Persistent Faith

       I find nature's ability to keep on keeping on despite setbacks rather amazing. For example, weeds are incredibly persistent. I recently re-mulched the landscaped area in my front yard and already, there are weeds pushing their way through. We mow down the grass and it comes back, we weed our gardens and turn around to see that they need it again. Usually, we look at this as a negative thing, but I was thinking about it the other day and realized that that is exactly how I want my faith to be, persistent.
      The enemy of our souls wants to destroy our faith, and he's pretty good at knowing our buttons. There are many different things that weed whack our faith, perhaps, it's fear or doubt, exhaustion, skepticism, anger, laziness, you name it, if it will weaken our faith, he will try it. But The One who calls our names, who desires to know our hearts, and gives us grace daily, wants to grow in us a persistent faith. Faith that gets back up when it's knocked down. Faith that says no to fear and pushes through when things seem foggy and disorienting. Faith that keeps seeking hope when all seems lost. Faith that won't give up. This is what I want. And so, I continue on the journey of growing in grace. 
     And now, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the wind is dancing, and the birds and crickets are making happy sounds.  Oh, and this weekend is the 7 year anniversary of when My Love asked me to be his wife. I'm sure glad he did.

My intrepid adventurer. 

Sweet violets

Planting rhubarb. 

Keeping an eye on the water spigot while Mama waters the plants. Puddle time!

Blooms!

Engaged and happy about it. 2011

Happy Friday my friends. May your faith be persistent!

Confidence and Hope

     Last night, I was reading in the book of Hebrews. Two words that stuck out to me were "Confidence," and "Hope".

Hebrews 4:16

"Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

    The One who speaks life into our souls will fill us with confidence in Him if we open our hearts to Him. He is love. 

Then there was hope. 

Hebrews 6:17-19 

    "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,  so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil."

      I love the part of that passage that says the hope we have(in Jesus) is an anchor of the soul. We must hold onto that hope or we are going to be splashed around. It is an anchor, a safe place, security. 

     The two words I picked from my reading in Hebrews really go hand in hand. The One who designed this life gives us hope. But, the thing about hope is that without confidence the very essence of hope disappears. So, you need hope and confidence together. Hope in the One who gave you life and be confident in it. 

Happy Monday.   

 "What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God." ~Rick Warren

Today

        Good morning. How are you today? Are you wonderful? Are you tired? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you discouraged or encouraged? I personally woke up today with a mind that was tending toward worry. But you know what? Psalm 118:24 says,
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
       Is your mind anxious or joyous? Knotted up or at peace?  I find myself going through stages in this process of learning to trust the One who gave me life. I have days where I seem to be able to let go and simply trust and then something pops into my mind and tangles up all the progress I seemed to have made. But you know what it says in Zephaniah 3:17?
"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing." Everything about this verse is hopeful and inspiring but I would like to point out the part where it says "He will quiet you by His love." What about your life needs to be calmed down and quieted? My is my mind and the anxious tangle it likes to make of everything. Through His love, He brings quietness and peace to your tangles.
       Are you sad today or happy? Feeling lonely or loved? Well you know what choose the later of both those options because Haggai 1:13b says, "I am with you, declares the LORD." The One who created closeness and love and security is with you.

Happy Wednesday. 

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." ~Confucius

Romans 12:12

Romans 12:12
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

      This was the verse of the week in my classroom this past week. We read it every single day but it wasn't till Thursday that it really hit me. Some days are bad days, we struggle with fear, or doubt or whatever and life isn't easy. But then there are those days that just feel hopeful. Joy comes easier and the sun shines brightly in your heart and mind. Now because of The One who gave His life for ours, we can have hope every single day(even if we don't particularly feel it) and we need to remember that and rejoice in it. But on those days when hope seems a little more tangible don't forget to soak it in, store it up and rejoice in it.
      The next part of the verse says to be patient in tribulation. Patience isn't my strongest point and when I am neck deep in struggling with something I often wish that God would just snap His fingers and make it all better, but He tells me to be patient in it. He will pull me through.
     Then, it says to be constant in prayer. This is something that I have started working on a little bit more lately. Talk with The One who gave you the hope and who will get you through the tribulation.
     Some days will be good. Hope will shine. Rejoice. Some days will be hard. Troubles will try to drag you under and suffocate you. Be patient in them, remember the hope you so clearly had when you were rejoicing. And, through it all, keep talking to Jesus. He loves you. Happy Saturday.

The Birds

      Lately the sound of birds singing has been very special to me. The reason being is that it is terribly cold and wintery out there and yet, the birds still sing. I especially notice it in the mornings when I am walking into work. I am usually the first person there in the morning so I get out of my car to a quiet parking lot and a quiet building. It is cold and frosty but when I pay attention I begin to hear the birds. It is a sound that fills me with peace and hope and joy. This morning as I was crunching through the snow on my way in, I heard them once again. I stopped, closed my eyes, and listened. And I realized that that one faint song was actually a couple, and they were clear and sweet and beautiful.
       Now the birds have reminded me of a couple things lately. The first being that even in the harsh cold winter, the birds keep singing because they know that one day spring will come back. Sometimes in our lives we get to a spot that seems harsh and cold and hopeless. But God never leaves you hanging there, He promises hope, and life and spring to that harsh cold wintery place.
      Then this morning I was reminded of a second lesson from the birds. I couldn't hear the birds that well as I was crunching my way through the hard, dry snow. I heard the crunch of my own boots and the thoughts swirling in my head. I was aware of the birds but they were in the background. Then, I stopped, closed my eyes, and listened and the sweet song became clear and loud and beautiful. In life we sometimes get caught up in listening to our own crunching feet. In my case the crunching feet tend to be fear and worry, your crunching feet might be different, but whatever they are we get to caught up in listening to them. We need to stop, close our eyes and listen to the song of peace, and hope and promise that God is singing over and around us all day long.
       The One who created spring and the bird's song loves you so very much. Listen to the birds!

“The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing.”~Eric Berne

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~Robert Lynd

Life Lived

        This week my Church family lost a member. Ed was 81 years old and died on Monday afternoon. I never really got to know Ed, but he made me smile when I'd seem him motoring along on his scooter with his fedora perched jauntily on his head. From stories I've heard, he was a great man of God who loved to tell stories.
       There is always a weird feeling that comes over you when someone you know dies. That knowledge that you won't see them again.  But then, I was reminded by someone that I will see Ed again. And right now he gets to see Jesus, which is a truly awesome thought.
       So, wherever you are in life, I ask you, "do you know that saving love?" The One who created the stars created you and longs to know your heart. Will you allow yourself to know that love? My hope is that someday when I get to meet Jesus, that my life will be remember for my passion and heart. And for now, and as long as I breathe, I choose to live in the knowledge that I am the daughter of the King. Have a great day.

"The important thing is not how many years in your life but how much life in your years." ~Edward J. Stieglitz

John 3:16 
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Progress

       You know how at the end of a tale they say, "And the moral of the story is..." Well I've been thinking of life lately and what one such lesson might be. There are three stories I would like to share and they all share a common "moral of the story."
       First: My in-laws have a puppy named Miss Amos. According to my husband, one of her favorite things to do is sit by the wood pile and hope beyond all hope that the mysterious chipmunk living there will make an appearance. Once I asked my Husband if she has ever caught anything. He said that so far, she has caught nothing, but she's never stopped trying.
       Second: A month ago my husband took on the job of painting our car. That means taking it apart, fixing rust, filling dents, sanding it down and then primer and paint. At first we thought this would be a simple 1-2 week project and now, a month later we are still working. There have been days when my husband has been so discouraged because every where he turned there was something else he needed to fix before moving on. 
    Third: I am in my last year of school and there are days when all I want to do is throw my hands up and forget it all. Especially when the homework comes piling in. It feels like I have a to-do list that has no end and that can be so overwhelming.
     So you might ask, as what do these stories have in common? Well the other day the thought occurred to me that as long as you are not going backwards or standing still, you are making progress. Sometimes the forward movement seems ridiculously slow or even non existent. But, as long as you are trying, you are making progress. Sometimes progress can be hidden because at times you may have to take a step back in order to keep moving forward. But no matter how slow, impossible or hard something may seem, don't give up. Don't stand still and never stop trying.
       So, whether your feat is a car to paint, homework to do, an impossible circumstance or something as simple as making it through the day, don't stop moving. There will be times that you need to take a break, allow yourself to rest or get refocused and that is okay, just don't give up. Never stop chasing your dreams or believing in the impossible. Don't give up hope, because the One who gave you life is right there beside you and He desires that you accomplish your goals, achieve your dreams and live fully. So the moral of the story is, "As long as you are not standing still or moving backwards, you are making progress." Have a great day.

"I am a slow walker, but I never walk back." ~Abraham Lincoln.