A Life of Gratitude

 There’s peace to be found in just letting go. We can trust our never-failing, all-powerful Savior with all of our feelings, problems, circumstances, needs, and questions. We can be sure that He finishes what He begins.  Choosing to believe has the power to change everything. All things are possible with our… Never-changing, prayer-answering, captive-freeing, promise-keeping, eye-opening, life-restoring, grace-providing, heart-healing, evil-stomping, sea-parting, shame-shattering, hope-dealing, identity-giving, death-destroying, always-loving, strength-infusing, sinner-saving, Spirit-filling, beauty-creating, past-restoring, purpose-bestowing, way-making, chain-breaking, constantly-working, glory-deserving GOD!   So, stay steadfast and stand on His faithfulness, as you watch your victory unfold.

This morning two of my children and I were outside pulling weeds in our garden. They were really playing more than helping when my 11-year-old said, “Wait, we’re supposed to be helping Mom. Oh no, where is she? She left us out here!” I assured them I was there, just behind a bush where they couldn’t see me. I said, “Don’t worry, I’m over here working, you just can’t see me at the moment.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt God nudge me. I knew He wanted me to listen to my own words. There are a couple of situations in my life currently that have caused me to wonder, “Where is God?” In my anxiety sometimes I will even think to myself, “Oh no, maybe He left me!” I know that isn’t true because I believe God will never leave nor forsake me and I know I don’t need to be afraid or discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8). Still, there are those moments when I’m going about my day and fear starts to creep in. This morning when my kids were afraid that I was gone, I was only working in an

It’s a tradition for my oldest son and I to watch The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday. It’s one of the hardest movies to watch, but we watch it every year on purpose, so that we can remember what Jesus endured for us. As we watched the familiar film today, something stuck out to me that I've never paid much attention to previously. While Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying over the betrayal, rejection, and pain He was preparing to endure, Judas arrives with armed soldiers. Jesus is fully aware of what is happening, but Luke 5:49-51 says, "When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, 'Lord, should we strike with our swords?' And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear." Jesus' followers obviously didn't know what was going on or how to react. Verse 51 tells us "Jesus answered, 'No more of this!' And He touched the man's ear and healed him." This part of the sto

This past weekend I heard God whisper to my spirit, "Not everyone is meant to be in every season of your life." That's a really hard truth for me grasp because I naively want to believe that all the people in my life will always be part of my life. I love people and hate division and conflict, but the hard truth is, sometimes situations arise, and circumstances are experienced that cause a relationship to come to an end.  “There is a time for everything,   and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 There’s a popular meme that says “Don’t worry about the people God removed from your life. He heard things you didn’t, saw things you couldn’t, and made moves you wouldn’t.” Those words bring me a lot of comfort and remind me that God is all-knowing and is always looking out for His children. He knows what is best and knows what we need to be protected from.   Recently I saw a glimpse of why God decided to remove some people from our lives. As a