Category Archives: Personal Growth

Sunrise at the Beach in Ocean City

Sunrise at the Beach

Last week, we spent a few days at the beach. Of course, we woke up early every day to catch the sunrise. That’s our favorite thing to do! Pretty much every morning we’re at the beach, we are out the door before sunrise so we can see the sun come up over the water. It’s the most amazing thing in the world to watch, especially if you can get there when it’s still dark and get to watch the entire progression.

There’s a spot on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey that is the most popular spot to watch the sunrise. It always surprises me how many people gather in that spot each morning to watch the sun come up. Every single day, the sun rises. It’s not an uncommon occurrence. Yet, every day, people gather at that spot and stop whatever it was they were doing. For just a few moments of time, we all stop and stare in silence in the direction of the sun.

That Magical Moment Right before Sunrise

There’s this magical moment right before the sun rises. Everybody gathers around and stares into the horizon, waiting and hoping to be the first to catch a glimpse of the sun as it rises. It’s a moment of breathless anticipation. A stillness fills the air, and everybody waits in silence.

As we watch, the sun crests along the horizon. It begins its rise, magnificent in its ascension. The whole thing only lasts a few minutes; if you’re not paying close attention, you will miss it altogether. Then after the sun has risen, people begin to dissipate. Some people begin pedaling on their bikes once again; others turn to their walking partner and begin a conversation as they walk on the boardwalk once again. Others leave the boardwalk altogether, having accomplished what they came to accomplish.

The Consistency of Sunrise

It always amazes me how the sunrise can be so incredibly different each and every morning. I never grow tired of seeing the sunrise. If I lived by the ocean, I think I would wake up every morning and make my way over to the beach every single morning. Every time I see a sunrise, it reminds me of God’s faithfulness. The sunrise is so consistent; we literally set our clocks by it. So it is with God’s faithfulness; it is something we can count on every single day, no matter the circumstances.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Sunrises are More Uncommon than Sunsets

Andy Andrews, in his book, The Bottom of the Pool, says that sunrises are more uncommon than sunsets. At first that doesn’t really make sense; sunsets and sunrises both take place every single day. It doesn’t make sense until you continue reading and he explains that even though sunrises and sunsets happen daily, most people won’t catch the sunrise. Most people have a better chance of seeing the sunset than the sunrise. That’s because most people are busy in the morning. Either they’re still sleeping, or they’re getting ready for work or for school.

Sunrises are for the few that brave getting up early, so they don’t miss out on the spectacular. That moment right before the sun rises is a special moment that most people miss out on. I think it’s the same way with God working in our lives. Some people just miss out on what God was trying to do in their lives. They’re so busy rushing through life that they never stop and look up and wait and watch and try to figure out what God is doing in their life.

Don’t Forget to Pause and Look Up

Watching the sunrise each morning last week reminded me that I don’t want that to be the story of my life. I don’t want to miss what God is doing in my life and in the lives around me simply because I was too busy to stop and ponder what he was doing.

So this is my reminder to you and to myself. Spend some time in this month of October before we go careening into the holiday season to simply stop and spend time with God. Look up. Spend some extra time reading your Bible and journaling. See what he’s trying to do in your life and in the lives of those around you. Don’t miss out on the beauty that he is creating in your life every single day.

My morning time with my Faithfully Stepping Journal

The fact of the matter is God sees you; he knows what you are going through today. He has you right where he wants you. Don’t miss out on what he has in store.

sunrise and verse — Sunrise at Ocean City, NJ

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Getting Stuck in the Dark and Waiting for Dawn to Break, and a book recommendation is Sandra Stanley’s Devotional, Breathing Room.

It Always Comes Back to Faith

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Jesus’ Run-In with Evil Spirits

Multiple times during Jesus’ ministry, he healed those who were possessed with devils. While it’s not so common in our culture today in the United States for someone to be possessed, it was a pretty common occurrence during Jesus’ time.

Evil spirits would take over a person and make them lose their mind. There are instances of people throwing themselves into fires and other dangerous situations because they were possessed by devils. It’s not something I like to dwell on personally; it can get pretty dark pretty quickly.

But there’s something about these instances that has caught my attention while I’ve been reading through the Gospels during my morning time routine. Every time Jesus had a run-in with these demons, they recognized who he was. They knew with certainty that he was the son of God. Yet every single time, Jesus commands them to hold their tongues.

Bible Examples

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Mark 1:32-34

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
Mark 3:11,12

I read both of these passages this week, and it got me thinking. Why would Jesus command that they keep quiet about who he was? Wasn’t he trying to teach people about who he was? Didn’t he want them to know who he was? Wasn’t that the whole reason he was here on earth?

It All Comes Back to Faith

The answer is yes to each of those questions. So then why did Jesus command them to keep silent about who he was? I believe it comes back to faith. It always comes back to faith. Jesus wanted people to believe who he was by faith. Faith is believing something we can’t see.

If Jesus allowed the devils to tell the people who he really was, then they would have believed He was God’s son based not on their faith but on the testimony of the devils. The devils would give the people a personal account of who Jesus was.

These evil spirits were the same ones that would have been in Heaven with Jesus before the fall, before Satan fell and took a third of the host of heaven with him. So these demons knew who Jesus was; they’d been in Heaven with him before they were kicked out of heaven. So when they opened their mouths to testify, by their testimony, they would reveal Jesus’ identity. Jesus didn’t want that. He wanted people to believe in him by faith.

It’s Impossible to Please God without Faith

Thousands of years later, things haven’t changed. Faith is still really important to God. He still wants us to believe in him through faith, not just the faith that’s required for salvation. Jesus wants to increase our everyday faith.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Notice those words. It is impossible to please God without faith. So, if we lack in our faith, God says we are not pleasing to Him. If we doubt that God is going to come through on something for us, we are not pleasing to him. Let’s take it one step further. What’s the opposite of pleasing? It’s to be displeasing. So when we don’t have faith for today that God is going to come through, that he is who he says he is, or that he is working in my life, we am displeasing to God.

Here are some adjectives for displeasing: unpleasant, unattractive, humorless, ugly, exasperating, off-putting, maddening, and disconcerting. This really paints a picture and not a good one. This is how God feels when we don’t have faith. I don’t know about you, but that is not how I want Jesus to see me.

For Today

So what’s that mean for today? Today, we have to choose faith. Over and over and over again. We have to choose faith when we feel like God doesn’t hear us or doesn’t love us. When the bills aren’t getting paid, we have to choose faith that God is still for us and will come through for us. When we’re at the end of our rope, we have to believe that God will be enough.

It always comes back to faith. No matter how long we’ve been saved, it will still come back to faith. So let’s choose to believe God and take him at his word today. Let’s trust him when everything inside of us tells us we can’t. Let’s choose to take him at his word and trust that he will come through for us today, just as he always has in the past.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, The Eight-Step Process of Faith. A great book to read is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.

Strangers Become Friends Around the Table

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Strangers Around the Table

Have you ever been to a party and had to sit at a table full of strangers? At first it’s awkward. You sort of fumble around a little, but then the awkwardness starts to fade as you find common ground. Conversation begins to flow; and by the time you leave the party, you’re no longer strangers but friends. That’s what happens when we open our homes and practice hospitality.

Strangers in our Homes

Hospitality has become such a thing of the past, hasn’t it? Nobody invites strangers into their homes. Nobody has their neighbors over anymore, right? That’s just not done; it isn’t safe. Nobody invites somebody that they just met at church into their home; they could be a child predator, for all we know.

In our world where safety is supreme and our homes are locked up tighter than Fort Knox, we stay safe by hiding behind closed doors and drawn shades. We pull into our garage and close the garage door before heading inside, so we don’t have to talk to anybody. Or we park on the street and wait until the coast is clear before walking up the sidewalk and into the house.

We’ve conditioned ourselves not to answer the door, not to run into people, not to take unnecessary chances of having to talk to people. We “protect” ourselves from the neighbors we don’t know and guard ourselves against the new family at school or at church. We don’t join a small group at church because we’re just not sure that’s for us, and we don’t really need to be in a small group.

Inevitably, we don’t invite people into our homes because we’re too busy. We have a schedule to maintain, and we don’t have time for company. Having people over will only slow us down, and we can’t afford that. And if we are going to have company, let’s be honest, it’s going to be people we know, people we are comfortable with. I mean, that’s what’s best for our family; that’s what’s safe.

Boundaries

The American mindset is to set boundaries, protect yourself and your family, look for out for yourself because nobody else will, take care of yourself first, you matter…And then we wonder why our country is splintering from the inside out. We’re fracturing at the most basic level—people, relationships. We’ve closed our doors to the needs around us, and we’ve hunkered down, protecting ourselves and isolating ourselves from the outside world. We protect our kids from the “bad influence” of the neighborhood kids. To keep others out, we put up fences; and we keep our distance from troublesome neighbors. Moreover, we don’t do community events, and we are too busy to go to neighborhood activities.

Replacing Community with Church

We’ve replaced community with the church. Here these words very carefully: we are pro-church. We are so pro-church that we started a church over ten years ago. We left our home and moved to an area outside of Philadelphia and started Greater Philly Church. Every Sunday morning, that’s where you will find our family. We, of all people, love the church Christ died for. We’ve made it our life’s work.

We have church events and activities, we have special days, and we have our small groups. But at the same time, we will be the first to admit that the church should not be the only interaction we have with people. We realize the danger of interacting only with church people. We’ve seen what happens to churches who simply stop interacting with people outside of church. They get so entrenched in church life that they forget about the people all around them.

A Both-And Mindset

We’ve made it our mission to see it as “both-and.” We have fellowship with people from church, and we have fellowship with those who don’t go to church. Matt’s part of a group called Front Yard Mission, where the group’s focus is to spend time getting to know and developing relationships with your neighbors. We’re gearing up to have a fall cookout with our neighbors in our front yard. We hope to have a good turnout.

At our last get-together, we had donuts and coffee in our front yard. We had fifteen plus neighbors show up to that. We sat and fellowshipped with neighbors that we knew and neighbors we met for the first time that morning. It was a wonderful time of food and fellowship. Matt didn’t preach; we didn’t have a devotional. We didn’t pass out cards and invite everybody to church. There are times and places for those things, but this wasn’t it. This was simply a time of opening our home to our neighbors and fellowshipping together.

Loving People without Thought of Anything in Return

God reminds us over and over again in his word that hospitality is from him; he ordained it. Why? Because Jesus understood what it meant to turn strangers into friends. He was the master of this. Jesus would take the time to talk to a woman at a well who was unpopular and unloved. He wasn’t doing it to get anything out of it; Jesus simply saw her. He ministered to her and loved on her. That’s the kind of ministry he had, and it’s the kind of ministry he set as an example for us to follow.

Inviting Others into Our Homes

In our quest to follow Jesus’ example, we need to remember that he didn’t call us just to practice hospitality with our friends, with people we know well. No, he calls us to practice hospitality on those we don’t know as well. Our neighbors, our co-workers, the mailman, the guy who fixes our car. When we start to see these people as people Jesus loved and gave his life for, we begin to understand that these are real people that need to be loved and need to learn about Jesus. The best way we can do that is to invite them into our lives, into our homes. And we need to do it even if they never come to our church; they might even attend another church. That’s okay. We do it because we love them, because it’s our job to share Jesus with them.

After we’ve loved strangers and practiced hospitality on our neighbors, having that new family over from church is a breeze! Hosting a small group in your home is super easy. It may not feel easy at first, but just start. Invite somebody over. You will be surprised at how fast strangers turn into friends when you’re gathered around the same table.

**This is an excerpt from my book Eshel Table, releasing Fall of 2022.

More Encouragement

If you enjoyed this post, check out another post of mine, Gathering Around the Table. One of the books that I love on this topic is Shauna Niequist’s book, Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes. And one of my favorite books on this topic is The Turquoise Table by Kristin Schell.

Advice, Wisdom, and Avoiding Heartbreak

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Asking for Advice

Have you ever had somebody ask your advice on something, and you readily give it only to find out later that they already had their mind set on what they wanted to do? How did it make you feel? Frustrated, right?

We had this happen recently. Somebody asked Matt and I how we felt about a decision they were going to make. Matt and I both agreed it wasn’t a wise decision. We talked to this person for at least an hour or so and felt confident in the fact they had heard and would heed our advice.

Rejecting that Advice

However, a few weeks later, that same person came to us and told us they had done exactly what we advised them not to do. We both just sat there for a moment, stunned. What do you say? We didn’t agree with the decision, but they already knew that. Yet, they ignored our advice and went ahead with their decision anyway.

Situations like these are so disheartening. We can foresee a decision someone is about to make and the heartbreak it’s going to cause. Yet, we are helpless to do anything to change it.

There’s a story in the book of Jeremiah about a group of people that had a plan in mind; all they needed was for the prophet to give his blessing on their plan. Reading the story and knowing all the details now, I wonder why they even bothered asking the prophet for his advice anyway. They were going to do what they were going to do whether he told them they should or not.

The People’s Request

We pick up the story in Jeremiah 42. Judah has been seized by Babylon. Most of the people were taken into captivity, and the city has been burned and destroyed. There was, however, a small remnant of people left in the city. Jeremiah, the prophet, is part of that remnant still in Judah.

The few people that are left come to Jeremiah and ask him to pray to his God to show them what they should do next.

They said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.”
Jeremiah 42:2,3 NLT

Jeremiah’s Response

Jeremiah agrees and tells them that he will tell them everything God says. Ten days later, God gives Jeremiah the answer. God tells them that they need to stay in the land, even though they feel like they’d be safer going to Egypt. Furthermore, if they do move to Egypt, they won’t survive.

Yet before the words are even out of Jeremiah’s mouth, they argue with him.

When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the Lordtheir God to all the people, Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The Lord our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt!Baruch son of Neriah has convinced you to say this, because he wants us to stay here and be killed by the Babylonians or be carried off into exile.So Johanan and the other military leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah.”
Jeremiah 43:1-3

Their Rejection

The word from God conflicts with what they want to do. They were hoping that Jeremiah would tell them that God said to go to Egypt. Instead, God tells them that if they go to Egypt, it will be to their demise and utter destruction.

Even though the people asked Jeremiah for God’s answer, they didn’t really want it. They basically wanted God’s approval on the plans they had already made. As you can probably guess, the people don’t listen to God’s words. They decide to go ahead with their own plan.

Forging Ahead without Asking God

We sit back and criticize these people, yet how many times have we done the same thing. We get into our mind what we want to do, and we pray and hope that God will bless those plans. We forge ahead with our own plan and hope it all works out.

But Solomon reminds us that our plans won’t prosper without God.

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Proverbs 19:21

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 NLT

Our Response

We have to be careful that we don’t make our plans and just hope that God blesses what we are doing. Too often, we jump into something without asking God if it’s something we should pursue or not. Then we get frustrated with God when it doesn’t work out. In reality, it’s not God’s fault. We never stopped to check with him.

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.
Proverbs 19: 3 NLT

The best way to stop making foolish mistakes is to ask God first before we jump into something. Spend the time now asking God what direction we should go before we make a mess of things. Ask God for wisdom first; follow that up with asking advice from a few wise counselors. If we do, we can spare ourselves a lot of heartbreak.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post You Can Avoid Making Foolish Decisions. A great book to read is The Best Yes by Lisa TerKeurst. The paperback is currently on sale on Amazon for $8.72.

Peach Picking and Sticking with It

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Peach Picking in Lancaster

two girls with peaches — Maggie and Macey on the wagon with our peaches

We had an amazing day yesterday. We got to go peach picking at a farm in Lancaster yesterday. Well, first we had to play on the giant hay bales; then we went peach picking.

I’ve never been peach picking before. I thought it would be similar to apple picking, but it was a little different.

When we go apple picking, we hit a few trees and get more apples than our box can hold. It doesn’t take very long. When we went peach picking, however, it took much longer. The peaches were much harder to find and were few and far between. We might walk past three or four trees before we would find a peach hiding in there.

The peaches are amazing, so much better than the ones from the grocery store! They’re beautiful and so flavorful and juicy. We cut up a bunch of them and froze them for smoothies and for baking, and this morning I made a peach crumble for the first time.

peach crumble — Peach Crumble: I took out some before I remembered to take a picture

Enjoying the Fruit of Somebody’s Hard Work

I got to thinking about the peaches and the peach trees and all the work that has gone into that little piece of paradise we got to enjoy yesterday. The trees gave us shade and brought relief from the hot sun. The peaches were fun to pick but are also going to provide great snacks and desserts.

Somebody spent hours and hard work and sweat to produce what we got to partake in yesterday. All we had to do was show up, walk around a little, and pick a few peaches. We got to enjoy the fruit of somebody else’s labor. (literally)

Working at Our Craft

For so many of us, that’s sort of the way life is. We work so hard at our craft or at our job. Somebody shows up to partake in our work. They spend a few minutes engaging with our life’s work or business, and then they move on. It’s simply a transaction for them. For us, however, it’s our life’s work. It’s a representation of our blood, sweat, and tears. It represents our dreams and goals and aspirations. It’s a showing of everything we’ve sacrificed to get to where we are today. Yet to others, it’s simply an experience, a product, a sampling. They will enjoy it and move on.

As an author and blogger, I spend so much time writing. I pour myself into my work, run on little sleep, race against deadlines, try to keep up with everything, and give everything I’ve got into my writing, my books, my blog, and my other products. Then somebody comes along and buys one of my books, spends a few hours reading it (or doesn’t finish it) and leaves a review for how well they think I did. They move on with their life. Meanwhile, I’m still there working on the next book, giving everything I’ve got to make it the best it can be and to get it out on time.

Building Resentment

If I’m not careful, this entire process builds resentment. It creates feelings of frustration and annoyance. I can get pulled down into thinking I’m not good enough; I’m a failure. I can get frustrated with people who didn’t live up to my expectations.

Living like this is exhausting and frustrating. I’ve got to learn to treat it like some farmer in Lancaster does. He works the ground, grows the trees, produces the fruit and doesn’t get an ounce of credit for his or her work. Why do they keep doing it then? For the joy it brings to others. Because this is what God created them to do, and they feel incredible fulfillment in living out their purpose.

Stick with It

I don’t know what Your purpose is, but I want to encourage you not to give up on it. Don’t get weary and discouraged and walk away because you feel like nobody is noticing. Here’s the thing: they are noticing. You made somebody’s day today, because you showed up and did your thing. I had an amazing experience with my family because somebody has been taking care of those peach trees.

I rolled out a book this week. It hasn’t gone crazy; my books never do. If I’m not careful, I get discouraged and want to give up. Yet this week, I received this text from one of my readers.

Book 2 might be my favorite book you have written so far. I definitely love this new series!

That was enough to put wind in my sails and remind me of why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Don’t Quit

I say all that to say this: whatever you’re doing, working at, creating, performing, serving…Keep at it. Keep showing up and doing what you do best. Continue to create the best product or service you can. Don’t give up even though you may not see the fruit of your labor.

I can guarantee you that there are people who absolutely love what you are doing or creating, and they would be lost without it. So keep drawing, writing, serving, baking, creating, caring for, tending…keep on doing whatever it is you do that makes you, you. Because there’s somebody out there that needs you to keep doing it.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, read my post Don’t Give Up on the Dream God has Given You or check out Matt’s book, Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream to the Birth of a Breakthrough.

The Eight-Step Process of Faith

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Our Crazy Heat Wave

We just came out of a heat wave here in the Philadelphia area. The temperatures have been soaring, and so has the humidity. A few days ago, I was driving and looked down to see the dashboard said the temperature was 100 degrees. A glance at my phone showed the heat index was above 107. Basically, it was hot! It’s the kind of heat and humidity that you just walk outside and instantly get soaked.

And then this morning, I opened the door to take out the trash and was shocked to feel a cool breeze. The heat had broken and so had the humidity. I opened the front door, the back door, and all the windows. I can’t keep the smile off my face because it’s the first hint of fall coming.

Getting a Break

Sometimes life is like that. It’s so hard and heavy, and it feels like you’re just never going to get a break. Then one morning, you wake up and realize that your heart is lighter. The worst has passed, or has begun to pass. You begin to feel hope for the first time in a very long time.

You look up and feel God’s presence, his goodness for the first time in a long time. He’s been there all along, but you just awakened anew to his presence.

Walking on the Water and Our Faith

I think that’s similar to how Peter felt in his famous story of walking on the water. He went through the process in a few seconds of what we go through for weeks and months at a time.

Peter’s Eight-Step Process of Walking on Water Compared to the Faith Process

Peter got excited about the possibilities—walking on the water. How could you not? Similarly, we get excited about what God has for us.
We trust God and step out in faith, and it feels really good…for a little bit.
Then reality hits. The waves come and threaten to wipe you out. All you can see is the storm and the huge waves.
Our trust wavers, and we falter. We question God and question why we even stepped out in the first place.
Instead of reaching out to the one who can save us, we look at everything around us, trying to work it out by ourselves.
Finally, at the end of ourself, we look up and ask Jesus for help. Jesus reaches out and pulls us back up.
We stand on solid ground again and look around, surprised that God got us through it.
Then Jesus asks, “Why did you doubt me?” Read Jesus’ response to Peter.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Matthew 14: 31

The Process of Faith

The process of faith is pretty comparable to the process of walking on water that Peter did. I don’t know which number in the progression you’re in today, but the fact of the matter is that you are in one of those phases, or you’re getting ready to go back into that process. That’s just how life is, how God works. I’ve seen it over and over and over again.

We could speed the entire process up if we skipped the not having faith part, not trusting God to get us through. If we just went right from stepping out to do something great for God to asking Jesus for his help and trusting him to get us through it, we could save ourselves some heartbreak. Maybe a lot of heartbreak. Sadly, it’s just not the way most of us process things. We usually skip right to the stage where reality hits, and we begin to question God’s goodness and faithfulness.

What if we didn’t? What if when the hard times come, we didn’t waste energy on doubt and fear, on doubting God’s goodness and faithfulness; and we didn’t spend time questioning our faith? Maybe we could get through the process in half the time. Maybe God could trust us with more. More blessing, more opportunities, more relationships…just more.

Commit to Skipping Right to the Faith Step

For as many years as I have been a Christian, for as many trials and hard times God has gotten me through, my default when hard times come is to doubt. I doubt God’s goodness, I feel like he’s forgotten me, and I’m convinced that this will be the one time that everything comes crashing down around me.

Let’s commit to choosing to skip those steps in the middle. Let’s just skip right to the part where we call on Jesus and trust him to get us through. We will save ourselves a lot of heartache in the middle. I am committing to do the same.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Developing a Faith that’s Strong Enough to Stand On, or check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life.

You Can Avoid Making Foolish Decisions

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Making Foolish Decisions

I was talking with somebody recently who made a really foolish decision, one they can’t come back from. It’s permanent, and nothing they can do will change it. Matt and I spent a lot of time thinking through the situation. Why? Why did they come to this decision? What motivated them to do it?

This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with a situation like this, and it won’t be the last. We spend a lot of time wondering what we could have done differently or said differently. Most often, it comes back to the fact that a person simply didn’t use wisdom to make the decision. They made a rush decision; they didn’t think through the consequences. Maybe they didn’t see the full picture. Whatever the case may be, they made a poor decision.

Paul’s Prayer for His Followers

Paul hits this issue head-on in Colossians. He writes a letter to the church in Colossae and tells them that he prays for them without stopping. Why? Because he had the same issues back then that we do today. We all have a tendency to make foolish decisions.

Paul prayed for the believers; he tells them that he prays for God to give them knowledge of his will and wisdom and understanding. In return, their lives will produce fruit.

I broke it down into a graphic.

Asking God for Wisdom

If we want our lives to honor God, we have to have his wisdom. There’s no way around it. We can and will really make a mess of our lives if we don’t get ahold of this principle: We need wisdom, the wisdom that is from God.

So how do we get it? How do we get God’s wisdom? We find the answer in the book of James.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:5 NLT

We have to ask for it. The only way to avoid making foolish decisions, mistakes that we can’t come back from, is to ask God for wisdom. Continually spend time seeking him and his plan for our lives.

If we have wisdom from God and continue to seek Him and become more like him, then our lives will produce good fruit. We won’t bear the consequences and scars of a life lived foolishly.

More Encouragement

If you find yourself in a place where you have made a foolish decision, don’t give up hope. We’ve all been there; we’ve all made foolish decisions. That’s why we need God. Here’s a video from my husband to check out that will give you hope and encouragement. How to Reset Your Regrets and Start Over.

Staying Resilient in the Midst of Life’s Hard

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Resilient Trees

Trees are resiliant; that’s for sure. A few months ago, we had to have a tree company take down one of the trees in our backyard. When the guy came out to give us a quote, he told us that the tree at some point tried to uproot itself. The entire thing twisted but managed to stay rooted. Now, we’re talking about an eighty-foot plus tree here. The thing was massive. Somehow, it managed to stay upright, even though most of its roots were above ground and the entire thing had twisted.

Verses about Trees

Trees have the ability to stand strong during the worst of storms. I read some verses in Jeremiah this week during my morning time routine that reminded me of the tree we had taken down.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
    and they never stop producing fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

Staying Resilient, No Matter the Circumstances

Trees that are healthy can weather the storm and can grow no matter the circumstances. God says that when we trust him and make him our hope and confidence instead of ourselves, that we are like a tree. Not just any tree—a tree that has deep roots, is settled next to water, and stays strong no matter what.

When we trust God no matter what, we become like one of those strong trees. We are able to weather the storms. No matter what circumstances come our way, we are able to stand strong and still produce fruit. What does it mean to still produce fruit? It means we still love others in the midst of our storm, continue to grow in our faith, and choose joy.

Poem about Resilience

I love this poem about resilience by Douglas Malloch.

Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

Choosing to Be Resilient

We don’t become who God wants us to be by skating through life without any problems. No, we become strong, faith-filled women by enduring trials and still choosing to be joyful, to love God, and to love others.

If we fail to learn to be resilient, we aren’t going to be able to accomplish what God wants us to. In turn, we will miss the blessings God had for us. If we give up now, the only sure thing is that we will have missed out on what God had in store.

So choose to be resilient. Choose to stand strong in your faith, no matter the circumstances. Keep loving, serving, and choosing joy even when you don’t “feel” like it. Then watch as God grows your faith and makes you like one of those tall trees—able to withstand the storms and always bearing fruit, no matter the circumstances.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Developing a Faith that’s Strong Enough to Stand On. Or check out Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis Majors. Katie’s life is a perfect example of being resilient and continuing to love people, even when life is hard.

What LJ Taught Me about Praying

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Have you ever had somebody keep asking your for something over and over and over again until you finally give in and give them what they want? If you’re a mom, the answer to that is probably yes. I used to think I was so strong…then I became a mom!

Our Neighbor, LJ

One of our neighbors is an eight-year-old boy named LJ. Almost every day during the summer, LJ shows up at our house multiple times a day and opens the door. “Hey, is Malachi in there? Can he come out and play?”

For the first couple weeks after we met LJ, we tried tirelessly to get LJ not to open the door without knocking first. He would stand in the doorway and ask what the kids were doing and when they could come out to play. We would tell him he needs to knock first and can’t just open the door and stand in the doorway. Honestly, it was more stressful than just letting him come in. So, we finally gave up one day after it had happened at least ten times and just said, “Sure, LJ. Come on in.” It’s pretty much a standing invitation now; he comes over whenever he wants to and comes inside, even if it’s 7:30 in the morning and the younger girls are still asleep.

What LJ Taught Us

Matt looked at me the other day and said, “I think LJ is the perfect example of what God has in mind when he tells us to keep asking.”

I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

LJ never gave up; that kid has tenacity. He wore us down over time until we finally just gave him a standing invite to come in whenever. Jesus teaches a story about prayer that reminds Matt and I a lot of LJ.

Jesus’ Story about Prayer

When Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, he gave them an example of what to pray. We know it as the Lord’s prayer. Right after that, he launches into a story to help illustrate how to pray.

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11:5-10 NLT

Importunity

There’s a word that describes this type of prayer. It’s called importunity. Importunity is defined as: persistence, especially to the point of annoyance. It doesn’t sound like a very flattering word, and yet this is what God wants from us when we come to him in prayer. It’s not giving up after the fourth, fifth, hundredth, thousandth prayer. It’s persevering and not giving up until God says, “Okay, because of your shameless persistence, I will answer you.”

LJ Wore Us Down

When I think of all the times we told LJ not to come in, I just laugh. He wore us down, and we changed out minds out of sheer frustration.

What would happen if we took that same attitude towards our requests to God? What if we didn’t give up once or twice or even after a hundred times. If we just kept praying and asking and believing that God is going to answer our prayer, what would happen? I believe we’d see more of our prayers answered. We can all learn a lesson from LJ. Don’t give up. Keep asking, seeking, knocking. Keep praying until God answers that prayer; it’s always too soon to give up on prayer!

For More Encouragement

If you enjoyed this post, check out Finding the Tenacity to Wrestle with God. A great book to read on this topic is Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker.

Handling Hard Better

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Handle Hard Better Video

Matt showed me a video this week on Youtube from the Women’s basketball coach at Duke. It’s been labeled Handle Hard Better. It’s a great quick video that all of us can learn from. Take a quick minute to watch it; it’s worth the time.

The simple fact of the matter is that life is hard. It’s never going to get easier. Instead, we have to learn how to bear up under that hard, handle the hard better. The better we handle the hard we’re dealing with now, the better we make it for the next thing we have to deal with.

Life Doesn’t Get Easier

Matt has a saying. “Life doesn’t get easier, but it gets better.” I don’t know that there ever comes a point and time in life when we say, “Wow. This is so easy right now.” School is hard. College is grueling. Having babies is exhausting. Raising children is no joke. Preparing teens for life is not for the faint of heart. Building a career is no easy feat. Choosing to stay married requires love and sacrifice. On and on the list goes. Life never gets easier, but it can get better. Why?” Because we learn how to handle life as it comes our way.

We can choose to live under our circumstances and let them crush the life and joy out of us, or we can choose to live above our circumstances. I like to think of it this way. We can choose to be a Tigger or an Eeyore. Except for Eeyore’s tail that always fell off, Tigger and Eeyore faced the same daily problems. But Tigger faced them with zeal and excitement, whereas Eeyore faced them with dread and depression.

We can’t choose our circumstances, but we can choose our response every time. We have to find joy even in the midst of bad circumstances. If we give ourselves permission to live without joy, to be depressed and discouraged, hopeless and defeated every time we face a hardship, our entire life is going to be like that. Because let’s face it. Life is hard! But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can find joy, no matter the circumtances. But it’s our job to find the joy, even in the midst of life’s hard.

Choosing to Find Joy

Shauna Niequist says in her book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet, that we are responsible to find joy. It doesn’t necessarily just come bubbling up. No, we have to chase it down; we have to choose to find it.

We also put ourselves in the path of joy, and sometimes, frankly, it takes a little muscle. I no longer wait for joy to rise up unbidden. I put myself in her path every chance I get, and extending myself in that direction delivers me to gratitude, to hope, to a cascade of things that tumble out after joy but don’t show up without a little effort on our part.
Shauna Niequist

Choose today to bear up under whatever hard it is you are facing. Choose to find joy. Learn to build some “muscle” with what you’re going through. If you do, it will make the next hard that comes your way just a little easier to deal with.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out You Can’t Wait Until Life isn’t Hard to Be Happy or read Lysa TerKeurst’s book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. The hardback is currently on sale on Amazon for $12.85.