there that says he loves you is up for grabs. You have to listen to the voice of God, allowing Him to choose that MAN that walks alongside you...notice I said MAN and not BOY! My husband's job was less than desirable, but boy was he a Man of God! He was honourable, and never forced me to do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, when he first asked me to be his girlfriend I had said no, and he waited on me! He never nagged me to be his girlfriend, but honoured my wishes. Now that's a man!

On our wedding day, we took our vows very seriously. My husband has proven to be loyal through the difficult times. No one supports me more than he does. He's my personal cheering squad and tries his best to build me up...even though I don't always see it :(

I want to encourage you, if you are struggling in your marriage, be determined to hold on and NEVER let go. Make that your vow today. It is so easy to become selfish when things are not going right. We usually think of ourselves first. "Well he's not being romantic" or "He yelled at me first". Oh what an effect a simple "I love you" can have. My husband and I have found ourselves in very heated arguments and I am learning how to grab a hold of him and spontaneously start praying in moments like that...at times, I've found myself praying in between tears. When I do that, the argument comes to an end because the accuser of the brethren had to take his leave. Refuse to give up on your marriage. If God was faithful enough to hold on to me, I am going to be faithful in my marriage and hold on also.

God must be at the center of your marriage!! If He is not your foundation, then that marriage does not stand a chance! We as married couples must make an effort to spend time together in God's Presence...not just to pray together, but to do some serious warfare! You have to be prepared to have some church up in there! The devil wants your marriage and you can't let him have it! This of course cannot take the place of your own personal devotion with the Lord. You still need to spend some one-on-one time with the Lover of your soul. Also, go to God when you have decisions to make...let every request be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6). He's the One best suited to tell you what to do anyway, because He sees the outcome of all your moves.

Lastly, learn how to forgive. If God looked at you in your imperfection and died for your sins, and forgave you when you asked Him to, then why withhold forgiveness from your spouse whom you claim to love more than anyone? It may be hard at times, but learn to let go and allow love to cover the hurt...for love covereth a  multitude of sins (Above all, love each other deeply...1 Peter 4:8 NIV). If you want your marriage to work, you have to let go of selfish feelings...Just like in the movie "Fireproof" :)

I want to leave you with this song by Warren Barfield...also from the movie "Fireproof"...this song was played while we signed the marriage register on our wedding day...the perfect song for such an act, don't you think? Please have a listen. Hope it blesses your hearts.

God bless you all
Krystal

Beauty Article #1: Skin Talk

Hi girls!!
Did you know that proper skin care can slow the appearance of ageing? And who doesn't want to look younger right? Many of us however, can confess that we have issues with our skin; and if you're like me, a trip to Pennywise or SuperPharm is not always helpful. The truth is, many of us may have issues with our skin because we do not take proper care of our skin. I don't think however, that NEGLECT is the cause of our lack of care, but it is in fact the knowledge that we lack...we just don't know what products to use! But even more importantly, if we do not know what our SKIN TYPE is, we would not know what to use on it; and believe me, different skin types require different products. Your cousin may use Proactiv and get tremendous results with it, but your results may just be on the opposite end of the spectrum! But fear not girlfriends!...Knowledge is POWER. I do not profess to have all the answers, but I'll teach you what I know.

Entertaining God

Please view the following video before proceeding to read this post:

Isaiah 29:13 says: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men".

It is now time for us to get real with ourselves. Many people when first viewing the above video took offence. They were upset because they thought to themselves "What mockery!". Sadly, they would have misinterpreted the true intention of the "actors/worshippers" and missed the point that they were trying to make...they would have missed the point that this is the sad reality of the modern church. Although we may not sing these songs quite like what is depicted above, our hearts might sing them very often and we may not even realise it. God Himself said that many honour Him with their lips but are separated from Him in their hearts...that, that which is perceived to be reverence, is merely an act that was taught to them by mortal man! Please don't be angry with me, God is the One Who said it.

The Christian Woman and MakeUp

Author: Krystal Husain

“N

ow when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and beautified her head and looked out of [an upper] window.” 2Kings 9:30 (Amplified Bible)

Much controversy surrounds this verse. Many think the verse to mean that Jezebel put on makeup, and if she is a wicked woman, then the application of makeup must be evil as well. But if this is true, then within the same verse we see that Jezebel also combed her hair, she “beautified her head”. Then is it wrong also for women to style their hair? If that were true then no woman should colour, braid or style her hair.