Don't Waste Your Pain

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

• God sees the big picture of your life. Like a puzzle, each peace has a perfect place. 
• Some puzzle  pieces look strange alone but have an important place in our lives.
• Romans 8:28: (King James Version)And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
• God promised that each peace will work out for our Good.
• Pain changes you, but how the pain changes you is your decision.
• You can come out bitter or better.
• Don't just go through it, grow through it. 
• Satan may turn on the heat but God has his hand on the thermostat.
• Satan had to ask God to test Job.
• If it was too much then God would turn it down.In order to not waste the pain, you have to learn the lesson. 

• God will turn your mess into a message
• Rain falls on the just and the unjust.
• Matthew 5:45 …that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

• Remember the lesson and then let go of the negative event.
• Mrs. Dodie was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 30+ years later she’s been cured and holds a prayer service in the Chapel where se received that deadly prognosis.
• God ķnows how to turn your mess into your message

• We were created to be conquerors.
• NASA wanted to study the bee’s behavior in outer space and the bees quickly realized that they didn’t need to use all of their energy to fly so they stopped flapping their wings. Those bees eventually died. Researchers said that though the bees seemed happy, they died.
  
• We weren’t created to have it easy.

• 2co.1.4.niv who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
• Candace Lynne "Candy" Lightner 
  
• American organizer and founding president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). On May 3, 1980, Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver at Sunset and New York Avenues in Fair Oaks, California.
• The sentence given to the repeat offender of driving while intoxicated (DWI) outraged Lightner who then organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The name was later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.Some cancer survivors volunteer at hospitals.
• The mess of the death of Candy’s daughter was turned into the message of MADD

• LoLo Jones
  
• Favored to win the 100 m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but tripped on the penultimate hurdle, finishing in seventh place.
• She went on to win silver at the 2008 World Athletics Final.
• Jones is the American record holder in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.72.
• Jones Refuses to Let Life's Hurdles Deter Her.
• She knows that she can help others who have fallen.

• Pain makes you uniquely qualified to help someone else in your position.It's not all about you. 
• Pain isn’t all about you. God may allow something so that you can be instrumental in someone else’s life down the road.
• Sometimes we're pregnant and we don't know it. 
• A heavy set woman had always been healthy but she started to get sick. She went to the doctor and they though it was a virus. She was nauseous, swollen, and etc…
• She finally decided to go to the doctor again and the doctor determined what was wrong, she was pregnant and 90 minutes later he handed her a healthy baby boy.
• When it's painful, don't get discouraged, you're about to give birth.
• Hebrews 12:2 (New Living Translation) We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
• Craig and Samantha Johnson

• Their son was diagnosed with autism. and he thought about the fact that many families can’t go to church because their isn’t a place for their kids to go during service. So he birthed the Champion’s Club.
• Champions Club is a specially designed developmental area for kids, youth, and adults with special needs. Our goal was to develop a program that would meet the developmental needs of children in four important ways, SPIRITUALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, MENTALLY, and PHYSICALLY.
• After the launch 300+ new families joined the church.

• When it’s painful don’t get discouraged, get ready because you’re in labor!

Joel and Victoria Osteen’s nuggets @ Lakewood Church

• Put God's word into to you when you don't need it and you'll have it when you do need it. 
• Don't put a question where God put a period.
• Your condition doesn’t determine your position. -Victoria Osteen
• Luke 13:10-17 (Jesus Heals on the Sabbath) 
• God sees you.
• One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.
• And when you answer His call, you will see His face.
• When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! 
• Your condition doesn’t determine your position.
• This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

Take A Closer Look

I'm upset and I'm sure that there will be those who read my post and judge me as irresponsible and cruel

just like my accuser did. Nevertheless I am going to share my experience here because it bothers me that society condones so many knee-jerk uninformed decisions. In condoning those decisions we have strengthened the everyone's confidence in taking uniformed actions. Though this situation upset me, I'm glad that when others were in my situation I sided with them and approached the situation with an open mind. I hope that in sharing this experience,

you will be motivated to take a closer look before you react.

In the next few paragraphs I will describe an incident that took place

as well as some of my subsequent research.

 

I took my dog to the park and it started to rain, so I headed home but then decided to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up 3 items. Obviously, I left Canon, my dog, in the car. Literally just as I headed to the register I heard a page on the loud speaker, "will the owner of a Black Mercedes..." with my license plate number please go to your car.  I already knew what happened so I placed my items at the register and went outside where my suspicion was confirmed. An irate man stood in front of my car and proceeded to yell at me about how irresponsible he deemed me and informed me that if he saw my dog in the car again that he planned to break my window. At which point I told him that the police would arrest him for vandalism. Even after showing him that my sunroof vent was open, he said that if I went back in the store without opening my windows that he planned to break my window. I am adverse to conflict so I just left. I tried to end the exchange positively, thanking him for his concern but he was still yelling so I just closed my door and drove away; I didn't even go back in to purchase my items.

 

Canon had been in the car less than 10 minutes at near room temperature conditions. Let me give you a few facts about the day. Like I said, it had started raining so it was overcast. According to the national weather service the day's high would be 83 and the temperature gauge in my car read 80° at the time. (To put things in perspective, the current temperature in my house is 78°.) I recently purchased a camera to clip on Canon onto Canon's collar when we go on walks. I had taken it off of his collar and clipped on the back seat. It was set to take a picture every minute. When I got home I downloaded the pictures to my computer and between the time that I left the car and the time that the man approached my car only 8 pictures had been taken. That means that he had been in the car alone for 8 minutes. If I had a chance to check out, then that would have been about 2 more minutes.

 

First picture of  "good Samaritan".

Even with the news of "good Samaritans" breaking windows to "free" animals I never thought twice about leaving Canon in the car while I grab a few items. But I've been stewing over this situation since it happened and decided to research Texas Animal laws.

 

According to a post written by Ben, J.D. on JustAnswer.Com, it is not unlawful to leave a dog alone in a parked car with the windows rolled down slightly for any amount of time no matter what the temperature is outside in the state of Texas. He says that none of the aforementioned conduct "is unlawful per se". He goes on to explain that Texas has no statute addressing leaving animals in a vehicle. There is a general "animal cruelty" law.

 

There was a case,  Leonard Lopez, Appellant, v. The State of Texas, where the court convicted the defendant of cruelty to animals where the defendant left his dog in the car on a hot, sunny, dry day with the windows only cracked an inch and a half while he watched a movie at a theater. His action was deemed "transporting or confining animal in a cruel manner." That day the high was 93 and the low was 75. I was unable to find anymore details but I'm pretty sure that my actions today don't even come close to that standard.

 

I decided to share this experience as a cautionary tale for dog owners and "Good Samaritans".

 

"Good Samaritans", should you happen to notice a dog in a parked car don't let your emotions get the best of you. You don't know the background of this situation. The "good Samaritan" went on about how irresponsible he deemed me and directed me to take better care of my dog based on less than 15 minutes observing my life and less than 2 minutes of interacting with me. Now, I believe that everyone can do better in any situation but anyone who knows Canon knows that we spoil him rotten and that he visits the doctor more than we do. (Please follow Canon on Instagram). Take a closer look at the situation and recognize that you just met this person and this dog. You know very little about the situation, even less about the dog, and nothing about the person. Not everyone is a monster.

 

Dog owners, there are people who are being empowered by society to act on dangerous impulses. If you get into a confrontation with one of these "good Samaritans" remove yourself from the situation. I know that if your dog is in your car then you love that animal. Remember to open the vent just so air is flowing and if you plan to be away from the car for long leave a cup of water. Try to park in an area out of director sunlight but in plain view. I parked in the front so had he done anything or had he called the police there were several witnesses and security cameras; the witnesses would have been able to verify what actually happened and there would have been camera evidence. You've taken care of your dog for years and were only stopping by the store to grab a few items. Not everyone will understand.

 

Well that's all for now!