SASH

May 6th, 2012 dsisler

Mom is home from the hospital after her second back surgery and battle with a staph infection. A home care nurse comes in to change the dressing on her back. Her nurse takes her vital signs and draws blood as needed. The nurse also gives her an antibiotic through her PICC line.
Since the nurse would not be coming into her home daily, I was told that I would need to learn the process of giving her antibiotic.
On the first day, I watched as the nurse administered the medication. I studied the papers left behind. Then, it was my turn. Yesterday I gave Mom her antibiotic.
An acronym was given to remember the steps of the process. SASH.

 S is for saline. Flush with saline.

A is for Antibiotic. This is the medication Mom needs to rid her body of the staph infection. Medication is to be administered over a 6-10 minute period.
S is for saline. Again, flush with saline.
H is for heparin. Heparin is used to prevent blood clots. Flush with Heparin.
At each step of the process, I was thankful for this acronym. It certainly helped me to remember what came next and where I was in the process.
I decided I should come up with my own acronym using SASH. So here’s my version.
S stands for seek. Psalm 119:10 tells us, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” Seeking God is the first step in the process to drawing near to Him.
A stands for accept. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1:21) After seeking, we need to accept what God has to say. His Word is the only word that will save you.
S stands for share. Philemon 6 says, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” We have accepted the Good News! We must share that Good News with others.
H stands for hope. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) Hope will keep us going through all the hardships, all the trials, and all the temptations of this world. God’s Scriptures teaches us that our hope is in Jesus and Jesus alone.
Mom had great trust in my ability to follow directions and give her the antibiotics correctly.
We too must place our trust in God to keep His promises.
His promise of unfailing love.  “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5)
His promise to never forsake us. “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:10)
His promise to be our refuge. “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heats to him for God is our refuge.”(Psalm 62:8)
Trust Him. He will give you more than you could imagine. Joy, peace, hope, and power. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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There is a Quiet Place

May 5th, 2012 dsisler

As you all know, I had been with my Mom at the hospital for over a week. I’ve had some great experiences, some unusual ones, and of course, comical happenings. Maybe someday I can write about them, but today, I want to write about a sign hanging in the hallway.
“A quiet environment promotes healing.”
Naturally because of the location of this sign, it refers to physical healing. But I began to think of these words in relation to my spiritual life.
There have been times spiritually when I’ve needed healing. But that is a process. And I believe, along the way, there must be some quiet in order for healing to take place.
So let’s talk about the healing process and what needs to be considered.
Heal
We must acknowledge that our spiritual healing can only come from God. He is the Great Physician for our soul and He alone is able to make us whole. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we have the opportunity to be healed spiritually.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14
 

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
Through our humility and repentance, God’s forgiveness brings healing to our lives.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Meditate
Through the healing process, we should utilize meditation upon God’s Word. Spending quiet time with God in this way will bring peace and comfort to our ill souls. David knew how to meditate on every aspect of God. Listen to a few of his insights.
“On my bed I remember you; to think of you through the watches of the night.” Psalm 63:6
“I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:12
“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”Psalm 119:15
“I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Psalm 143:5
“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will mediate on your wonderful works.” Psalm 145:5
Wait
After you’ve acknowledged your spiritual illness, asked for spiritual healing, and then meditated upon God’s Words, wait. Wait to see what God has in store for you. Wait for His strength. Wait for His hope. Wait for His compassion. Wait for His healing.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18
“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
There is no reason to live with spiritual illness. Quietly look to God for healing. In that quietness, He will meet you there. He will restore your soul. He will heal.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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The Robin Nest

May 4th, 2012 dsisler

Last spring, a young robin chose an aspen tree in our front yard to build her nest. She was diligent in her work. Her desire was to have the best possible environment for her babies to live.
She was successful! The nest was built and then she waited. Waited for the time to lay her eggs.
She was successful yet again! She laid three perfect, blue eggs and then she waited. Waited for the babies to hatch.
This was probably the longest few weeks of her life. She sat and patiently kept watch over the little ones.
She encountered some obstacles during this time. There were storms. Big spring storms that nearly pushed the tree to the ground. One of her eggs could have fallen out of the nest or even worse, the entire nest could have fallen. But Mrs. Robin sat on that nest. She stood (or sat) firmly over her precious eggs.
She constantly protected her eggs. The tree she chose is not that old or large. Neighborhood cats, snakes, or other wild animals could easily have snatched one or all of her precious little ones. She needed to watch continuously for those dangers.
The day came when the birds began to break through the egg shells. One by one, these tiny ones poked their heads out and let their mother know they were alive, well, and hungry!
Her task was not complete. She tirelessly searched for food to feed these little ones. She continued to protect them from danger. She cared for them as diligently as she possibly could be. She was the best mama these tiny robins could have asked for.
As I watched this process, I often thought of how God cares for us. Specifically, how He protects us in His everlasting arms or under His wings.
In Psalm 17:8, David prays that God might “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Oh how wonderful! Being the apple of God’s eye. Because I am so special to Him, I know the protection found under His wings is all that I could possibly need.
We also see from Deuteronomy 33:27a that,“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” In His arms we have refuge. In His arms we find protection. With God, we are in the shelter of His loving arms.
Mom’s minister stopped by this week to visit and he read Psalm 17:8 and sang a bit of the old hymn, Under His Wings. It was a great reminder of God’s constant care for us throughout our struggles.
Under His Wings
Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Tho the night deepens and tempests are wild;
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
Chorus:
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.[i]
When it was time for the babies to fly away, Mrs. Robin was there to watch them leave the nest. She had done her job. She had completed her task.
God is diligently watching out for us, protecting us, covering us. Even more so because we are His beloved.
Life is so much easier within the arms of our heavenly Father. Regardless of your struggle today, run into His arms. Find rest, peace, and comfort under His wings. I can guarantee that you will find all that you’ve been looking for.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i]Under His Wings, William O. Cushing, Ira Sankey’s Sacred Songs No. 1, published in 1896.
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Going Home

May 3rd, 2012 dsisler

There is something about that phrase that brings complete joy to my heart. Sometimes I get so excited just thinking of going home that I can hardly stand it.
For me, living across country from my entire family means trips to Ohio for special occasions, visits, or holidays. And then once I am there, I am just as excited at the thought of heading toward Colorado and my loved ones left behind.
Going home. Why is it so comforting? What makes it so special?
If we look at the definition of home according to Merriam-Webster, it is “the social unit formed by a family living together or a familiar or usual setting, a congenial environment, or the focus of one’s domestic attention.”[i]
This definition includes some important words. Family. Familiar. Usual. Congenial. Domestic.
That’s why the word home brings such warmth and comfort to our longing hearts.
When I come home to Ohio, there are a few things I enjoy. Some of my favorite foods are here. Some of my favorite places are here. Some of my favorite people are here. Some of my favorite memories are here. Going home allows me to enjoy of all of these.
I’m so grateful that God has something to say about our homes, because it is so important to us. His Word shows us how we should build our homes, how to maintain our homes, about our spiritual homes, and our eternal home.
Building a Home
Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”
When the foundations of our homes have God as the source of strength, there will be greater success. Allowing God to be in the middle of everything that goes on in our homes will produce a useful family for His kingdom.
Righteous Home
When we’ve built our homes on God’s Word as the foundation, He offers promises that we can believe.
Proverbs 3:33 says, “The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.”
And Isaiah 32:18 tells us, “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”
Following God’s commands and living holy lives leads to blessings within our homes.
Spiritual Home
We also have the calling to create a spiritual home within our physical bodies.
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)
“As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
Eternal Home
In 2 Samuel 7:10a, God promised Israel a home of their own. “And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.”
Just as God promised the Israelites that home in the Old Testament, He has promised us an eternal home. A place where we can go home and be with Him forever.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2)
My parents have moved from the houses where my siblings and I grew up. I have no emotional attachments to where they live now. Although the houses are not the same, where they live is still “home” because of my family who live there. Because of the familiar, usual, congenial, domestic environment that exists there. Because at home, wherever it is, there is love.
I believe God created us with this longing for home so that we might have a deep desire to go home. Not just our physical homes, but our eternal home. It’s no wonder that we want to go home.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home
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Pool of Bethesda

May 2nd, 2012 dsisler
Bethesda North Hospital has been my home base for the past week. There have been ups and downs, but I’ve been so blessed to be with my Mom through it all. 

So I’m here. At a hospital named after the famous pool in Scripture. So today, let’s talk about the pool and the man whose life was changed because of his encounter with Jesus at that spot.

In John 5, a detailed account of the Pool of Bethesda is given.

“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ But he replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ So they asked him, ‘Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (John 5:1-15)
I love John’s detail of the actual pool. Its location. Its name. Its design. Its use. The only real useful information in the first few verses of this passage is the use of the pool. For healing. And that is where Jesus wound up for an unusual healing moment.
The man Jesus encountered didn’t know who Jesus was. This man jumped on the chance to be healed, but he assumed that Jesus would stick around to lower him into the pool. But that wasn’t the case.
Jesus told the man to get up. At once the man was healed. And Jesus slipped away into the crowd. What a marvelous gift was given to this once crippled man. The ability to lead a normal life.
From this point forward, he wouldn’t need assistance for anything. He could become independent. He could do as he pleased. To do. To go. To be.
That was an important part of this story, but most definitely not the most important part. Jesus met up with the man later on and gave him an even greater gift. The gift of forgiveness. The gift of salvation. The gift of eternal life.
Once again, the man could do, go or be anything he wanted, but now with a greater purpose. To tell others of the man who had healed him and forgiven his sins.
If you are lying by the pool, just waiting for spiritual healing, look to Jesus. He’s standing there waiting for you to look to Him. Perhaps it’s time for you to say “yes” to the Great Physician.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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