Monday, December 22, 2014

The Lord Up Above

She was with child 
And ready to pop
He wasn't the father 
Yet didn't question God
He trusted in His guidance
To lead them all the way
And to a little stable
She delivered in the hay
He loved that little boy
As if he were his very own
He raised him up to be
None other than a carpenter's son
He listened to the angels
Who told him where to go
For he couldn't trust himself
For everything he didn't know
He traveled mile after mile
To make sure his son was safe
The road map was given 
Through the road God paved
There was a special purpose
For this little boy's life
And he had to believe
It was worth all the strife
Because he wasn't just the son 
Of one Joseph and of one Mary
But the Son of God above
The debt of the world he would carry
And though they didn't understand
They knew they had their love
And the guidance and protection
Of The Lord up above

He was working three jobs
Trying to make ends meet
It sure isn't easy to do
When you have six kids to feed
But on every Sunday morning
They piled all those kids up
In their old Volkeswagen car
Off to church, The Lord to worship
He had two bills in his wallet
One hundred and one ten
It was all he had to pay bills,
And to feed all his children
When the offering plate
Was passed around that day
He threw in his offering
With his tithes he did pay
When he got home from church
He realized what he had done
The wrong bill he put in the offering
Now his hundred dollars was gone
But he did not question
The reasons behind the mistake
He told Momma, "Don't worry
The Lord would provide, just wait"
He knew they had each other 
And all of their love
A blessing was sure to come
From The Lord up above

She was 300 miles away
From all of her family
Working hard to provide
But nothing came easily
She stretched every dollar
From payday to payday
But there was never enough
And she never saw a way
There was no money
For diapers or for food
And she often wondered
What it was she should do
More times than she could count
She called up her mom and dad
Explaining all of her struggles 
And how she was oh so sad
Through words spoke through a phone
They lifted her spirits up a lot
Ensuring her that she wasn't all alone
She had them & she had God
Though she never understood 
Why things had to be that way
She knew it was a lesson learned
And would give her a reason to say,
"Though I can't understand why
Things always happen the way they do
I'm thankful for everything 
The good Lord has brought me through
I'm thankful for all the compassion
Given through my parent's love
And for the love, hope, peace, and forgiveness
Of my Lord and Saviour up above"

- LaDawn Cossey
December 22, 2014






Sunday, December 14, 2014

Lord, I'm Here and I'm Waiting on You

I have found in my life that anything I try to do on my own seems to fail.  Honestly, I have no idea why I think my plans or ideas are better than the Lord's above, but often I get the mentality that I know how things should be.  I don't take the time to stop and ask God for directions because I think my GPS won't steer me wrong.  My GPS can easily lose signal and when it does, it repeats, "turn left" over and over again; sending me in circles.  So, don't let your GPS send you turning left when you can easily access God's GPS through prayer and He will always send you turning right.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 KJV

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6 KJV



Lord, I'm Here and I'm Waiting on You

I'm walking down this narrow path
Unsure of where it leads
The night grows dark oh so fast
Til black is all I can see
But I don't scare too easily
I have no reason to fear
I know You are on Your way
I know You are so near

So, I won't run and I won't hide
From the things I cannot see
I won't jump and I won't scream
From the things surrounding me
I will stand here strong & bold
I will remain faithful & true
For I know You will protect me
So, Lord, I'm here and I'm waiting on You

There You are in the nick of time
With a light so big and bright 
It's a miracle knowing You are here
Turning the darkness into light
You see what is in front of me
And prepare my every step
You take my hand and lead the way
So I can be exactly where I need to get

So, I won't run and I won't hide
Because You are here with me
I won't jump and I won't scream
Because You are all I can see
You give me strength to be so bold
Even when I haven't got a clue
My eyes are focused on You alone
And Lord, I'm here and I'm waiting on You


-LaDawn Cossey
December 14, 2014

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Never-Been-Married Middle Aged Woman’s Perspective of the Single Life


The never-been-married, middle aged woman’s perspective of the single life is one that can be summed up in three little words; she hates it!  She may put on a smile (a fake one, I might add) and she may throw a joke or two your way and odds are they are probably about being single, but that doesn’t mean that she is happy about it.  All the fake smiles she puts on her face turn upside down when she is lying across her bed crying herself to sleep at night because she is lonely.

The most appalling question you could ever ask this woman is, “Why are you still single?”  In her mind, she hears the words, “So, what’s wrong with you?”  Maybe she has many faults, but that doesn't mean that every person who is married doesn't have faults too. 

Married friends, she doesn't want to hear your mediocre complaints about your husband.  She doesn’t care if he wouldn’t watch The Notebook with you because he wanted to watch the Super Bowl instead, she doesn’t care if he forgot to put the toilet seat down, and she doesn’t care that he left his socks on the floor.  Whatever it is that you think is so bad about your significant other, well, just get over it!  She would much rather have these problems herself and her advice to you would probably be enjoy spending some time with him while watching the Super Bowl, put the toilet seat down and be thankful that at least he remembered to lift it, and pick up those dirty socks for him because it just shows that he needs you.  She thinks that you should focus less on the things that he does wrong and more on the things that he does right; like loving you.

Divorced friends, you may think the whole wedding ordeal and marriage is overrated, but you don't understand that you have had that experience and she hasn't.  So, don't stress to her that you think she is better off being single because you had a failed marriage and you don't think marriage lives up to all the hype.  You don't understand what it is like to never have experienced marriage.  You may also think she has gotten too old to do the whole wedding thing and if she ever does get married she should just hit up the county courthouse.  But her age doesn't change the fact that she still wants the feeling of having her dad walk her down the aisle and see her groom at the altar with a smile.  Every little girl’s dream is of getting married and the perfect wedding day and even if she is still unwed in her mid-thirties; she still wants to have that dream come true.

Older married couples, you may look at her and say that you understand but if you aren’t or have never been in her shoes then frankly, she doesn't think you are in a position to understand.  If you have been married for boo coo years, then you don’t understand what it’s like to not have someone there.  You have always had that special person to help with the kids or to help figure problems out.  You have always had that someone to go to when you just want to spend time with someone and you don't want to be alone.  You can be objective and see that things are hard, but until you have been in her situation then you will never truly understand.  You can try to encourage her; perhaps tell her that it’s all in God’s timing or you know the right man will eventually come along, but most of the time your encouraging words are falling on deaf ears because she hurts in ways that she knows you will never be able to truly understand.

She studies married couples.  Whether she realizes she does this or not, odds are she looks at a man’s wife and thinks to herself, Surely, I’m just as special or good of a woman as she is.  She also sees men who are married to woman who have serious issues with addiction or cheating and she wonders how those women are more deserving of a husband than she is.  They clearly do not appreciate a husband as much as she would.  Sometimes she just wonders if God thinks she doesn’t deserve to have a husband.  Even though she knows that she does deserve the love and attention of a man, she doesn’t know if God will ever bless her with it.

She attracts married men.  This doesn’t mean she wants to attract married men, but they seem to prey on her type.  She is lonely and craves attention and married men like to feed on those emotions.  Married men often worry about the feelings of their wife and children if they were to find out he was unfaithful; however, they tend to overlook that the other woman has feelings too.  Whether she knew he was married or not, he still toyed with her emotions and put her in that situation.  Married men there is only one solution to this issue; don’t cheat!  Single women there is only one solution to this issue for you too; run, as fast as you can, run!

For the never-been-married, middle-aged, single woman who also has children who have never known a father there is more added stress to her equation.  Disciplining her children is a must, but she feels as if she is the bad guy 24/7.  There isn’t someone to help with disciplining, so she doesn’t get a break.  It scares her that her children are going to remember her as being nothing but miserable, grumpy and mean.

So, if you know a never-been-married, single, middle-aged woman out there then please try to cut her some slack.  She leads a life that many do not and will not ever be able to understand.  She’s just hoping that one day she understands the meaning and purpose behind the struggle.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Here Comes The Bride...


You have heard the saying, “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”  That sums it up for me.  Although I have never even been a bridesmaid either and if I’m being honest, I’m not too upset about that;  have you seen some of those hideous bridesmaid’s dresses?  Seriously though, for a woman at my age (I know I’m only in my late 30’s, but still I’m no spring chicken in the single world), it seems as if I will never get the blessing of being a bride.  While I may never walk down the aisle on this earth, I do have the promise of being the bride of Christ.  I’m certain He won’t leave me standing at the altar.  His promises are true and His love is everlasting.  I could never find that here on earth.

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  Proverbs 31:10 KJV

Other than my father, I don’t know of another man here on this earth who would value me more than rubies.  However, I do know as His bride, Christ values us that much and more.  He can offer us so much more than any man here on earth ever could.  Ladies, He promises you a mansion, streets of gold, pearly gates and the list goes on and on.  Doesn’t that sound so much better than an earthly diamond ring? Oh, and as an added bonus;  I don’t see anywhere in the Bible that says He will be in control of the television remote and force you to watch Monday Night Football!  Ladies, can I get an AMEN?  (Fellas, if you are reading this and one of you might possibly be my future earthly husband, then I’m only joking.  The remote is yours, but can we compromise and watch a chick flick during the offseason?)

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22 KJV

Ladies, whether you are young, old, or somewhere in between, while you are preparing for your Heavenly wedding continue to be the good thing that God made you to be here on earth.  It is hard to resist when a man makes promises and shows you attention.  However, a man should respect you and your temple and if he cannot do that, then he isn’t the right man for you.  He would only want for you what God, Himself would want for you.  Don’t give yourself away for the temporary love or things of this world.  Focus on Heavenly things and the eternal love of Christ.  Above all, don’t leave the only Groom that truly matters standing at the altar. 

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  Revelation 19:7 KJV

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Fellas, I'm On Your Side!


Let me start off by saying that this may be one of the very few times I will ever do this, but fellas, I’m on your side.  Sure, I can’t deny that there have been a few times in my life where I was the typical man-hater.  It’s hard not to be when you find out your boyfriend is cheating on you or the man you are dating turned out to be married.  True stories, but those are the guys who give good men a bad reputation.  I say that because while I have dated a few snakes in the grass, I have also dated men who loved and respected me and even though they treated me the way a woman should be treated, I still looked for those little things that made him out to be the bad guy.  Something the poor guy did wasn’t good enough, wasn’t romantic enough, or I just thought he should have done something that he didn’t even realize that I wanted him to do.  Does that make the guy a bad guy?  Nope!

We Fix Our Eyes Upon The Small Imperfections

This past Christmas break, my 7 year old, first grade son grabbed his notebook and ink pen and sat down beside me and began to draw a picture one night.  I was watching a movie and wasn’t really paying much attention to what he was drawing because he is always drawing something.  When he was finished he held up the notebook and said, “Look, Mom!”  He had drawn a picture of a girl with a big smile on her face.  I asked who she was.  I assumed he was going to say it was his sister or someone in the family, but instead he responded with, “It’s Jacqueline.  She’s my girlfriend at school.”  I smiled and told him how pretty she was and that he had done a good job drawing her.  He then took the picture in his bedroom and colored it all in and brought it back to show me yet again.  This time he had written at the top, I love you, Jakulin.  Once again, I told him how pretty his picture was and he began telling me how much he missed seeing her while they were out of school.  He said he was going to give her the picture on their first day back.  As a woman and a mother, I thought it was one of the sweetest things ever.  A few days later the day he had been waiting for came and he headed back to school.  When we got home that night, I went through all the papers in his backpack and I came across the picture he had made for Jacqueline.   I asked him why he didn’t give his picture to her and he replied, “I did, but she said that’s not how you spell her name so she didn’t want it”.  It immediately made me think of how women really are.  We are always looking or expecting a man to do something for us whether it is something romantic or something to let us know they are thinking of us and then when they finally do it, we as women sometimes don’t think it’s good enough or we don’t want it.  We overlook the effort that the man put into it.  We fix our eyes upon the small imperfections instead of the time and thought that was put into the gesture.

It’s The Smaller Things In Life That Truly Matter

From looking back on a few past relationships with some of the good guys I dated, I can see where some men make small gestures because that’s all they know how to do or can afford to do.  Then we as women don’t see them for the romantics that they really are.  Perhaps he brought a flower home and gave it to you for Valentine’s Day, but that wasn’t romantic enough because you wanted a dozen red roses sent to you at work.  It doesn’t mean that he loves you any less than if he had sent you two dozen roses.  He thought of you and that in itself should be enough.  I have been single for almost 2 years now and if a man walked into my employer covered in mud and looking a hot mess, smelled like dirt and he had one single, yellow daisy that he picked from off the side of the road and he thought enough of me to bring and give it to me, it would be the sweetest, most romantic moment ever.  Perhaps that is because I have been single so long and my perspective of romance has changed in the past couple years, but my point is, it shouldn’t take a dozen red roses for you to know that someone loves or cares about you, it’s the smaller things in life that truly matter.  I would however be praying that he doesn’t always look and smell like that.  But hey, if you are a single guy (covered in mud or not) and interested in sweeping me off my feet, here’s an FYI for you, my favorite flowers are yellow roses, so feel free to put that information in your arsenal (but truth be known, any flower would do). :) 

You Gotta Cut A Guy Some Slack

The last story I’m going to tell you isn’t one of love or romance, but it is one of a caring friendship.  A few years back my birthday was approaching and I worked around mostly men at the time.  I had mentioned to an older man that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was a single red rose.  My birthday soon came and I got to work that morning and was walking into the break room.  As I was walking in, my older co-worker was walking out and he told me Happy Birthday, then he said, “Oh, I have your rose on my forklift”.  You can’t imagine the excitement that I felt knowing that he remembered exactly what it was that I wanted for my birthday and he actually got it for me.  So, I hurried up and headed to his forklift to get my red rose before I had to start work.  I walked over to him sitting on his forklift and he handed it to me.  He was so happy to be giving it to me, I can still see the smile on his face, but unfortunately he would never make it as a professional florist because the single red rose he handed me, was in fact a single red tulip.  Everyone around us had a good laugh about it, but in all honestly, it was the sweetest gift I was given for my birthday that year.  It didn’t matter to me that he got the flower wrong, what mattered was that he cared enough to even get me a flower at all, even if he did pick it out of his neighbors yard or so he claimed.  Sometimes ladies, you just gotta cut a guy some slack.

Don’t Reject Genuine Effort

Take it from me, there are guys out there who have the total romance thing down to a science;  I haven’t ever met one yet (I personally only think they exist in the movies), but don’t overlook the men who are trying to show you they love and care about you.  There are so many single women like myself out there who would absolutely love to have a special someone to do little things for them to let them know they care or are thinking of them.  So don’t reject genuine effort.  Always appreciate any and all efforts made on a man’s part.  After all, don’t you want him to appreciate all the little things you do for him? 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17 KJV

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.  Ephesians 5:2 KJV

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

He Was The First Man

 
He Was The First Man


He was the first man to hold me in his arms
And gaze upon my face with unconditional love
His touch of protection was so strong
Yet as gentle and soft as the clouds up above
 
He was the first man to wipe tears from my eyes
He never wanted for my heart to be broken
Words of encouragement with strength and love
Were the kinds of words to me he had spoken
 
He was the first man to give me a kiss
So gentle and pure, so soft and so sweet
He never wanted to let me go too far
I was someone he safely wanted to keep
 
He would have given me the world if he could
He would have granted my every heart's desire
But he gave me more than this world could ever offer
His unconditional love was all I really require
 
I realize I wasn't the first girl he held in his arms
I wasn't the first girl to know of his love so true
And I know he still loves those girls as he does me
But to be honest, it doesn't make me feel blue
 
I don't mind sharing his love with those other girls
I have no reason to feel any form of jealousy
For the love I know he feels for those three girls
I know he also feels the same love for me
 
He was the first man to ever hold those girls too
The first man to ever love them and the first to ever love me
So it is safe to say he is very special to all four of us
For he is the only man we will ever call our Daddy
 
-LaDawn Cossey
January 15, 2014