2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL OCTOBER 18, 2017
Are you going through some-
thing diffi cult right now, expe-
riencing pain or disappointment
from a situation that just doesn’t
seem fair? In this world, so
many things are not right, and
you don’t have to look far to
fi nd some kind of injustice.
But one of the things I love
most about God is that He’s
a God of justice—He makes
wrong things right.
I really love 1 Peter 2:23,
which says that when Jesus was
“reviled and insulted, He did
not revile or insult in return;
while suffering, He made no
threats [of vengeance], but kept
entrusting Himself to Him who
judges fairly” (AMP).
When we’re being mistreated
or enduring something diffi cult,
it’s easy to want to take matters
into our own hands. However,
the best thing we can do is say,
“God, I’m going to trust You to
be my vindicator.”
Many people are used to
trusting God for things—for a
raise, for better health, or for
the next great thing they would
like to happen in their lives. But
God also wants us to trust Him
through things—when we’re
experiencing diffi culties or
when life isn’t working out the
way we hoped it would. Trust-
ing God allows us to enjoy our
lives even when everything is
not the way we want it to be.
For instance, maybe you’ve
worked harder than ever at your
job but still haven’t received a
promotion or a pay raise. May-
be a coworker who doesn’t
seem to work as hard as you
gets the promotion you wanted.
I know what this is like. Years
ago when this happened to me,
I immediately thought, It’s not
fair!
And I had a choice to make:
I zcould choose to be angry
and bitter toward the people
involved and try to vindicate
myself, or I could choose to
trust God to make wrong things
right, knowing that He could
pay me back for any injustice
done to me.
I want you to know I under-
stand what it’s like to have to
make this choice, and that it is
never easy. For the fi rst 23 years
of my life, I endured a lot of
painful experiences that left me
bitter, resentful, and constantly
blaming other people.
As a child, I was sexually
abused by my father. My moth-
er eventually found out, but fear
prevented her from confronting
the issue, so the abuse went on
for years. When I turned eigh-
teen, I married the fi rst man
who came along because I was
convinced no other man would
ever want me. But this only led
to more pain. We ended up di-
vorced after I discovered he was
cheating on me with other wom-
en and was involved in criminal
activities.
When we’re hurt or mistreat-
ed, it’s easy to have an attitude
that says, Someone owes me.
I sure did. For years, I tried to
“collect” from people who had
no way of paying me back. Be-
cause a man (my father) hurt
me, I found myself trying to
make other men pay. And it af-
fected every area of my life in a
destructive way.
Thankfully, as I began to read
and study God’s Word, I discov-
ered that God wants to be our
vindicator, and He can restore
everything we’ve lost through
injustices we’ve experienced.
Isaiah 61:7-8 (NIV) says, “In-
stead of your shame you will
receive a double portion, and
instead of disgrace you will re-
joice in your inheritance. And
so you will inherit a double
portion in your land, and ever-
lasting joy will be yours. For I,
the Lord, love justice....” This is
basically saying if we will trust
God, He will give us double for
our trouble!
Through Scriptures like this,
God helped me understand that
no person can ever pay me back
for what I went through—but
He can. When I fi nally began
trusting God to be my vindi-
cator—when I got my eyes off
of everyone else and focused
on Him—it was truly amazing
what He began to do in my life.
God wants to do the same
thing for you!
If someone mistreats you,
refuse to stay mad at them and
trust God to bring justice into
your life. I can promise you this:
If you’ll stop trying so hard to
get justice for yourself—to ma-
nipulate people and situations to
get “what you deserve”—you’ll
be amazed at what God will do
for you as you place all of your
trust in Him.
So, whatever’s going on
in your life today—whatever
you’ve endured and whatever
doesn’t seem fair—I want you
to know that you’re not invisible
to God. He sees you, He knows
exactly how much you can take,
and He will deliver you at just
the right time. He won’t be a
moment too late!
Remember, God is the only
One Who can truly vindicate
you. He is the God of justice,
and He can take your wrong
thing and make it right!
The family of Maxine Reeve
invites you to join them in
a celebration of her life on
Saturday, October 21 at 1:00
P.M. at the Pennoyer Avenue
Church of Christ located at
1041 Pennoyer Avenue, Cottage e
Grove, OR. A Potluck will follow at t
the Cottage Grove Community Center located
at 700 E. Gibbs Avenue. Cottage Grove, OR.
If you are unable to bring a potluck dish,
please come and bring memories of
Maxine.
HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL
New Members join today for $15.00 (reg. $20)
expires 12/31/17
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DEATH NOTICES
Miller — Norma Eleanor Miller, 84, of Springfi eld, OR, formerly of Dorena, OR, died Oct. 6. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills
Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
Marco V. Giarrusso, 89, of Cottage Grove passed away Oct. 15, 2017. Services pending. Arrangements handled by Andreason’s, Spring-
fi eld.
Funeral & Memorial Planning
Cremation Options
e Monuments
& Memorials & e Memorials
Cemetery Options e
Monuments
Cemetery Options
e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e
Haney — Stephen Douglas Haney, 67, of Cottage Grove, OR, died Oct. 5. No service is planned. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills
Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
Please Celebrate the 4th of July Safely!
123 South 7th,
Cottage Grove, Oregon
th
123
South
7
,
Cottage
Grove, Oregon
541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com
z
Grant Gording, BC-HIS
Board Certifi ed in
Hearing Instrument Sciences
www.smithlundmills.com
Jenna Buetow
Hearing Consultant
Free Hearing Screening
Same Day Appointments Available
www.grantshearing.com
1498 E. Main St., CG
541-942-8444
James “Jim” E. Fox,
1925-2017
James “Jim” E. Fox, 91, of Cottage
Grove passed away peacefully
on Monday, October 2, 2017. He
was born on October 8, 1925 in
Winnebago, Minnesota to Chester
E. and Ester B. Fox. Jim served in
World War II from August 24, 1944
to June 24, 1946 as a Sergeant in
the Third U.S. Army, 95th Division,
378th Infantry Regiment, known as “The Iron Men of Metz”.
Jim was in the 2nd wave on Omaha Beach in Normandy on
D-Day. Jim worked most of his adult life in Logging as a
Shovel Operator in the woods. He loaded log trucks and loved
every minute of it. He enjoyed riding horses in his younger
days and loved spending time hunting, fi shing, and camping
with his friends and family. Jim is survived by his wife of
53 years, Marie H. Fox, Brother, Dean Fox (Donna), Sister-
in-Law, Barbara Fox, Children; Alice Radcliff (Tim), Art
Sand (Shana), Duane Sand (Rhonda), Tena Carlton (Larry),
Grandchildren; Cassie (Jeremy), Jennifer (Chris), Katy
(Brian), Chris (Tara), Kendall, Joshua, Jeremy, Courtney,
Michael, Michelle (Brian), Carly (Jayden), Derek, Dylan,
Great Grandchildren; Carmen, Meara, Penelope, Alyvia,
Madelyn, Boston, and Olin. Family was everything to Jim.
It was what put a twinkle in his eyes. He absolutely adored
his Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. James was
preceded in death by son, Brian Fox, daughter, Susan Fox,
and siblings, Everett “Buster”, Don, and Elaine. A memorial
service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, November 3, 2017
at Smith Lund Mills Funeral Chapel, 123 S. 7th St., Cottage
Grove, OR. Please sign the guestbook at smithlundmills.com
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The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1L1-15-003 from the U.S. Department
of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the
responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.
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