Category: Fruits of the Spirit

Overcoming Loneliness During The Holidays

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And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. – Matthew 28:20

The holiday season can bring feelings of joy for a lot of people. The frosty weather inspires hot chocolate, wooly sweaters and ice skates. The smell of pine trees and cinnamon candles can warm the soul and the body. Christmas carols can light a face up – and motivate jubilant feet to dance.

However, unfortunately for some or a lot of us, the holiday season is a very lonely place.

Rooms that loved ones once filled with laughter are now quiet.

The companion, you so wish to have, is nowhere in sight.

Expenses are tight. Though, you rummage up extra pennies to make your child’s Christmas special, you have a deep seeded fear you just won’t provide enough.

Pictures of snugly babies on the internet make you despair and worry about your future. You covet something that isn’t yours at this moment in time.

Hold fast. I know those words do not provide any comfort to the hurting right now {believe me, I have been where you are} and feasted on the saltiness of great pain. However, I have also tasted the side of happiness. Delight is a much sweeter meal. But, the trouble is setting aside the sorrow, so we can gain the true joy.

We all know the reason for the season is to celebrate Christ {our Savior’s birth}. Well, Dear-heart, Christ is the only one who can ease our pain, loneliness and grief. He can also fuel our joy. Have you read the verse, “He gives beauty for ashes?”Isaiah 61: 3 states, ‘He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, and festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.”

But, how do we get to the point of discarding our fear and uncertainty – so we can cling onto the Lord’s garment of praise?

Truly Believe He Has The Best For You. So often times, Jeremiah 29:11 gets over quoted and overused to its detriment. You quickly say, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” But do you digest this wonderful promise? Do you meditate on it? Do you picture your Savior cradling you in the palm of his hands and singing this truth to you? It makes a difference. When the lonely bug hits, think on Jesus, who is the author and perfector of our faith and life. Think on his character and his love for you. The Center of the Universe has stated, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Embrace it. Feel it. Let his deep love engulf you.

Focus on God’s Goodness. Often times, we tend to fixate on the bad. We think of things we don’t have – or lives we wish we were living. You are you for a reason. No fingerprint is the same. No personality either for that matter. You are like a fine portrait framed to display the beauty of your Maker’s hands. What is good in your life – surely you can list a few things? Are you thankful for your job, your family and friends? How about the eyes that God has given you to see – and the hands he has filled with the beautiful sense – to touch.

Think On The Future – But Don’t Covet Someone Else’s. The future is great. It is better to think on the future than grieve a past life or past mistake. God has told you that you are a ‘new creation’ in him. No longer an ugly duckling – you are a swan with beautiful wings designed by your maker. However, no swan is the same. Some swans might have shorter beaks. Others might live in different climates.  But that does not mean one is better than the other. Just like the swans, your life is different for a reason. Rejoice in your unique life – for no one can live it like you!

When I am Afraid, I Will Trust in You

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ImageLife is scary. I would compare it to a roller coaster. It’s an adrenaline rush. You enjoy it, but there are times when you are mid air in a loop that seem more than frightening. Approaching the ride, blood rushes throughout your body – you feel a charge.

Yet, when you take that turn and hear the clinking of the hill that you are about to free-fall down, fear sets in – your heart races. The cart you are inside drops and flips and you are left staring at the ground below you. This moment in time, though fleeting, feels like it will never end.

Will you fall out of the cart – or live to tell the story of overcoming this ride the next day? This experience incites fear and excitement. But fear typically trumps energized senses.

It is easy to fixate on the hard times in life. Remember Jesus said, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ {John 16:33} He also tells us, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe.’ {Mark 5:6}

Trials in life make us stronger. It’s like breaking a bone. Yes, it is easy to fixate on the pain of that broken bone. It hurts – but, it is only for a time. That bone grows back thicker and stronger. That is a medical fact. It is said that the area that was broken becomes denser and is therefore stronger. Isn’t that like life? Trials, fears and failures teach us and make us grow stronger and more courageous.

Trust. It’s so hard to trust when we are afraid. One of my favorite verses as a child was Psalm 56:3. It states, ‘When I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.’ I had this note plastered to the walls in my bedroom. I’d look at it at night – just to reassure myself that God was there with me – and there was no reason to fear the blackness of my room when the lights were out. I also like what George MacDonald said, ‘A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear.’ Amen. However, we can never have a perfect faith. We can aspire toward it like we can aspire toward holiness – and this is grand!

Focusing on faith alleviates fear. I am so inspired by the story of Helen Keller. This was a woman that overcame the odds and flourished beautifully. She has motivated and still encourages so many to this day. She had faith – and truly believed God when he said ‘Do not be afraid.’

I am sure in her darkest moments she felt a deep seeded terror. This woman lived in darkness physically – but, hallelujah carried within her the light of Christ! She was recorded as saying, ‘It’s wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.’ Wow, what words! Trust always, even if you are in the air of a roller coaster loop. God has your best interest at heart. He loves you with an everlasting love. When you are afraid – trust. When you trust God – there is no room for fear in your life.

my heart to yours

From My Heart To The Heavens, Jesus Be The Center

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Image“You were made by God and for God – and until you understand that life will never make sense.” These words said by Rick Warren struck an artery in my heart this afternoon. I felt a rush through my body as if the blood in my veins was pumping just a little bit more freely.

Made by God. As Christians, we know this. It is something taught in Sunday school. Genesis explains that God breathed life in Adam and Eve was formed from man’s side. But, if this truth really transcends your mind – and reaches your soul – it is absolutely exquisite that you carry within in you the breath of God – the breath of Heaven – as a famous song points out. He inhaled into you air from his wondrous, everlasting lungs. This is not something to shrug off as typical religious knowledge. The breath of God is in the fiber of your being. It makes up who you are. You carry within you – air from the Living God.

Made for God. What was I made for – what is my gift, my calling? Its simple – to be a lighthouse for Christ. You are his vessel. Like a mason jar illuminated on a front porch step, you are the light in the night of this dark world. Everything else is really minor. You are God’s billboard. How you live your life, what you say and do should reflect God. You are his face on earth. Of course, God wants you to prosper and make the most of your life here on earth. He wants you to pursue your passions and dreams; but, with those dreams is also a yearning and need to reflect Christ. It is shallow without ever filling that innate soul yearning. We are simply the reflection of our light source – the Son of God.

Life Makes Sense. Pastor Warren is right. Without understanding these concepts {that are way more complex then they appear} we will never really understand life. Life is simply empty without Christ as the center. I love the song that boldly proclaims, ‘From my heart to the Heavens, Jesus be the center. It’s all about You. Yes it’s all about You.’ As humans, we tend to make life about ourselves – our plans, our future, that promotion or raise at work, that desire for a family or children, that house that we’ve always dreamed about – our wants are endless. And we will always be empty if we reach for our desires – for they are not his! However good they are – Jesus will always want more for you! Yet, with Jesus as the center of it all, don’t those personal needs dissipate just a little bit? We are spiritual beings and our soul years for a spiritual connection. We can never be good without God. Knowing that we were made by God and for God puts life in perspective.

I will loudly cry out, Jesus be the center of my life!

my heart to yours

Praise For The Everyday

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ImageI wake when it’s dark. The sun is still waiting to show its happy face to the world. Hardwoods creak and morning barefoot feet shuffle to the kitchen.

Body realigning from last night’s rest, I stretch to the popcorn ceiling like a long branched tree and fill my lungs with air. This is one of life’s simple moments.

It’s Sunday and we have so much to be thankful for – after all, November is the bounteous month of pure Thanksgiving. So often times I forget to list off my beautiful gratefulness. I forget to praise God in the small and simple; but, I surely rejoice in the large and extravagant.

However, I will take today to say thank you for the everyday.

I praise you for the toasty leaves that grace the cold ground, the misty afternoon rainbows after a soft shower, princess china cups filled with warm chamomile tea, tender human embraces, shining crescent moons in the night sky, woolly mittens on chapped hands, thick spiral notebooks with pages for heart words, dark grey laces on pink tennis shoes, neon post it notes for precious reminders, cocker spaniel wet kisses…this is my everyday life, and I praise you for the here and now.

My thanks is overflowing. I am a cup and you fill me up. I praise you, Lord, for the everyday – for it is all a precious gift. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. – Psalm 23:5

Be Brave. Fear is Not A Friend.

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ImageI like this message – ‘Be Brave.’ I am definitely not a woman’s lib type. I mean, I think women should work if they want to, that they can acquire their dreams…etc, etc. However, I do not feel like we are persecuted and jilted from the working world.

Heck, women have kids and it’s natural to stay home with them (I will refrain from getting into this) – yet, bravery is a beautiful message to pass on to women of all ages.

This concept makes me think of the Disney/Pixar movie “Brave.” I not only like this movie – because the heroine has red, curly hair, but she is the epitome of the word that means ‘courageous.’

I would like to picture myself like her – riding care-free in the wind, jumping off waterfalls and fighting vicious bears. It would be great to fling out my bow and arrows in assurance and accuracy at every menacing surrounding noises.

Yet, fear holds us back from a lot of things in life. The terror of the unknown, the uncertainty of the future or the possibility of an unfavorable outcome tends to stop want-to- be-warriors in their tracks! This is upsetting. Warriors were meant to strap up their battle armor – not cower in fear, afraid to move.

I tie everything back to Biblical concepts because of my Christian roots; but, what would have happened if David was too nervous to face the giant Goliath? What would have taken place if Joshua ignored God’s charge to ‘Be strong and courageous’? What if Queen Esther was too afraid to confront her husband, the King?bra

Fear is mind numbing; but, it should never hold us back. After all, dear one – God has “not given you the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

If you have to repeat this to yourself – do it. We were all made to be like Merida –galloping forth with confidence, joy and promise.

You are a child of promise – never forget that.   And promise, sweet one, is greater than fear. It trumps fear and laughs at it boldly in the face. Saddle up, sit on faith and ride forward. Let the breeze blow your hair back. Be brave – you have a reason to be.

Whatever will come our way, through fire or pouring rain. We won’t be shaken. No we won’t be shaken. Whatever tomorrow brings, together we’ll rise and sing. That we won’t be shaken. No we won’t be shaken.  – Building 429

You’re Never Too Old for a Princess Chair

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princess chairThis blog is called ‘Trading Paper Crowns’ so I will occasionally write Princess posts. So, men, if you are reading this – deal with it. Girls of all shapes, sizes and colors are truly royalty in the eyes of Christ.

So, I like to talk about this – and what better way than to sprinkle little reminders all over this blog spot.

Here are some fantastic princess chairs. I found online. I really like just to envision myself in each one – and think about being royalty in Christ.

Really, picture yourself sitting comfortably in a throne room, hair braided and cascading down your back. Diamond crown fastened and fixed, you are all radiant with a glow of your King – the one, true Redeemer.

Gaze at these elegant chairs and pick your favorite. Read the Bible verses a loud and carry this picture with you all day. You stand on holy ground in the presence of Christ. He has fixed your jewels up top of your head and has handed you the scepter as a key to his kingdom. Sit in honor and esteem.

You Set My Feet To Dancing With Joy

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light soul

You set my feet to dancing. You set my heart on fire! In the presence of a thousand kings – you are my one desire.

Rise and shine and give God the glory. It’s Sunday, the sun is shining – the smell of fall is in the air. You are alive, breathing deeply and awake – ready to lap up all the promises of your Maker.

You are alive for a reason, beautiful one! Isn’t that a grand concept? God wanted you here on this earth. He formed your smile, hands, hair – and voice! It’s a hard thing to fully grasp that someone fashioned you just the way you are.

He swoons over you. How glorious! He wants you to glow, sweet one! To radiate his true joy!

Isaiah 55:12 says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

This is provision! In the love of your Father, you can dance unashamed. You can sing at the top of your lungs for you have a joy that is limitless and incomprehensible. The trees, mountains and rocks will join in on this joy.

All I can say is – what a mighty God! Do not keep silent, precious one. Shout to others, glow to others – the glory of your sustainer. This and [everyday] is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Amen.

Every Hour I Need You

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ImageWhat if we took just a second every hour of the day – and thanked God for his presence? It’s a lofty goal, I know. But how would it change our perspective on the day?

While driving to work this morning – “Lord, I need you” by Matt Maher came on the radio. The words of this hymn made into a modern song captured my heart. One of my high moments each day is sitting in traffic and worshipping at the top of my lungs.

The song played, “Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need You.”

It struck me. I need to thank God every hour for his provision, blessings and beautiful presence in my life. I write a lot about getting caught up in the day to day mundane routine of the work world. But, how about we let Jesus capture our thoughts – one moment every hour?

Just say to him – Thank you God. I need you. There is something beautiful about functioning in this world with heavenly perspective.

Take some time today to listen to this song and say to your Savior, “I need you every hour.” This is not weakness. It is ultimate strength – dependence on our Creator.

A Marvelous Reflection – The Image of Yourself in Me

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ImageThis song – ‘True Story’ by Ginny Owens has been playing in my car nonstop. I listen to it driving into work in the morning and can’t seem to change the CD or the track for that matter!

The beautiful words have brought me to tears too many times to count– through her voice I hear clarity, truth, longing and trust. I also see a vivid picture of me, a girl saved by grace, singing this to the Lord, with hands lifted up empty.

The chorus states, “You see my imperfections, still you say I’m a masterpiece. A marvelous reflection, the image of Yourself in me. You paint with strokes of grace – undoing my disguise. You say beauty lies in the true story.”

It literally takes my breath away to think of Jesus calling me a masterpiece.

Of course, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder:’ but, how delightful that my beholder is also my creator! He shouts – not whispers – over me and you words of joy! We are his beautiful reflection.

This truth gives me chills. Like Abraham must have danced in jubilation over Isaac’s birth, the promised one, Jesus dances over our reflection of his face.

I want to look in the mirror and truly see Christ’s beauty shining forth.

Lord, make me into a pillar of fiery ambition and radiance. May others looks at me and see you. Beauty lies within your face – and the radiant story of your tremendous grace.

Listen to the song, ‘True Story’ here.