Tag: Christianity

A Daddy Writes to His Daughter

My Sweet Daughter,

I know that you’re not feeling well (Psalm 56:6). I can see that you’re hurting (Genesis 16:13). I feel your pain and I understand what you’re going through (Hebrews 4:15). 

I want to encourage you. You are loved (Jeremiah 31:3). You are precious. You are priceless. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). And above all, You are mine (Isaiah 43:1).

My gracious love will be with you during the day, and my song will be with you during the night (Psalm 42:8). I hear your cries, your desperate pleas. I am listening. I will bring you up out of the pit you are in. Out of the mud and the muck that wants to pull you under. I am your Rock–and you can plant your feet firmly on Me. I will give you a song of praise that will be an encouragement to others, and that will prompt them to trust in Me, as well (Psalm 42:1-3).

You can let go of the perfectionism. Let go of the need to perform, to meet unreachable standards, to live up to everyone’s expectations. I know that you are only human, and that you make mistakes. The sin that you committed–the one you are obsessing about? I have already forgiven it. Those harsh words that you said in anger? I have already forgotten them. I am Your loving Father, and I take care of my own (Psalm 103:8 and 11-14).

Bring me the burdens that you are trying to carry. The hurts, the hangups, the worries, the fears. They are too heavy for You, and you are not meant to handle them. My shoulders are strong enough to bear them. And I want to give you something instead–joy and rest and peace and life, as You yield your will to my own and trust in Me (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:10).

I long for Your worship, even when you don’t feel like it. I yearn for your praise, even when it hurts (Hebrews 13:15). I remain the same–unsearchable in greatness, full of mighty deeds, clothed in splendor and majesty. I am good, righteous, and gracious; full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy. I open my hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. I delight in your devotion, and I am near to you in your time of trouble. I will save you and preserve your life, as you fear and love me (Psalm 145).

My Princess, give me all of your worries, because I care about You more than you could ever know (1 Peter 5:7).

Love Your Daddy, the King of all Creation,

God Almighty

Image Credit: Unknown

An Act of Worship

Lord, I’m Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life. I realize I’m not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I’m not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I’m somebody important, or to promote myself. I’m not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I’m here to please You.

I offer myself to You, for You are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to You. I’m Yours by creation, and every day I receive from You life and breath and all things. And I’m Yours because You bought me, and the price You paid was the precious blood of Christ. You alone, the Triune God, are worthy to be my Lord and Master. I yield to You, my gracious and glorious heavenly Father; to the Lord Jesus who loved me and gave Himself for me; to the Holy Spirit and His gracious influence and empowering.

All that I am and all that I have I give to You.

I give You any rebellion in me, which resists doing Your will. I give You my pride and self-dependence, which tell me I can do Your will in my own power if I try hard enough. I give You my fears, which tell me I’ll never be able to do Your will in some areas of life. I consent to let You energize me…to create within me, moment by moment, both the desire and the power to do Your will.

I give You my body and each of its members…my entire inner being: my mind, my emotional life, my will…my loved ones…my marriage or my hopes for marriage…my abilities and gifts…my strengths and weaknesses…my health…my status (high or low)…my possessions…my past, my present, and my future…when and how I’ll go Home.

I’m here to love You, to obey You, to glorify You. O my Beloved, may I be a joy to You!

~ from 31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew, by Ruth and Warren Myers

Image Credit: Unknown

Don’t Be Afraid to Crawl

“Like a new born baby
Don’t be afraid to crawl…”

As I drove home tonight after meeting with my family and a good friend, I heard a song that has always been special to me. The lyrics speak to me, in their honest simplicity–but it was a single line of those lyrics that jumped out at me this time. “Like a new born baby, don’t be afraid to crawl.”

I have been wanting to try some craft projects, with the possibility of even making some items to sell. But I thought I’d start by creating a set of coasters for a special couple for Christmas. Well, Christmas has come and gone, and I had not even begun making the coasters–until tonight. That line of text in the song and some encouragement from my friend nudged me to move forward.

So I got out my supplies and tried my best to make a gift that this special couple would like. It will be a set of four coasters with a Christmas theme. I used stamp and ink along with permanent markers to create images on travertine tiles. Now I must bake the tiles to set the ink, and add felt backings so that the coasters will not damage furniture. Travertine tile is an absorbent material, so it should be very practical for holding drinks.

Here are what the tiles look like so far:

Merry-Christmas-Tony-and-Susan-coasters-2014

The point of this post is to share my joy in the fact that I was able to begin a project that seemed overwhelming for quite some time. I’m grateful for the gentle–and yet clear–nudging, which gave me the motivation to start “crawling.” 🙂 Who knows, maybe my crawl will progress into steps, and even into a walk? We shall see! God is good, and I praise Him for what He enabled me to accomplish.

Lyrics from Untitled Hymn, by Chris Rice

Photo Credit for image of baby crawling: Tatjana Kaufmann/Moment/Getty Images