Sweet Sisters in Christ

Often we feel as if we are going through this life all alone. We keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves, and sometimes the ache of our sorrows is more than we can bear.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can lighten our load by sharing our hearts with our sweet sisters in Christ.

I have been blessed with one sweet sister with whom I have shared my entire life. Through marriage I’ve been blessed to gain sisters (in-law) as well as nieces who have grown into wonderful Christian women and mothers. I am so blessed to have these women in my life, to share our lives and our family stories .

Over the years, I have met some wonderful women whose hearts have connected with mine, and through our shared loved of Christ, we have been bound in His love. One such friend watched me as I was born again in the faith as a young mother, and shared in my joy as I grew to know Jesus as my personal Savior.

I have had wonderful friends who have shared in my joys and trials through the years as I've raised my sons. I have shared in their lives, too, as we’ve tried to fulfill our roles as good wives and mothers, while raising our children in the faith.

I don’t know how I would traverse this road of life without my sweet sisters in Christ. At first, it was difficult for me to open up, to share those innermost fears and weaknesses.

As I began to reach out to others, I realized that all of us have trepidation as we struggle to find our way in this life.  Occasionally we question our importance to other people, or doubt our abilities at parenting and motherhood.

When we share our troubles with a friend, we are released from carrying our burdens alone. When we open up about our difficulties, we may find the issue is one our friend has recently dealt with, too. They can share their experience, and perhaps work together for a solution to cope with the problem.

By sharing our joys and our internal conflicts, out loud and up close and personal, we test our faith by giving these dark thoughts to the light of day. When we open up and let those deep-held secrets out, we begin to see them as surmountable, and we are affirmed and challenged at the same time to keep pushing forward in our desire to fight the good fight.

A wonderful blessing I have received through sharing my life with others is the privilege of hearing their life stories, too. I am honored when someone trusts me with sharing a problem that has been on their heart. By opening up to share their trial or grief with me, our friendship grows in mutual respect and trust.  

It lifts my spirits to share in the joys of my friends, and I offer prayers of gratitude for the happiness and peace they have found. And when a friend shares their heart with me about a difficult situation, I am honored to pray on their behalf for God’s wisdom and guidance as they work through the problem.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to others, for your burden will be lightened and your heart warmed with the sincere love of a caring friend. And in turn, you may be blessed to share in the lives of those who are special to you.

As my circle of sisters grows, our friendships deepen, and the love and trust we bestow on one another is shared even further. And through that sharing, everyone grows.

Trust Him with All Your Heart

Sunday Scripture

and a

Song

"The Lord is my strength and shield.

 I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving."

Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

Please enjoy this beautiful song of reassurance by Hillsong

"In Your Hands"

I know that in God's hands is the only place I want to be.

Have a blessed Sabbath

Subscribers, please click here to view this video on my blog. 

Mobile viewers, click here for the youtube link.

What to do While We are in the Wait

Sometimes our season is peaceful. Everything seems to come together and we bask in the fruit of our hard work and harmony reigns and we know great peace in the simplicity of just living. 

Well, it can happen this way, but it really isn't the norm.

More likely, our lives feel chaotic and out of control, as we try to make sense out of trials and temptations and suffering. This is more the reality of our lives.

It’s wonderful to have the blissful moments where we bask in the sunshine of our summers. And with God’s help, we struggle our way through our winters.

But what about those seasons of transition? The times when we are waiting. When something new and purposeful is just around the corner, and we know it is only a matter of time until we can taste and touch and see it. What do we do while we wait?

Have you ever dealt with a long-term illness or recovery from surgery that went on interminably? I have been there, in both circumstances. Time seems to slow, with the days moving barely perceptibly forward, yet around you the world is whizzing by and you feel like you are left further and further behind.

Or there are times when you wait, between jobs, with your fingers crossed that bills will be able to get paid and you will be able to provide sustenance, not even thinking about expenditures that used to come from your discretionary income.

These are times of waiting. Times of not knowing what will come next. And in these times we can learn a chapter in the great lesson of Trust.  No matter what we are going through, God is right there with us. He has gone on before us, and He knows what’s coming up.

If we can trust in Him completely, we will know Peace through this time of waiting. By practicing trust, and believing in the One who will lead us, we will make it through our transitional seasons with grace and assuredness that all will be well.

Having a relationship with God and trusting in Him during transitional times frees us from the worry that can rob us of our peace. When our focus is on our relationship with God, we rely on Him for what we need, trusting that He will provide.

This may sound difficult if you are used to being in control. Through practice, and through surrendering our stubbornness of desiring to control our situation, we allow a Greater Power to work in our lives; one infinitely capable of rendering peace amidst the chaos. 

Be still, and listen for the nudging of the Spirit. Be open to the idea that we may not have all the answers, and while we are in the wait, we can trust in the One who can offer us peace, and the promise of better tomorrows.

Trust is the Name of the Game

Right around the curve in the road we see all the possibilities. All of our tomorrows are opened up before us. We have only to choose the path we’re on, and trust that the One who leads us will take us where we need to go.

There was a time when I thought I could do this all by myself. I fumbled and fought and fell down and wondered why I was always struggling.  At that time I didn’t believe in a higher power to guide me. I thought I could do it on my own.

I still struggle, and I still fall down. Life is, and always will be, difficult. What has changed is the way I see the fight. I’m no longer in this alone. God is my constant companion. I turn to Him when I am weary, and rest my head on his heart when I can’t see that way to go forward anymore.

I praise Him and sing to Him for all that is good; for love and blessings, for sunshine and shadows, for life and for breath. I thank Him for the exquisite joy of living, for the privilege of walking hand in hand with my Maker as I tackle all of life’s joys and challenges.

There is something different in the way I live my life now, and that difference is trust. I have found that trusting in God gives me the freedom to believe in the possibilities. No matter what happens, I know God is with me, and He has my best interest at heart.

It has taken a very long time to realize I don’t need to be in control; that by trusting in God I can surrender my tightly-held belief that only I can make this life happen the way I want it to.

There are many times when the only thing I can do is trust in God. When I am helpless in my fear or in my inability to see beyond my emotions, I trust in Him to see clearly for me. I know God will never leave me, and His plan for me will take me through the valleys and back up onto the mountaintop.

Trust is something, I have found, that needs to be nurtured one day at a time. It is the nature of the human spirit to want to strive to be in control of our own lives. The true pathway to peace is to relinquish control to God, realizing we really don’t control our own destiny as much as we would like to think we do.

There is a peace in letting go of this control. Trusting God with what lies ahead makes for smooth sailing no matter how rough the waters. My prayer for many months has been, “All that I am, and all that I am meant to be, let it be in your will for me.” 

My prayer has been to allow God to work through me to help me become the woman He has meant for me to be. Instead of striving for perfection, or trying on my own to always fight the good fight, I relinquish control of my destiny to the One who held it all along. My future has never felt more sure, even though nothing in life is certain. The constant in my life is the faith I have that God will lead me where He wants me to go.

"'For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"   Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

Looking for God in the Unknown

Recently I made a decision to change the path of my life. These kinds of choices always require much thought and deliberation. Through prayer I felt God was encouraging me to take a leap of faith into the unknown.

Change can be a scary thing. Staying with what is familiar is the comfortable way to go. Making the decision for change involves contemplation, and during the waiting we find this transition to be a time of trust.

 

I found myself ready to jump into the unknown, with only faith to hold me up.

I felt the imagery of standing on a precipice, with all of my tomorrows laid out before me on the other side of the canyon. My heart yearned for a glimpse of what lay beyond; a reassurance of the path I chose.

But my view was obscured by the low clouds covering the horizon. I could not see my future, or even the path I was to follow. The sun shone brightly on the ledge on which I stood, and in my heart I knew that I needed just to trust in God. I had to realize that the God of my days was there in my tomorrows, and that His plan for me was good.

I would leap off the edge, and I would soar, knowing I could trust in the One who knows my future. He would not let me fall.

It is exciting to know that God is in the unknowable future. It is reassuring to know that the God of our yesterdays will also be in our tomorrows, and that God is always the same.

Trust is an assuredness in something that is intangible. Believing that God is there for all of our days allows us to live in the promise that His unfailing love will always be there for us.

We can’t know our future, and truthfully it isn’t for us to know. We have to live it and learn as we go. But we can confidently go forward assured that we can follow the lead of the One who already knows all of our tomorrows. We can leap into the unknown, and trust that we will spread our wings and soar. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11 NLT