"Though you cannot go back and have a brand new start, you can start now and have a brand new end." John Maxwell
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Saturday, July 13, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Don't lose hope- We know our ending!
A few weeks ago I went through a pretty difficult week. Maybe it wasn't difficult compared to other people's lives but, for me, I felt like I've been in the thick of battle. Fatigue, loneliness, disappointment, and frustration have all been prominent features in my story this week. Through it all, though, God has been there as my best friend. When I was able to step back and observe myself dealing with this situation, as compared to similar situations in the past, God showed me how much more I relied on him this time than I have in my past.
Even amidst moments of "despair", I knew enough in my heart to pray against it and to trust that I was not without hope.
I have been memorizing scripture a lot this year and it was during this time of battle that I had to call on it. It was a blessing to have that to call on as my weapons. One day I started crying for no reason I could understand. All I knew was to speak out loud, "help me God." He told me to go outside. I did. I sat outside in the sun with the dogs I was pet sitting for and was instantly more at peace. I was reminded through the beautiful nature around me and two of God's living creatures that God still loves me.
It was amazing how quickly that feeling of despair went away and the feeling of hope came back. I know I'm growing because I am not forgetting what my God has done for me amidst dark situations.
God gave me another blessing the next day. You know how you feel when you watch a movie or read and book and you already know the ending? When you see your favorite character going through turmoil and frustration, you want to encourage them not to give up because you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You want to shout, "Don't waste time moping, you're going to get the girl!" Or "Just hang in there a little longer. You'll survive because your rescuer is on his way!" It's the same with us as believers. We know our ending. We should be more encouraged than ever in our darkest times because, no matter what, we know exactly how it's going to end. We get to go to heaven with our Savior and be healed and cared for, freed from all distress.
Why have I never realized this? I have a new perspective. And don't want to forget it.
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Even amidst moments of "despair", I knew enough in my heart to pray against it and to trust that I was not without hope.
I have been memorizing scripture a lot this year and it was during this time of battle that I had to call on it. It was a blessing to have that to call on as my weapons. One day I started crying for no reason I could understand. All I knew was to speak out loud, "help me God." He told me to go outside. I did. I sat outside in the sun with the dogs I was pet sitting for and was instantly more at peace. I was reminded through the beautiful nature around me and two of God's living creatures that God still loves me.
It was amazing how quickly that feeling of despair went away and the feeling of hope came back. I know I'm growing because I am not forgetting what my God has done for me amidst dark situations.
God gave me another blessing the next day. You know how you feel when you watch a movie or read and book and you already know the ending? When you see your favorite character going through turmoil and frustration, you want to encourage them not to give up because you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You want to shout, "Don't waste time moping, you're going to get the girl!" Or "Just hang in there a little longer. You'll survive because your rescuer is on his way!" It's the same with us as believers. We know our ending. We should be more encouraged than ever in our darkest times because, no matter what, we know exactly how it's going to end. We get to go to heaven with our Savior and be healed and cared for, freed from all distress.
Why have I never realized this? I have a new perspective. And don't want to forget it.
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Friday, May 10, 2013
Reality in history
This year at church we have been going through The Story. This week's chapter was about Jesus' resurrection. It is always an exciting part of the Bible for me to read. To Think that a man lived and died and then lived again seems unreal. Of course, many say that it is. The reality for me is, even when I have tried to pretend that God was not real or to somehow explain away some of the words in scripture, everything always ended up pointing back to him. Everything in my life is evidence of the truth that exists in the Scriptures. Jesus was and is REAL.
I love what my devotion says as it paints the picture of what it must have been like that weekend Jesus died, as the disciples learned the exciting news.
"A gentle whisper began to circulate of his triumph, yet it still seems impossible. It went against everything they knew. He had risen from the dead. His love was the glue that held the disciples together. In their wildest dreams, they could not imagine that Christ would overcome death with his love...The grave held our hearts, Our hopes, and our dreams. Love overcame death in a bloody war for our souls. His love proclaims that your soul is worth it."
I like to sometimes just sit with that reality. I like to ponder actually being there when it all went down. I cannot imagine what it would have been like. I can only imagine the energy that would've been resounding in that city and then very quickly to other towns, countries etc. I am so grateful to be alive in the day when Jesus has already come, but it would have been such an experience to be there when it all first happened. As they say, reality is stranger than fiction. I believe it.
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I love what my devotion says as it paints the picture of what it must have been like that weekend Jesus died, as the disciples learned the exciting news.
"A gentle whisper began to circulate of his triumph, yet it still seems impossible. It went against everything they knew. He had risen from the dead. His love was the glue that held the disciples together. In their wildest dreams, they could not imagine that Christ would overcome death with his love...The grave held our hearts, Our hopes, and our dreams. Love overcame death in a bloody war for our souls. His love proclaims that your soul is worth it."
I like to sometimes just sit with that reality. I like to ponder actually being there when it all went down. I cannot imagine what it would have been like. I can only imagine the energy that would've been resounding in that city and then very quickly to other towns, countries etc. I am so grateful to be alive in the day when Jesus has already come, but it would have been such an experience to be there when it all first happened. As they say, reality is stranger than fiction. I believe it.
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Cultivating Joy
Cultivating gratitude and joy means letting go of our fears and embracing gratitude. Brene Brown talks about this concept in her book "The Gifts of Imperfection". It makes so much sense to me, especially since I have noticed my lack of joy this week. Now I am understanding that being joyful is a daily practice. Our choice to be joyful is connected to our spirit of gratitude. When we wake up in the morning and are thankful for the life that we have been given we are instantly full of joy.
"The difference between happiness and joy is the difference between a human emotion that's connected to circumstances and a spiritual way of engaging with the world that's connected to practicing gratitude."
The root words for happiness and joy in Greek reflect this definition. The root word for happiness is Makarios, "which was used to describe the freedom of the rich from normal cares and worries or to describe a person who received some form of good fortune, such as money or health."
The Greek word for joy is Chairo. "Chairo was described by the ancient Greeks as the culmination of being and the good mood of the soul." It is something that is only found in God and "comes with virtue and wisdom."
I especially love this quote from author Lynne Twist, in her book "The Soul of Money": "For many of us, our first waking thought of the day is I didn't get enough sleep. The next one is I don't have enough time. Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives curing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of".
Brown says, "We are starving from a lack of gratitude."
Brown also discusses how our fears can keep us from being joyful. Sometimes we are so afraid to feel joy because we are waiting for the last shoe to drop. Unfortunately, holding back from embracing the joy in those beautiful moments of life just robs us from experiencing life to its fullest.
Jesus did not come to give us life but to give us life abundantly! I'm going to live life the way He intended.
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"The difference between happiness and joy is the difference between a human emotion that's connected to circumstances and a spiritual way of engaging with the world that's connected to practicing gratitude."
The root words for happiness and joy in Greek reflect this definition. The root word for happiness is Makarios, "which was used to describe the freedom of the rich from normal cares and worries or to describe a person who received some form of good fortune, such as money or health."
The Greek word for joy is Chairo. "Chairo was described by the ancient Greeks as the culmination of being and the good mood of the soul." It is something that is only found in God and "comes with virtue and wisdom."
I especially love this quote from author Lynne Twist, in her book "The Soul of Money": "For many of us, our first waking thought of the day is I didn't get enough sleep. The next one is I don't have enough time. Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives curing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of".
Brown says, "We are starving from a lack of gratitude."
Brown also discusses how our fears can keep us from being joyful. Sometimes we are so afraid to feel joy because we are waiting for the last shoe to drop. Unfortunately, holding back from embracing the joy in those beautiful moments of life just robs us from experiencing life to its fullest.
Jesus did not come to give us life but to give us life abundantly! I'm going to live life the way He intended.
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Good news
I am reading an insightful book about how to counsel one another the way Jesus did (Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp). As we seek to understand our own hearts and what God is doing in our lives, it is so important to understand God's timeline and his character. When we think about how many years it took for God to send Jesus, it doesn't always make sense to us, until we understand His timeline. He says that it was the perfect time. Historical events, the economy, political upheaval, etc. made everyone's hearts ready for Jesus. If he did all that for Jesus' coming, he'll do that for us in our lives, too.
"The time has come. Jesus is saying, 'This is what God has been working on. All of history has been moving toward this one moment.' God had not forgotten or lost interest in humanity. Since that horrible first fall into sin, he had been bringing the world to this day. What looked pointless and out-of-control was, in fact, the unfolding of God's wonderful story of redemption, which reached its crescendo with the coming of Christ."
"As sinners, we have a natural bent to turn away from the creator to serve the creation." We are constantly seeking to fill the void in our lives with various things and we end up spending so much of our time digging under a mound of trash and untruths in order to find a small shred of insight that we think provides the answers we have been searching for. This insight gives us hope and order but this is only temporary. It doesn't give us the long-lasting hope and change that we so desperately need. Jesus is the only one who can do that.
As believers we are called by God to help others see that truth. "We gently turn them away from the mound, and joyfully turn them to the man, Jesus Christ. This is the essence of personal ministry. "
I'm excited to learn more about how to do this so I'm sure I will keep sharing.
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"The time has come. Jesus is saying, 'This is what God has been working on. All of history has been moving toward this one moment.' God had not forgotten or lost interest in humanity. Since that horrible first fall into sin, he had been bringing the world to this day. What looked pointless and out-of-control was, in fact, the unfolding of God's wonderful story of redemption, which reached its crescendo with the coming of Christ."
"As sinners, we have a natural bent to turn away from the creator to serve the creation." We are constantly seeking to fill the void in our lives with various things and we end up spending so much of our time digging under a mound of trash and untruths in order to find a small shred of insight that we think provides the answers we have been searching for. This insight gives us hope and order but this is only temporary. It doesn't give us the long-lasting hope and change that we so desperately need. Jesus is the only one who can do that.
As believers we are called by God to help others see that truth. "We gently turn them away from the mound, and joyfully turn them to the man, Jesus Christ. This is the essence of personal ministry. "
I'm excited to learn more about how to do this so I'm sure I will keep sharing.
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Thursday, March 21, 2013
Training toward the ultimate goal
When I read Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield of the Mind" last year, it not only transformed my mind, but it transformed my life as well. Embracing the reality that transformation really begins and ends with my thoughts has been so impactful for me.
I came across another author who had similar impactful advice. James Bryan Smith states in his book, "The Good and Beautiful God" that, "I have come to believe that the problem is not that we do not want to change, nor is the problem that we are not trying to change. The problem is that we are not training. We have never been taught a reliable pattern of transformation".
I believe he is right and that more people should know this. In order to become who we want to be, we must practice. Specifically we are called to transform our minds to be more like Christ.
The author reminded me of how many comparisons Paul made in the Bible between the Christian's life and the athlete's life. We must train in order to reach our goals. It takes a lot of practice in order to get better at endurance but it is well worth the effort.
I can attest to this. Although I have a long way to go in reaching my goals, I have come so far in the past year since I have started this technique. I worry less, I love more, and I Know what peace feels like.
If you haven't started transforming your mind, you can start anytime. Don't be discouraged. It takes a really long time to develop new thinking skills and just when you will feel like giving up, you'll see yourself encountering the enemy and, with God's help, you'll have a small victory. Those victories are addicting so keep plowing through until you get one. There will be lots more where that one came from!
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I came across another author who had similar impactful advice. James Bryan Smith states in his book, "The Good and Beautiful God" that, "I have come to believe that the problem is not that we do not want to change, nor is the problem that we are not trying to change. The problem is that we are not training. We have never been taught a reliable pattern of transformation".
I believe he is right and that more people should know this. In order to become who we want to be, we must practice. Specifically we are called to transform our minds to be more like Christ.
The author reminded me of how many comparisons Paul made in the Bible between the Christian's life and the athlete's life. We must train in order to reach our goals. It takes a lot of practice in order to get better at endurance but it is well worth the effort.
I can attest to this. Although I have a long way to go in reaching my goals, I have come so far in the past year since I have started this technique. I worry less, I love more, and I Know what peace feels like.
If you haven't started transforming your mind, you can start anytime. Don't be discouraged. It takes a really long time to develop new thinking skills and just when you will feel like giving up, you'll see yourself encountering the enemy and, with God's help, you'll have a small victory. Those victories are addicting so keep plowing through until you get one. There will be lots more where that one came from!
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Monday, March 18, 2013
God's Big Heart
Have you ever had a moment where you felt like you were seeing the world the way God does, one heart at a time? I love when he gives me a small glimpse into his heart, as he did today.
I sometimes forget about just how important my role at my job is. God gives me the opportunity to interact with hundreds of patients every week. With God's grace, I maintain a compassionate and positive attitude most of the time, but there are still times when I need to be reminded of just how important that is and why. Today God gave me that reminder.
I had the opportunity to videotape one of my patients discussing her diagnosis and the impact it has wrought on her life. She shared all of the gritty details, bringing tears to my eyes. Then she got yo the part where she came to our office. I got to hear the beautiful story of how our doctors and staff impacted her life and, ultimately, gave her resources to enable her to have a more positive quality of life. Although her diagnosis is unique and she will never be fully cured, she has, with the help of God, been blessed with a much better quality of life than she thought possible three years ago. She talked about the doctors that I work for and the compassion and patience that they've had with her. It was such a blessing to hear. Then she really tugged at my heartstrings as she discussed the impact that I have personally had on her. She said that the compassion that I have for my patients and for her makes her feel loved, important, supported and like family. It is that very attitude that encourages her when she walks through our office door. That support has given her strength and encouragement to get through this rough journey.
I was truly struck by how God must view her. He must love her so much. I truly believe that God's compassionate heart is so much bigger than anything we could possibly comprehend. I am so blown away when I think of the big impact that my small act has made. It makes me realize just how big God's loving heart is.
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I sometimes forget about just how important my role at my job is. God gives me the opportunity to interact with hundreds of patients every week. With God's grace, I maintain a compassionate and positive attitude most of the time, but there are still times when I need to be reminded of just how important that is and why. Today God gave me that reminder.
I had the opportunity to videotape one of my patients discussing her diagnosis and the impact it has wrought on her life. She shared all of the gritty details, bringing tears to my eyes. Then she got yo the part where she came to our office. I got to hear the beautiful story of how our doctors and staff impacted her life and, ultimately, gave her resources to enable her to have a more positive quality of life. Although her diagnosis is unique and she will never be fully cured, she has, with the help of God, been blessed with a much better quality of life than she thought possible three years ago. She talked about the doctors that I work for and the compassion and patience that they've had with her. It was such a blessing to hear. Then she really tugged at my heartstrings as she discussed the impact that I have personally had on her. She said that the compassion that I have for my patients and for her makes her feel loved, important, supported and like family. It is that very attitude that encourages her when she walks through our office door. That support has given her strength and encouragement to get through this rough journey.
I was truly struck by how God must view her. He must love her so much. I truly believe that God's compassionate heart is so much bigger than anything we could possibly comprehend. I am so blown away when I think of the big impact that my small act has made. It makes me realize just how big God's loving heart is.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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