Monthly Archives: October 2017

You are Enough!

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You are enough!  Yes, you, the one reading this… a unique, divinely created, inspiring, talented person!  The world has a one-of-a-kind spot that was designed for you alone!  And you are enough… right now, just as you are… to fill it!

 

 

You were born with an innate sense of worthiness!  Who took it away?  At what point did your 4-year-old “I can conquer the world” confidence begin to dwindle?  Who convinced you that you don’t measure up?

Most likely it wasn’t a “who,” but rather a series of events or experiences that compounded through the years, sending you a message that you eventually believed.  You… and I… came to the conclusion that we are not enough.  We are not worthy of just being loved and accepted.  We have decided that we need to do more, be more, give more, and change more in order to be enough.

We’ve fallen victim to a lie!

In reality, you and I were created in the very image and exact likeness of the God of the Universe!  He created us and blessed us!  He gave us dominion over the earth.  He looked at us, His creation, and said that we were very good!  He lovingly crafted us to look like Him, to reflect His nature, His character, His integrity, His worth.   We are worthy of being loved because God deemed it so!  He IS love and created us to be love as well!

Our worth is not found in what we do, but rather in who we are and Whose we are.  We are creations, images even, of the Living God!  It’s time that we look in the mirror and see what the Creator sees! No matter the journey life takes us on, the mistakes we make, the hurts we endure…  we will always be made in the image of God, His creations and reflections!  Nothing can change that!

God is perfect!  And we are not.  That truth exists as well.  But it is not to be the basis upon which our worth is determined.  Why can I so confidently declare this truth?  Because I know that Jesus willingly gave Himself up for me… He.loves.me.THAT.much!

In fact, Hebrews 12:2 says this: “for the joy set before Him, He {Jesus} endured the cross.”  What was that joy?  I believe it was two-fold… the privilege to do the will of the Father and the knowledge that by His sacrifice, all mankind, present, past, & future could be reconciled to our Creator!

As Jesus walked the rocky road to Calvary, dragging the roughly hewn cross, He was not focused on the pain He was enduring.  His mind searched through the haze of blood for the eyes of the ones for whom He was giving His life!  His eyes saw through the ages, capturing snapshots of you and me!  WE are the joy for which He endured the cross! 

Jesus’ loving heart as portrayed by Bruce Marchiano

You are enough! Had you been the only fallen soul on earth, Jesus would still have endured the cross for you alone!  He would have given it all for me alone! Oh, to be able to wrap my mind around that truth!  How could I not love the One who has loved me since before time began?  The One who lovingly crafted me in His likeness?  My heart is captured by His grace and passion for me!  I am enough!  You are enough!

Dive deeper: Hebrews 12:1-2, I John 4:7-21, Isaiah 62:3-5

Lord, I pray that each person reading these words would feel Your loving presence right now!  Embrace them with Your all consuming love and whisper your delight in their ears!  Enable them to grasp the knowledge that they are lovable and worthy of love! Take them deeper in their relationship with You so that Your love will surround them and flow through them!

Thank You, Jesus!

Live Loved… because you truly are!

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His Celebration, His Way

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  • But that’s the way we’ve ALWAYS done it…
  • We can’t change that, it’s tradition!
  • The way we did it last year is fine; if it’s not broke, why fix it?
  • At our old church (school, office, etc.) we did it this way…

Do any of these sound familiar?  Have you introduced an idea just to have it cast aside in favor of “the way we’ve always done it?” Or are you the one who has been shaken up by the idea of doing something different than you have in the past?

As humans, we are habitual creatures.  We sit in the same seats at church, our morning routines are consistent, and we buy the same spaghetti sauce we always have.  So, when the Holiday season rolls around, it’s not surprising that we tend to celebrate in the same ways, give to the same charities, and attend the same events that we have each year before. There’s something to be said for embracing family traditions that build unity and a sense of stability.  But when traditions hold you captive and stifle growth and change…

It’s time! It’s time to shake things up!  Look for new direction! Explore possibilities that we have ignored till now!  Why?  Simply put, we need freshness in our lives!  We need to see the world around us with a new perspective from time to time!

More clearly, we need to see the world around us with HIS perspective!  After all, it is the Lord that we should be focusing our thanksgiving on…  And it is His birthday that we are celebrating!  Do you think that maybe He has some ideas about what He wants us to do?  Could it be that He has plans for how He wants to spend time with us?

I do!  I think He has some great ideas!  I think He has some people on His heart that He would like us to bless; or maybe He wants us to open our hearts to be blessed by others.  I imagine that He would like to show us some clear ideas of what His heart holds.  I’m thinking that there’s a new song He’d like to hear and a fresh opportunity He’d like to present to you and your family.  But how will we ever know if we are so caught up in doing things the way we always have?  If we are locked into routine and tradition, we leave no opening for the Lord to give us His perspective.

As time marches us towards this special time of year, explore new possibilities!  Embrace fresh perspective, listen for clear direction, and open your eyes to new opportunities!  The Lord is an endless Source of dreams, visions, and ideas!  When you turn your ear in His direction, He will pour out His heart and share His passions!  He will whisper to you the delight He takes in spending time with you and how it blesses His heart when you share His love!

Dive Deeper: Proverbs 2:6-11, Hosea 10:12

 http://day2dayjoys.com/

I could give you some ideas… but I suspect you won’t need my suggestions!

As for me… I’m already feeling inspired to drop some bits of blessing in a new way this year!

Please share your thoughts and ideas to inspire others by clicking on the bubble near the title!

Live Loved,

 

 

 

 

 

Recalculating Route…

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Modern technology has left me asking more times than not… how did we ever manage before this came along?  A trip to an unknown destination is made much easier by the use of GPS system!  Of course, even the best-planned course can run into errors, snafus, and detours.  Then come those words that bring calm into the confusion, “Recalculating route.”

Life is full of unknown destinations!  When we think we know the route, suddenly, we are presented with a change in course!  Maybe your wrong turn came as a result of a poor choice you made.  Maybe the detour was the fault of someone else’s decision.  Or that abrupt shift was simply the reality of life happening to you.

We’ve all been there.

As we sit at the corner of Upset Street and Wrong Way Boulevard, we throw our hands up in despair!  “What now?!?” we exclaim in agitation and even fear.  This is not how we’d planned it!!  This wasn’t supposed to happen!  God, why did you let this happen?

 

And with that statement, we hit the very heart of our dilemma.  If God is good… if God is watching over us… why did this happen? 

I’m sorry to say that I have no easy answer to this.  In fact, I think most times there is no easy answer.  We live in a fallen world shaped by the sin, sickness, and the pain of free choice.  God allows that pain to touch our lives during different seasons.  We don’t have to understand God’s ways or the whys in order to choose to trust Him.  It’s a dilemma as old as mankind: Fear vs. Faith.  Will we whine, complain, worry, demand, manipulate, and rage… or will we rest in the faith that God is in control?  Will we tap into the truth that God authentically, deeply, unconditionally loves us?  Will we take comfort in knowing He journeys through the valley with us?

When our Heavenly Father knew you and I in the womb of our mother, when He wove us together in intricate beauty, He knew the route He had laid out for our lives.  He also knew each detour, wrong turn, and pitfall that we would face.  He does not exclaim in shock when you turn left instead of right!  He does not gasp in fear when I ignore a bridge and choose a side road instead.  He does not throw His hands up in terror when someone sideswipes us.  He reaches down in love, wraps us in His arms, and waits… He waits for us to turn to Him with the questions in our eyes.  He waits for us to find our equilibrium.  He waits for us to ask Him, “What now, Daddy?”  Then He assures our hearts with the simple words, “Recalculating Route!”

Nothing takes our Dad by surprise!  He knows what we will encounter and when. God understands the pain, abandonment, loss, and longing.  And He patiently provides us with a re-route when we are ready to trust His plans for us.  I’m convinced that He is trustworthy!  When loss impacts our dreams, He is not lost!  When confusion muddles once clear plans, He is not confused! When failure marks the precious relationships in our lives, He will not fail us!  When we submit our lives… the good, the bad, and the ugly parts to Him… He will cause all of it to come together for our good.  Why?  Because we love Him and He loves us!  (Romans 8:28)  It’s that difficult and that simple.

Dive Deeper: Jeremiah 17:7-8, Genesis 45:3-8

Declaration:  Heavenly Father, You are so faithful, even when I am faithless!  Thank you for being trustworthy!  Forgive me for the times I’ve gone astray and made choices that took me off the route You had planned for me.  Help me to forgive others who have failed me.  I ask You to take all of the failures, hurts, and disappointments… mold them into the plan for good that You have for me!  Even when adversity comes, I pray that I would hear and obey Your voice behind me saying, “This is the way.” (Isaiah 30:19-21)  Thank you, Daddy!  I love You!!

Share your thoughts by clicking on the bubble beside the title!

Live Loved,

Excerpted from “Reflections from the Valley” by Joy Morey

To Hope Again…

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This week was a rough one at school.  Each passing year seems to bring us an increase of defiance and a decrease of initiative. The deep emotional, educational, and physical needs of our students overwhelm their desire for knowledge and hinder their ability to learn.   Our administrators have more need of running shoes than fashionable heels.  And the teachers… we wear exhaustion and discouragement like a water-logged cloak.

That was our week… and truth be told, we endure many weeks just like this.  At lunch, we share our war stories and roll our eyes at some of the funny and not-so-funny antics we’ve been forced to endure.  This week, like a dark stain, I felt their hopelessness—my hopelessness–creeping up to steal the breath from my typically resilient heart.

I wonder… is it worth it?  Will my efforts really impact the future?  Will the students understand all that I’m trying to share through my words, my attitude, my compassion?  Will any of what I am teaching really translate to a positive future for them?  I wonder…

What about you?  Have you wondered if what you are doing matters? Does your hard work seem hopeless?  Do you feel like giving up? Has your sense of confidence been slipping?  Do you, like me, wonder if we are just plodding up the same hill again and again with no signs of successfully reaching the other side?

 

As I wondered…  these are the words I felt God whisper into my heart:

Don’t become weary of doing what is good… there will be a harvest if you don’t give up! (see Galatians 6:9)

 

Like a breath of fresh air, I felt hope rush in!  Sowing and reaping is a natural law! When I sow into the next generation, there will be a harvest!  Just like a farmer, my sowing requires steadfastness, consistency, and commitment.  I’m “planting” life and truth through my words and actions and I can be confident that good is going to come as a result.  The best part is that I don’t have to do this alone! The Holy Spirit functions as a coach, shouting encouragement from the sidelines and strategically aligning others to work along with me.

It’s time to hope again!  Whatever struggles are sapping your energy and peace, it’s time to refocus the eyes of your heart! Whatever your career path, whomever your life impacts, do it for the glory of God and go full tilt knowing that you will harvest great rewards!  Refuse to give up or back down!  After all, you and I, we are not quitters!

Stand strong, leaning into the voice of the One who created you to excel!  It is through His instruction that we find our footing.  It is His grace that weaves through our actions the very fabric of hope that will bring us through the difficult days.  It will be worth it… and we will find out just how much… if we don’t give up!

As my feet hit the floor on Monday morning, my mind will ring out this anthem: “I am a prisoner of hope!  I refuse to give up!  I will see the goodness of the Lord in my life and world!”

Dive Deeper:  Psalm 27:13-14, Romans 5:1-5, Galatians 6:7-10

Please share your thoughts by clicking on the bubble beside the title!

Live Loved,