"It cannot stay, if heaven disagrees," From THE SINGER by Calvin Miller

There have been times in my life that I've felt like I had a label burned into my flesh or branded upon my forehead. Maybe you have, too.

 ^{"But know this my little friend,  no man may burn a label into flesh and make it stay when heaven disagrees....It may be hard to give me all I ask. Not long ago, in the name of love I gave you legs. Yesterday that very loved demanded mine. But the Song is all that matters. It may be you will have to sing it where the crowd will shout you down and demand your legs or life. But it would be far better to give them both than to surrender up the music in your soul. Some will hate you for the song you love.  They will seek to stop your singing. But no matter how they treat you, remember that I suffered everything before you. And if they should brand you with a name across your face..."}

^{"It cannot stay, if heaven disagrees," she finished up the statement. From THE SINGER by Calvin Miller}

The faith chapter always compels me to reevaluate my expectations of life. I've found through working a program that a lot of unhappiness can be avoided by not looking to certain people or things for my expectations. I think back over my life and see how blessed I am regardless of what I'm going through at the moment. I ponder the wonderful people God has allowed me to meet, some were just lovely friends along my path. Some were prophets, authors and preachers; thinking of the quote above I think how privileged I was to meet and actually share a meal with Brother/Pastor Calvin Miller and his lovely wife. I think of the beautiful Margie Holmes who was with me that day and bought me a copy of his book, The Unfinished Soul. I think of Brother C. L. Moore the prophet who in spirit and personality reminded me so much of Calvin Miller. Why would God allow someone such as me, to mingle and even host the Moores in our home several times? I was so humbled by Cec Murphey and the first time he gave me a scholarship to the Florida Christian Writer's Conference; it felt like the doors of heaven opened there. I was able to give the awesome Robert Benson a hug at that conference even though I didn't take the time to introduce myself. I wasn't one of the big name people there so why bother, I thought. Yet the words he spoke were so profound and touched my soul so, that I knew that he would be kind to me, if I'd been brave enough to do it. 

I've been among greatness and some of the great people have been sisters among you. Some have been family who have endured hard situations and like the Timex watches, “took a licking and kept on ticking." I think of the pain my husband endures daily and am grateful he is pressing on. I survey greatness daily in our common life. I think of our children and grandchildren and I press on with a deep love in my heart. Sometimes this scripture is painfully near, "As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul." Luke 2:35

When I'm down I need to remember the great mercies of the Lord towards me. Yes, today and for the recent months I've felt like I'm living hell on earth but I need to recount the days that life was peaceful and love abounded. I want to learn to LOVE WELL and hope that can be said about me one day when I’m no longer here on earth. (In fact, put that on my gravestone, SHE LOVED WELL.) LOL!

I can't even begin to name all the people who have made me feel like a blessed woman and many of those the Lord would say "the world is not worthy of them."

  "Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.

^24-28 By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. 

^32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.

^39-40 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours. Hebrews 11 The Message

^{I'm posting the lyrics to a song and the scriptures that came to me this morning.}

Another heartbreak day 
Feels like you’re miles away 
Don’t even need no shade 
When your sun don’t shine, shine 

Too many passin’ dreams 
Roll by like limousines 
It’s hard to keep believin’ 
When they pass you by and by 

I know your heart been broke again 
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet 
I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left 
Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so 

Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes 
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet 

Echoin’ inside your head 
Are the words that your sweet momma said, 
“shoot for the moon, my dear” 
So you took aim out of this atmosphere 
Between high stakes and pump fakes 
You’re feelin’ like you can’t buy a break 
I can hold your hand, but I can’t turn your eyes to freedom 

I know your heart been broke again 

I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet 
I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left 
Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so 

Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes 
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet 

Hold on, hold on 
Lord ain’t finished yet 
Hold on, hold on 
He’ll get you through this 
Hold on, hold on 
These are the promises 
I never will forget 
I never will forget [x2]

I know your heart been broke again 
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet 
it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so 

Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes 
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on 
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet.

Toby Mac

^{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX1G71WK-FA}

When you feel that you've been labeled wrongly, remember that's not your name. Secular song, but it works for me sometimes and I used to love to Zumba to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E879PGlGwPg

 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

That's Not My Name

"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it." (Rev. 2:17 NLT)

Have you ever been so attacked in mind and spirit over past failures that you felt you just couldn't go on? Have you ever felt the enemy of your soul was calling you names and they certainly weren't the type you hear in church? Have you ever been so ashamed, of being so lost and so numb and remembering a time in your life that you weren't even yourself? Can Jesus redeem you from the names you hear in your mind? Can He really make all things new with you? Hasn't that been the promise preached from most pulpits and isn't that why you, yourself decided to follow him?

And yet, those names...

At Zumba I heard a song called, "That's Not My Name." It's a catchy tune, I can't figure out all the words, and I think some versions have different ones that are off-color. But it stuck in my head and my mind because I felt the Lord was trying to tell me something. I felt like He was trying to say, "Daughter, that's not your name." You are not loser, abuser, unloved, friendless, forgotten, unloving, those are not your names. Who would want me to think of myself as such? Surely not my Father in heaven. Surely not any of my true friends and family; the ones who really know me. But an enemy of my destiny and soul, yeah that's the one who wants to disrupt family, destiny, love and more. You know the one whose voice is so deceptive and evil and so very, very constant unless you are combatting it with the words of love from our heavenly Father. Unless you are putting a new song into your heart and mind. And I love when the Lord does that, when he shows me a way that is greater. I love when I find a song of hope and happiness. Enjoy this song today as we remember that's not our name but maybe something from this song is. Something like forgiven, unashamed, uncondemned, holy, righteous and redeemed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0ItnPk3t2Y

Bring your tired
And bring your shame
Bring your guilt
And bring your pain
Don't you know that's not you're name
You will always be much more to me

Every day I wrestle with the voices
That keep telling me I'm not right
But that's alright

'Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I'll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world
In the world
In the world
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world

Bring your doubts
And bring your fears
Bring your hurt
And bring your tears
There'll be no condemnation here
You are holy, righteous and redeemed

Every time I fall
There'll be those who will call me
A mistake
Well that's OK

'Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I'll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world
In the world
In the world
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world

(He's Greater, He's Greater)

There'll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn't matter.

Read more: Mercy Me - Greater Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

PS I took one of those name quizzes and this is what it said: "River; You are a free spirit who knows what you want. You are a child of the universe and you are truly one with nature. You love everything and everyone around you."

I'm really looking forward to the new name that the Lord will give me, though.