God

Giving it to HIM and not taking it back…

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Where do I start…?

I am often anxious…

” Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”


I know this verse above… It plays over and over in my head. I know it to be true, so why is it so hard? I give my anxieties to HIM and then I sometimes take them back…

I struggle to find peace at times…

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled ”


I also know this verse to be true, but again, my heart is often heavy and I long for peace. Peace for myself and for others.

I sometimes do not feel good enough…

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I Know this verse to be true but I am hard on myself. I often feel that I have failed. I struggle to accept mercy.

I am often weak …

“Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!”

I cry. I know that no matter what is going in in my life, I am where God wants me to be. Yet I still cry out for HIM to change things even though I know HE already has my life planned.

“A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.”

What can I do…?
How do I find peace, strength and courage ?

God knows that I am HIS anxious child, HE knows I am not perfect, HE knows I cry…HE has every little hair on my head ( even the grey ones) accounted for!

HE always answers my prayer when I pray… ” Lord, place me where you want me to be today”… Now I need to trust HIM when I land in that “place”.

I know constant prayer is the antidote to anxiety, fear, heartache and weakness. Praying lets God speak to my heart… I am trying to ” worry less and pray more”. I want to give it all to HIM and not take it back…. Who’s in?

Carrie

You’re Already Amazing – Holley Gerth

I really liked this chapter in this book by Holley Gerth and wanted to share it! It reminds us that we don’t have to be alone. She explains how women need to be connected with others.

Please excuse the messy flow and enjoy the read!

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And that’s true- God promises to
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amazing 3
amazing 4
amazing 5
amazing missing
amazing 6
amazing 8
amazing 9
amazing 10
amazing your innocent
amazing 11
amazing if your drawn
amazing 12
amazing the question
You’re Already Amazing – Holley Gerth

I just love her books! Look her up on Amazon…..

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Draw near to the throne of Grace…

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Today I am thankful for so many things but most of all I am thankful for God’s grace. I don’t think I have ever paid attention to God’s grace like I have lately… The fact that I am studying grace has a lot to do with it I’m sure, but I will say, not everything I study tugs at me like this has. I have not been seeing many ” squirrels” during this study!

God has got my attention.“The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.” ~ A. W. Tozer

I have been able to fill some of that spot in my heart that holds guilt and feeling unworthy with God’s grace. I can’t say I don’t or won’t still feel guilty or unworthy, I think that is impossible. I am just saying I feel God working in my heart in this area.

“Grace, then, is grace,–that is to say, it is sovereign, it is free, it is sure, it is unconditional, and it is everlasting.” ~ Alexander Whyte

The best part about accepting grace is….you have a strong urge to give grace. Although, I do try to give grace and mercy, I slip and fall at times. I was thinking about the verse “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” I think, how hard it is to do this especially if that “other” never treats you with the grace and mercy you have shown them?? My first instinct sometimes is to ” give them a taste of their own medicine” Sadly I have reacted on this thought, ummm, more than once. The problem is, this reaction only gives temporary relief, as quick as you get “relief”, you are filled with regret and the anguish of hurting someone else. I find this is much worse than the initial feeling of hurt you had in the first place. It is a “lose lose” situation. This is not how God wants us to react. He has given us grace and is constantly giving us mercy and wants us to do the same for others. A “win win” situation!

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” – Hebrews 12:15

Being human and a sinner, I will at times throughout my life feel guilt, anger and resentment . I will hurt people’s feelings and get my feelings hurt. I will say the wrong things. React the wrong way. I AM IMPERFECT. I am so glad God loves his imperfect children and uses his imperfect children for his glory.. I am so thankful that he allows my heart to feel conviction. I am so thankful… For his perfect unconditional GRACE!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -Hebrews 4:16

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Sing your Song…

Procrastination… This is something we all do! We procrastinate grocery shopping, cleaning, running errands, finishing projects, doing laundry (laundry.. my all-time personal favorite procrastination amongst many). Disposable clothes would be awesome! Sadly we also procrastinate loving and making time for people. The dirty dishes will wait, the unwashed laundry will not be sad. The errands never end. People on the other hand, don’t always wait. They feel sadness. And… their lives here on earth do end. We get so comfortable in our procrastinating lives. We put off dreams and relationships even though we know we are not promised tomorrow.

“Tomorrow, you promise yourself, things will be different, yet, tomorrow is too often a repetition of today. And you disappoint yourself again and again.”
― James T. McCay

I like this little clip from Phil Stuts

THE PRICE OF COMFORT

“Whatever a person’s comfort zone, they pay a huge price for staying inside it. It’s a shrunken world where ideas, opportunities, and new relationships can easily pass us by. Worst of all, procrastinators squander the most precious asset a human can have: time.

Our time on earth is limited. Every moment is an opportunity we’ll never have again. Procrastinators act as if they had all the time in the world. But deep down, they know they’re wasting parts of their life. The trouble is, most of us don’t know how to free ourselves. That’s why, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, most people “live lives of quiet desperation and die with their song unsung.”

We want you to sing your song before you die.

-Phil Stuts


I pray that I will sing ( even if I can’t carry a tune in a bucket)!

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” -Psalm 90:12

Stretch your Heart…

” For those of us who serve Christ, Freedom means being able to give and receive love. It means embracing and passing it on to others. It means following God’s path and purpose for our lives rather than being held captive by fear” – God’s heart for you

It doesn’t sound so hard, to submit to Gods love and the love of others, then in return, pay if forward. It is very tough, more so for some than others. We keep ourselves in bondage. We may be in a “hard time” but at least it is familiar and seems “oddly comfortable”. God did not create us to keep ourselves in bondage and he does not want our hearts to be restless. He wants us free to love and be loved.

“We move from prison camp to His house, where he gives us the hope, peace, and joy we need” – Gods heart for you

” God understands your fear. He doesn’t condemn you for it or tell you to snap out of it. Instead he takes you by the hand and speaks to your heart words of courage, love and grace. Lean in and listen to his voice until its louder than fear.” – Opening the door to your God- Sized dream

A heart warming little quote:
fear quote
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If hurts had hairs

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As I was reading today, I came across this verse.

  “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1.

 It made me think about all the different seasons of life I have been in over the years. I can’t help but to think, no matter what season I have been in, whether it be a sweet or sorrowful time, God has always put just the right people in my life. He taught me to trust and let others help me during the rough seasons, share joy during sweet seasons and put the compassion in my heart to do the same for others as well.

 It really saddens me to see people trying to manage on their own. Hiding behind walls of hurt, never letting people in. God created us to help each other. In the “Grace” chapter I’m reading there is a section that reads:

  ” If hurts were hairs, we’d all look like grizzlies. Even the smooth- skinned  beauties of magazine covers, the composed pastors in the pulpit, the sweet old lady next door. All of them. All of us. Furry, hairy beasts we’d become. If hurts were hairs, we’d be lost in the thick of them.” -Max Lucado

 Maybe hurts should be hairs…? This way, nobody could hide behind smooth skin, composure and fake smiles. We may accept grace, love and compassion from other “hairy people” because we know that they have hurts too…

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A little prayer I found:

Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me. I am just so grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how lucky I am, and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and returned kind acts. Thank you, Lord. In your name, Amen.

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made”

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I have been reading a little daily devotional called “Opening your door to a God sized dream”.  It is 40 days of encouragement. I have been posting little highlights of my favorite parts of the book each day. I am on day 6, “Embracing Your Gifts”. There are so many good points in this short little 4 page devotional to just pick one.

This chapter stood out to me because for years and years I always thought… “I don’t have any gifts worth sharing”. No Godly gifts for sure!  I always thought, I am not knowledgeable enough about the Bible, I am not holy enough, I don’t have anything worth sharing and so on, then I studied a little bit about spiritual gifts and realized, I may actually have one or two…maybe.

In this chapter is says: Your strengths and skills are gifts God has placed within you that you can offer to the world. They are the heart of your God-sized dream. Because without them your dream would forever remain an idea. I’ve heard many women say, I can’t focus on who I am. It’s selfish.” But actually choosing to understand and embrace who you are is one of the most unselfish things you can do because it maximizes your ability to serve others and bring glory to God.

There is also a prayer in this chapter that I love.
God, thank you for creating me with gifts. I’m grateful for the strengths that you have placed within me and the ways those are expressed as actions through my skills. I humbly acknowledge that I do have something to offer and that you have made me to make a difference. Amen.

Have a Blessed Sunday!
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“You just need more wrinkles”

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See yourself as God, your friends and loved ones see
you…

Song of Solomon 4:7   You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is
no flaw in you.

Ok, a little confession. I do not like pictures of myself at all, somehow I
turn into a gremlin in front of the camera. I am so not photogenic. I
always ask my husband, do I look that bad in real life?! When my friends
compliment me, I feel my nose crinkle up and I immediately get the urge to
“excompliment” myself. That’s not even a word is it?! Well, It’s a new one
created by me I guess!

Why are we so hard on ourselves? Beauty goes so far beneath the surface. Have
you ever met someone who is so physically beautiful, then you get to know them
and their attitude makes them look ordinary after a while. Or, you meet someone
who looks ordinary and their inner beauty just makes them look beautiful to
you? The latter of the two happens to me all the time! All of my friends are
beautiful to me, and the things they dislike most about their features are
sometimes my favorite part of them.

I once read a story about a little girl who loved her white haired wrinkly grandma so much,
she would sit on her lap and stroke her face. One day she was sitting on her mom’s lap and she said
“mommy you are pretty but you need more wrinkles”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
All that “silver and crinkle” was beautiful to that little girl!

Being truly beautiful has to do with your heart and your soul.
It has to do with having a beautiful spirit and that is
what makes you beautiful. When you feel good about yourself as a person,
your inner beauty will shine through.

beautiful
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beauty sketches, click below to watch!

http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/

Happy Valentines Day!!!

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity -Colossians 3:14

Valentine’s Day Is for Christian Love
Valentine’s Day is for honoring love;
To show those we love we care.
Red hearts with tender sentiments
We send, our love to share.
So on Valentine’s Day we’re reminded
Of our very first Christian goal:
To love the Lord with all our heart
And all our mind and soul.
To love our neighbor as ourselves
We are also told to do,
So let’s live our love by the Bible;
It’s God’s word, flawless and true.
If we give this Christian Valentine first,
We’ll never run out of love,
For infinite love will come to us
From God in heaven above.
-unknown

With Love to all,
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