Category: Encouragement

The Joy Dare – Three Gifts Red

Rojo. Rouge. Rot. Rosso. Today’s dare was to identify three gifts RED! I thought that this would be a difficult challenge; but thankfully, red is a dazzling color, and the gifts just kind of popped out at me. 😉

  1. A Gift to Be Worn – My Mom gave me a pretty sweater a month or so ago (for Christmas, actually). I haven’t had an opportunity to wear it yet…but with Valentine’s Day coming up soon, this would be the perfect opportunity! The sweater reminds me of my Mom’s thoughtfulness and generosity.IMG_0954
  2. A Gift to Display – A second gift that my Mom gave me recently was a Valentine’s Day wreath. I can put it up outside our front door, or anywhere else around the house. I’m just very grateful that she thinks about me wherever she is, and takes the time to pick something up for me that she believes I will like. 🙂valentine-wreath
  3. A Gift to be Read – God’s Heart For You by Holley Gerth is actually a gift that I purchased for myself several years ago. 😀 It’s a calendar with a quote or saying for each day, that is meant to encourage and uplift you. I’m not extremely faithful about reading it, but when I do, God always seems to have the perfect words of love for me.IMG_0951

~

You really are forgiven,

slate-wiped-clean,

sins-washed-away,

brand new.

All those mistakes,

all that pain,

there’s only

one thing that remains…

grace.

~

Praise God for Three Gifts Red! ❤

Featured Photo Credit: Unknown

A Hidden Purpose

Nothing is ever easy. I’m learning that more and more as I travel through life. And it gets quite depressing. But I’m also learning that even though nothing comes easily in life, the things that are important to me are worth the effort.

The past few days have been difficult. I’m not doing well on my medication…it’s causing my depression and anxiety to worsen, and I am much less stable. I had to ask my Mom to come up to visit me yesterday to help get me out of the rut that I was in. And she did, and it helped. But I have to wait until the end of March to see a new doctor who will hopefully help me get my medications back on track.

There have been other situations that have caused anxiety, as well. Finances, along with the duties of everyday life and taking care of a home (and not having the energy whatsoever to do so) have been discouraging. But I have tried to keep close to God…and I think that has been the only thing that has gotten me through.

It’s strange, though. Yesterday I was so angry at Him…I just didn’t understand why things were the way that they were. I took time to read the Bible and also a devotional, but I found myself yelling at God in my mind and throwing His promises back at Him, thinking, “This isn’t true in my life right now,” or “You promised this, but You didn’t follow through with it.” I must say, I still don’t know the answers to why certain things in my life are the way they are right now (mostly regarding my health), and maybe I never will. But one thing I DO know is that no matter how difficult things have gotten in the past, God has always carried me through. And I must have faith that He will do the same in this situation.

I’d like to share with you the devotional that I referred to. Yesterday I read it in anger, and today I re-read it in desperation. This time I found comfort in it–in Him. I hope that it is an encouragement to you.

I magnify You, O Lord, I exalt Your name, for You are great and highly to be praised. I praise You for the glorious splendor of Your majesty and the power of Your awe-inspiring acts. Your power is unlimited…absolute…beyond imagining. You are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or dream of. “There is nothing too hard for You.” Who is like You, “majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders”?

O Lord Most High, You rule over the heavens and the earth, for You made all things by Your great power, and You keep them existing and working by Your mighty Word. You are exalted high above every star and galaxy in the entire cosmos…yet You are also “the God of all mankind,” the great, personally present, personally involved God who loves, rescues, and takes care of all who trust You. You exercise Your gracious authority over all nations – and over each individual in all the world. There is none like You, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King.

I praise You for Your sovereignty over the broad events of my life and over the details. With You, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted. You hold in Your own power my breath of life and all my destiny. And every trial that You allow to happen is a platform on which You reveal Yourself, showing Your love and power, both to me and to others looking on. Thank You that I can move into the future non-defensively, with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, for You hold the future and You will always be with me, even to my old age…and through all eternity.

~ 31 Days of Praise, by Ruth and Warren Myers

As I said, I don’t know all of the answers…but I know that I must keep going. And thankfully, I have the support of my God, my family, and my friends. There is some purpose in all of it…and I will see that purpose when the time is right – even if that means I must wait until heaven for it to be revealed.

Photo Credit: Lee Scott

The Joy Dare – A Song Heard, A Soft Word, Light Seen

Can I just say, it is so neat how God is opening my eyes to see these “gifts” of His each day? How wonderful it is to be able to focus on the positive things that He provides for me, and to give Him the praise that He deserves!

  1. A Song of Praise – We sang the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin last night at our church worship group, and I heard it again today on the radio in my car. 🙂 It’s a beautiful song, giving praise to God as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. It also ties in the fact that this all-powerful God loves each of us and is deeply involved in our lives.
  2. Words of Truth – Also at our church last night, the worship leader spoke words of God’s truth that encouraged my heart. Our area had just received a covering of snow on the ground. She stated that when snow first falls from heaven and covers the earth, it is very white and beautiful and flawless. But when we trudge through it with our feet, we muck it all up. This is comparable to our lives. When God allows certain situations to unfold for us, they start out beautifully as we receive them by faith and move forward with Him. But when we try to manipulate and change and control, we “muck it all up”! I just thought that this was a good word picture that reminds us to trust our lives into His hands.
  3. A Light in the Distance – After my doctor’s appointment today, I came out of the building to my car so that I could drive home. However, something told me to check my car’s tires. Sure enough, one of them was extremely low. I put air into the tire and the machine read that it was at the correct PSI, but the tire was still almost flat. I had no other way to get home, so I prayed, and drove slowly back to our neighborhood. I was so worried that the tire would go flat and that I would be stuck on the side of the road. However, as our house came into view, it was like seeing a “light in the distance.” I pulled into our driveway with gratefulness that God had guided me safely home.

Praise God for Songs Heard, Soft Words, and Lights Seen! ❤

Photo Credit: Ali Inay