He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
photo credit: Mirza A çetin via Foter.com / CC BY-NC
spring will come.
Some things are unexpected.
But then some things are constant. Hang onto those things.
Spring is coming. It always comes. It never misses. Ever.
I never get tired of seeing the first color pushing up from a layer of snow.
You may be in winter with many concerns that are covered with a blanket of uncertainty. Maybe you feel stuck between where you were and where you are going.
Whatever it is, spring will come. Just when you least expect it, something will change.
Wait for it with hope and anticipation!
~~~
Photo credit: mjhccl / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
you’ve got this.
I know how it is.
I know what it is like.
Devastating news, painful memories, senseless decisions.
Life is surely painful and quips like “when life gives you lemons” will not do.
Hang on. Take a deep breath. You will get through it.
Let the days unfold and you will find that God is with you in it.
The tendency is to hurry, hurry, hurry. Fix this. Now.
Be patient because some things will not be fixed now. Some things will not be fixed until we see God.
You might be so overwhelmed you cannot go on.
Take time to rest. Then get back at it.
You’ve got this.
Because God’s got this.
friday quote.
She stood in the storm
and when the wind did not blow her away,
she adjusted her sails.
-Elizabeth Edwards
Photomatt28 via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
imperfect.
Your pain may be an emotional or mental disorder.
Do you know that is no different than having diabetes? Or any other kind of physical ailment?
Our bodies are not perfect.
We break.
But some people respond differently to mental disorders and it makes you feel abnormal.
You are not abnormal.
There is help and there is hope.
Sometimes it’s in the form of medication – just like insulin helps the diabetic.
Sometimes it’s in the form of having people around you that love and care about you.
And it’s always, always about knowing God sees the pain and he is with you, helping you.
People need people.
Don’t suffer alone.
Church is a good place to start.
~~~
Photo courtesy:
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.
~~~
Photo Credit: filigran / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
scripture friday.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not depend on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3
Axiraa via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
what is God like?
We all have our own interpretation of what God is like.
It’s common to imagine a man with a white beard and piercing eyes. And it’s common to be distant and fearful of him.
Did you know God wants us to know him?
I can tell you partly what God is like.
One day, I was taking my son (12 yrs. old at the time) and his 2 friends to see a movie. We were early, so they walked around our small town for 1/2 an hour.
When they got back to the theater, my son couldn’t find the $40 he had in his back pocket. I could read his face as he searched every pocket.
“Let’s re-trace your steps,” I suggested, after I had asked him if he had pulled his wallet out, causing the 2-$20 bills he had slipped in his back pocket to fall out.
We followed the sidewalk, searching, and entered one store we had been in.
Nothing.
“Search the other side of the street. I’ll be right back,” I said.
I quickly ran to an ATM that was at a local bank to replace what I doubted he would find. By the time they got back to the theater, I was there, and handed him 2 more $20 bills.
He smiled and they went into the theater just in time.
That’s what God is like.
I don’t know what your story is. Personally, I spent many, many years thinking God was punishing me whenever something went wrong. Also, our earthly father relationships can interpret what God is like, too. If you had a stern father, you might think God is stern. If you were abandoned by your father, you might think God is very far away or not around at all.
I can tell you this is truth: God loved us so very much he covered our sins.
Just like I didn’t yell at my son or show any frustration with him losing $40, God does not expose, condemn, or ridicule us. He made a way. He bridged the gap. He reconciled. He restored.
While we were still sinners Christ died for us.
If you’re reading this today, perhaps it is meant to be. I can’t imagine living without knowing God’s unconditional love for me.
That doesn’t mean we deliberately do wrong. What if my son snatched the $40 and wasn’t grateful?
That’s why we don’t purposely sin. Not because there are a set of rules to keep. Jesus died because we could never keep the rules.
We don’t want to sin because an act of love causes us to love back.
How about you?
How do you view God?
We cannot only think of what God didn’t do for us, but we should think about what he has done for us.
The losses we have faced in life? One day, he will redeem those, too.
~~~
photo credit: Corrie ten Boom Museum via Foter.com/ CC BY-NC-ND
joy in the morning.
The fierce, bitter winds of winter howl throughout the night, painting a glistening, white canvas with invisible brush strokes.
Despite it’s threatening presence …
morning reveals a masterpiece.
Sometimes our lives are threatened with storms, leaving us feeling empty and cold.
Yet, there is beauty to be found when healing scatters its warmth upon our heartache.
Is there always beauty to be found after raw pain?
Or is it that we never noticed it before?
Both.
friday quote.
when it hurts 