I’ve been thinking about the sea, not only because I’ve been looking forward to an outing to our favorite beach, but because I’ve been thinking about a story that shows up in Matthew and Mark, where Jesus sends his disciples out on the sea in a boat without him. And they end up stuck in a storm far out at sea.
Is there an area of your life that feels like a storm you are stuck in, and it has been continuing a while?
If you’re going through a hard season, give yourself grace! We need rest and to take care of ourselves, and not push ourselves.
As we receive grace from God, and give ourselves grace, we are more able to extend grace to the other people in our lives.
This word, “grace,” has been on my mind. But what does it look like in my practical, lived-out life?
Continue reading “Give Yourself Grace”There is something about the fall that always speaks to me of suffering, of surrender and letting go. Yes, the leaves are gorgeous! But I sense a hint of sadness as the trees say goodbye to summer and become barren. Yet, God moves creation through this season every year.
Like the rest of creation, we move through seasons of suffering in our lives. These seasons can be discouraging and confusing. How can we make sense of this? How can we go through these seasons well? In ways that grow our relationship with Jesus?
Continue reading “A Season of Suffering”When you think back on this past year, what comes to mind?
I have opened my curtains many mornings this past year, thinking on the verse, “Pray continually, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,” (Colossians 4:2). I want to keep choosing a heart posture of watching to see God at work! But as 2019 ends, I don’t yet see the answer to prayer in this area of need, and this year ends without closure.
What have you been praying? In what area of your life is this year coming to a close without answers?
I have been thinking about patience and perseverance, with the fall crops being harvested and as verse from James 5 keeps coming to mind.
In my life, there are things I am praying and waiting for over time and the answers don’t seem to come quickly. Are you experiencing this in your life in some way, too?
