Spiritually Sick...

Sunday morning, our pastor spoke of a Spiritual Check up that we are in need of. Often times when we are physically sick we will put off going to the doctor. I do, simply because I am a cash patient, and it's not always easy to find and extra $150 to go to the doctor. We also put off spiritual check ups, because they cost us something other than money- they cost us time. I decided to search online and read a few articles about spiritual check ups. My favorite came from "Our Daily Bread"

I suggest that we get over our reluctance. With God’s guidance, let’s undergo a spiritual checkup, using Proverbs 4:20-27 as a checklist

Ears (v.20): Are we hearing God’s Word clearly and with understanding? Are we doing what those words tell us?

Eyes (vv.21,25): Are we keeping our eyes on the teachings that will guide us toward righteousness?

Heart (v.23): Are we protecting our heart from evil?

Tongue (v.24): Is our mouth clean and pure?

Feet (v.26): Are we walking straight toward God’s truth without wavering?

How did you do on your examination? Are there areas where you need to take action? Regular checkups will help to restore your spiritual vitality.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
Show me the way that Jesus has trod;
Then I will tell of Your saving grace,
Until the day when I see Your face.  —Hess

A spiritual checkup is the key to spiritual health.

I really like how this was put. I had to ask myself these questions. I know there are areas of my life that can use a fine tuning from the Lord. Areas of my life that I have allowed to be covered. Areas that I fear, due to what others will think, or due to what God may do. 

Are you willing to commit to a spiritual check up? More than once a year, month, week? How about a daily one? Something worth thinking about! 

I had to visit my doctor this week, and the whole process is no fun. Between the blood work and the waiting game and the exam, I was ready to be finished with everything! I remember thinking "I'm glad this is only once a year!" A lot can happen in a year. Physically. Even more so, SPIRITUALLY. Don't wait until you are spiritually sick to seek truth, and help. Go now. Like for real- turn off the computer and go. Shut down the phone and go. Pack your bags and go. Run to Jesus! 

I'm running, I'm running, I'm running to the mercy seat, where Jesus.....

Staci

Perfect Peace

There is nothing perfect about my life. Ideal yes, but not perfect. It really strikes me when I read...

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Ahh- the magic word "perfect" followed by another wonderful word- peace. Where do you find rest? How often do you purpose yourself to rest? Being in the ministry, Sunday is not always a day of rest for us. In fact some Sunday's we are exhausted by the end of the day. That is why I rarely schedule anything on Monday. That is my husbands day off, and therefore its our "seventh day" our day of rest, our day of peace. I search for peace, and rest. I don't always find the entire rest that I need, nor the peace, but the good news is... it's there. Waiting for me! I have to ask the Lord to remove more of me add more of him in my life. 

I strive for perfection in so many areas of my life. I don't always achieve it, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it. I know that I can't be perfect. I can't have the perfect house, the perfect kids, or the perfect body- or even the perfect spiritual health. I do know that one thing I can have is "perfect peace". Which in this day and age is quite a lot. 

Over and Over

This weekend I took time to clean the garage out. Thanks to my darling husband we were able to get it back to the way I like it! After cleaning it, we used the leaf blower to blow out the dirt and leaves that the van brings in. I then decided I could blow the leaves all together around the paved area so that I don't carry more leaves in when I drive over it. Once I got a nice line of leaves I took the rake and begin to make piles. I finished with just 6 piles and only covered a small area of the ground! One thing I noticed as I raked, not all the leaves were brought into the pile. Some were broken into smaller pieces and left on the ground. I learned in a few minutes that it was impossible to get every leaf fragment up off the ground. I was even a bit discouraged when I turned around and realized how big my front yard is and how many leaves I had to still rake. The more I raked, the more my mind begin to drift into the ways of the Lord. It never fails- anytime I am out working in the yard, or close to nature I feel closer to God! Maybe because he created it all, or maybe because I don't do it often and so it's a break from the norm. Either way I always can feel the Lord speaking to me during those times. 

As I thought about those broken pieces and how I could not pick them up, I realized that they become part of the ground- they in fact create carbon dioxide. Over time, decaying leaves release carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide! So the very thing that seams dead and somewhat a pain, becomes something life giving. Okay so if you aren't following me just yet, hold fast it's coming!

There are parts of our past and our history that have just crumbled before us, we've seen pain and thought we could never get up all the broken pieces of our lives or our hearts. Then we feel defeated, as I did with my yard, and then the light comes on. Joy seeps in,  you see that God can use your pain for his purpose. God will not waste your pain. Your season of defeat, depression, despair can all be used for a Kingdom purpose. 

What an encouraging thought. We may not understand our pain, nor his purpose, but we can trust the process! Let those broken pieces be used for good. It is not God's desire that we have pain and suffering in our lives. Lawlessness brought that on. We live in a very broken world. Most all of us are broken vessels. Some brokenness we have came from choices we made and some from choices others made. Either way we can't change what happens to us, we can only move forward and allow God to use it for his glory. 

Isaiah 43:19 ESV

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

Thank you Lord for doing a new thing in my life and in my heart. Thank you for making a way when there seems to be no way! 

Be encouraged, 

Staci

Ding, Ding, Ding

My van has this wonderful contraption built into the system. It keeps me on track. It helps me do what is right and prevents me from having my day interrupted intentionally. The magical ding ding ding sound that comes when I leave my keys in the ignition. What a wonderful invention! I found myself smiling today as it made the sound over and over. It was a great reminder that I needed to remove my keys before removing myself and locking the doors. This made me think of the Holy Spirit and how he prompts us. When our soul is being pulled into an area of danger or sin, the Holy Spirit will begin to warn us. Yet just like those dings we hear in our automobiles, often we ignore them. We often tune it out and act without taking heed to the warning. Then we are frustrated that our keys are locked in our vehicles or that our battery is dead (the ding occurs too if the interior lights are left on) and we begin to ask WHY? We feel as if we have been let down, forgotten about and often we get angry. All because we didn't heed the warning of the ding! Think about how we react when we've lived in sin and had behaviors that do not bring Glory and honor to the Lord. When we finally stop and look around we get angry that the Lord allowed us to endure a pain or go through something. Often times the pain we carry is not from the choices we make, but there are times when we in fact brought the pain on ourselves. We chose not to die to self that day and therefore we lived in the flesh. Then we ask God where he was when _____________(Fill in the blank) happened? And though our God is a loving a merciful God, I'm sure at times he would like to respond with "I am right where you LEFT ME." Ouch. Toes officially stepped on. If we start our day with the thought that we belong to the Lord and invite him to be not just a part of our day, but be our entire day. If we give the Holy Spirit full reign in our lives to do as he pleases, then when things happen to us through out our day we can COUNT IT ALL JOY. Whoa- did I just type that? Deep breath- and big girl pill please! This scripture in Romans helps us to understand better....

Romans 8:16-26 (New Living Translation)

16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. 17And since we are his children, we will share his treasures -- for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. 21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

So you see friends, we all want the blessings of God, but we don't want the sufferings that go along with it. Yet most of our sufferings are not brought onto us because of the cross we carry- it's more about the cross we forgot to pick up. We ignored the DING DING DING. We walked out without the armor. We are stark naked and the enemy is fully aware of it too. There are those we read about who truly suffer for the cause of Christ. Typically we are not those people. We have yet to embrace that type of relationship with the Lord. That closeness. Some would be scared to be that close to the Lord. Why would we want to encourage pain and suffering? We are not people who enjoy pain. We are not people who call on suffering and invite it over for tea. We push it away. Scream for it to leave. Fight until it's gone or until we can't fight any longer. 

We must ask ourselves what is in the way of me and The Lord? What is one area of my life that I have yet to give over to the Lord to work? Am I willing to let that part go and let him have his way? Am I willing to TRUST him. Trust that he will not only see me through- but I will behold all the riches that the Lord has for me?  He didn't create us to destroy us, as my boys do with their Lego towers. He created us to please him. Why would he want us to endure anything we didn't have to? Why would he want us to deal with something so harshly that we turn away from him? We often point the finger at the wrong person. We point at the Lord and say WHY WHY WHY.... instead of putting pain-blame where it belongs... to the enemy of our souls. He seeks to kill, steal and destroy. He offers no promises and no hope for a future. Yet we bow to him daily when we fail to take up our cross. OUCH again. Still preaching to the choir. Lord help us. Be our NUMBER ONE. Help me. Teach me how to seek you with my whole heart. 

Remember, and remind me dear friend, that our biggest victories are not won on our feet, but on our knees. The clean houses, empty sinks, and organized homes are a good thing, but not the best thing. I've never worn out the knees of any pair of pants from prayer... have you? 

Convicted,

Staci

Fully Aware!

Today I listen to a podcast from Andy Stanley. The whole message was about family. He made a statement that his wife says often "The days are long, the years are short." This really stuck to me like bubble gum sticks to the bottom of your shoe on a hot summer day. That quote really sums up my life! Just this week my darling and I were talking about how we lived in Seguin for 5 years. We are celebrating our 4th year here in Mississippi this summer! It's so strange how time goes by faster as you age. The 5 years we did in Texas seemed sooooo long compared to the time we've been here. It's not that we enjoyed being one place more than the next, I am certain it has to with having Children and us being older. Having Children in school makes the year fly by! Everything you do is based on that school calender year. Your vacations, where you go during the day, the appointments you make. Everything has to coincide with the school. So you operate from August to May instead of Jan- December. I am shocked that the kids are approaching their 100th day mark again! Didn't that just happen last year? Each year goes by so fast. Yet there are some days that seem to never end! How do you figure? Ever have a day that just won't stop? The sun wont set fast enough and you can't get to your bed fast enough? I've looked at the clock at 6:45 pm and thought it was surely 10 pm. Only to be disappointed that it was barely dark. I have days that I can't get everything I want to get done and those days seem to go by fast. There is a Facebook page titled "hands-free revolution" and that page has helped me keep things in preservative when it comes to my children. It encourages you to be fully aware when you are with your children (or others for that matter) I have been guilty of catching up on Facebook while watching a show with my children, or while they play. I think I'm being a supermom because I am multi-tasking. I am able to keep up with friends while I spend time with my family. Then one day it hit me, in a few years I will be the one wanting the kids to spend time with me and put their devices away- talk to me not their friends. I will want to be the important one in the room. I was truly convicted of my behavior. I had justified my phone usage because I'm usually not playing games or "wasting time" but actually encouraging others, or giving of myself to them. There in lies the problem. I am giving of my time to others while my beautiful children sit next to me cuddled up. Oh how these days will be days missed  in the future. The not so distant future. I need to take time to cuddle, take time to laugh- to look at the things my kids ask me to look at. Remind them that I am their biggest fan. Cheer the loudest and encourage the most. There is a time for everything, how do I know that? Well the Word of God tells me in Ephesians. A time for everything....

Ephesians 3:1

There is a time for everything,  and a season for every activity under the heaven,

Right now the time is for my children and for me to embrace them as little ones. For they will never be little again! They will spend more time being an adult than a child! It's my turn to be the influence in their life. I need to be there. Be fully aware. The days may be long- but the years are short.... let it sink it. 

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

In our girls youth class last night we talked about true purity. We discussed Respect and if it was a need or a want.

1 Peter 2:3 When Jesus was reviled he did not revile in return.

We are suppose to be more like Jesus. So when we are treated poorly, we are not to fight back and justify our behaviors. We are to look to The Lord's strength and pattern our response like his.  This hit close to home for me. Just this week I spoke to another person about how my mouth can get me into trouble. If  I feel like my side of the story is not shared I feel the need to tell it. If my personal view is being attacked, I feel the need to talk back and prove them wrong. This is not the case when it comes to the way Jesus handled things. 

Help me Lord to be more like you! 

Holding my tongue, 

Staci

Commit

Most people are afraid of making a commitment, but not receiving one. I can only image how many times the Lord has heard someone say that they will commit to doing something, only to fail the very next thought, breath, or step. Making a commitment to me and making one to the Lord are two very separate things. You see when we commit to the Lord, he has a promise with it... that he will ESTABLISH your plans. 

Websters defines Establish: to cause (someone or something) to be widely known and accepted. : to put
(someone or something) in a position, role, etc., that will last for a long time.

This sounds a bit like FAVOR. 

Don't we all seek favor from the Lord? This is exciting for me! I am at a place in my life now where I am not sure what the Lord wants my hands to be busy doing. There are many ministries that I enjoy and many that I would miss, but I don't want to spend my life not doing what God designed me to do! My heart at times feels like it could explode. I desire to be in the perfect WILL of God, and sometimes get caught up in the little things. I am thankful to know that I can commit to the Lord and he will establish my plans. This has been on my heart for the past few days. Just knowing that as God is the center all will work out, I've preached it, taught it and prayed it for years, but it means something to me now. Now that I see it in the word- knowing that it's not just some Christian cliche, it's actual Truth, it has increased my faith! Thank you Lord for this promise!  I need to make a little notebook or a notepad on my phone that keeps up with the promises that I find this year! Then I can have a quick reference guide when I feel discouraged or uncertain!

Growing in Grace,
Staci

I thank God for YOU!

Today is my 13th anniversary. I am so thankful for my sweet husband and the Joy that comes from being his wife! We have traveled down many roads and have been blessed. When we married each other in 2001, I had no idea where God would take us and how our marriage would impact others. We both desperately wanted to be used by God for his Glory! I stand amazed at times at how much we grown as a couple in the past 13 years. We started dating 15 years ago, even then our relationship was more mature than that of some of our friends. We didn't fight, argue or play games with each other about "breaking up" we were serious about getting to know each other and had marriage in mind. When we got married I didn't feel like we were too young, I felt like it was perfect timing. Now when I see couples marry at an early age it makes me nervous for them, especially those who don't know the Lord or have him in the center of their lives. We also didn't start having Children right away either, we purposefully waited 4 years before we even begin to try. We needed time to get to know each other, even after the honeymoon phase! We wanted to be settled, buy a house and be established before bringing a child into the world! God still had other plans for us, when we had 2 children and then moved from Texas to North Carolina, but still- his hand was guiding and leading us each step of the way. I'm so blessed to have a husband who prays with me, walks with me, laughs with me, talks with me, listens to me and my l-o-n-g stories that are pointless, and still wants to hold my hand. I love you my darling Chris. Happy 13th Anniversary. Way to find favor with the Lord!!!

Proverbs 18:22

22He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.

Unglued

Last month I was given the book "Unglued" by Lysa TerKeurst. I read the book in 2 days. It was like the book was written for me! I have had several opportunities to put to practice the things in the book. First it was with my children, then my husband, and today it was with others. I can feel myself coming unglued when I feel my side of the story is not being shared. That is my flesh rising up. I know I need to work on it. It's an area that has always been a problem for me. I strive for perfection and it can be a curse at times. I get in the way of The Lord working. I know The Lord is bigger than me and can move with or without my permission.  My point is that when I strive for things to be perfect, and they aren't, especially things that are out of my control, I get worked up and find myself defensive. I either shut down or become unglued. My mouth can easily get me into trouble. And it often does. There have been times I've slowed down God's plan, all in the name of wanting justification. I thank God that he is helping me to sense the times when I'm falling into the trap and can pull myself into his arms and hold fast to his promises. Though I can't change the way others behave, I can change how I react! Lord help me, to be more like you!

Psalm 143:3-4
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.... 

Staci 

Not like the rest...

Have you ever met someone who was not like the rest? Someone who didn't fit the mold? Who wasn't following the crowd or involved in self? I have. I want to be like that person. This person crosses my path often, and though I can't offer them the same blessing they are to me, I can be that blessing to someone else. I can take time to listen, take time to dream, take time to share, to hope with someone. It's amazing how our outlook is when we have someone to share it with! Loneliness is a killer of many things. If the enemy of our souls can make us feel desolate, and we take his bait, we become putty in his hands. Having someone in life that can put others first, share, serve, love, give beyond their ability is pure ammunition against the devil.

Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Take note of that last part, it's more blessed to give than to receive. All throughout the Word of God we find scriptures that make no sense to man in the natural, but make perfect sense in the supernatural. Try telling someone who loves money that it's more blessed to give than to receive. He will call you foolish. We can't always understand God's blessings on this side of glory, we don't have that privilege.We can however, trust that the Lord is going to keep his promises to us!

What can you give today? What do you value? Is there a need you can meet? Is there someone you can offer encouragement to? A card, an email, a text? 

Our society is a "give-me" and an "entitled" type of society. We wake up thinking about how we can accomplish our goals, and take care of us. Ever think about how you can help someone else accomplish their goals? Wouldn't it be grand to spend an entire day making someone else feel accomplished and important to God? Amazing that he cares about every little detail that concerns us! 

He collects every tear in a bottle (Psalm 56:8)
 He numbers every hair on your head (Luke 12:7)
AND He knows every hurt in your heart (Psalm 34:18). 

We can share this good news with others, by serving... caring, loving unconditionally, forgiving, being there. Be where you are, not just physically, but mentally. Be there. 

Breaking the Mold,
Staci 

I Choose...

JOY! Today I choose JOY! Nehemiah 8:10b For the joy of the Lord is your strength. When you are searching for something that is lost, you spends hours, days, weeks, months, years searching. Once it is found you rejoice! Celebrate! Go overboard in joyous exultation! We accept the truth that what was lost is now found and we move forward in life. We don't question if it was truly found, we embrace it.

Often we search for answers in the Word of God and when we receive the answer, we just think on those things. We ponder, we reflect, we consider. We don't post it on social media and collect thousands of LIKES, hold a celebration, break out the fancy clothes, stay up all night sharing with others what we "found" in the Word.

Think about it.

We pray for strength and when we read in Nehemiah that the JOY of the Lord is YOUR strength, it doesn't do anything for us! We as a society would read it and say "oh that's nice" or "well that is great for some people, but it's not for me".

When we read such a text in the Word, it SHOULD prompt us to begin to DIG into the Word even more and discover what JOY is and how to share it with others! Knowing that the Joy and strength go hand in hand can be quite encouraging!

In a message I heard online, James MacDonald says, "Don't forfeit your joy! The joyful mind resolves conflict".

Philippians 4:-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Another example is a scripture I read this week that jumped off the page and into my soul....

Psalm 66:20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! 

Whoa! Doesn't that excited you just a little? Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever felt that God doesn't hear your prayers, or doesn't love you? His Word is TRUTH, you can't believe some of it and dismiss the rest a lie. So take that truth and put it in your heart and realize that you can CHOOSE JOY! Why? Because no matter how we may feel, he has not removed his steadfast love from us! Just like the Planetshakers song 

Nothing Is Impossible

says "I'm not going live by what I feel, because deep down I know that you are here with me,"

Staying in the Word of God will help you remember that truth deep down when the enemy attacks you in dark areas of your life. You can shine the light of the Word on him. Remember earlier this week I wrote about the armor of God? Know that the Sword of the Spirit (The Bible) is the only weapon we have to use, all the other pieces of the armor work as a protection, the sword is for both, protection and battle! Know the Word! Study it, dwell on it. Walk in it! Share it! 

I challenge you to open the Word this week and as you discover treasures in the Word, take time to celebrate it! Say it out loud! Read it to a friend, you never know how it will impact someone else who is seeking similar answers to life's difficult questions. Some people in your immediate circle are fighting such a spiritual battle right now that they can't even pray, can't open the Word, can't even see a glimmer of Hope. You can offer that peace that they are seeking- through the Word. Don't be afraid to share what the Lord is doing in your life. 

So today, I choose Joy. I put it on. What did you choose today?

Sincerely,

Staci

There is a shoe for that!

Last night, my husband preached on the Armor of God. I have heard several sermons and read many commentaries on the armor. I never grow tired of it. It always convicts me. I know there are many days when I go into my day without my armor. Or at least pieces of my armor. As he preached on the Gospel of Peace shoes, my mind begin to drift. Am I the only one this happens to? True confession of a pastors wife...hey, at least I don't sleep in church! Okay back to my drifting thoughts...

I had received new shoes for Christmas and they are just fantastic. They are shiny and make everything in life around me seem a little more exciting! I also thought about all the shoes I own. I have been blessed with feet that can't be fitted easily. Why is this a blessing instead of a curse? It keeps my shoe consumption down to a minimum. Finding shoes to fit my feet can be a task, so when I do find them, I tend to wear them to pieces. In fact, the pair that I wore to the mall when I found my new shoes, ended up in the garbage can outside of the shoe store. Gasp! I know there are people around the world who don't have shoes and I am being wasteful. Trust me, these were landfill worthy, not pass down, give away worthy. I told you I wear them to pieces.  I like having shoes for every occasion. I have hiking boots, that I've owned for 16 years, I obviously don't hike often! I have flip flops for everyday summer wear, I have flats for winter, a few wedges for days that I attempt to be taller and don't have to walk much. I have water shoes for down at the creek, so very tacky- I might add. I have tennis shoes for those days that I feel athletic and desire exercise, again those shoes aren't very worn in! I even have a pair of crocs, my very first pair. In their defense, they are very comfortable and with my feet comfort is a good thing. Though I limit myself to only wearing them in the yard or around the house. They are not to leave the property. I also own a pair of fabulous slippers. All in all I think I have about 16 pairs of shoes. These shoes keep me ready for whatever I may face in my day.

When Chris was preaching, he mentioned how the shoes of a soldier were a sign that they were ready to go into battle. Can you picture a warrior with no shoes? Imagine the middle east, hot sand, rocky terrain, and bare feet. Not a smart move. Just as much as I use my shoes to fit the occasion, I can see how the Gospel of Peace shoes are necessary for me in my spiritual battle. The great part about these shoes would be that you only need ONE pair for all situations. Think about that. What if I could invent a shoe that could convert as needed. Imagine having this "smart shoe" that would be a fancy shoe one minute and convert to a slipper when your feet grow weary. That is how the Gospel of Peace shoes work! We put them on and God will go before us, he will prepare us for what we will endure. What a thought! And best of all, it comes in WIDE width, narrow and medium! The idea that God goes before us has to encourage you just a little. If you can look past this whole post about my silly shoes and realize this one nugget, please take time to digest it!

Gal 5:16-17 (NAS) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Walk by the Spirit.... put on those shoes today, the Gospel of Peace. Be ready! Don't battle without them! Know that God goes before you. 

If you see me this week, you will probably see my fancy new shoes, don't be afraid to ask me if I put on my Gospel of Peace shoes as well!!!

Sincerely,
Wide Feet in MS

Fresh Starts, Do overs, and goals

The only difference between yesterday and today is the date. People tend to put a lot of faith into the "New Year" and seem to have a false hope of what this year can bring that would be more becoming than last year. I think people go into January with the best intentions, only to fail and find themselves back in their old ways, settling back into the way they were and being comfortable with the way it is. "It is what it is..." Have you heard that saying before? It may be, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Did you know that in Christ you are a new creation. Not just on January 1, but every day? God has this beautiful thing called grace, who's sister is mercy, who's cousin is love. They all work together. So far in my readings this morning, my favorite had to be from the devotional book "Experiencing God, Day by Day." It really hit the nail on the head for me. It was by far the most encouraging. It wasn't about setting goals, or resolutions- in fact it was quite the opposite. It was about taking all our hopes and dreams and the desires of our hearts and placing them in the Lord's hands. He is not asking us to be better, do better, he is simply asking us to obey Him. Sigh- what a relief! It brought Joy to heart knowing that what he requires of me is only possible through him. I know that by setting my heart and my eyes on Him, will cause Him to be first. With Him being first in my life, whatever comes my way- he allowed and will see me through it. I look forward to what God has in store for this upcoming year. 2014 is here, not everyone lived to see it, but I did. I was here for a purpose today. I made today count. I was purposeful in my actions, and took time to think of others, share a part of my heart, and be thankful. I was calmer with my children and even started my day with my devotions. Now the truth be told, my bills are still waiting to be paid and my dishes need to be put away. My clothes are not put up from previous trip, and the dog tore into the trash while I was away from home. So is everything peachy? Of course not. Do I serve a really big God? Yes. Is he able? Certainly. Will I always see good? Probably not, but I will try. I will work toward that. Piece by piece, little by little. Growth is not speedy, nor should it be. Slow and steady.

Isaiah 43:19 ESV

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Peace to you, 

Staci