Category: confidence

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Verses for surviving life…

My grandmother gave me some Bible passages on my wedding day, verses on how to survive life. She understood how unpredictable it could be. So, I would like to share them with you…

  1. Keep calm and carry on – My grandmother encouraged me to ‘Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.’ (from Psalm 37:8-10). She reminded me that God is our defender, and he will take care of those who are evil. Ours is to keep calm and trust in him.

2. Don’t give up – Tears are only for a season. ‘As they pass through the Valley of Baka (or Weeping), they make it a place of springs… For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose way is blameless’ (Psalm 84:6, 11). With God, things will turn out okay.

3. Protect yourself – These verses start off with a word that means, ‘beware,’ ‘take heed,’ or ‘be on guard.’ It implies observation and keeping our distance. In the original, however, it has a deeper meaning – to put a hedge about (as with thorns), to guard, to protect, to preserve, to save.[i] In the original it was all about defence. And just as God is our defender, he shows us how to defend ourselves.

    ‘[Guard yourself, protect yourself, preserve yourself, save yourself from] your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer’ (verse 4 from Jeremiah 9:4-8).

    4. Stay strong – My grandmother warned that there are manipulators out there. They figure out our heart and then use it to control us. If it is religion, they will get all religious. If it is our passions, they will say these are theirs as well. But Jesus forewarns us. ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many’ (from Matthew 24:3-13).

    5. Stay rested – If you are like me, you will end up exhausted. But my grandmother reminds us that in our tiredness, Jesus says: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus enables us to find quiet and peace. He helps us to emotionally take a break.

    6. Keep praying – In our all groans and moans, we might not even know what to pray. But Jesus understands, without us saying a single word. For the Bible says that ‘The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’ (Romans 8:26). My grandmother reminds us that our groans are valid and that Jesus turns them into S.O.S. prayers.

    7. Keep trusting – The final verse (the one I have also quoted most in my life) is this: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). As we look back at what has happened in our lives – the good, the bad, our mistakes and successes – if we look, we can see God’s hand. We can begin to understand what he has been doing all along. And we will say, ‘Why did I ever worry or distrust?’

    My grandmother was so right…

    [i] Hebrew for ‘beware’ – https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8104.htm

    (photo by cottonrbro studio – pexels.com)

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    Ruined…

    Recently, bulldozers moved in, levelling a wood and meadow. The carnage was brutal, with splintered branches and uprooted trees. And when those bulldozers moved out, they left behind a permanent change.

    So, why did I think it could be any different with relationships? For some reason, I thought that when a destructive person moved away, everything would snap back to normal. I thought that people could simply bounce back into being happy and whole, that things would be okay.

    Now I know it takes a long time to rebuild. I know the scenery has permanently changed. But, there is hope. With God, I am working at pushing broken logs to one side. Maybe kindness and love will take root.

    (photo by Boris Hamer: pexels.com)

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    Ending the war in our mind…

    All sorts of voices can fill our minds. Belligerent ones of those who condemn. Gentle ones of those who love. But the loud ones often win the battle in taking over our minds.

    I had thought that if ever those loud voices ceased, the battle would stop. It didn’t. My mind filled up with hurt instead, and this became as loud as those condemnations.

    It has taken me years to stop the war. It came through writing those condemnations down, recording in detail what happened. And then I discovered why I kept reliving my past – I didn’t want to ever forget it. But by moving it from my mind to paper, enabled the memories to keep on going, just not inside my head.

    Writing can end the war in our minds. And then we can hear the gentler voices around.

    (photo by Lance Reis: pexels.com)

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    We can see…

    In the beginning, God was there in the darkness and confusion. But then he spoke, ‘Light, come!’ And what he set in motion still is.

    Each of us had a beginning and it was in darkness. But then in our births we came into light. God set us in motion and we still are. Yet, he wants to speak again today, as we experience other darknesses and confusions. He says, ‘Light, come!’

    He sets in motion something new, if only we could stop and look – a scary new path, a unexpected opportunity, or an undiscovered talent we never knew we had. And if we walk in what we see, we can share that light with others. For, beginnings are a gift we can accept and give.

    (photo by Pixabay: www.pexels.com)

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    You will get through.

    God sees. He knows. He understands. But he doesn’t just stand there on the sidelines cheering you on. He holds you. He breathes in strength. He says, “I am right here beside you.”

    Take heart and never give up.

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    Can others wreck our lives?

    May I share with you what I have learned…

    God always speaks out against the injustices we suffer. He always upholds us when we are wronged. He walks with us through our hard times. He never lets us down.

    I have also learned that even though everyone has a choice, we can’t make anyone choose to do what is right. And, even though their choices may ruin our lives, God always has another way. He redirects our eyes to something new.

    Because we understand grief, we can comfort those who grieve. Because we suffer injustice, we can fight for those who are crushed. God doesn’t consider our past as wasted years; it is the foundation on which he builds hope.

    Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

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    Don’t give up!

    I complained to a friend about not finding the right story for a children’s talk. But my friend showed no sympathy. “Write your own!” she said.

    I was taken aback. I had no talent, or even any interest in writing. My life was too busy anyway. But God used her comment, even though it seemed too crazy to consider…

    Now, eleven years later, with forty-four re-writes, twenty-seven rejections from publishers, and an illustrator who marched on valiantly, this Creation book has finally come to life!

    Yes, there were those who helped me get back up, again and again. There was also a Bible verse. “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.” (Zechariah 4:10)

    What is your seemingly-impossible small beginning? Accept every encouragement, and don’t give up!

    ***

    Coming soon. January 2018. Thank you, Sarah Grace Publishing!

     

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    The Ultimate Dare

    “If you want to walk on water,” a minister said, looking around at us, “get out of the boat!”

    I gasped. That was blunt! But it was true as well. How can I follow Jesus anywhere, at anytime, and at any cost, if I don’t want to climb out of the security of a boat?

    Thankfully, Jesus understands our fear of failure, and anxieties at finding ourselves out of our depth, but he still stretches out his hand. “Come!” he calls to each one of us. He dares us to step out of our little boat. He dares us to put everything on the line for him. He dares us to trust that if we sink, he will reach out and hold us up. “Come!”

    (Matthew 14:29)

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    Searching for the laugh…

    I had a dream for 2016. I wanted to learn how to write humour. If sad people could laugh, it might give them hope. But now, a year later, I still haven’t found the joke. 

    If I told you I was taken hostage by the seriousness of life, you might believe me if you heard my story. But that didn’t stop me. I found some second-hand comedian books, listened to you-tube talks. I even interviewed.

    Now, with only two days left of this year 2016, I am thinking… “Wait a minute! GOD is the source of all good humour! Why didn’t I think of asking him?” Guess what I’ll be doing in 2017?

    The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God.” (James 1:5)