Hello beautiful soul,
Happy Wednesday! I hope this week is treating you well and that you are equally treating this week well.
Have you ever been so consumed by the path you were on and somehow found yourself lost in the journey? I have. I still feel lost sometimes. I want to do so much yet somehow I feel like I am doing nothing. I want to become more of who God wants me to be yet I struggle with letting go of the nagging logical/”realist” within me (who longs to look good, make sense of everything, and be ‘successful’ in the eyes of others). The interesting thing is, following God has never got me in trouble with myself but feeding my ego has.
When I’m striving trying to make things happen on my own, it doesn’t ever seem to be enough.
But when I make the time to consult the one who created me and follow His nudges in a moment-by-moment surrender, whatever I do seems perfectly placed. I guess that’s what happens when I make myself available to the One who is able to do all things.
I don’t know where you are on your journey but I believe that wherever you are, God wants to meet you there. He wants to walk with you, talk with you, and be an ever-present strength and source in your life. I love what Jesus says in Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible but with God all is possible.” I know that there are many things in (my) life that look impossible but I also know that when you and I surrender our ways for His, our plans for His purpose, and our present for His presence, we are flooded by an indescribable peace and a relentless love that knows no end.
Are you facing a negative health report? So too did Kara Tippetts. In fact, she did not just face one negative report but several. What she teaches us (in her blog mundanefaithfulness and in her book “The Hardest Peace”) is that despite the circumstances we face, God is ever present if we open our hearts to Him. In the midst of her pain and suffering, she has come to see the power of love and grace. Kara’s journey is far from easy and is an uphill battle each day but in its midst, her life has been flooded with what truly matters and as she counts the moments with her loved ones, she has a new found appreciation for every breath, laugh, hug, kiss, and cuddle. “We have this moment. We are not promised the next- how can we be excellent stewards of today? How can we love the hearts around us well? How can we let God lavishly love us- so we can then, in turn, love another. Loving from the overflow- living in this moment.“
Are you facing a financial challenge? So too did a dear friend of mine. It was a Thursday and her kids were to come on Friday for the weekend. The only problem was when she looked in her fridge, she had nothing. No cereal, no milk, no food. As she sat on the floor in tears, she wondered what she was going to do. She felt alone. As she picked herself off the floor and headed out in search of something. She needed to do something. She checked her mailbox and in it was an envelope from the revenue agency. This was the LAST thing she needed. Her heart beat quickened and she felt the panic rise. Did she owe something? She took a deep breath and opened it. Inside was a cheque for $5000! Apparently there was a mistake on her taxes and she was owed this money so they backdated it for all the months that she did not receive it. God came through for her as He has done for countless others. Her tears and test has become her testimony.
Are you facing a broken relationship? So too did Joyce Meyer. She was abused as a child right through her teenage years by her father. Her first marriage didn’t work out and at one point her second marriage was facing that same possibility. What happened next is nothing shy of a miracle. She learned of a God who loved her and wanted to make her whole again. She let God smooth out the rough patches in her life and more importantly, do a work in her heart (which continues today). Today, her marriage is better than ever and she has forgiven her father. While he was sick, she moved him closer to her home so that she could take care of him (this is the same father who abused her as a child!). Today she reaches millions around the world as a living testament that NOTHING you or I have or ever will go through is too difficult for God. There is hope. There is healing. There is wholeness. His name is God.
As we enter the final stretch of 2014, emotions can run high. Am I where I thought I’d be? How am I going to pay my bills? Everyone seems to have someone, when will it be my turn? As we draw nearer to Christmas and the holidays, we may face people who we’d rather avoid. For some, it is a dreaded time while for others, it is the most anticipated. This year, this week, I invite each one of us to look up from our own situations and circumstances for a minute. I believe that when we do, we become present to the miracles in our midst and to a God who loves us more than we know.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
-Ephesians 3:18
You are amazing. Never forget it.
Sending you lots of love today and everyday,
Joann
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