You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8
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Photo Credit: |[ sykez ]| / Foter / CC BY-ND
Month: February 2014
hang in there.
Spring is on it’s way!!
And so are brighter days!
And so are brighter days!
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Photo Credit: Photo courtesy: MarcelGermain / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
hurt in church.
Have you been hurt in church?
It’s not uncommon. Christians are not perfect and there is no perfect church. But somehow, we equate a higher standard with churches.
Understandable.
Actually, I think God holds a higher standard for Christians and churches, too.
Jesus said, From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
This is a truth I think we call all understand.
I’ve been hurt by Christians. And I know I’ve hurt Christians. But none of this is God’s fault. Yet, many give up on God and church altogether.
The only one you’re hurting is you.
Let me say this: your pain if valid. Don’t ever think it’s not alright to hurt. Don’t ever let anyone tell you, “you’re a victor not a victim!”
God cares about our pain. Otherwise, the Bible would not be so full of his care, compassion, and concern for us.
Face the facts. Acknowledge your own propensity to hurt people, too.
Take a deep breath.
Forgive.
Trust God.
Move on.
You’d be surprised how good you’ll feel.
Lord of all.
God is there.
When God said there is nowhere we can go … ever ... where he is not there, he meant it.
When you’re alone, completely alone, whether physically or emotionally, God is there.
I’ve known the tossing and turning of torment in the night season. The anguish is so great, that no human on earth can help you.
I found out there is one who can.
One.
I felt the pain and sorrow. But maybe I was supposed to. Because if I hadn’t felt something, would God be real to me? I survived the night and I knew there was an unseen hand who kept me from becoming overcome with sorrow … one who stood watch over me.
And because God does not respect one person over another, he will be there for you, too.
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God is real.
Have you thought about how we can choose hope, courage, kindness, and love?
These qualities are not by accident.
People acknowledge the need for a designer/inventor/creator when it comes to things we use everyday.
Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Thomas Edison …
So why is it so easy to say there is no designer/inventor/creator behind humanity, the stars, planets, and universe?
Did all of the inventions just “happen”?
The fact that humans are capable of hoping, showing courage, being kind, and loving, tells me we were designed with these (and other) attributes hard-wired inside of us.
There is an inventor behind it.
I hope you will believe in God. Because I know for sure, God has helped me endure tragedies, loss, and sadness.
Why wouldn’t he? He knows how I work and what I need.
Photo Credit: ✿ nicolas_gent ✿ / Foter / CC BY-ND
scripture friday.
the hope of spring.
Nothing defines hope like spring!
It’s predictable.
It might be early or it might be late.
But it’s always there, waiting to break forth into glorious color, chasing the gray-white cold away.
How can you not believe in God?
He’s shown us what hope is.
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Photo credit: kakapo’s nature / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
sensitivity.
Are you sensitive?
Are you too sensitive?
Being sensitive is a strength. You have the capacity to be sensitive toward others and that is a wonderful quality.
But it can be a weakness, too, if you find yourself being overly introspective, hard on yourself, thinking people are against you, self-pity, and even getting depressed.
Many of our problems can be improved or solved with changing how we look at things. Remove the glasses and clean up the smudged lenses. Or maybe you need to try a new pair of glasses altogether.
Because we are sensitive, we may think that is equal with humility. But if we’re honest, we can be prideful, thinking we’re always right, and get defensive if we’re asked to think differently.
Just consider that things may not be the way you think they are. Choose one situation and think about it differently.
Let your weakness become your strength!
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Photo Credit: JasonTank / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
when it hurts 