A Good Word

The other day someone shared with me a disappointment they had recently experienced. They were pretty upset at the beginning of our conversation and my heart went out to them. So, I listened, we talked back and forth and we prayed.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 12:25

We all go through times of discouragement, disappointments, and anxieties. If we can extend a good word, it can totally turn a person’s outlook around. They can go from being very upset to being glad.

Not long after our conversation, this person texted me, “Thank u for reminding me of God’s promises and talking me down when I needed it.” Their good word of encouragement gave me gladness too!

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I Am Not Who I Once Was

I look back at the me before my life changed and I am so thankful that is not who I am anymore. Accepting the underserved grace of Jesus, drastically changed the path I was going down. I am forever thankful.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

I did not say “yes” to Jesus until God opened the eyes of my heart. The filth apparent to me when I did say “yes”, was nothing short of atrocious before our holy God.

After the yes, He placed His desires in me. Where my heart was dead and hard like a stone, He softened it like flesh. What was once heavy and weighted deep within, became light and free.

Jesus set me free.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Can Mess Ups Be Good?

There have been many times in my walk with the Lord that I have felt so discouraged with myself.  There is no amount of sheer determination that I can muster that will keep my sinful heart completely in check.  I always mess up.

The season I have been in as of late has been very sanctifying and it has been eye opening.  Nothing has revealed my selfishness more than this season of parenting and schooling with so many littles.  There are days that I get so frustrated with myself and how I handle problems that arise in my home.  Some times I let guilt sink in. But I find that more often than not, those days of guilt are days that I have not been seeking God first.

On one such day God led me to this verse as I was listening to the Bible on my phone while getting ready.

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” 1 Timothy 4:15

This verse really spoke to me because Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith didn’t have it all figured out either.  He hadn’t “arrived”. He had bad days too like everyone else. But God fully intended to use his good days and his not so good days to be an example of what God can do in the hearts and lives of those who diligently seek God’s face.  And He intends the same for us.

Paul states in verse 13 that Timothy should “give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” This means that we should fully commit to being in the scripture even if it’s just a verse a day! Even if it’s just from a phone app! But it goes beyond just reading.  We need to think about what we read.  Think about what God is saying through the verse and than applying it to our lives.  It is this act of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us that slowly transforms our lives!

Progress isn’t having it all figured out.  Progress is more like advancing in a battle and gaining ground.  It’s not always easy but we know that if we just keep trying, God will bless our perseverance and use us and our “battles” in mighty ways.

It doesn’t matter that I mess up. What matters is that God is using those mess ups to mold me and shape me more into His likeness.  And what’s even more amazing is that others can see that in me! So when you start to feel the weight of your own imperfections, remember God doesn’t see you through those but rather intends to use them to shine His grace all the more brightly to those around you!

The Lord Made Today

My trip to Britain has been filled with lots of people. Catching up with family and old friends. Every day I have seen a different dear friend and I am reminded of the good times we shared.

This is me with my school girl friends, my Hannah has moved to Canada so could not be with us but these are the rest of my oldest friends.

I am reminiscing a lot! And, a lot of it is good reminiscing! Especially with these girls who give me so many laughs. I really was blessed with a good school experience because of the Christian School I went to, The Kings School and because I had the best class.

Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

It blows me away that God wrote every day of my life, the days in which I lived in Britain and however many days he has appointed me in the future in Maine.

Every day is a gift. Right now I’m looking back really appreciating where I came from! But, every day in our future God has written.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I love these verses, it gives me peace that every day we experience His mercies.

I am guilty of reminiscing without appreciating fully the day I am living in. Although right now I am thoroughly enjoying every day of my trip.

It is so important to see every day as a day that the Lord has made and while we look forward to the Lord Jesus coming back, to remember he has a purpose in the day that we are living in and glorify him in it.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I Am

Well, I’ll be leaving Utah the day this post goes out! There really is grief in change. This place is what we have known for the last year. We have grown to love our family, friends, neighbors, and even this land. It’s like a trail of our nine hearts will somehow be left behind.

I find comfort in knowing that God directs our steps!

“A person may plan his own journey, but Yahweh directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

In the Bible, God is most often referred to as LORD. The Hebrews would pronounce it something like, “Yahweh,” which is built on the word for “I Am”.

God is.

God is Who directs our steps. There is great comfort in knowing “I Am” is paving the path in our lives.

I do not look at our move thinking better things will come for us, because we aren’t promised an easy life here on earth. The Bible tells us that we will all have trials of many kinds. It doesn’t matter where we live. But, if we are living for God, His hope will carry us. We will always be in the best hands following “I AM.”

Defend the Hope

Not long ago I had an opportunity to talk about God to someone who is not a follower of Jesus. I had no preconceived ideas of how the conversation would flow or what this persons response might be.

I wasn’t worried about what to say or what not to say. Honestly I had not even intended to speak about the Lord. Our discussion just naturally headed to a place where I was able to speak a few simple truths about our Creator.

God merely took this moment in my day to allow my conversation to become a testimony of His glory and His greatness. I immediately sensed God’s presence.

I am amazed at how God can turn a quick conversation into an encounter designed by Him and for His glory. I am humbled that His Spirit reminded me what to speak so that the greatness of God was given one more opportunity to be heard in the life of another person. Please pray for them.

A Snapshot Of My Freedom From Mud

God is not afraid of mess. I find this incredibly awesome! To be honest, I use to shrink back from it, but now I am aware of how much that was costing me. In this snapshot, I prompted my boys to embrace it full speed.

You see, I think there is a lesson in this. As I allowed my boys to plunge right in, I saw a glimpse into my own heart. My sons laughed with joy as they raced through the muddied puddles. I saw how liberating it is, to live life abundantly, not so scared of dirt and grime.

I was reminded of Jesus and His death on the cross. How He embraced the filth in all of us and how living like Jesus makes life so incredibly full.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b)

I have to wonder if boys love mud and dirt so much, for creation to once again direct us to God. My sons, like God, never second guess dirt. Reckless love always plunges towards even the deepest mud puddles, not away from them.