One of THOSE days...

"God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God.
    He’s all I’ve got left."

Lamentations 3:23 (MSG)

You ever have one of those days?

You stub your toe.You wash your phone in the washing machine.You search for your car keys for an hour only to realize they mysteriously ended up behind the eggs in the fridge.Your car battery dies.You get a bill in the mail.You step in dog poop. Some thief steals your parking spot.

I'm sure if you have kids you can add about 50 million and one things to that list.

Days where your emotions run so rampant that you literally cry over spilled milk.

You feel like God must have skipped over you when He was handing out mercy portions that morning.

All you keep thinking is "I can't wait for this day to be over!"

It's one thing after another, like a domino effect. And not the kind that's cool to watch either.

And by the end of it you're surprised you survived. That the pets survived.That your children survived.

I hate to break it to you but "bad days" like that are going to continue to happen. That's life. We can't really change that. We can however change the way we look at them.

A bad day doesn't mean a bad life. God has enough mercy to cover anything that happens.Yes, ANYTHING. You may be beating yourself up for the way you handled a situation or two that day but LET IT GO.

So you kicked the cat, it's still alive right? Besides it's a cat, it probably deserved it.I'm kidding....sort of.

You can't change the fact that unfortunate stuff happened or the way you may have handled it but you can learn from it and move on to a new day.More often than not you'll look back and realize the "bad" stuff wasn't really that "bad". And the mercy you thought was missing was there all along, keeping things from being even worse.

God's love and mercy doesn't run out when our energy and patience does. I LOVE that about Him!You can rest in the fact that God will have new, fresh mercy for you in the morning and every morning after that.  Not because we deserve it but because He's faithful. The circumstances that may happen throughout the day don't change that, no matter how "bad" they seem!

Prayer Starter: God I know frustrating things are going to happen in life. Help me start my morning focusing on your faithfulness and mercy. Keep me mindful throughout the day of who you are and your ability to handle whatever comes my way. I know I'll screw up but help me remember your mercy isn't based on my actions but on your unfailing love.Thank you for new days and fresh starts.

Banking on a Sure thing!

"Depend on God and keep at it because

 in the Lord God you have a sure thing." 

Isaiah 26:3 (MSG)

What are you depending on?

Seems like a simple enough question right. If you believe in God the "expected" response would most likely be "well on God of course." But if there's one thing we know as adults it's that sometimes saying something and wanting to believe it doesn't always make it easy to act out.

Before my health problems started I thought I had a strong enough faith. That's easy to do when everything's going well though, isn't it? To say you trust God and know He's in control of your life.

Then as soon as something bad or unexpected happens, we get bad news, or pain comes, the faith we thought we had is shaken to the point that we're not even sure we can stand. And it makes you wonder what were you really depending on.

The amazing thing about faith though is that it's a continual process. The bible says faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.(Luke 17:6) That when we're faithless he's faithful.(2 Timothy 2:13)That He is refining us through testing it.(2 Timothy 2:8)

I've felt unending pain for a long time now.I used to not want to talk about it but I've realized it's part of my story and a huge part of my faith God's giving me. It's not always easy and there are days I still question why but it's through those situations that God tests and develops our faith.

At the beginning I used to have anxiety about every test the doctor did and let me tell you I've been through my fair share of pokes, prods,scans, and stealing of my blood. (scavengers)

But when I went to the doctor yesterday to get my results from my sonogram I wasn't in the least bit worried about what could happen.That right there is a GOD thing for sure. Not by my own strength but completely by His strength through me, I wasn't scared. And thank God they didn't find any masses!:)

To be dependent on who God is instead of what may or may not happen in a situation is what truly gives us peace.

If we're depending on our circumstances, our feelings, or even the people around us for our hope and happiness we'll always be disappointed. Those things are a huge part of our life but they aren't flawless and they aren't mean to sustain us.

There aren't a lot of sure things in this world but God is.Always.You can take that to the bank of your choice!

He doesn't change. He is always in control, always stronger, always bigger, and always has a plan to use everything we face for our good. He wants us to depend fully on Him because He knows when that happens it won't matter what news we get or what happens because we'll be banking on a sure thing...Him.


Prayer Starter: God I admit it's hard to always depend on you, especially when tough circumstances come my way.Help me to know that you are a sure thing. That even when I don't understand I can always trust you completely because you don't change even when things around me do. I may not have huge faith but what I do have I put in you. Give me your strength and help me depend on who you are instead of what I'm going through.

Embrace the discipline!

"My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
    but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
    the child he embraces, he also corrects."

Hebrews 12:10

I think as adults sometimes we forget that we aren't excused from needing to be taught. That even as wives, mothers, career women, grown adults there are still things that we need to learn. 

It's easy to get mad or frustrated with God when we're facing something difficult. We forget that life is growing and learning and God is the ultimate teacher.

Whatever you're going through may feel like punishment but it's not, it's training. 

I'm not a parent but I would think it'd be pretty irresponsible to leave a child to fend for themselves.You wouldn't tell your two year old,  "Mom and dad are going to leave you to figure out how to do everything on your own.There's food in the fridge.Peace out,See ya in two weeks!" Right? Why would we want God to do that to us? 

I tell you when I was young I didn't understand a lot of the discipline from my parents.Not that i got in trouble a lot....;) But now that I'm older I have so much more respect for it and for them.

Good parents discipline their children out of love, even when it isn't easy. They do what they think is best.We are God's children and He loves us more than we can imagine. He is doing what he knows is best for us, even when it's painful. He knows spoiling us won't teach us. It may feel good for awhile to have it all, for things to be easy but later on when trials hit we'll wonder why He didn't train us to handle them.

He wants to mold us into the best possible version of ourselves so we can bring Him the most glory. So we can reach our fullest potential. 

Discipline isn't always fun, but it is necessary. He has such a bigger purpose in mind than we can fathom.You might not understand why you're having to face the trouble you are but one day you'll see it will pay off, BIG time.

It’s the well-trained who become mature in their relationship with God and strong enough to face anything that may come their way. Be encouraged in knowing if you face hardships you're among good company of the most influential and faith-filled people in the bible. So embrace the discipline big or small and know even if you don't understand it, God is using it for an incredible purpose!

Prayer Starter: God I may not understand what you're doing or why at this time in my life but I know you have a plan. Help me embrace what I'm going through and trust you. Even when it's painful, even when I want to give up I believe you're strength will help me persevere.I can't do it alone though. I feel weak and beat down but I know in my weakness is when you are your strongest. Help me keep my eyes focused on you and help me remember that I am your child and all you do is out of unfailing love for me.

Let go, press forward, and Enjoy!

"Beloved,I do not consider that
I have made it my own;
but this one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead"
Philippians 3:13-14 (NRSV)

"Ouch!" Life sure is painful sometimes, isn't it?

Yesterday I warmed up some soup in the microwave that my mom had sent home with me.Yes my mom is awesome, I know.

Well in my state of hunger I didn't do the first cardinal rule of microwave use...Eager to taste the deliciousness that is my mom's cooking I didn't check to see how hot the soup was before I put a whole steaming spoonful in my mouth. BIG mistake according to my scorched tongue.

"I wish I could change it." Was only one of the many thoughts that popped in my head in the midst of my childlike "ouchie" dance.

How often have we said that in our lives? Whether because of the consequences we face or the guilt we feel, we replay our screw ups over and over. All it does is exhaust us while we waste so much time and energy trying to reenact what we'd have done differently.

The truth of the matter is we can't change what happened.All we can do is learn from it.

God's grace is AMAZING. It's undeserved favor regardless of the circumstances! We don't lose it when we screw up, big or small! Take a minute and think about that...While we're beating ourselves up, God is saying "let it go, I have something bigger and better to show you!"

This verse is from Paul, a man who at one point in his life would torture and sometimes execute Christians! Yet God used him as one of the most influential people in the bible!

The fact is,as humans we'll always make mistakes.But it's through those mess ups that God is preparing us for something better.As hard as it can be to wait God has a big plan for each of us and just like my soup we have to be at the right temperature to be ready to enjoy it completely.

So, that thing you're holding onto that you wish you could change, let it go so you can press forward and enjoy the amazing thing God will replace it with!

Prayer Starter: God, I pray that I will let go of the past, all the hurts and mistakes. I know I can't do it without your help. I can't change it but help me to learn from it and move on stronger and better than ever. Help me to push forward trusting that you're working in my life even when I can't see it and that you are using my past and present circumstances for my good. Thank you for your grace and for not giving up on me even when I give up on myself. My future is in your hands and I'm ready to see what you have for me.  

Gettin' with it!

So awhile back I had several people tell me "you should start a blog." And being an avid lover of writing since I could form letters, I jumped at the chance and started this one. I love it! But I have to admit I've become somewhat of a slacker with it. Reasons are not important what is important is that I'm baaaaack!:)

But this time I'm going to do things a little differently. I've realized more and more how crazy busy people's lives are and while I've enjoyed writing the blogs I've already written I have to admit they've been a tad...shall we say...Long.Just a little. And I realized 'aint nobody got time for that!' I think it's because once I sit down to write if I don't have one area of focus there's no stopping me.My fingers get a mind of their own!

So awhile back I had a few ladies tell me I'm good with words and should start a bible verse devotional. Now while I was so crazy humbled and appreciative of that in all honestly I didn't really think anyone would really read it. So I didn't really give it another thought.

Well I've been praying a lot lately about a lot of things and one thing is how God wants me to use the things I'm passionate about.  Writing is a BIG one! And I realized it's not up to me to worry about who will read it or even if people will read it. It is up to me to be take the first step with what I feel he's gifted me with.

God blessed me with a compassionate heart since I can remember. I just love people and I can't help it! I love encouraging people and I love writing so who am I to say what God can or can't do with that? I'm just a tool, well you know what I mean...;) It's up to Him if and how he uses my writing. So starting tomorrow keep an eye out for my first devotional! I can't wait to see what God will show me through it and if he uses it to encourage even one person than all the better!

All I do know is life is short and there's too much hardship and pressure in the world today to not encourage others any way we can!I'm in a trial at this time in my life with my health so what better time to encourage than through that.And what better thing for encouragement than the B.I.B.L.E.?With God's help our problems can have purpose. So I'm gettin' with it!

Dog Tired

You know that feeling when you're searching for something that's very important to you.

You search and search until you don't know what else to do and want to just give up.

I am sure many of you have faced questions about God's ability or willingness to answer a prayer (big or small) at some point in your life.

That was me this week.

Our chocolate lab got out of the fence...again and decided to go on a lil Ferris Bueller's day off doggie adventure. (If only there was a way to hear and see how unamused I am as I write that)

 

I ran inside, grabbed some dog treats (necessary), my dog whistle (pointless) and my car keys and set off like Christopher Columbus to explore our neighborhood...only there was no ocean blue and I wasn't sure if when I found what I was searching for I'd be anxious to claim it or not.

Nevertheless I prayed and started looking. I wasn't really worried. It had only taken maybe 10 minutes the last two times this happened to find her so I had no reason to doubt God would come through for me again. After all He had been faithful before. He knew how much it meant to me. How much that dog has helped me through some of the worst days with my health.Judge me if you want but she's more of a friend than an animal. A really hairy,slobbery friend but still.

Well...
10 minutes passed and No Koa.
20 minutes passed and No Koa.
30 minutes passed and No Koa.
45 minutes passed and still No Koa.

Let's just say my optimistic "I know God will bring her to me again" response morphed (Transformer style) into "God where the heck is this turd of a dog and where are you?!?"

I was tired of looking...dog tired...not because she wasn't worth finding but because I was growing more desperate feeling like I had exhausted every possibility with no result. Frustrating!

How often does that happen to us in our lives? We hope for something.Have faith it'll happen.Pray for it.Believe for it. But then the longer we have to wait the harder it becomes. We begin to lose patience. We lose hope. We lose faith. And all because it isn't happening the way we want it to. The way we hoped it would.The way we expected it to.

We get so caught up in how we feel about what the situation looks like to us that the frustration begins to take precedence over the truth. 

The truth was...God was still in control no matter what the conditions of the situation were or appeared to be. The truth was...worrying would do absolutely nothing to help. The truth was...God had proven faithful before.

I realized my faith had been misplaced from the moment I grabbed that doggie whistle. It was in my expectations of finding her my way not in God's faithfulness.Because if it had been in God's faithfulness my attitude wouldn't have changed when my expectations weren't met. And I wouldn't have almost busted a lung blowing the crud out of that stupid dog whistle... (note to self: train Koa to actually come to me when I blow it)

About an hour later I found Koa in another neighborhood. There she was just sniffing around in some oblivious person's front yard without a care in the world. Nice. But I wonder if that's how God is with us? Just faithfully doing his thing while we freak out searching for him. He's always right there, not worried, knowing things are under control and he'll show up when the time is right.
  
"Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3

I know you may think it strange comparing finding a dog and praying for something from God but regardless of the situation the truth remains. God is faithful even when our circumstances aren't. No matter what things look like, no matter how you may feel about it. Don't give up. Keep pushing through. Keep believing. Keep trusting God will bring you to whatever you're hoping for.

It's not easy to wait, believe me I know. I face it every day with my health and Jeremy and I wanting a baby. But I don't want a dog tired faith that runs out when things don't go how I hope. The good news is we can have unshakeable faith and joy while we wait knowing God's got it under control and will deliver in His perfect timing. 

 "I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands..." Psalm 31:14-15

All the frustration and worry didn't matter when I saw that goofy brown eyed dog. Oh don't get me wrong she still got put in time out when we got home but I was just so happy to have her back. It was all worth it and I found myself wondering why I ever freaked out in the first place.

You may be dog tired waiting for whatever it is you're praying for but it's imperative that our hope remains in a God that doesn't change despite the conditions. He is always good and always faithful. Just like the dog whistle, He hears your cry He just isn't ready to respond yet. He does things his way and His way is far better than ours!

 "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure." Proverbs 16:9

Un-PUNYfied!

Even as an athlete growing up I never fully understood the true value weight lifting. But when playing sports in high school "let's hit the weight room" is a term you learn to expect. I could get on board with just lifting light weights here and there but that doesn't quite fly when you have a football coach for your soccer coach!

He was always pushing us to "add more weight" and to someone as puny as me that seemed like an absurd concept. But as important to me as it was to become the best athlete I could I realized that was a part of the process.Growing pains isn't just an old TV sitcom folks!               

Muscles are something I think we often take for granted but are extremely important. It would be impossible for us to do anything without our muscles!

When most people think of "muscles," they only think about the muscles that we can see. But did you know we have over 600?! No seriously, I googled it!;)

They help our body function the way it was created to.The stronger they are the better our body operates!

Did you know God wants to helps us build muscle too?....faith muscles. The most important muscles we can have.The muscles we may not be able to see but are crucial to the life He has for us.

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

Just like weight training the process of building faith muscles can be painful.

As someone who has fibromyalgia my muscles are in a constant state of pain and tension with often weakness, so the last thing you'd think I'd want to do is lift weights and cause them even more pain.right? But you know what's crazy? I actually love lifting weights now!Is it always easy? No way Jose! But I know the pain I get from it is for a reason. It reminds me that the pain has purpose.

I know each time I lift that weight it’s making me stronger and it gets easier. Not because it becomes less heavy but because my muscles are being strengthened to handle the weight better.I know gradually I'll be able to handle more weight. Just like each time we face a test or trial in life it can make us stronger as a person and in our faith. It doesn’t mean the trials will always get easier it just means we’ll be better equipped to handle them when they come.

A strong faith is not an overnight thing and there will always, always be room for improvement.Building muscles is a process and it won’t always be easy. In fact more often than not it will be challenging and painful but that's the only way to get stronger.It will be worth it! 

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."Philippians 4:13

 Just going to church doesn't make you spiritually fit any more than simply walking into the gym gives you Arnold Schwarzenegger-fied muscles! It takes more than that.

It takes discipline...Praying, studying God's word, and focusing on Him when everything else around you has you feeling like a frail,baby kitten fighting a beast of a lion!

Even when your circumstances scream you have every reason to fear,doubt,or to just give up. God will give you the strength in those trials to push through. He's always at work even if we don't understand it!

Whether it’s your trial or someone close to you. We are either in a trial, just coming out of a trial, or will soon be in a trial. In the words of my favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, "That's life" But don't let that discourage you! God told us we'd have troubles in this world but He's already overcome them! Can I get a raise the roof HALLELUJER?! That's why it's important to build faith muscles., so we're more prepared to handle them when they come.  We push through the pain, we push past the discomfort knowing the results will be more than worth it. That’s how we build hulk-like muscles.

For so long I thought I was okay with a mediocre faith because it was comfortable, but not anymore. I don't want a puny faith!Do you? I want to be challenged because I want to be as strong as I can possibly be to face whatever comes my way.God's giving me strength to fight the limits of my health but more importantly than that He's giving me the desire to pick up those weights in the midst of a trial, building my faith muscles in the process. 

He knows how much weight we can handle. I know sometimes it feels like it's too much but who knows better what we're equipped for than the one who created us? God wants to show us just how strong we can be through Him. So let's pump some iron and get Un-PUNYfied!

  “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)