It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” Psalm 18:32
Happy Monday
A brand new start to the week! Ever found yourself burned out after trying to do things all by yourself?
It can be easy to try and accomplish things in our own strength.
Even when we do manage to be successful in getting things done, we rarely are ever able to enjoy the outcome because we are so exhausted.
God designed us to cooperate with Him in all things, not operate a one-man show where we do everything in our own power.
Many times, we may long to accomplish things by ourselves because it’s easier than recognizing our own insufficiency. However, God desires to fill in these insufficiencies with His strength!
Often, it is through our weakness and insufficiency that we draw closer to God. When you go to Him and pour out your heart, it is His good pleasure to instill you with His supernatural strength and grace to accomplish that which He has called you to do!
Because of this, do not despise your weakness. Rather, see them as empty “cups” waiting to be filled by the Lord’s power.
When you’re in a close walk with Him, you can have mighty confidence despite your insufficiency, because you know that God is infinite in His sufficiency!
By meditating on His word daily and seeking Him in prayer, the truth of His word will wash over you, permeating your being and empowering you.
Do you need strength today? The Lord is waiting for you with open arms, ready to empower you and equip you with His unfailing love.
Instead of dreading the day ahead, you can approach it with confidence knowing the Lord is working alongside you and through you. You never have to face anything alone, because His abundance of flowing strength will never run out!
May is stroke awareness month. I have not spoken about this much but last January I had two strokes. This song reminded me today of just how grateful I am that God gave me signs to know what to do when the symptoms happened. I have no damage from the first stroke. It happened a week before the second stroke. They say you often get a warning. But clearly it was not loud enough to stop me. And then on a Sunday morning much like today, my right leg collapsed out from under me while I was getting ready for church. I ended up in the floor. Thankfully as soon as I stepped I knew I was going down and was able to brace myself. Thankfully mine were clots and not a bleed.
Quick response is key. I was not eligible for TPA because of my recent eye surgery. But thanks be to God the blood thinners did their job.
After 3 days in ICU, I walked out of the hospital and got into the car. One. More. Day. So thankful. There are small things that changed in my life but the second chance of life has not been wasted.
Today is what we get. My heart is filled with gratitude that my story was not much more life-altering. So this Sunday morning on the porch, I am thankful. I want to encourage you to listen to your body and do not take one day for granted.
One. More. Beautiful. Day.
“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” James 1:17
Father, thank you for the gift of life and for one more beautiful day!!
Note: We learned through the course of my stay that my blood thinners were not working properly. I had a genetic mutation where my liver rapidly metabolizes the Plavix that I had been taking. So essentially the medication was not working as it should because of how my liver was processing it. So thanks be to God, a simple medication change has made a world of difference. And God was with me. So faithful and true!
A beautiful reminder of the small and BIG miracles. So much more to do in this life. So grateful to have you enjoy this journey!!!
I am running a bit backwards since the beginning of the year. I have battled the horrible mid/upper respiratory challenge with aches, fever, sore throat virus or whatever you would like to call it for six full days. Six full days of misery but praise God today I feel so much better after a really rough night with lots of coughing and congestion. Finally got the right meds in me and am happy to say…. I am grateful as my heart believes that the worst is behind me.
My new 2025 planner and prayer journal have sat at the foot of my bed this entire time. Since December actually. Every time I have walked by them I have groaned and whispered sweetly to the Lord that I promise to get to these committed treasures. Why? Because my heart is expectant.
2024 was not as anticipated and truly took on a life of its own with some medical setbacks right at the beginning of last January. We took multiple trips last year that were beyond our wildest dreams. But so many of the in between moments have been filled up with many medical visits and extensive testing. I truly felt like I never really got to process 2023 nor prepare for a “state of the union” for 2024.
So rather than simmer in the unrest and regret, I settled into a rhythm of life on a bit of a conveyer ride that just kept going with little reprieve. So much to process. My mind, spirit and body was quickly overwhelmed by adjusting to new challenges, eye surgery, a flooded basement and new medications.
Truthfully, 2024 is simply for me right now a litany of moments, information and things that needed to be done, remembered and ultimately the grace to embrace all that had changed so quickly in my life and our lives.
When I think back this afternoon, it was all beautiful chaos much different than the last 22 years of my life had known. And while I know and hold close spiritual truths so very dear, we are all aware, that to everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. {Ecclesiastes 3}
-to be born, and a time to die; -a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted
-a time to kill, and a time to heal; -a time to break down, and a time to build up
-a time to weep, and a time to laugh -a time to mourn, and a time to dance
-a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together -a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing
-a time to seek, and a time to lose -a time to keep, and a time to cast away
-a time to tear, and a time to sew -a time to keep silence, and a time to speak
-a time to love, and a time to hate; -a time for war, and a time for peace.
Honestly this last week of not feeling well has been filled with moments of an earnest sweetness lined with such grace, thoughtfulness, stillness and recollections of all that God has done in my life. TIME to consider the beautifully broken places, the beautiful handiwork of God and gather my thoughts in a way that I have been unable to do until now. Like right now.
I have despaired when I have set aside time to clear my mind and write the things so near and dear to my heart. I have been unable to write as my heart has truly desired and this has left a void in me that I cannot truly capture with words.
To everything there is a season….
I have waited {which for this heart that longs to be a “doer of the Word”} has had a hard time with. I have never doubted God in this waiting. But my heart would be remiss for those of you reading may need to hear this in your own waiting place as well. So lean in close as I write it out loud for us all as it be a quite lonely place for you as well.
I have been earnest in my prayers for the Lord to make clear this new beautiful and good road He has placed me on. I have lived full in the quietest place my soul has known in many years. So I have been held and known God so real even in this time of silence. Refuge. Comfort. My sweet and faithful Lord has been the keeper of my heart. The one who has held my tears and embraced me in this season of want and yet wait. My desire to love my God, my family and friends has never waned but I have not truly known this part of me until this season.
His promise- beauty from ashes.
So I share today for those who may be walking alongside of me that my heart has never been more ready to receive all that God has for me in this season. And the truth is, I have NO IDEA what that means but I am here body, mind and spirit for the beautiful next steps on this faith journey that we share.
Everything that I write or share will be here as well! I hope you will join me with an expectant heart as we unwrap all that God will do in our lives.
{Postscript}
I returned from Asheville still struggling with fatigue, sore throat, cough, etc… Finally went to the doc yesterday. Pneumonia, double ear infection, antibiotics and steroids. A little better today. Prayers appreciated. Stand down Satan!! Ready for a God-breathed 2025 for His glory!!
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through ALL generations. The Lord is trustworthy in ALL He promises and faithful in ALL He does. The Lord upholds ALL who fall and lifts up ALL who are bowed down.
The eyes of ALL look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in ALL His ways and faithful in ALL He does.
The Lord is near to ALL who call on Him, to ALL who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:13-19
I don’t know about you, but some days I need the reminder that, like a parent who clutches a stumbling child by the arm to prevent them from wiping out, God knows how to uphold me in the moments I fall. He’s not far away. He promises to be right there beside me. He is “trustworthy” in His promises and He is “faithful” in whatever He does. He “upholds” those who fall and He “lifts up” those who are doubled over.
What care and love from our Heavenly Father.
And did you see all the “alls” in this passage?
If you missed them, you might even take time to go back and underline each one. This passage has encouraged my heart through some of the most difficult moments of my life. God’s kingdom endures through not just one or two generations, but ALL generations. He’s trustworthy in not just some of what He promises, but in ALL He promises. He is faithful in not only the things we can visibly understand or see, but in ALL He does. He upholds not some of us, but ALL who fall and ALL who are bowed down. He’s near to not a special few, but ALL who call on Him. What a sweet reminder, and what good news this is, for l am certainly one of the “alls” crying out for His steadying hand.
God is with us and we are held in knowing God has got it ALL. Fully and completely and in ALL the ways that we as His beloved need.
Thank You, Lord, for Your trustworthiness today, and help us lean into Your all-encompassing love for your beloved!!
Journal Thoughts For Today: {write it out as your truth today}
Which promise in this passage is ministering most to your heart today? Why?
In what ways do you feel like you’re “bowed down” these days? How do you usually handle this experience? (Do you try to get back up in your own power and striving? Do you stay on the ground, afraid that you don’t deserve the chance to get back up again?)
Reflecting on your life, how have you seen God uphold you in a moment you were stumbling? How does that past grace give you strength for today’s struggle. 🤗
Prayer:
Father, thank You for being so trustworthy and faithful to me. Thank You for lifting me up even when l am bowed down, and for being near me in all the moments I need You. Help me to call out to You when I fall, when I doubt, when I fear and infuse me with trust that You always hear me, You’ve always got me, and You’ll always answer my cries for help. Give me rest body, mind and spirit today!
God is extraordinarily and eternally faithful. When we seek Him, we will find Him. When we confess our sins, He will forgives us. And no matter what we do or where we go, He will love us with an everlasting love.
We enjoyed time with our daughter and family last night and attended the 1st and 2nd grade Spring Easter Program. Our sweet Emma sang beautifully and spoke with authority biblical truths. God is at work.
The scripture that was woven thru the story led to a beautiful invitation to become a follower of Christ.
My heart is so full. It is a joy to watch our children parent. It is an even greater joy to watch our grandchildren each navigate their individual journey of faith. My heart is to see them walk in relationship with their Heavenly Father and know FULL life in a faithful God.
While the world is clamoring and screaming at the tops of its lungs for the minds and hearts of the children to turn FROM God, I am one grateful mama and MeMe to hear children singing truth and praises to God last night.
So this morning, in the quiet before everyone else woke up, a few scriptures came to mind about the faithfulness of God. My friend, He is true to His Word and that is the ONE thing in this world we CAN depend on and put our hope in.
Thought I’d share a few Bible verses in case you would like to stay your mind on our God’s faithfulness too.
God is not a man, that He might lie, or a son of man, that He might change His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill? Numbers 33:19
Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands. Deuteronomy 7:9
But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3
For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is trustworthy. Psalm 33:4
Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23
Drop hands of praise below if you have known God’s faithfulness! Let that be your testimony today!!🙌
I am grateful to You, O God, for the blessing of Your forgiveness. I thank You that in Christ, You set me free from the guilt of the past and give me hope for the future.
O Lord, be gracious to me. Psalm 41:4
Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. The Lord guides the humble in what is right And teaches the humble His way. Psalm 25:8-9
You have chosen me as Your witness and servant so that I may know and believe You and understand that You are the Lord. Before You no God was formed, nor will there be one after You. Isaiah 43:10
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; You formed the mountains by Your strength, having armed Yourself with power; and You stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples. Psalm 65:5-7
I will give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, and make known to others what He has done. I will sing to Him, sing praises to Him, and tell of all His wonderful acts. 1 Chronicles 16:8-9
Lord, I thank You for choosing me and for Your deeds of righteousness. I thank You for Your wonderful works. Lord my heart is eager to respond to Your word and to walk in love.
O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down And are acquainted with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, You know it completely. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139:1-6
Take a moment to consider the greatness of God and thank Him that He loves you and wants an intimate relationship with you.
The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19
Lord God, You are the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command. Isaiah 45:12
Though I have not seen Jesus, I love Him; and though I do not see Him now but believe in Him, I rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, for I am receiving the end of my faith, the salvation of my soul. 1 Peter 1:8- 9
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good. Proverbs 19:8
Lord, I thank You for the Kingdom of God and for Your sovereignty over all. I thank You for Jesus, the Savior of my soul, and I ask that I would have the wisdom to acknowledge Your authority in all areas of my life.
O Lord, I am deeply grateful for Your wonderful acts, for Your abundant promises, and for the gift of my relationship with You through Christ.
You have loved me with an everlasting love; You have drawn me with lovingkindness. Jeremiah 31:3
I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:1-2
Take a moment to express your gratitude for the many blessings that you have received from the Lord.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
“To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?” says the Holy One. Lift your eyes to the heavens and see who has created them, He who brings out the starry host by number and calls them each by name. Because of His great might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow tired or weary. No one can fathom His understanding. Isaiah 40:25-26, 28
I do not want to be conformed to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, that I may prove that the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Lord, I thank You for the glory Your Word and for Your incomparable nature. I thank You for the transforming power of Your truth, and I ask that I will order my steps in humility and in gentleness. I bring to you my sinfulness and pray that You would grow in me a heart that longs even more to be more like You.
Lord, I give thanks for Your greatness, Your goodness, and Your love, and I now draw near to enjoy Your presence.
Are You a God nearby, and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places So that You cannot see him? Do You not fill heaven and earth? Jeremiah 23:23-24
Take a moment to consider the fullness of God’s nearness, His dominion and thank Him that He loves you and wants an intimate relationship with you.
The Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven. In the presence of the Ancient of Days, He will be given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and men of every language will worship Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14
We are looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works. Titus 2:13-14
The Spirit helps me in my weakness, for I do not know what I ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for me with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27
I am chosen of God, holy and beloved, I will put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with others and forgiving others even as the Lord forgave me; and above all these things, I will put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:12-14
Lord, I thank You for the dominion of Jesus Christ and for the hope of His glorious coming. I thank You for the ministry of Your Holy Spirit, and I ask that I would remain faithful, compassionate, always looking for ways to serve others.
Simple Life Heartenings 
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