Tag: obedience

No Matter What it Takes

Today was a fairly good day.

Even though I wasn’t able to sleep at all last night, I got out of bed with my Hubby this morning and refrained from going back to bed. I spent some time at Barnes and Noble with a drink and a pastry. I worked on chores around the house. I took the dog for a walk. I completed tasks to prepare for a seasonal, work-from-home job that I will be starting soon. And I began to plan for teaching English lessons to my friend’s son, who speaks Spanish. It may not sound like much, but for me, it’s quite a bit.

To top it all off, my husband (Roy) had overtime at work and was able to come home early. That gave us some time to hang out and also to run to the store for a few things. We may have even grabbed drinks at Dunkin’. 🙂

As I mentioned, this may seem like a pretty normal day to most people. But because of my depression and anxiety and my desire to “avoid” the things that distress me, I have been oversleeping. Wasting the time that the Lord has given me. Failing to use the gifts that God has bestowed upon me to reach out to others. And I don’t want to do that any longer.

So it’s going to be a day-by-day thing. I know that I will still struggle immensely…but I feel like I have turned a small corner. Each day I must strive to get myself out of bed and to face the day, along with its challenges. Strive to take baby steps forward. Strive to be the woman that God created me to be.

Thankfully, my heavenly Father is faithful; and I trust that He will enable me to obey Him – no matter what it takes. ❤

 

Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

Broken but Beautiful

It’s easy to focus on the negative traits that we possess – at least it is for me. I’m so good at finding my flaws, my imperfections…and it’s easy for me to feel like I have nothing to offer God.

But that isn’t the case.

We normally don’t think of brokenness as being beautiful. It’s ingrained in our culture to seek out the best, most excellent, most desirable things. But the truth of the matter is this: God uses broken people (Psalm 51:17). And for this I am very grateful.

Why am I grateful? Because I am a broken person.

I struggle with depression, anxiety, and OCD on a daily basis – but God can use these struggles to help me reach out to others going through the same things.

I have many imperfections in my character that I am continually fighting against – but God somehow sees me whole in Jesus Christ.

I war against temptations every day, and often give in to sin – but God is faithful to forgive me and restore me as I cry out to Him for cleansing.

I frequently doubt God and choose not to trust Him – but God is right there waiting for me when I turn from my self-reliance and give myself to Him fully.

I many times refuse to obey God and to take that step of faith – but God, in His goodness, gives me gentle nudges and holds my hand to help me move forward.

The common thread in these statements is “but God.” It’s because of God that we are who we are and that we can do what we do. He is in the business of taking broken people like you and me and making us beautiful! Praise Him!

So what is your “but God”? What are the areas of your life where you struggle the most, but where God uses you the most? ❤

 

Photo by: Crystal Knauss

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I’m still trying to figure out the answer to this question! 🙂 I have some decisions in my life to make, and in many ways, I don’t know which way is the correct way to turn. This can be very frustrating and confusing.

However, I DO have some direction from God’s Word. It may not tell me specifically what I should do in a certain situation, but it tells me what to do in the mean time!

So when you don’t know what to do, look to God and His Word. Take a moment to meditate on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV):

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Truthfully, the things listed in those few verses give me enough to focus on for the rest of my life! None of them is an easy undertaking, but with God’s help, we can take steps towards obeying Him in these areas today.

Be encouraged! God loves you, and He wants to show you (and me!) the right way to go. But first we need to focus on the things that He has already clearly directed us to do in Scripture.

Take the first step towards obedience today, and watch as He unfolds your path one day at a time. ❤

Image Credit: Unknown