Lights in the Storm: Thoughts and Lessons from Life’s Stormy Path

By Renee’ Belle Isle Green

Renee’ Belle Isle Green began writing as a student in school.  Like her mother, she enjoyed putting words on paper.  She wrote her first musical play at age twenty-five.  As a young mother she began writing children’s stories for her daughter.  She wrote object lessons  for youth and they led to her blog.  Life was hard.  Obstacles in her journey needed to be navigated.  She began to share her faith in God as her navigator, guiding her through the rough seas of life.  This book is a compilation of various blogs and object lessons.  May it bless you and help you on your journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664235854

Renee’ Belle Isle Green

In 2015 Renee’ suffered, a double bleed stroke and was airlifted from FL Hospital to Tampa General’s NICU.   While recovering from her brain injury, she continues to write her Christ centered blog and work on a lifetime dream of publishing her writings.   This book contains her self-edited versions of decades of writings and lessons based on her life’s journey. In addition to working with her husband as a youth director, she is a Christian women’s speaker and worked with children of all ages in public and private schools, churches and camps, in several states.  She shares her writings in hope they help you on your path.

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Copyright © 2021 Renee’ Belle Isle Green.

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and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-3587-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3586-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3585-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021910846

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/27/2021

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the (NASB®) New American

Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman

Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing

ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian

Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999,2000,2002,2003,2009

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and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by

permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright

© 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

THOUGHTS AND INSPIRATIONS ALONG THE PATH

Lighthouse, Compass, Ships Wheel

Life Is A Rose Garden

Peace Like A River

No Rhyme, No Reason

Stuck In A Rut

Bringing Up A Child A Proverb

Does The Donkey Need To Talk?

Sand Buckets

Misery Loves Company!

Do Not Make The Pain The Issue

Life’s Hard

Myths And Urban Legends

Peace In The Valley, Still

Don’t Worry Be Happy

Beatitudes Attitudes To Be

Overwhelmed

No Fault Insurance

Fresh Lemonade?

What If?

Pick Your Battles

Rooted

Shackled By A Heavy Burden

Where’s Your Baggage?

No Time Like The Present

What Is Missing?

Sometimes You Have To Drink The Cup

Why Does God Whisper?

Peck-A-Little, Talk-A-Little

Nobody’s Business

Hot, Hot, Water

PRACTICAL LESSONS

The Ten Commandments

The Greatest Of These Is Love

Who Is The Creator?

The Importance Of You What Makes You Special

The Potter

The Gold Miner

Build Your House

How Will You Grow?

HOLIDAY INSIGHTS

A Little Dab A Do Ya!

Empty Tomb Eastercookies

Anchor, Mom

Father’s Day

Truth Or Tradition?

References

THOUGHTS AND

INSPIRATIONS

ALONG THE PATH

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LIGHTHOUSE, COMPASS,

SHIPS WHEEL

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Today was a hard day. I needed someone to help me get through it all. It reminds me of so many times I needed to help my girls through their hard days. Sometimes it was so difficult. Everyone deals with pain some way, somehow. For me, this is one of those days, when you hurt so bad inside it must get out. So, I am letting it out.

As an adult I deal with my pain in several ways:

• Write – I write about it on my blog.

• Cook – yes even when it is 98 degrees. It is raining so I made homemade chili – good old good-for-the-soul comfort food, regardless the weather. Sometimes you just need comfort food for lunch, no waiting for dinner.

• Shop – OK it was only a run to the local WalMart for some essentials (unlike when my mom would go buy a hat or a new pair of shoes.)

One or all of those usually helps. Today I need all three. I will tell you that I did my devotionals first. Of course, it helped and led to my writing. However, when I am hurting, I must get busy. I am not a saint and reading scripture does not fix things immediately but it often helps me to think through what I have read while I am busy. Truthfully, if reading the Scriptures fixed everything immediately, I believe God would be finished with me here and I would already be in Heaven. As a Human I must deal with the world and all that happens. Devotionals are needed, but we all know it does not always fix things. We must apply the Word to the pain.

Maybe I do not deal with my pain on my own; maybe God uses others to help me deal. Or maybe it is just that when I am busy getting things done it helps heal the pain. I am sure some would say I am not dealing with what is hurting me. However, I was raised by a mom that taught, don’t sit sour and soak. That is one of our Southernism sayings for, toughen up, life is hard.

While I agree to a point that moving on is the best thing to do, it is also important to walk through the pain. It also provides examples for others in your family to learn how to walk through pain. Children do not know how to deal with pain on their own. So, if you are helping your child through a painful situation, you need to teach them to talk through it with you. They watch you and you teach them through your actions.

What are they being taught? You are setting patterns for them as an adult. You need to teach them how to deal with pain in their life. It is not an automatic response and you do not want them growing up blaming God for bad things in their life.

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He steers us through rough waters.

What hurt today and why am I writing? Well, my cat has been ill and this morning he died. It was raining and my husband and I stood in the rain to bury him in the garden next to the Oleander bush.

We cried. Maybe you are saying, wow, over a cat? Well no, it was much more. It was just another domino in a long, long line of dominoes that included:

• My husband losing his job in a triple buy out three years ago and still not finding work.

• Being with my mom each day as she declined and died.

• My youngest daughter crawling out of a collapsed building in an E4 tornado that destroyed her college campus. She is safe by God’s mercy but suffering.

• This all triggered my autoimmune battles.

• Planning a wedding out of state a week after, a graduation.

• Other family member’s deaths.

We have been on a roller coaster ride that seemed to have no end. Maybe that was too much of a recital of our current life. Sorry. Just so you get the point, I am not a wimp, but sometimes there is that proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. It can be as little as waking up to find your comforting cat has died.

Now satan* attacks you during these times and he is not a respecter of age. He will attack anyone regardless of age, even your child early on as they go through tragedies in their life. You never know what the last straw will be. It may be something simple after many hard battles. Yes, the death of a pet may be the straw and it seems so tragic. I can remember everything from a butterfly funeral to a tropical fish funeral. I also remember my youngest losing her friend to cancer at age nine. I remember the pain and helping my girls deal with my brother’s plane crash even as I was wheeling myself. They were ten and fourteen years old and very close to him, as was I. Even my husband was having a hard time with losing him.

I remember helping them through disappointments like not making the team or squad, missed opportunities, and first crushes. Pain comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes the little pains hurt more than the big ones. You must watch your love ones and not write them off with, they will get over it. Ignoring pain will just put it off until later and build a life time of not dealing with situations and a large collection of emotional baggage.

So how do you deal with pain? I love the symbolism of the nautical life. It is an easy way to show how God cares and directs during troubled times, the storms of life. If you are teaching a child about pain, a visual aide helps. Use a lighthouse that they can turn on in a dark room, a compass to use as you walk and talk, and a toy boat they can steer in the water. For yourself and others you are helping, you can just think through what the circumstances are and how God can guide through them using scriptures. Basically, all three of my symbols above point the same way, to Him.

• The lighthouse – my favorite – He is our lighthouse, a light unto my feet.

• The ship’s wheel – Steering and guiding us through trouble waters.

• The compass – He directs our path through the narrow road

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He guides and directs our paths

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12 NASB)

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105 NASB)

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3-6 NASB)

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. (Psalms 139:3 KJV)

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17 KJV)

Some may not understand how trials and rough times build character, especially small children. God gives discernment in these times if you ask Him for help.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 KJV)

God is always present for you. And, if you are helping someone else through a difficult and painful time, you need to continually reinforce that you are there for them as He is always there for them. Above all else, watch during hard times for open doors from the Lord to use that time to point towards Him.

*satan – he is a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case in all of my writings because he is a lower case.

LIFE IS A ROSE GARDEN

T.V. has many shows telling you to come to Christ and your life will be a rose garden. Everything is all upbeat and happy. Then you have the flip side where people tell you that life is hard, even if you are a Christian, so