As You Look At The Day Before You...

The phrase that ends this sentence - "you see a twisted, complicated path, with branches going off in all directions" - FREAKS ME OUT. Does it give you that feeling too, or am I the only one.

I have been becoming so aware of my fear of tragedy. Of bad things in general. Sometimes that fear literally overtakes me. I think that I see things in scenarios a lot. I can either be drawn closer to God through visualizing His goodness, Him looking down on me, His Light, etc. OR I can be completely drawn away from Him if I allow the evil one to form scenarios in my head that make me fear life itself. For example, if I imagine losing someone I love, I can allow myself to visualize it so much that it becomes real - often bringing me to tears. Anyways, because of my tendency to do this, I am at risk for living a life completely looking for ways to avoid risk, possible trouble, and to keep my life in perfect order, ensuring myself as much as possible that nothing will hurt me.

Does this sound like a recipe for boredom to you? Me too. Spiritual boredom, physical boredom, mental boredom, social boredom. It also sounds like a recipe for high anxiety. Therefore, November 15 & 16 devotionals were full of great wisdom, speaking right to the heart of my soul.

The truth in life is that we are never to keep our eyes on the what if's. Right? Does that sound too extreme? I'm not sure. I think that trust in God means that we are able to see the what if's and not get anxious about them. What incredible power that sounds like, and it is TRUTH! Our God is bigger than anything we may encounter, and He already knows how we will get through everything. Approaching difficulties with a "light touch" is sheer brilliance. It is much like holding things in life with an open hand. The trust we can have in God and the power that is made available is a limitless blessing. Let's CHOOSE consciously, through prayer and action, to try it out in our lives.

LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Jaymee

As Your Day, So Shall Your Strength Be.

The Lord doesn't give us the same amount of power to get through each day. He gives us the amount of strength we'll need, according to how much we lean into him. If I have a really stressful day ahead, I may think upon waking: "Okay, I need to really pull myself up by my bootstraps, because this is going to be one heck of a day."

What God would rather we do is say, upon waking: "Lord, I have a lot ahead of me today, but there may be even more awaiting me than I realize. Strengthen and equip me for all that I may encounter."

As a human being, I may be the slowest to learn of anyone I know. You'd think after living on planet earth for nigh-on 55 years, I'd have figured one or two things out. But, no --- I continually think that I can handle this! It's okay, Lord! I've got it! You go attend to something really important, like global poverty & AIDS, or Kabul, Afghanistan's suicide bombers. My thing is so insignificant, really!

This is of course not the way he sees things. All that I encounter every day is significant to him, because it's significant to me.

So, today - I pledge to view my activities as significant to not only me, but to the Lord as well.

AMEN!!

Ephesians 1:18-20
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms

Psalm 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

HI!

All I want to say is that my lack of contribution in writing has nothing to do with my lack of thought and care for you girls. Busyness in school and difficulty in getting in a routine has been an understatement. I hope everyone is doing really great. I REALLY love you all.

Walk Peacefully With Me

I want to live at this intersection! Where faith meets peace. Here, I will encounter nothing that I can't handle, with God's help.


Sarah tells us today to choose to walk each day with God - peacefully, tranquilly. The more hectic our day is, the more we should choose to walk with God. Pre-planning a difficult conversation, maybe? This is SO me! Just yesterday I had a confrontational phone call to make with a customer service agent, and I rehearsed in my mind what I would say. If I had instead decided to give the entire conversation to the Lord, I would have been speaking his words, through the help of the Holy Spirit. Instead, I spoke my own words, and undoubtedly did not handle it as well as I could have, if I had allowed him to help.


Sarah also states that each day is a training opportunity. God wants to train us up to be the best ambassador for him that we can be. When presented with any challenge, we should only have heightened awareness of our own frailty, and his own Omniscience. We know little, he knows all.


Today, I'm going to dwell with God. Moment by moment. And, in each conversation, may God make himself known, to me, and to the person I'm talking to.


AMEN!


Psalm 29:11: The LORD gives strength to his people; 
   the LORD blesses his people with peace.