When You Just Need ONE Thing….

April 30, 2012 By 19 Comments

“Oh, Lord, please don’t let me bleed again this month…”

My heart held up this plaintive cry heard only in the recesses of my soul.

After four years of no birth control, some doctor’s visits, possible prognoses, and A LOT of waiting in between, this monthly emotional cycle is no stranger to me.

But somehow, this month the pang and squeeze of my heart feels a little deeper, a little tighter than it has in a long while, and I find myself consciously remembering to take deep breaths lest the sorrow overtake me.

Four years of waiting to be pregnant, three years of unknown chronic illness, 2 years ago since I almost lost my parents in the Haitian earthquake, a year and a half since we stepped down after 10 years of full time ministry, 6 months since we decided to pursue foster care, 5 months after we put in an offer on a house….and in every circumstance…silence, SLAMMED closed doors, windows sealed shut, and when I look at the ugly realities, I can truly often wonder, “Where is God?”

Even Christian friends and acquaintances have looked at me with sorrow/pity/frustration, unsure of what words to encourage and to uplift that just might alleviate the hard place, or some say quick words meant as a healing balm, yet hit like salt in an already bleeding wound, and maybe worse yet, when you can see or hear the relief on their faces that they are not walking this road, “I can’t imagine what you are going through…”

Yet, I know that I too have been in each of those positions — unsure, quick to judge, filled with relief — so I hear the Lord reminding me…

“Grace first, Lindsey. Grace first…ALWAYS!!”

So I pray, “But Lord if I am not pregnant, please let it come because I do not want false hope…”

And come it does, hard and fast with painful reminders that this season has not yet passed. And on top of it all, my body succumbs to the ravishing of the dreaded flu , and I weep and thrash in fiery melancholy, “Father, when will it be enough? It is just too much…too much. Please give me some relief from this life of endless waiting and heartache.”

The lyrics of a familiar song press into my grief…

“Sometimes He calms the storm and other times, He calms His child….”

And then I hear it…His voice…even more familiar to me…

“I will not give you more than you can bear, child.
That is my promise to you.
Am I a man that I should lie?
I WILL NOT be slack concerning My promises to you.
Trust My heart.
Trust My heart.”

…….

Two weeks later, as we signed papers, took key in hand, and crossed the threshold of this house that is now OUR home {where I sit even now as I type *SQUEE*}, I find myself in awe, breathing deep the relief of sweet breakthrough.

I just needed ONE thing to work out…ONE thing to crash through the walls….ONE thing to remind my doubtful heart of His faithful promises.

I often feel like the man who threw himself at the feet of Jesus….“Lord, I believe!!! Help my unbelief!”

How about you?

May I place courage in your weary hands today?

May I help pull back the barriers, showing you the light shining on the pathway of hope for your circumstances?

May I challenge the space where death seems greater than life in your wounded soul?

May I, as a fellow, injured child-warrior,
squeeze your hand in your RIGHT NOW
and believe WITH you…
and even FOR you…
that He is faithful to complete the work,
to fulfill the promises,
to never abandon you NO MATTER WHAT?

How can I pray for you today in the midst of your storm, your rainy season?


And may I also ask you to pray for me?
In the process of packing and moving and cleaning and painting,
we did not check our mail for almost two weeks,
and a few days ago discovered a letter from our social worker,
ready to start our home study process
for approval as foster care & adoptive parents.
The letter was dated on the very same day that we signed for our house.
WAIT! Did you catch that?? THEVERYSAMEDAY
And while I want to cry and shout with amazement
at God’s perfect timing,
I AM TERRIFIED,
and I could surely use your prayers
and words of advice & encouragement
for what this next WILDLY unknown season is going to hold.
Thank you in advance for the heart squeezes!!

 

Filed Under: Emotional, Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , 19 Comments

What Makes God Wrap Us In His Arms, Even When We Mess Up?

April 28, 2012 By 5 Comments

Hug

In the darkness…

There is sometimes a moment, in the wee hours of the morning, when I am nudged awake by a gentle, tentative, tapping on my shoulder.  My eyes flutter open, my brain begins to focus, and I see a sweet little face, right at eye level, next to my bed.  There is need, or scared, or lonely in this young little soul.  He is seeking comfort and company.  He is seeking security and love.   

I open the covers wide, invite him to crawl into my arms, and we snuggle together under the warm blankets.  He sighs a deep sigh of contentment and falls into a peaceful sleep.  My heart is overflowing and bursting with love.  With gratitude.  With joy over being woken from sleep to such a precious wonder as being blessed to be this little guy’s mama.

Oh, how He loves us…

I woke to this very scene just a few minutes ago, and as my heart burst and overflowed with joy at wrapping my arms around my dear child, an image popped into my head:

This feeling, this wild, abandoned, tidal wave of boundless joy… This is how the Father feels about me.  About all of us.  He loves us in exactly this way.

He opens His arms, makes room, and gathers us close.  He rejoices in us.  His heart is overflowing and bursting with love for us.  There is not a single place He would rather be than wrapping YOU up in His arms.

Just like my son this morning, there is need, or scared, or lonely in my soul. In our souls. We can’t make it through life on our own.  We are not enough, no matter how hard we try.  We seek company, comfort, and security.  In His arms, we find all of those and more.

In His arms, we find Love.

Love, security, peace, comfort.  We are given all of this, not because of who we are trying to be, or anything we have done.  We are given all of this, simply because we exist, and He Loves us. Oh, how He loves us!

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—                                                                 it is by grace you have been saved.
~Ephesians 2:4-5

The Lord your God wins victory after victory
and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings because of you,
and he will refresh your life
with his love.”
~Zephaniah 3:17

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
~Psalm 136:26

 

We are so wildly blessed by this great love…

The creator and ruler of the universe celebrates and sings because of you!  He is always with you. He loves you, and his steadfast love endures forever, even when you mess up. Doesn’t that fill you with wonder?  The God of heaven loves you so much that He not only wraps His arms around you, but He saves you from your sin.  No matter how hard you try, you will never be enough…. but His grace is enough.  Always.

That’s not the end…

As my Pastor recently pointed out, God doesn’t simply save us from sin.  He has saved us for something.  He has some kind of plan for you.  He saved you from sin FOR something.

“What are you going to be or become because you ARE saved?”
~Pastor Tim Galligan

What’s stopping you?

He’s got His arms wrapped around you.

Be Bold!

Dear Heavenly Father,
We give thanks to you for your unending love, for your grace, and for your mercy.  We give thanks that you love us with the boundless joy of a father for his children.  We are thankful that you love us no matter what, and that you have such patience for us with us when we mess up.  Thank you for your grace in the gift of your son Jesus Christ, that we might be saved from our sin, and made whole again.  Father, please help us to remember to praise you and come to you in good times and in bad.  Help us to remember to seek you out in all that we do, that we might be guided by the plans you have for us, and not by our own desires.  Guide us along the paths you mean for us to take, so that as we seek wellness, we also come closer to you.  Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we might be able to glimpse the plans you have for us, and create in us bold hearts that we might go out and be the people you have created us to be, lights in the darkness of this world.
In your name we pray,
Amen.

 

Photo credit: Tiffanie

Filed Under: Spiritual Tagged With: , 5 Comments

Embracing the Gift

April 27, 2012 By 2 Comments

Image credit: Mike Willshaw

 

Have you ever read “Crazy Love,” by Francis Chan?  Go – do it right now. I’ll wait.

Just kidding, of course, who has time right now to read a whole book in one sitting? I certainly don’t.  Unless it happened to be the four books in the “Bailey Flanigan” series by Karen Kingsbury. I read all four of those in the span of three days. And it wasn’t even vacation!

But books like “Crazy Love,” and “Grace for the Good Girl” (by Emily Freeman), are not books that I can read that quickly.  They are books that have truths wrapped up in imagery, and each sentence is like a gift.  Even when the sting of conviction comes, I am grateful for the gift.

When we are confronted with a truth about God’s word and God’s sovereignty, we have to act.  When I watched the accompanying video to chapter 1 of “Crazy Love,” I was compelled to worship.  After all — this same God that we speak of created entire galaxies, of which the one where we reside is just a speck.  And this same God, who is so vast and so all-encompassing created the caterpillar to have 248 unique muscles in the head alone.  And this caterpillar also undergoes the most radical of transformations into a beautiful butterfly.  Creations speaks of His glory.

And when we read about the depth of His great love for us, we need to let it touch our hearts. In a culture that over-uses the word love — – and only HAS one word for love (do not get me started on the weakness of the English language compared to Greek) – -  are we truly, completely understanding when we hear that Jesus loves us?

Yes – Jesus died on the cross for all mankind.  Paying for all sin — past, present, future – once and for all.  But the triune God of the UNIVERSE had a plan for  YOU before the foundation of the Earth.  Do you believe that?

This same God – the one who created everything, and has a plan for you and good works that He prepared for you in advance (Ephesians 2:10) – doesn’t just want obedience and respect.  That is only part of the picture.

Jesus loves you.

Jesus suffered death so that He could spent eternity with you.  This is not trite fairy tale stuff.  This is the TRUTH.  If you haven’t felt Him wooing you into a closer relationship with Him, then my friend  - – - you probably haven’t been listening.  WAKE UP!  Open your eyes!  Listen with your whole heart.

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

The crucifixion and resurrection are not the end of the story.  We don’t close the book after He ascends back into Heaven. The Holy Spirit comes, and dwells within us, allowing for the first time a true relationship with a risen Savior.  We are not bound by the laws of the Hebrew traditions. The veil separating us from the presence of God was torn in two, from top to bottom.  We have the extravagant privilege of going to God whenever we want to.

Did you read Kristen’s post on Monday? We are in this together, friends.  We are struggling to accept this lavish gift of love, of grace, and of complete acceptance.   To help me cultivate my relationship with Him, I started a private blog where I simply write letters to Him.  I used to journal, but I am just on the computer much more, and at a desk, and have become so accustomed to typing that my fingers can almost keep up with my brain.  Writing them out in a journal is fine sometimes, but for me it is just not something that I have been able to be consistent with.  In the week since I started my journal blog, I have found myself praying more often, and simply yearning to spend time with Him – - to thank Him for everything.  It is now what I do, even if it is just a couple sentences, before I start studying the Word.

What can you do, right now, to start embracing the idea of being a dearly loved daughter of the King?  What can you do to cultivate your relationship with Him?   What are you doing that has given you that spark? Let’s get a conversation started — either here in the comments, or over at our Community.

Filed Under: Emotional, One Word, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments

Because We Need Each Other

April 26, 2012 By 8 Comments

Image Credit: D Sharon Pruitt

Have you noticed that Thursdays around here are a little bit different?  I hope so!  We have been keeping each other accountable weekly.  Some of us are trying to establish and maintain a more consistent Bible study routine.  Some of us are trying to incorporate more exercise.  Others are trying out new ways of eating, or thinking about food.

Here’s the bottom line:

God cares about what we do with this body He has given us.  He cares about the way we live our lives and the choices that we make. He definitely cares when our choices when left to our own devices are ones that lead us away from Him.

On my own blog last week I introduced a fictional friend named Sally to dish out some tough love.   I am not sure if Sally needs to make an appearance here, because we have a whole community of people that are here to love, support and encourage each other meet our goals.

So- please consider this your invitation to join us for “Count Me Accountable: learning God’s heart for total health.”  We will be bringing the conversation to our community, as well still having a linky for any bloggers to participate in.  Please feel free to link up with us if you are talking about your healthy living, exercising, bible studying, trying to do this life right journey!  There is no formula, no plan – - – just a friendly place where we want to build each other up and offer support.   There is a chair here waiting for you, and mug of hot tea or apple cider.  Won’t you join us?




Filed Under: Accountability, Friendship Tagged With: , , , 8 Comments

Super Star Living

April 25, 2012 By 6 Comments

Ever feel like a rock star in some area, only to realize you’re neglecting another? It’s as if there are only twenty-four hours in a day!!!

Honestly though, I’ve been there.  I’m there.  I’m finally feeling better, eating better, and regularly exercising.  I have, however, compromised myself with my thought life and quiet time.

I feel like it’s so important to have balance in order to have a healthy life.  Even if our exercise is just walking, we pair that with walking with God, I believe we will see a balanced healthy life.

It may not always be easy, but I have a formula for a super star life.

Simple, focused, no hype.

They say, “you are what you eat!” and “what you think about you bring about!”

How about we take control of the things we can control?  We do our part in healthy living.  I truly believe this can happen when we find balance!!

Psalm 148:3

English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!

 

I’m committing to live like a super star and create a balanced healthy life!!!

How are you?  Do you want to live like a super star?

Filed Under: Balance, Emotional, Mental, Physical, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 6 Comments

When You Have a Beatitude

April 23, 2012 By 14 Comments

 

Have you ever had a friend that you just sort of . . . distanced yourself from? You couldn’t really put your finger on it. Or explain quite why it was happening . . . you just called them less. You found yourself calling other friends. You would think about connecting – with a phone call or e-mail, and you put it off instead.

This sort of sums up my relationship with God right now.

I almost wrote about something else. I felt weird coming here and sharing that I’m not as close to God as I usually am.

I didn’t want to really admit it out loud – or to this group of readers. I was going to write something vanilla; something that I know from my heart.

 

I can say that because the Bible and God are still in my heart. They still live there. But . . . the post of my heart is this one. I am out of touch. It is my own doing. And I am working my way through it.

I actually found the courage to write this post after my women’s Bible Study. I shared with them my “non-desire” to pray. Honestly, I’m not sure if it is Alexander’s approaching birthday or the memories of all those horrible things the doctors told us or just … a phase of the moon. But I was reassured by how many women shared they also had periods of time when they felt distanced from God. In fact, I learned that even Mother Teresa felt distanced from God for a period of time. Although I dislike that her private thoughts were shared against her wishes, I do find comfort in knowing that such a
holy figure struggled as I am.

The Bible actually describes this phenomenon – in Matthew… as part of the Beatitudes:

Matthew 5: 1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.  His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

 

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

I think that Jesus was offering us grace, as always, in this verse. He knew that we would
never be able to love God with a perfect love. We would only be able to accept God’s
perfect love for us. As humans, we are subject to the travelings of a human heart. I think
Jesus was letting us know that as long as we continued to repair a strained relationship
with God – we were still considered blessed. I believe, that as much as we are encouraged
to shout our love for the Lord from the rooftops, we are only to do it for the right reasons
– because our heart tells us to.

And… if we cannot shout, we can whisper it until our voice returns. My love for the Lord
has not stopped, and I cannot explain this crisis over my heart. I can only ask for prayers
that it passes quickly and thank God for the blessing of grace.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , , , 14 Comments

Longing for a cathedral

April 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In a post I wrote in October 2009, I expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of natural sunlight in an up-and-coming church.

Well …

Now I attend one of those churches … and (gasp!) I like it. I’m all for revision.

One difference: although there is no natural light in this sanctuary, it does offer plenty of architectural lines to trace during the sermon.

Still, I won’t completely abandon my original thoughts. I think we all long for a place of worship that is unbelievably huge, inspiring, filled with light and pure strength. Think cathedral.

I spent a week in San Francisco as a college student. One day I wandered around the city completely alone, with just a map, my wallet, and a camera. At one point I remember sensing that I was being followed. (I am not typically paranoid.) Lucky for me, Grace Cathedral was just a couple of blocks away. I walked/ran into the cathedral and lost myself there for two hours. And it was such a reward, I found out. The church bells tolled and I knew I was in a good place, a safe place. And I didn’t have to pay and I didn’t have to explain to anyone why I was there.

Now … if I went to my church in the middle of the week, at any random time, someone–surely someone–would want to inquire if I could be helped. Just the inquiry would break my state of mind, I’m sure. And I suppose I’d be the only person in a dark sanctuary, and suddenly the janitor would come in and flick on every annoying light and start the vacuum.

My nerves would be fried in an instant and I’d leave, immediately.

I wish … I so long for … a place where I can just go, to love and worship God in a beautiful place, a place for the community, and receive no questions of my purpose.

Photo taken from Grace Cathedral’s website.

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Wholehearted

April 19, 2012 By 10 Comments

To be characterized by complete sincerity and commitment. To live with wholehearted devotion. To allow our yes to be yes and our no be no. To free ourselves.

The more and more I read in the bible with one of my closest, most special friends, I can’t help but notice how often we, as Christ-seekers, are called to live with wholehearted devotion. Each and every time I read either “wholehearted” or “with all your heart” or even “with your whole heart” I cannot help but wonder, “how often do I seek Him, His will, His way, and His favor with my ENTIRE being?”

If I’m honest:
it’s not very often that this sort of searching for my Creator happens
in the rough times, wholehearted seeking gets shoved to the back of my mind
in the good times, wholehearted seeking only passes through my mind on occasion
on the so-so days, this seeking gets drowned out in my to-do list of life.

Accountability helps me, a ton. Although, accountability only works if BOTH parties are willing to put their all into it. One sided accountability hurts both people. Accountability in which neither party is willing to be completely, wholly honest with each other, turns into just two friends hanging out.

Wholehearted devotion isn’t only for our spiritual walk, but it is a very real, very common necessity for our earthly life. If we go around without commitment to our faith, decisions, promises, way of life, or even our own passions, the life we live will often feel meaningless, pointless, and unfulfilled.

Devotion to our faith helps keep us committed to our decisions. So often, so many of us will make a decision, then allow something else to change that decision. If we make a decision, no matter how good it is or how bad it is, we need to at least have the devotion to see it to the end. We need to have the confidence in our Creator to turn everything around for our good like He has promised He will do for us.

Devotion to God helps us discover the passions He created us for. Each one of us is different; we all have our own minds, we all have our own passions, we all have our own dislikes. So it makes sense that we all have our own passion. That’s the way we were created. The only way that I have found to discover what my passion and His purpose for me is, has been through a wholehearted searching for Him and His being.

How about you? Do you find it hard to consistently and obediently seek our Father with your entire being? If so, what tends to get in the way? If not, what tips would you have for those of us struggling with it?

Papa God,
    Help us all to seek you with our whole hearts. Help us not be lukewarm. Allow our thoughts, our actions and our motives to be rooted in devotion to you. Not just the reliance-on-You-because-things-are-rough attitude. Papa, we pray Your grace and love help us to discover exactly what a wholehearted devotion to You would look like. Give us a desire for You that we’ve never seen before.

In Christ’s name,
Amen

This is our challenge today friends.
That we would be intentional about wholeheartedly seeking our Creator.
Together.
Here.
In this community.

 

Won’t you join us?


Filed Under: Accountability, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , 10 Comments

Running in the Rain

April 18, 2012 By 2 Comments

 

It’s raining. Not pouring, but raining enough to make it not much fun to be outside.

However, it’s also a run day. The 5k is less than 3 weeks away and I need to stick to my running schedule so that I’m ready. I really want to be able to run the entire race.

I have run in the rain before, and while I don’t particularly enjoy it, I have captured a couple of lessons because of the practice. I wanted to share just one of them today.

 

  1. The discipline is more important than feeling uncomfortable.

Does it feel good to be chilled with wet hair and clothes? Nope. Is it fun to have people look at you like you’re nuts to be out at all? Well, truthfully, that part is kind of fun. Is it enjoyable to blink raindrops away in order to see? I know, wear a hat. But I hate hats!

My point is that running in those conditions is not the optimum. But, those conditions are also temporary and are far outweighed by the benefits of exercise and a consistent running schedule.

As in running, so in life.

It doesn’t always feel comfortable to get out of bed in the dark and stumble to the coffee pot so I can be up and ready for time alone with the Lord. But the benefits outweigh those extra minutes of sleep.

It is not always fun to severely limit my computer time for the benefit of my home and family. But that discipline is more important, by far, than my temporary loss of connection with the online world.

It is uncomfortable to approach and befriend a person whom I don’t understand or relate well with, but who needs to see Jesus’ love lived out in me.

You get the idea.

Filed Under: Battles, Physical, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments

And the panic fell down like rain

April 16, 2012 By 4 Comments

By now, I guess I should know that if I feel comfortable in my life, it probably means I’m being a hermit, and God is going to shake things up. I really wasn’t prepared for how huge the shake-up would be this time, or my reaction to it.

It has been a long time, years in fact, since I’ve had a full-blown anxiety attack. From time to time I will feel anxiety over a situation, but not the sheer panic that I’ve felt in the past. I can feel that panic pressing in on me now, though, and I’m afraid I’m going to drown in it.

panic – to become so frightened that one loses the power to think clearly

I know in my head that the things I’m worried about are silly, but the panic flushes all rational thought out of my head, makes me cry, lose my breath, and want to climb into bed and stay there forever.

In my case, my greatest source of anxiety is being in social situations. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be the social butterfly, but I’m just not equipped to handle it on my own. It has been heavy on my heart lately that I need to make more of an effort to not only keep up my existing friendships, but also to go and actively seek out new ones. (Insert deep breaths here.)

I’ve made a lot of online friends over the last two years, and decided about this time last year that I wanted to meet some of them in person. If you read my blog, you probably saw that I attended the Relevant Conference (Now called Allume) last October. I’m pretty sure that the only way I talked myself into it was by telling myself repeatedly that they only sold 250 tickets, so it would be a small, almost homey gathering of like-minded Christian women.

I made it through the cross-country travel from Montana to Pennsylvania (largely because I got to travel with my sweet online sister, Anna.) I lived through meeting Lisa, and Katey, fell in love with Kristi, and only had one near breakdown when I attempted to join in on the newbie meet-up the first day. (There were so many women in that room, and they were all talking, and smiling, and it was too much for me to handle.)

My good time at the conference may have made me a little cocky. You know, I made it through that, so I can make it through anything. I’m the queen of the world!!! (Stop laughing, and keep reading…) Since then, God has set more and more opportunities (challenges?) before me, and I’ve obviously stopped relying on Him for strength because I can feel myself breaking down.

I relied on a double amaretto sour (or four) to get me through my husband’s company Christmas party. As the boss’ wife, it was my job to be witty, and friendly, and fun. I was all of those things, not to mention unsteady, but I made it through.

I managed to tidy up the house and not get frazzled when we had friends over for dinner a while back. Even with people I know, I have a hard time because I’m afraid they will see the dust on my blinds, cobwebs on a hanging light, one of my kids will say something, um, questionable, and I will be judged for all of it.

Last week we went to the new small groups pastor’s house for dinner to meet a few other couples from church who would like to start a group and get to know people. I will admit to changing my shirt twice before we left, but I actually felt pretty good about the whole thing. It was a pleasant evening, and when we saw one of the couples this week at church, we chatted, and it was very nice to have that connection.

So, see? I thought I was doing a pretty good job until this morning when my husband casually brought up the topic of his big work conference coming up, and how we need to start making final preparations to be sure we have everything we need, and the house is ready for his family (coming to stay with our kids). That’s when I burst into tears at the thought of not having the right clothes, or hair, or make-up, or shoes, or purse or… whatever.

I’m feeling way out of my element on this one. I’m just a casual, small-town, Western girl. I grew up in a household a step up from poor. This conference will have over 2000 people, all in the highest positions with my husband’s company. We are staying at the Ritz-Carlton (!). There will be private performances by  The Blues Brothers, Big & Rich, 3 Doors Down, Gin Blossoms, and Eddie Money. There’s a day spent working on a humanitarian project, and one at a beautiful place called Discovery Cove. This thing is no joke, people, and I’m not sure I can handle it.

Then I started writing this post, and I found a prayer card that I think I will carry with me until the conference ends, and we are back home. The card says this:

“O God, please set my heart at rest in Your presence when my heart wants to condemn me. For You, God, are greater than my heart and You know everything.” (1 John 3:19-20)

Will God stop loving me if I wear the “wrong” shoes? Or dress? Or come from a small town in Montana? Doubtful. So why am I torturing myself? No, really. Why? Why do I let my brain get so upset over this?

I don’t know why, but I do know that it probably means I need to spend more time in prayer, getting close to God, and less time on Amazon looking for the perfect pair of sandals to wear in Florida in April.

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me! When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul!” (Psalm 94:18-19)

How can you tell when you need to reconnect with God? What do you do when you start feeling overwhelmed/anxious/panicked?

*** The links in this post do not benefit me in any way. Some are links to my friends’ blogs, and one is to the prayer cards I mentioned and quoted. I am not an affiliate. I just want you to be connected if you’d like to be connected.  Smile

*** As you read this, I am in Florida at the conference mentioned above. I can’t guarantee I will have a computer to reply to your comments right away, but know that I will do so when I get home. Any prayers you feel like sending my way will be wholeheartedly accepted.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Friendship, Mental Tagged With: , , , , 4 Comments
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