12:37 a.m. I woke up to a sharp pain in my little toe – a chronic hangnail had caught in my sock and was pulling on the nerve.

Happy New Year to me!

I cut my nails.

Insomnia…and heartburn.

I made hot chocolate and read a magazine.

6:00 a.m. My face is burning. The hives around my eyes are red. Was it the cheese from the cheesy potatoes? Or the cream cheese in the Blueberry Cheesecake? Or hot chocolate? I don’t know. The results from my food allergy test did not come in.

Or is it Prednisone rebound rash? I took 30 mg yesterday. It seems to take 40 mg or more to bring down a flare.

And it keeps coming back.

David suggested I use frozen peas for the burning. I took Ibuprofen for the redness and pain.

A year ago, I was recovering from a lumpectomy. That was much worse!

My New Bible

The Bible I purchased to read in 2021 is the “Holy Land Illustrated Bible,” because our trip to the Holy Land is scheduled for March. (It was postponed twice because of the Coronavirus or COVID-19.) It is the “Christian Standard Bible version.”

I also read one Proverb from “The Passion Translation.”

Matthew 5 – what a great way to start the New Year! I’m reading how I am blessed, even in suffering.

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Christian Standard Bible

I didn’t appreciate sympathy cards until my dad went home to heaven. Then I started sending them to everyone, even people I barely knew.

(I appreciate the one day my skin was clear this week.)

And from Proverbs

Proverbs 1:1, 2, “Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, the words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son. 2) Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge.”

The Passion Translation

I Learned

I am blessed no matter how I suffer.

Each day that I read my Bible, I will find:

1. Kingdom revelations
2. Words to live by
3. Words of wisdom
4. Words to empower me to reign in life
5. Revelation of wisdom
6. Impartation of Spiritual understanding
7. Treasures of true knowledge

Another Lesson

Luke 6:41, “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?”

Christian Standard Bible

How easy it is to see the faults in others! From now on, I plan to say, “It’s just a splinter.”

“Oftentimes…we do not perceive our own inward blindness, how great it is. We often practice evil, and make it worse by excuses.” (2-5-1)

“Principles of a Centered Life,” Compiled and with notes by Michael Phillips, p. 63

A Promise

Proverbs 1:33, “But the one who always listens to me will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace. Free from fear, confident and courageous, you will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.”

The Passion Translation

We have sleet and snow predicted for the day.

A Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

As I wrestle with the beam in my own eye, forgive me for judging others. Forgive me for complaining about a hangnail and hives. I’m grateful that I am not recovering from surgery or COVID-19. Thank you for bringing us safely through when our family contracted it in November.

And thank you for our biggest blessing – Gideon David, who joined our family in August! Thank you for bringing him safely through when he contracted COVID-19.

Guide us through 2021.

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen

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