Month: September 2017

It’s hard to walk a straight path on the beach when the waves are crashing into you and rushing right back out towards the ocean. The ground beneath your feet feels unsteady as the sand shifts and the water recedes. It reminds me of how hard it is to live a life that is set apart, when the world we live in is full of temptations and desires that are constantly vying for our attention. We try to stand in our own strength and steady ourselves instead of leaning on God. As you try your best to be intentional about living a life that will bring joy to your Father, set your focus on God and He will make your path straight. He will be the solid rock to stand on when the sand is being washed away from beneath your feet.

Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

#madebyGodforGod #setapart #Heisthesolidrock 

~HJ

Our world constantly invites us to pay attention to stimulus. Notifications on our phones (email, social media, texts, calls), staying up-to-date with the latest that’s happening all around the world through media or social media, and an endless list of to-dos are just a few things that beg for our brain power each waking moment.

So where can we intentionally seek out peace in our lives? Just a few simple suggestions can benefit our brains by giving down time to process significant moments that have happened each day. Try:

• Turning off the radio while driving
• Setting boundaries
  • Turning off social media or email notifications on your phone
  • Choosing specific times to mute your phone completely like at meal times
• Spending time in prayer
• Being selective about what news media you take in by getting your news by newspaper or online and reading only those stories of interest instead of taking in everything that’s presented on television.
• Taking a walk in nature
  • Noticing wildlife
  • Watching a sunset/sunrise
  • Being near water or other nature that invites peacefulness for you
• Setting aside time for journaling, meditation or a yoga practice
• Experimenting with silence and noticing what happens inside for you as you don’t give into distraction

Be creative and note what helps you slow down and check in with yourself most effectively. Notice the difference of creating space compared to seeking out more stimulus if you feel bored. Then take note of what happens to you as you seek out time to just be.

~MM

It doesn’t look like it in this picture, but the waters were so rough that day! I jumped in to start snorkeling and instead, swallowed salt water like crazy and battled the waves the entire time I was out there. Within a few minutes my legs were exhausted from trying to make any sort of progress against the rough waters. I was doing everything I could to try to keep up with the rest of the group so I wouldn’t get left behind. Even though I had a life jacket on I almost felt like it wasn’t doing enough, and I felt frantic when the waves seemed to be pulling me away. There are times when I have felt like this in my own faith journey; this world has tried to pull me away and made me doubt who I am in Christ. It is during these times when it is essential for me to remind myself Who is truly in control of this life, and Whose I really am. 

The moment when I finally grabbed the ladder to crawl back onto the boat, a flood of relief swept over me. The boat felt like my safe haven and became a place of rest for my weary body. From the view on the boat I was able to gain a different outlook. The waters looked beautiful and I could appreciate the experience of being out there even more after making it through the dicey waters. The affect the waters had on the boat was drastically different from the affect it had on my body. The anchor was able to keep the boat in a stable position compared to my body which was subjected to the force of the waves. Throughout the rough waters of this life, let God be the anchor for your soul and find a safe haven in Him. 

Hebrews 6:9 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

The sunlight beaming down on the ocean reminds me that no matter how tough your life is right now, there is a light that you can look to, and a hope that you can hold on to. He is always with you. Sometimes it may feel as though you have been struggling for a while, and trusting in God can seem challenging during some of those hard times when you are feeling pulled away. You may feel as though you have reached the point of exhaustion from enduring the rough waters. But God is holding on to you and He will never let you go, no matter how difficult the trials are that you are facing. When you get tired of battling the waves and fighting in your own strength, grab on to the ladder that leads to the safe haven and let God fight for you. Let Him hold you up and give you rest. 

#Heistherethroughitall #letGodfightforyou #safehaven

~HJ

We have likely all been there. Feeling defeated and hopeless, we may ask “why try” or we may feel we have nothing to offer/give. We may want to run or hide from reality using escapes such as drinking, drugs, sex, or anything we can find to numb our emotions and avoid the dark feeling inside.

During these times, it can be hard to find a reason to keep fighting for ourselves.  So, what do we do when we feel this amount of despair?  God invites us to cry out, to let Him hear the depths of our pain and to give voice to our feeling of despair.

This can be terrifying!  Looking at that darkness and acknowledging the pain and the difficulties can feel overwhelming. We may fear that by looking at “it,” it could overcome us.

It takes tremendous courage to confront that hopeless and defeated feeling. Often when we confront these things we wind up feeling worse before we feel better. But as we do confront those feelings, even when doing so makes us anxious and frightened, we may also see the fear that masked all this yuck inside was actually creating the ongoing pattern of pain and hurt. When we have the courage to face our internal yuck, we begin to experience freedom from the patterns that have kept us emotionally trapped.

Again… it takes tremendous courage.  Be courageous and hear this today… you ARE worth the fight!

~MM