Follow Me

 Following Jesus is hard, and it takes sacrifice. It’s easy to get too focused on that. I’m speaking for myself here! But following Jesus means nearness to Him. It means guidance from the One who knows what’s best and what’s around the corner. It means we’re with the Source of all joy, hope, comfort, peace and love. We are with the Provider, the Good Shepherd, and the One who is all powerful. We are on the road to Heaven where the best is yet to come. Nothing is better than that. Let’s focus on Him rather than the hardness of following Him!

From Ugly Bulbs to Stunning Beauty!

 My husband planted an ugly bulb sometime back. Now we have a beautiful gladiola opening up and blooming. God turns bulbs into stunning bright flowers! 

When God is the gardener of our life, He does the same for us. He takes the ugly and hard things and over time makes them into something beautiful. It may take lots of waiting and some dark days of feeling “buried”, helpless or hopeless. 

But trust God. Submit to Him. Learn all you can in the process. And know that one day your “bulb” will be turned into beauty!

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Beautiful Snowflakes

This morning at preschool, I taught the children how to make simple paper snowflakes. They enjoyed it very much, and I loved seeing them enjoy it!

To make a snowflake, you need to fold a square piece of paper a few times. Then all you need to do is cut out small shapes. When you have finished, you open up the paper, and you have a beautiful snowflake.

Thinking about it this evening, I realized that our lives are like that square of folded paper. We also get "cut." Trials are like scissors that snip pieces out of our lives. Any kind of loss that we experience is like a painful snip.

What we don't always realize is that the snips are necessary to being a beautiful and useful person. Without them, we'd be like a plain piece of paper. 

What matters is that our lives have been put in the hands of the One who cuts out of love. If our lives are not in His hands, we may simply become a square of paper that is snipped to pieces.

If our lives are submitted to God, He won't allow any more snips than necessary. 

Each one of the children's snowflakes was different and beautiful. And so, in our lives, we all have a different mixture of trials to make us into a unique person.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.--Romans 5:3-5

 

When All You Have is God

 The Red Sea is in front of you, and cruel soldiers are chasing you from behind. There is a quote that says, "Sometimes the only way out is through." But sometimes there is no way through. Sometimes you are trapped. You can't move forward, you can't stay still, and you can't go back. It's hopeless!

The Israelites came into this hopeless situation by following God's lead.

The Israelites had no boats, no ferries, no bridges, and no airplanes. All they had was God. All they had was the One who made the sea. The One who can make a way where there is no way. The One with whom nothing is impossible. 

All they had was all they needed. It was nothing for God to make a path through the sea just for them! It was nothing for God to bring the waters back down on the Egyptian soldiers so they would never bother them again.

Do you feel trapped sometimes? Do you panic like the Israelites did? Is all you have God? Our God is the One who can easily make a way through our Red Seas. It is nothing for Him.

But are you following Him? Or are you your own boss and guide? When we are following Him, we can have full assurance that when He leads us into a trap, He will also lead us through. We can know for certain that He has a good reason for this.

Look to the One who made the Red Sea. The One who makes a way where there is no way. Have full confidence in Him that He will get you through this for His glory.

How to Survive

 How do we survive hard times? How do we not get depressed when the world around us is so depressing? How do we not get discouraged, when there is little to encourage us?

God's Word is the answer. God is the Source of all comfort, joy, peace and hope. And we have His own Words to read which give us hope and encouragement. Is it your delight? Your go-to? Is it what you meditate on?

"O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97

My Cup Overflows

 If the Lord is your personal Shepherd, then you can say, "My cup overflows with blessings." You can say this because even your trials are turned into blessings when they're in God's hands. He has promised to work them together for good. That means they're blessings in disguise!

You can say this because the Lord is taking care of you, leading you, giving you strength and rest, comforting you, and so on. If the Lord is your Shepherd, your cup runs over with blessing!

Is this your mindset?