Tag: love

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Bring It

I have a lot of plans that I want to see fulfilled in my life.  Most of those things bring me great fear.  So much can go wrong!  It baffles me to think that it all will come to pass.

But we must remember who holds my world in His hands!  We must remember who sent His Son to die for us& the one who willingly took the cross for us.  We have an amazing supporter who has our backs!

So no more fear.  No more doubt.  No more feeling inadequate or unworthy.  He called you for a reason!  Don’t be afraid to take that next step!

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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You are…you.

Beauty.  We spend millions to look “beautiful.”  Botox, plastic surgery, make up, airbrushing, Photoshop. Yep, we have a lot of ways to spend our money on make ourselves at least think we are more beautiful.  We do this because our culture has shamed us to believe we have to look a certain way to be beautiful.

Especially women, we often find ourselves spending our free time worrying about how we look.  Granted, I will admit, grooming and a little make up makes us look a little more presentable.  But truth is, beauty is not society’s right to dictate.  Our Father, the one who created us, calles us beautiful.  Just. the. way. we. are.  Yep.  We were made beautiful.

Be proud of who you are.  If we all had the same body shape and size – it would be so boring! If we all had the same skin, hair, eye color – it would be so dull!  We are meant to be different.  We are meant to be who we are!

So start holding your head a little higher. Start to walk in more confidence.  And PLEASE, ladies and gentlemen, stop comparing yourself with others.  You are unique because without you, this world would be a little too stale.  We need you to be you.  More importantly, God needs you to be you.  He made you this way for a reason!

Be blessed, dear readers! Remember you are beautiful!

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.”

‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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The Art Of Empathy

I was trained to be a counselor.  Even though I have not pursued a career in the clinical field, my heart still beats like a counselor’s heart.  Seeing people change for the better, getting freed from past bondage is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

There is a quality all counsellors must have to be successful – empathy.  The “feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone else’s feelings” – per Merriam-Webster.  If you don’t have this quality, all the training in the world will not help you be a successful counselor.  I’m a firm believer that this is true for Christians too.  We must have empathy to win the world for Jesus.

There is no one with greater empathy than Jesus.  A sinless man who not only showed us how to live and love, but who went to the Cross for us.  His ministry was filled with empathetic moments (Luke 8:43-48, John 4:1-42, and John 8:1-11) where He showed us we need to understand where someone is coming from and love them on their level.  Jesus also took all our sins to the Cross and died so that we may live.  There is no greater empathetic act than that.

So, as Christians – the Church, the Bride of Christ – we’ve got to act like Jesus.  Love and empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, is the only way we can successfully win this world over.  We must live and love like Jesus did.  We must show the world who Jesus is through the way we live our lives.  

This is a daily struggle for me, if I’m honest.  Because I know that I am prone to being selfish.  I am thankful for a God that understands and, therefore, I try to be more understanding myself.  Join me in this journey!

Be blessed, dear friends!  Remember who you are – loved and cherished by the Creator of the world!!  We may fail, but God loves us just the way we are.  Never give up!

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:15-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:1-8‬ ‭NLT

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Remember…

Remember who you are to God!  Remember what He will do for you when you are His!  Don’t let any person or situation allow you to believe you are not worthy of what God has planned for you…
“The king proclaims the LORD’s decree: “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’””‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2:7-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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Trust Vs Mistrust

If you are anything like me, you have a problem of giving up control.  I know, for me, it is a trust issue.  Being trusting and vulnerable is hard for me.  Letting someone hold my fate scares me…a lot!

I even have this problem with trusting God, but as He leads me in this journey, He is teaching me that He has my back.  He wants to fight for me (to fight for us)!  That’s why He is a great Father.  

I keep finding myself in situations that require trust in Him.  I have have two choices: go crazy (ha!) or trust God.  Trusting Him seems the better option because I can honestly tell you I’ve tried the other way and it’s not fun.

He is showing me that He fights my battles.  All that is required of me is that I let Him.  That is easier said than done!!  I’d much rather just do it myself.  Anyone else feel that way most of the time?  But to be successful in this life, we must allow God to be God.

Let’s take this journey together.  Let’s learn to let God lead us.  Let’s give our problems over to the King of Kings and live in peace.  It’s so much better for us!!

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:16-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Be blessed, dear friends.  We are in this journey together!!

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Speak life

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the universe. There is no “but” or “rather” – no qualification, no prerequisite.  God made us with purpose for a purpose.  That is who we are.  That is what God says about us.  Any voice that tells you otherwise is wrong.

Declare that truth over yourself today, this week, or this year.  Do it until you start to really believe you are who God says you are – that you are not a mistake, you are not forgotten, and you are truly loved & wanted.

Speak life to yourself!

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:14-18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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Blessings

Friendship is so important in this life.  There is a reason God created more than just one human – because He knew we needed companionship.  As you walk through life with people, ensure that you are truly adding something positive to their life.  And ensure they are adding something positive to your life.  That is the purpose of friendship – to bless each other.

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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The tie that binds us

The world is filled with so many different people.  Different races, genders, nationalities, socioeconomic statuses, and lifestyles.  Our differences make this life interesting.

There is a good chance that, any given day, you will meet several people as you “do life” that are very different than you.  They think differently, want different things, have a different history in this world.  If you tried to sit down and find something similar, it may take you a little while.  You know what I mean??  You ever met someone like that?  Someone you don’t agree with in almost anything?  Seems like you have nothing in common, right?

Here’s the deal, no matter how different you and I may be, there is always going to be one thing that we have in common: we are a broken sinner in need of a Savior.  We are battered, hurting, broken people desperately in need of being put back together.  It is in our brokenness that find our connections.

I will raise my hand and wave it around in order to signify that I am one of the worst people when it comes to making snap judgements about someone.  Believing that I am somehow better than another person because their poor choice in actions doesn’t mirror my poor choice in actions is no excuse.  The connecting factor is that brokenness.  It is the fact that we are all hurting people that act out that hurt in destructive ways.  No, not just some of us, all of us.  That is what sin does to us.

What if we all understood that?  If we all gave people a little grace because we would want grace if the tables were turned.  How different would this world be?  I am going to suspect that this world would be drastically different if that type of kindness was prevelant.

John 3:30 says: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” If we allow God to shine through us (if we are born again Christians who have the Spirit of the Lord inside us), do you think it would be easier to show more kindness?  Yes, absolutely. When we allow God to heal our brokenness in the secret places of our heart, we can start to gain understanding.

Allow God to start working out your brokenness and maybe you will start to see the relationships in your life change.  Start looking at people as someone who is as broken as you are and allow empathy to grow.  Because we are all a work in progress.

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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Love Defined

I know you’ve probably heard the Easter story.  But do you understand it?  Do you know that it is a love story between us and God?

RomComs are filled with men standing up for their ladies.  It is heroic and beautiful.  It makes some women swoon.  Somehow, in most cases, the couple live happily ever after no matter what the man had to endure.

The story of Easter is different.  It isn’t a love story between a man and woman, but between the God and His creation.  A story about the lengths and depths the one true God of the universe will go to have full access to His beloveds after they (we) turned their (our) backs on Him.

A man, Jesus, fully God, perfect in all His ways (John 1:1; 1 Peter 2:22) bore our sins on the cross even though He had no sin (2 Cor. 5:21).  That is unconditional, undeserved, mind-blowingly amazing love!  Take a moment to really absorb that fact – that a sinless God died for us (all of us) so that we may spend eternity with Him.  So that we might have eternal life (John 3:16).

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Remember that Easter isn’t about candy, bunnies, or outfits.  It is about the love God has for you.  Don’t let this season go by without truly understanding how loved you really are.

Be blessed, dear readers!

  

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There is Purpose in the Scars

Have you ever dropped a glass and it shatter?  After it shatters, does it serve a purpose anymore?  No, not really.  It’s pretty much ruined.  My next step after it drops on the ground is sweeping up the mess and throwing it away.

When we sinned in Eden and ate from the fruit (and every time we sinned after that), we were like that glass hitting the floor – broken and shattered.  Our ability to serve the purpose we were put on this earth to do became questionable.  We could have easily been swept up and thrown out.  But God didn’t do that.  He decided that, even though we were broken, we were worth keeping around.

In fact, He sent His only Son to earth so that we might be saved and made whole again (John 3:16).  It would be the equivalent of us trying to glue the 1,000 tiny pieces of the glass that shattered on the floor.  That is a special kind of Love!

The rub is, though, no matter what we do, we would always see the glue marks on the glass we are trying to glue together.  Our glue marks are our scars.  These scars serve a purpose.  If we were made whole again, without those scars, how would we be able to be a walking testimony for our Lord?  It would be hard to show people where we once were if there was no evidence. Even Christ kept His scars so that others would understand what He endured.  (John 20:27)

Luke 14:27 declares that we must take up our Cross and follow Christ in order to be His disciple.  Part of that Cross is our bearing those scars.  It is turning from those ways and helping those who are walking in the valleys you once were walking in.  Part of the reason we need to remain marked up until we reach Heaven is because those scars share what our God can do.  It is for His glory.

Even though scars indicate that we have sinned, it also means that we have been put back together.  It means that what once were wounds are now healed.  Thus we are a walking testimony of the Grace of God.  Next time the enemy tries to shame you for a scar, for something God has forgiven you from, remind him that these scars are there to glorify God and show how great He is!  Have faith that God knows what he is doing.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬

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