Posts in Category: loved by the Father
It is Well
In life, we have some days when we are celebrating and other days when we are struggling. But no matter where we are at in any particular day, we can have a peace in our Father. The song “It is Well with my soul” was written in some of the toughest circumstances. But yet the writer, Horatio G. Spafford, was still able to say it is well with my soul.
Although Horatio was a successful business man in Chicago, him and his wife had several loses within a couple years. They lost their son at a young age in 1871. Then went on to lose most of his business the same year in a fire. Two years later, Horatio’s wife Anna and his 4 daughters were on a ship headed to Europe from the U.S. The ship they were collided with another ship. As a result of the collision, his four daughters died. Anna was the only one that survived from the family. Anna sent a message to Horatio “Saved alone, what shall I do?” Horatio booked a passage to join his wife. While he was on the ship headed to his wife, he wrote this song.
“When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
What ever my lot you have taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though the devil will ruin, though trials may come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul
It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul
And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight
And the clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul” by Horatio G. Spafford
This is one of the most beautiful hymns written in history. Some of the most beautiful things come out of the most broken people or circumstances. This song was written by a man whose heart was broken and lost almost everything in a short span of time.
After hearing this story, this song has become my favorite hymn. It is also reminder to me that even when life is hard and it does not make sense, it is well with my soul. Because of who my Savior is. He is Sovereign, Prince of Peace, the ultimate Lover, Comforter, Rock, Redeemer and Deliver.
So when life is tough, confusing, uncertain and painful, we can say it is well with my soul because of who our Savior is. I challenge you to find joy and peace in your Father as Horatio did in tragic times. It is in these moments that when we find what we need in God, we are hopeful And hope is what gives the strength to go to the next moment and to keep going from there.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FexGqNDBK3g&w=560&h=315]
God celebrates baby steps
Sometimes in life we think that we need to have do big milestones before we can celebrate or before God celebrates with us. And because of this we become paralyzed and might not start anything at all. Or we don’t think baby steps that we started are worth celebrating.
But in reality God celebrates every step we take. And He especially celebrates the baby steps. Sometimes the hardest steps are the baby steps because it may mean the beginning of something new. Many times, there is uncertainty in it. Which requires us to trust in God when we are taking these first baby steps.
These baby steps could lead to a milestone in our lives. For me one of my milestones in my life is to be the first one in my family to graduate from high school and college. While these are great accomplishments and God celebrated with me when they were accomplished! But God also celebrated every time I was dedicated to study for a class. Studying for a class is many baby steps of a larger goal of getting a diploma.
It is hard for me to fathom in my human brain that God has the time to care about my baby steps. The amazing thing is that I don’t need to figure that out for me to celebrate my baby steps. As a human, we are not meant to put God in a box. And this is something we do often when we try to figure out God. So, when I put aside my human rationalization, it is exciting for me that I have Father who created the universe rooting for me and celebrating every step of my journey.
As society, I believe we do not celebrate enough. There are many examples in the Bible of celebration. “We see celebration not only here in Nehemiah 12, as Israel dedicated the wall, but we also see celebration throughout the Bible. The shepherds, wise men, and angels celebrated the birth of Jesus with gifts, songs, and prayer. God gave Israel many celebrations in the Old Covenant such as the Feast of Booths, year of Jubilee, etc. In the New Covenant, he has given us the Lord’s Supper and baptism. We also see future celebrations such as the wedding of the Lamb and the wedding feast with Abraham.” We sometimes think it is trivial to celebrate the baby steps. Baby steps give us the hope to keep going to the next steps. And eventually many baby steps lead to a milestone goal completed.
So celebrate baby steps whether they are yours or someone else’s because our Creator celebrates them!
God reminders and lessons
Recently life has thrown some challenges at me and my family. Some of the challenges could be enough to shake someone’s faith. Some of the things are big and life changing. There are a few things I learned along that way or that I have been reminded of; as I deal with and process the events that have been happening.
First, that God is still good and sovereign no matter what life puts in my path. And He walks right beside me as I walk through the trials of life. These trials in life did not surprise Him. He knew they were coming. I am grateful that this is a foundation in my life because without this life would be much harder than it already is. “The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.” – Psalms 145:9
Second, the peace of God is worth more than the most expensive item on earth! If you don’t have peace it robs you of the amazing things that God has in store for you and your life. I am grateful that I have His peace as I journey through life. “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” – Isaiah 54:10
Third, my strength come from the Creator of all things. There are times I feel weak and do not feel strong enough to go through the battles of life. I have realized my strength comes from Him and not from myself. On my own I will never be strong enough. I will always be weak on my own without Him. This is a relief knowing that I do not have to strong and that I can go to my Father for the strength I lack. “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. – Psalm 29:11”
Fourth, my emotions and life circumstances will not dictate on whether I have joy and peace. Sure I will have days where emotions will be strong and life circumstances will be hard. Because I am human! But they can not take my joy and peace away. I will have joy even in the moments that I would rather have a pity party for myself. “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.” – Psalms 5:11
Life is full of lessons and reminders. And there is a joy and peace when it does not makes sense to have it when you are walking the journey with your Creator. What lessons or reminders has God given you when life is crazy and tough?
Fixing Others
Too often we think we have to fix others. So often we think we need to have answer for someone’s struggle in life. When we think we can fix someone, we are being prideful. And what right do we have to think we can fix someone when we have not created the person? When a creator creates something, they know the ins and outs of that creation. God knows everything about His creations and knows how to heal the hurt and pain that needs healing. I have been reminded recently that I was not created to fix a situation or a person. I was created to walk beside them in their journey and empower them not lead their journey. Even when I can not fix anything about the situation or the person.
It is through walking the journey of life with someone that relationships are tested and the result of this usually they become stronger than they were before. We are called to walk in the trenches of life’s moments even when you have no idea how help someone and when it is messy. And we may feel inadequate. This is when we learn to lean on God for guidance and strength.
It is in these moments when we don’t know what to do it is God to shows up. We have to be open hearing His voice. Sometimes He will provide the answers and other times He gives us the strength to walk the journey. Jesus walked in the trenches of life with people to show them that they matter to their heavenly Father. Through the journey of walking with people and leaning on God, this is also when our relationship with God gets stronger. Because sometimes He is the only being heavenly and earthly strength that we can lean on.
Walking that journey with each person and situation in our life will look different. Sometimes we need to just be in a moment with someone and not say a word because words are not adequate. Sometimes it means to do a task with someone. Sometimes it means to be ok with not having answers or solution for their struggles. Sometimes it is pointing the person to their Creator. Sometimes it is showing love over and over again even when it is not reciprocated.
When we realize that we are not called to fix anyone, it takes the pressure off of us. It allows to walk the journey with people in freedom. And we don’t need to worry about finding that solution because their Creator will be the one to provide what they need.
Who in your life have you been trying to fix? And how has that affected your relationship with them? Who in your life do you need to walk beside them in their journey?
Command to Love
As I reflect the day, this year was a good birthday filled with family and friends. I would not have wanted my day any other way. But then I also reflect on what is going on in the world there is so much hate and division going on right now. People are maliciously hurting others because the person or people group are not the same as them. These differences happen to be in race, religion, social classes, personalities, sexual orientation and I could go on and on. Its disheartening to see people hurting others intentionally. And it is even more disheartening when we look through the lens that everyone is someone God created. He made us all so differently. And I am so glad He made us so different because life would be so boring if we were all the same.
My prayer is that when we see others we would look at them with the eyes of God and see them through eyes of love and not hate. See others through eyes of compassion and empathy. And realize every one has a story that matters. When we see people through eyes of love, we see people a whole new light. It does not mean we have to agree with everything that person says or does or that boundaries should not be in place in some relationships depending on the circumstances. But it does meant that we have to treat them with love. And when we treat people with love we begin to see that God has a greater plan for their lives and our lives. Love opens doors that were never opened before. Love brings forgiveness that was not possible before. Love brings a face and a story to the issues that we are so passionately against. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 When God commanded us to love another, He did not say you have to love this person but not that person. We can not pick and choose on who we are called to love. There are times we hate or have a strong dislike for someone whatever reason may be. And sometimes we have good reason to hate or have a strong dislike because of the circumstances that brought it on. But God has given us a strong warning that we are not to hate others. “We love because God first loved us. Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:19-20 We often do not think of the words we are saying; are they showing love or is it bringing more division to a world that is full of hate and malice. Because we are too worried about our own agenda and we want to make sure people hear our agenda.
While forgiveness and love is something that is hard to do, it is necessary for yourself and the person you are forgiving. So the next time that you are ready to treat someone with less than the love that they deserve; look at them through the eyes of love. And sometimes it means asking God to help with that. Also think about the many times that you were shown love, grace, mercy and forgiveness when you did not deserve it. We need to choose love and not hate and division. Even when it means putting aside our differences and our agendas. When we choose love, we will see amazing things happen that we may not think that would have been possible before. So today let’s choose to see others through the eyes of love and see that they and their story matters. I challenge you to put your own agendas aside and just love on those that are put in your path.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKFb4rNsA20&w=560&h=315]
Faith
Sometimes we are asked to up something we love by God so that He can deepen our relationship with him while blessing others. This was me in the last couple months. In March, God asked me to give my camera to a missionary who is teaching photography classes in India. He also asked me to give my car away in the same day.
Giving my car away was not as big of a deal as my camera. This was the only camera I had and if you know me, you know that being able to create beautiful images is one of my passions in life. If I am being honest, I felt like in some ways I was giving my child away. It was not something I came to terms with right away. It was not easy but I know it was what I was supposed to do.
Around this same time, He asked me to start my photography business. In the human mind, it does not make sense to give your primary piece of equipment that you need for a photography business. But in God’s mind it made sense because He saw the whole picture. And saw pieces to this story that I did not see in my limited mind. But I had faith that He would provide for me. Because I knew He would not ask me to do something if He wasn’t going to provide for me.
Because of me giving my car, the couple that I gave my car to, they gave their car to another family that did not have a vehicle. Over the last couple months, I have saving money and I eventually saved enough money to purchase the same camera I had given away. In the meantime, God provided cameras I could borrow. Two weeks ago, I purchased another camera. The day after I bought the camera, a friend got in touch with me and I was told they are going to send me a check that is going to pay for the camera that I bought!! This friend then explained that my faith inspired her to have faith for things they want or need. Giving creates an infectious spirit and the reaction like dominoes.
When we do what God asks us to do, know that He is going to bless you and that He will provide. And sometimes the way He provides is not the way we think it is going to happen or is not in our timing. And we must be open to that. If we trust and obey God with what He asks us, He will do what He promises us that He is going to do. And He will do it in His time not in our time.
I do not share this story to show how great I am because reality it was not an easy journey and I did not completely trust Him at times. I do not have it all together nor will I ever. And I did have doubts along the way. And there were moments that I was like “God, you asked me to give my camera away and to start a photography business at the same. And here we are X amount of time later and I still do not have a camera.” But in these moments, I remembered that He is true to His promises and that He has and will continue to provide for me. Looking back, I would not change much about this whole part of my story. Because my faith and trust in Him deepened in my waiting period. Also because of my obedience and faith other people were impacted.
So, next time God asks you to do something that does not make sense, go for it. He will follow through on His promises and He will provide in ways that you do not think He will. And in the process, our relationship with Him will deepen. When He does provide, be ready to be amazed because He is a great Father and He delights in providing for His children.
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Dry Bones
Recently I went away with 100 some young adults and the weekend was filled with fellowship with others and God. The theme was come alive. And the weekend’s passage was on the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14.
“God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun.He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Master God, only you know that.”
He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!’ “God, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am God!”
I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.
He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”
So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.
Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’ “Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am God. I’ll breathe my life into you and you’ll live. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am God. I’ve said it and I’ll do it. God’s Decree.’”
Ezekiel 37:1-14
We were encouraged to look at the dry bones(areas) in our lives and ask for life to be brought to that area. And I thought of a few areas that I knew already that needed life but they were areas I have thought about before. And part of me thought I have this in the sense that this is nothing new. Until Saturday night Bryce Taylor preached, God grabbed my heart. He showed me through Bryce that I had a victim mentality with my past. Not in a way most people think but in a way of my relationship with God.
You see I struggle so much with people who have a victim mentality and who live in that. I live by this quote because there is so much truth in it and I have seen countless time where it has played out. “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it,” Charles Swindoll said this. And I do understand there is a time where someone needs process what has happened in their life. But I also believe that you can’t stay in that moment because we wouldn’t move forward in life and we will miss some of the great things God has in store for us. While I do not say this aloud it does sometimes go through my head, when I think the person should have worked through the hurt and pain in their life, my thought is that you just need to work through it and move on in life. What right do I have to say that? I have not walked their journey in life so I do not have the right to see when the person should not be living in the moment of their hurt and pain anymore.
Let’s go back to me now. That Saturday night God showed me that I will use my past as a crutch when I relate to Him. And the very thing that frustrates me when I see it in other people. He showed me that I am doing the same thing with Him. I see Him through this filter of my past hurts and pained how others have treated me. And I only allow God so close because if He gets any closer He might hurt me like other people in my life. And as a grow older and more mature in my walk with Him, I might let him a step closer but that is still a wall that I did not let Him past. Reality is that He will not hurt me and He will not leave me. “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 Wow what a great promise! I decided that night that I am going to believe Him at His promises even when it is hard. And live in His truth not in the lies I have been told about me or about Him. Even when I may not fully believe it, I am going to tell myself these promises till I believe them with all my heart. And I am going to allow God to come closer than ever and no longer hold Him at an arm’s distance.
What area in your life needs life? Is there an area with your relationship with God where you are using your past as an excuse to not allow God to get past your wall?
Validation
Recently I had pictures a friend took pictures of me. As I was looking at these pictures, I started to pick apart everything I did not like about my body. And it spiraled from there. I did not see the joy on my face from twirling around in my bright yellow dress that billowed out. And I did not see my pretty blue eyes that were passed down from generations before me. I did not see the passion I have to serve others.
I posted a few of the pictures on Facebook. I had encouraging comments made by friends. These comments lifted my self esteem for the time being.
Late on when I was texting a friend, I was reminded I am a daughter of the King. And what He says about me is more important than what I think of myself or what others think of me. We should be going to our Creator first instead of others. And I need to rest in what He says about me. Because He knows everything about me including all my flaws. And if my Creator who sees everything about me still loves me and thinks I am beautiful, how can it get better than that!
While getting encouragement from others is not wrong, it is wrong when I look for validation in people rather than my Creator. Most of the time when we have these moments, it is Satan’s distraction to our purpose that we were created for. If Satan can distract us with thinking about what is wrong with us rather than about our purpose, then Satan has us right where he wants us. Because it is saying that when God created us it was not good enough. Reality is when God created us, He created us exactly how He wants us to be.
God made you for a specific purpose and with out you in this world there would be a piece missing in God’s plan. Some days I think God looks at the world as a puzzle and we are all piece in that puzzle. Each piece of puzzle serves a purpose in a puzzle. So if we do not fulfill the purpose we are created for then a piece will be missing in God’s masterpiece. Let’s celebrate who God created us to be!! And find our identity in our Creator and not in other people.
Photo credit goes to Jennifer Weaver.
Complacency and Indecision
Complacency and indecision is something that can paralyze you. It puts you in a prison in your own life. There are many reasons as to why a person may be complacent or do not want to make a decision. One of the main reasons is fear. Fear can hold you back in life. Sometimes this fear is based on our past experiences and other times it may because of what other people may say or think. I have heard it said that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. And Satan will try to use fear to hold us back from what God has called us to do. Because he knows the people we are going to impact and the life change that is going to happen because we stepped into something God has called us to.
There are times that God is calling us to wait on Him but many times God is asking us to step out in faith. And too often we will use our fear as an excuse of us not stepping out in faith. We will mask it as we are waiting on God. When in reality God could be like, “would you just do this? I have great things in store for you. And if you could only see the exciting journey I have for you if you would take this first step.” Many times our fear will lead us to indecision and complacency. Complacency and indecision kills growth. It stunts the growth God may have in store for us.
God gave us the power to step past our fear and walk into victory and the exciting journey He has for us. “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7. Once we step past our fears there is an excitement and freedom that comes with it. How is fear holding you back? What is one thing you wish you would have done a year from today?
Identity
Who are you? What is your identity in? Most of us answer by describing our roles in life. We have many roles we play in life. For myself some of the roles are aunt, friend, daughter, photographer, sister, etc. While the roles in my life are part of who I am and they are important to me, it is not where my identity lies. If I find my identity in these roles I will not be satisfied. Because I am finding my satisfaction in something that will always leave a void that only God can fill. “The Bible says that our real problem is that every one of us is building our identity on something besides Jesus.” Timothy Keller
We sometimes answer this question not only with the roles that are in our lives. But sometimes with our past or what has been spoken over us or labels given to us by others in our lives. One example of this would be victim. We sometimes are victims because of what has happened to us in our lives. If we are not careful, it can become our identity. When we think about who we are, we think about what has happened and this becomes who we are. Many times when we are a victim, something is lost and we need to grieve that loss and the hurt. And sometimes we can use their life circumstances to help others through similar situations. But it should not be where our identity lies.
In my own life when I think about the question of who am I, too often the roles in my life come to mind. Rather than where my true identity lies and that is in God and Jesus.
I am a daughter of the King. He is my Father and Creator. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:1-2
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Galatians 3:26
I am His princess and I was accepted into a royal family when I chose Jesus as Lord over my life. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
I am a sinner saved by grace. Jesus paid the penalty for my sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
I live in freedom and I am forgiven as a child of God. “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—” Romans 6:6
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10
I am loved by a Father unconditionally no matter what I have been through and no matter what I do in my life. His love for me is not contingent on my actions. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:9
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
So I ask you again who or what is your identity in? Is it in in our past or the roles that we fulfill in life or is it in our Creator who is the only one that can fill those voids we have?
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