Category: General

Joy, the bright yellow character from the movie “Inside Out,” is always cheerful and smiles throughout the movie, no matter the circumstances. She tries to keep it all together when the other characters, Disgust, Sadness, Anger, and Fear, seem to not understand that joy is above all emotions and should be preserved. My family and I love this movie, and we laugh and feel every bit of emotion, because we can relate to it. I kept thinking about this movie when I saw the topic for this blog post.

I then took a minute to think about ways I choose joy during the day, and to be honest, I did not resemble Joy, from the movie, at all. There were a few days I only broke a smile once or twice. I definitely did not leap with happiness to go clean the 10th poopy diaper of the day. I felt disappointed to realize my past few days did not look like joy-filled days. I am a tired mama of 3, who stays home, homeschools 2 kids, and changes at least 10 diapers per day. I probably wear my pjs all day, until it is time to get ready for nighttime church or evening wrestling practice. I rush out the door after making dinner and taking five or ten minutes to get myself ready. My heart felt sad that I might not be the right person to write about choosing joy every day.

I kept thinking about ways we choose joy every day. I knew there had to be more than just what we have been told about what joy is. We have a saying in our house, “TV is to entertain us, not to teach us how to act,” because I know how easily I let movies or TV shows shape my perception of life.

So, I went to the Bible to remind myself what joy really is. There are countless examples of joy in the Bible, but they don’t all portray characters like the bright yellow “Joy” from Inside Out.

The first example I remembered was Christ on his way to the cross. What a powerful image of a selfless man almost beaten to death, slowly walking to his own crucifixion for the sake of mankind. I want to come back to this example at the end, because I think it wraps everything up beautifully.

Let’s read Nehemiah 8:10: Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah tells God’s people to have joy and celebrate. This is after the Babylonian exile, when God’s people hear the Law and realize their shortcomings before the Holy God of Israel. Nehemiah didn’t want them to dwell on their past choices or sinful human nature. Instead, he wanted them to feel God’s redemption and see what God had for them after the exile. The people still had a wall to rebuild, and, though they were grieved, they could celebrate and rejoice in God, because He was the only one that could sustain them through this period of rebuilding physically and spiritually.

Let’s read Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Paul encourages the readers to have hope and trust God’s plans and purposes. He tells them to have joy, which comes from a spiritual connection with God, because it is not circumstantial. He reminds them to have peace in a time when persecution was likely to happen. Here, Paul is talking to the church in Rome that was made up of Jews and Gentiles. The people there wanted to follow Christ, but it was going to take unity and change. The church had to trust God and have hope in His promises, even if their circumstances were uncomfortable. In all this, Paul asked them to have hope, joy, and peace.

Lastly, let’s read Matthew 27:30-31, “Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head. After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.” Think about Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. His physical body had been beaten and tortured beyond our imagination. He was bloody and unrecognizable. He slowly walked to God’s purpose, fully knowing what that was. The physical pain was not over, but the agony did not stop Him. This is the kind of joy that does not come with a smile. This is the most beautiful example of joy found in scripture. Jesus, our Christ, had joy in His heart every step of the way. He didn’t smile or leap to that cross, but He was full of hope, joy, and peace. He was in full obedience to His father. He rested in God’s plan and promise so much that he was able to rejoice through such a horrific situation.

After I referenced the Bible to figure out what joy really looks like, I felt a heavy load come off my shoulders. I don’t have to feel cheerful or leap as I am on my way to change what feels like the 100th diaper of the day. I don’t have to wear a smile all day in order to experience God’s true joy in my life. I know God called me to be home and homeschool my children. We have some long days, and some really fun ones, but regardless of the circumstances, I am in peace and joy because I know I am in obedience. But what about the deeper things in life that make a spill of apple sauce or a dirty diaper seem so minuscule? When you get the lab results for cancer screening and the news makes your heart sink? Or when you get a call at three in the morning with horrific news? Maybe you are still praying for your adult children to come back to Christ, or maybe for your parent who is living a life away from Christ, and their pain hurts you deeply.

Those are the days we have to choose to trust God, because only He knows why. Those are the days we experience joy and peace, even though our faces do not wear a smile.

The peace we have in Christ is what showers us through the hard days, and what helps us choose joy everyday even if we do not know what is ahead.

When you feel life’s burdens on your shoulders, remember to hand them to God and trust that he knows why. Exchange your troubles for the joy and peace that only God can give you. Like Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” Choose joy everyday by trusting in Him and living in obedience to Him. Seek Him every day in the little things, and trust that He has a purpose for your circumstances. Open His word and ask the Holy Spirit to keep you on His path. Remember, even if your circumstances don’t bring a smile to your face, you can still overflow with peace and rejoice.

We want to thank Mayra Ramirez for sharing this post.

Joy.  Only three letters, but it packs a powerful punch. When I was asked to write this blog, I did what anyone does who realizes they need to know the power of the meaning of this word — I Googled it. And, I learned a lot.  Basically, joy is an intense, long-lasting state of contentment and satisfaction, rooted in a relationship with God. It’s not just being happy; it’s going beyond happy. It’s more of a feeling of well-being.  It’s knowing that, regardless of circumstances, we will survive and be stronger. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” (Emphasis added) Joy is a gift from God that remains even in trials, coming from trusting His faithfulness, His promises, and knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

I needed to be reminded of how joy was defined, because at about the same time I was asked to write this blog, something happened to some friends that has broken my heart, causing me to ask some hard questions, to search for answers I’m not sure are there just yet, and to be strong, all at the same time.  

In late January, some friends of my youngest daughter (Mary) went on a ski trip to Colorado. The friends are Jennifer and Chance Hanes, with their 3 kids — Ellie, age 10, Addie, age 8, and River, age 5. (Jennifer is one of Mary’s best friends. She is an OB nurse in Amarillo, and she was there for the birth of all three of my grandkids. I’ve known her most of her life, so she almost feels like one of my own kids.) Ellie has been skiing many times, so she skipped Ski School that particular morning. As Ellie and her parents were skiing from one trail to another, something happened. Someone fell in front of her, and she tried to ski around them, and in the process, lost control, flew off the side of the mountain, and hit a tree with great force. By the time her parents got to her, she was not breathing and was turning blue. Jennifer started CPR until Ski Patrol got to them. They took her to a local hospital and realized she needed to be airlifted to Colorado Springs. She was then transferred to the best neurological hospital in the country in Denver, Colorado.  

While Jennifer and Chance and their other 2 kids were driving to Colorado Springs, she sent out a text blast asking for prayers. Mary was in that blast. Mary then sent a text to people she knew would be prayer warriors, and that’s how I got involved from the beginning. I reached out to my prayer warriors, and the fire was lit. There have been prayers for this child all over the country, and probably even the world (her aunt is from Austria, and her family has also been added to the prayer warrior list.). Without going into great detail, because it will make this blog way too long, Ellie is currently still in the hospital in Denver and is paralyzed from her shoulders down. Her parents have been told this will be her life, But God is the one in control.

When this all happened, to say I was sad was an understatement. I was so full of fear for Ellie, pain for her parents, worry for her siblings, and a ton of questions. I really couldn’t think straight, let alone pray.  And joy — nowhere to be seen. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Ellie was alive! And although at first she was completely sedated, on a ventilator, and facing the unknown, God was with her. A couple of weeks later, she had a tracheotomy tube put in and still can’t really talk, but she can mouth words, and her brain is fine. The Hanes family is still facing many unknowns — will Ellie improve any physically, what will the future hold for Jennifer and Chance as her caregivers, how will this effect Addie and River long term? Things that the evil one can use to steal joy and crush hope. But, I believe this is just a chapter in their collective stories, and not the end of anyone’s story. Joy is returning to my heart. Psalms 30:15 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning!” One day, a few weeks after her accident, Jennifer posted a video of Ellie teaching her speech pathologist the Anne Wilson song, “Let me tell you about my Jesus.” THAT IS JOY!!!!!!!!  

A few days ago, I received a devotional email and found this truth: “If you are up against something difficult today, remember: You’re bing shaped.  You’re being sharpened. And because of Jesus, you can choose joy.”  

So, each morning, before your feet hit the floor, join me in saying Psalms 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (Emphasis added)   

“Father, You are the source of my joy. Even when I face various trials, I can trust You are using these things to make me stronger. Thank You for stretching my endurance and strengthening my faith. I know You are always with me.  Help me to see every day and every circumstance as an opportunity for great joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” (Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotional.)

We want to thank Hope Warren for sharing this post.

Joy…how we all desire joy! That inner most longing that so many search for on a daily basis! Joy transforms difficult times into blessings and turns heartache into gratitude. Joy could also be viewed as an utmost surrender and a choice to be made. Depending on the translation, the word “joy” can be found between 165-245 times in the Bible. Joy is obviously very important; however, it’s often misunderstood.

A few years ago, I had the word joy spoken over me, not once, but twice. After many years of caring for two parents and everything that accompanies that, I just didn’t see joy in my life. Obviously, others did! Maybe I was missing or misunderstanding something. What my friends had spoken over me was accurate. I DID have joy! I was just misunderstanding the true meaning.

I have seen joy listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit; however, the true meaning of joy is often confused with the emotion of happiness. I had my eyes set on happiness rather than joy. Happiness is linked to external circumstances or even possessions and can sometimes feel like a roller coaster ride. Happiness is here one day and gone the next. Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It comes from our connection with God, not from our life’s circumstances. Joy is a choice, a deliberate focus on God’s presence and all He has to offer.

So, did I have joy in the midst of my daily caregiving? Yes, I did. God was my rock and my fortress. He was my comforter, counselor, and guide. Did I question Him? Absolutely! Did I experience happiness? Sometimes. When things looked like they were improving and we had amazing days, there was nothing but happiness. But as the definition of happiness says, it will be fleeting. Those amazing days eventually came crashing down.

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “

Caregiving did bring trials, and those trials taught me how to persevere through whatever was thrown at me that day. The trials brought many tears and brought me to my knees more times than I can count. It was through these times I learned that the real secret to joy was training my heart, rather than depending on my mood.

How many times do you say, “I’m just not feeling it today?” The world values feelings and emotions, and often, we make them the highest authority in our day. The Christian life isn’t one of passive response to fleeting moods, but it is a call to active engagement with our Lord, especially when our hearts feel cold, hurt, or distracted.

Society often tells us to “follow our hearts.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” But…what if we allowed our hearts to become pliable instead of a fixed instrument? What if we allowed our Creator to shape and train our hearts? That’s where joy begins.

If we are going to allow the Lord to shape and train our hearts, there are some steps we must take in order to partner with Him in this journey:

*Begin with the Word. Read and reread. Let it sink in. Do it slowly and intentionally. It doesn’t matter when during the day you do it. Personally, I prefer to do it first thing in the morning with my breakfast. It sets my mind and heart on the right path for the day. When we wake up with a sluggish heart and decide not to read the Word of God or seek God in prayer, it may seem like a minor concession. But over time, these small neglects compound, leaving us spiritually depleted. When we are depleted, joy is absent.

*Express gratitude. Even in the trials there is something to be grateful for. It may be minuscule, but it’s still good. It’s all about what you magnify.

*Enjoy God’s presence. He is with us always. He is there on the mountain top, in the valley and all points in between. Cry to Him for help. Talk to Him when things seem dry or even discouraging. The key is persistence with Him.

Joy is a process. This process isn’t instant. Trees don’t grow overnight. But over time, with consistency, you will find your spiritual roots growing deeper and stronger. Joy may not come immediately, but it will come as you begin to make Jesus your first and final focus in your day. It’s about knowing Jesus and developing an intimate relationship with Him.

We want to thank Kathy Jones for sharing this post.

I must admit, I love adventure. Adventure equals discovery. I’ve had many adventures in my life. Some of the crazy ones happened in my own kitchen experimenting with new recipes. You never know what “discovery” may land on the family table for dinner. Travel adventures with my husband are also a favorite. These are great fun to us! 

What about you? Are you one for adventure and discovery? Have you ever set out on a type of mission to discover something? Sounds like a 007 movie, doesn’t it?  Has there ever been something that was so mind-boggling that you spent time and effort to discover the depths of what it was that was of such interest to you? How long did the discovery mission take? Did the adventure take you to places unknown, to sights you had never seen? Did you feel things you had never felt before? Were there “Ah Hah” moments or just jaw-dropping, eye-popping “WOW oh WOW” moments? What did you feel? Fulfilled or disappointed? Maybe, not even sure how to feel about what you discovered?  

It’s funny, I think as Christ followers, that we are on an amazing discovery mission every day…we just don’t realize it. A mission of discovering who God is. Let’s face it, sometimes life seems mundane and routine, not really the most exciting adventure we might choose for ourselves, right? But what would happen if we changed the way we see our daily lives to seeing life as a discovery mission? We are here by God’s plan and we have purpose. Grabbing hold of this thought is the start of the adventure of discovering who God is. That thought alone changes everything, doesn’t it?

If someone were to ask you, “How do you discover who God is?” What do you say? It seems like a tough question at first, at least I thought so. I think I probably stumbled a bit with my words and rattled off something that I can’t even remember. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to search for the answer! Check out what I found: Psalm 139:13,16 tells us very clearly. ¹³“For YOU created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body; ALL the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Mind boggling, jaw-dropping, right?  

If we ever had a MISSION to discover who God is, this verse beckons us to live our lives on the most exciting adventure mission EVER!  Think of it: discovering who He is because He thought of us first. We are HIS idea! Which means, this gift of life that we have been given, is an adventure of purpose to discover who God (our Creator) is on a daily basis. He wants us to know His love and care for us, because HE created us! The most wonderful part of discovering who God is, is that HE WANTS TO SHOW US who He is! He doesn’t hide from us. He desires relationship with us. 

So, how does this work? We know earthly relationships, right? So, let’s start there. First, an introduction is made. Then spending time with that person is probably next on the list. Listening and talking to that special one usually occurs. At times, we may find ourselves just sitting quietly observing them or thinking about them. All these things are ways we use to discover and learn about who someone is.

I think a relationship with God to discover who He is, is somewhat similar. There are some obvious differences though. Our physical eyes can’t see God. Our physical hands can’t touch Him, and our cell phones don’t have Him listed in the contacts. This is an earthly dilemma; however, I have some good news! There is a book, it’s been around for quite some time. Its writer is God, but He did choose to use human hands to dictate for Him. The Bible. His very words written in a way, that if we will take the time and make the effort to read them or even use those “devices” to listen to them, He will make Himself known. Discovery of who He is begins to happen in us. Our heart’s eyes will begin to see Him. Our spirit’s hands will raise to touch Him, and the discovery we will make will be something we will want more of every day of our lives! God just works like that. The more we read or listen, the more time we spend asking questions of Him and allowing Him to show us answers, the more we DISCOVER WHO HE IS! I know, it sounds crazy, but it is true! 

Spending time in His word, is where we truly discover who God is. Sometimes it’s in the mundane and routine where the words we read come to life. At other times, it’s an exciting adventure! A prophet named Isaiah penned these words, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is MY word that goes out from MY mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

God’s word was written to us on purpose to show us who He is! His word tells us how much He loves us and desires a relationship with us. Whether we read or listen to His words on our devices, it will accomplish what He desires for us. Our part: make the effort to pick up the Bible and begin the discovery mission of a lifetime. Remember the family table I wrote about…my Bible is laying on that table. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some discovering to do today.

We want to thank Kori Covington for sharing this post.

I heard a sermon illustration one time that went something like this:  A young woman was given a book for some occasion, but when she tried to read it, she found it to be boring and hard to read, so she put it on her shelf and never opened it again  As time went by, she met a man, they began to see each other, and she fell in love with him.  As they grew to know each other, she found out he had written a book – the very book she had been given!  She ran to pull it off the shelf, and as she read it this time, she found it fascinating!  She could not put it down.  The words were the same.  But now, she knew and loved the author.

When I think about discovering who God is, I think about when Kelly and I got married. I thought I knew him pretty well by that time. We had talked and prayed and spent a lot of time together. I was confident about spending my life with him. Now that we’ve been together for 39 years, the way I know him now is so much richer, deeper, and our relationship has been proven through the good, the bad, the fun days, and the boring, humdrum ones.  I believe it’s the same for most everyone who is married, or between life-long friends!  You can’t know someone well without time spent together. And not just the fun times!  

​I’ve known ABOUT God for most of my life, but I did not KNOW Him.  When I finally received Him after many years, our true relationship began. Spending time with Him through all these years – a couple more than I’ve been married – I’ve come to know Him more deeply. He’s been there through joy, disappointment, hurt, sickness, health, and He’s NEVER failed. NEVER. The cool thing is – we’re not done!  As we grow older, and even after we pass to heaven, we get to know Him better and better for all eternity.  I Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Wow! To know Him fully one day!

​I’m so grateful to God for wanting us to know Him.  He’s not, as some in this world think, a distant, uninterested kind of God. He’s fully committed to involvement in our lives, if we will just give Him the chance. Psalm 139 describes it, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar…How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” Who doesn’t want to know Someone with that kind of love toward you? 

​Just as the girl in the first paragraph began to read the book with new delight because she was in love with the author, and he loved her, I want to pick up the book of love letters God has written to me, the stories of all He has done, because I love Him so much! I want to spend all my days forever getting to know Him better. Let’s join with the apostle Paul, when he says that his desire is “that I may know Him (Philippians 3:10). 

Here is a song that has been on my heart as I have thought through this blog post. I pray that it blesses your day today. https://youtu.be/Y_-pvEyxVS8?si=F60sNk_9MRbsS-NS

We want to thank Sheri Warren for sharing this post.

When I was a little girl, I always wondered how the stars stayed in the sky. I would look up at the moon and wonder how it could just hang in space without anything holding it up.I have always been fascinated with astronomy! I love looking at the stars, trying to pick out the planets, watching comets run across the sky, and waiting to see a falling star.

There are times when I love to just go outside and watch the hawks flying over our pasture. Have you ever noticed that the trees all point upward with their branches? Do you ever sit and listen to the birds sing? Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 96:12, and 1 Chronicles 16:33 describe the trees of the fields clapping their hands and the birds singing for joy. Isaiah 44:23; 49:13, and Job 38:7 all teach us that the heavens and the Earth sing praises to their Creator. All of creation worships God!

Did you know the stars actually sing? After you finish this, please take a couple of minutes to go to YouTube and search for “Mashup of Stars and Whales by Louie Giglio”. I’ve always been fascinated with the stars, planets, animals, and nature! I love hearing the sounds that the stars make and listening to the whales sing. I promise you that once you hear them you won’t ever be able to sing “How Great is Our God” the same way again. (Psalm 148:1-10, Psalm 48:1)

Our God is Lord and Savior! He is King of Kings and our Redeemer. He is powerful and sovereign, yet gentle, merciful, and loving. He loves us and cares deeply for us. (Psalm 139:1-18, John 3:16)

He is everywhere and part of everything. He created all we see and hear. John 1:1-5 says “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through Him.”

He makes Himself known prior to salvation through creation. He wants us to find Him. This is how He woos us to a relationship. (Hosea 2:14, John 12:32, Luke 15:20, John 3:16-17, John 6:44, Revelation 3:20, 2 Chronicles 16:9)

Once we surrender our hearts to Him, our relationship grows deeper and we continually learn as He reveals Himself more and more. This comes from spending time with Him. Discovering who God is will be a journey that continues right on into eternity.

So, the first step to discovering who God is, is surrendering to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and giving your heart to Him. Then, the rest is the adventure of a lifetime.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

We want to thank Janie Keller for sharing this post.

I was recently talking to a friend about my daughter going on a date with her Dad. We talked about how when she was growing up, that wasn’t really a thing. For me, it wasn’t in my routine; I grew up with a single mom and had visits to my dad’s house. My grandparents were very involved, but my granddad wasn’t taking me on a date every month. I am not saying this to bash Granddad (or my dad), just that times are different now. But here is what my daughter and I will both take away from our experiences: her dad and my granddad are good fathers.

I am not sure if you have gone to the Freedom In Christ class here at Harvest, but you are asked to go sit alone and picture sitting down with Jesus. This could have been happenstance due to my granddad passing before the class, but the man that sat with me representing Jesus was similar to my granddad, an older man moseying to his chair, with a pleasant smile and loving eyes. I know my granddad was good and a great example of faith, but this sealed it for me. I have followed Jesus for most of my life, since I was eight, but seeing him as father was not my experience. My biological dad had left our family, not wanting children, and I’m supposed to see Jesus as my father? It made no sense to me. And then Anthony started talking about our roles as Christians and being a son or daughter first. We are children of God, adopted into His family (Romans 8:14). Of course, I’ve heard this before, but more recently it has brought me around to reflecting on how my granddad was an example of Jesus as a father: loving, loyal, disciplining in love, faithful, and steady.

It has taken me several years and lots of loss to see God as a father, and a good one at that. I first had to learn, or really realize, the role of a father (what the role of a father is). As described earlier, it took the loss of my granddad to see those characteristics and how he was a reflection of Jesus. It took another loss for me to see God as good. When we are hurting and, in the weeds, it can be hard to see God is good, even when we are reminded daily by friends and scripture. One way this finally “clicked” for me was hearing how Annie F. Downs talks about December 21st. December 21st is the winter solstice and the darkest day of the year, but she reminds us that light is coming, the good is coming. We may feel like we are in the darkest hours with no hope in sight, but the light and good are coming. (1 Peter 2:9).

Being adopted into the family of God may not seem like a milestone to some, but if you’ve grown up without that family bond, it means the world. While it may have taken me years to see how I was adopted by a good Father, I am so glad to finally see the light. I am glad to know and have such a good, good Father.

Romans 8:14-17

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We want to thank Ashley Criswell for sharing this post.

I really don’t want to write this post. I would much rather sit across from you on my couch with my cup of coffee and instead hear your story and share mine. A year and a half ago, my very young marriage ended in heartbreak as my husband walked away. I was left a single mom to a sweet little girl trying to pick up the pieces and asking so many of the questions that you have probably asked yourself. How do you trust God who would allow such tragedy to happen, after you trusted Him? How on earth can the God who says He “works all things together for my good” think this is good? Why would He allow those things to happen? If I am being honest, it is hard to trust again after all of your dreams, plans, and hopes have been shattered and the fears you have spent so long running from become reality.

I don’t know if I have the perfect answer for you, the one that will make everything that happened to you be alright and make you go “back to normal.” The reality is sometimes God allows tragedy to expose what our trust is really in, or He uses it to invite us to trust Him in deeper ways. When I started to sit with this blog post, I asked God how do *I* trust again. He clearly said, “Trust begins with fear.” Now, I don’t want you to be confused. He did not mean being afraid. Many times, when our trust is shattered, we allow fear to be the thing we cling to. We build walls around our heart and declare, “I have trust issues,” or “I don’t trust anyone.” I get the sentiment, I really do. Why would I let someone back in that has hurt me? However, the only one who is hurt by this is us.

Instead, the word for fear He was pointing me to is Yirah in Hebrew. This word does not only mean being afraid, but it also means respect, reverence, and worship. It is a type of awe that is closely tied to trembling. When we look at scripture, we see in Psalms 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.” The fear of the Lord causes us to place our hope in Him and keep us from death, because fear sees God rightly. He is the one who can sustain and can give us life. He is someone worthy of being trusted, because He is the only one capable of fulfilling His promises.

A few verses down from the one I just referenced, it says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:21-22. Trust is calm assurance that the one who is bearing the weight of what has been given can and will hold it well. Trust requires faith in the one that it is put in. When it is put in anything or anyone other than God himself, it is folly, because it cannot bear the weight. Fear allows our hearts to trust God again because we see Him for who He is: Sustainer, Creator, Promise-Keeper, Healer, Redeemer, the list could go on and on. But it starts with a humble admission that we are not the center of His world, but that He entered ours to save us. He is the greatest good that we could have.

Trusting Him won’t disappoint you, but if you feel disappointed, don’t rush past that feeling. Instead, sit with it and submit it to Him. Tell Him that you feel like He abandoned you and didn’t do what you thought He would. Then, after you are done, sit and listen. The verse I just quoted says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name.” Psalms 33:20-21. We need to wait for the Lord to speak, and He will, sweet sister. If we sit waiting, He will answer us, and rest assured that what He says will draw us ever closer to His heart. Remember, we do not need to be afraid of what comes next or afraid to allow God back in after rejecting Him. Instead, repent of this fear, and take up a holy fear that worships and kneels in awe of Him and He will hold you close as you learn to trust Him again.

We want to thank Savanna Rodriguez for sharing this post.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” – Psalm 127:1-2

I’ll admit I am not always great at trusting in God. But my husband is very good at that; he never worries about anything! I’ve always found that amazing, because I can manage to worry about anything! But I’ve realized lately that worry is a sin. Worry is me saying, “God I don’t trust that You can handle this; I think I can do it better.” Which, that is, in fact, a lie. Because, as the psalmist says, even the watchman who is doing his job is working in vain, because unless the Lord watches over a city, it will not be protected. I’ve had to learn this hard lesson when it comes to my children. When I became a mom, I wanted desperately to keep them safe and to do everything right. But then I started to realize that even if I did EVERYTHING in my power to keep my kids safe, it doesn’t mean that bad things don’t still happen. And I began to realize that I have to release control of even the things I love the most to my Heavenly Father, who loves them SO much more, and is the only One who can actually bring protection.

This past year has been one of great joy, and with that, great difficulty. We have welcomed another daughter into our family, and she is such a joy! But we’ve also dealt with hardships, such as financial difficulties, mental health battles, parenting hardships, and discouraging health diagnoses in our family. And all these things seemed to happen back, to back, to back. I remember asking Daniel one night, “when is the hard stuff going to end?” And the more we talked about it, the more we realized that we are all promised “hard”. And as much as we might want an answer of when it all ends, we don’t usually get that. But we are also promised that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. And what He constantly reminded me of during those hard times, is that He had brought me through every single day up to that point. I had made it; I had survived. And while that maybe didn’t feel like much of an accomplishment, to only be able to say, “I made it through,” it should be enough for me to be confident that He would continue to help me through. And then, as this time of “survival mode” continued, God slowly began to change my mindset where I could begin to enjoy the days and the time and see all the joy and good in everything again! He had promised to get me through, and He was, and is faithful.

Hebrews 12:26-28 “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, ‘yet once more,’ indicated the removal of things that are shaken – that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

This scripture has been comforting to me in knowing that when I feel like things around me are shaking, it will only reveal the solidness of Gods support and presence in my life. The things that are shaken in my life are things that I might feel attachment to, like my comforts or circumstances, but in the midst of the shaking, they are proven to only be temporary. God may be stripping away things that are NOT eternal, in order for my focus to be placed on things that ARE eternal. I have begun to learn through this season of life, to trust God with our provisions and when things feel hard ,to lean into the constant presence that I know He provides in my life.

I am not always good at trusting God and releasing control, but sometimes I have been forced to trust because there was no other option! And maybe that is the best place to be, because He always comes through.

We want to thank Joanna Capps for sharing this post.

I used to be suspicious of God. My default view of him was that he was holding out on me. Often, I felt he was mad or disappointed in me. And these feelings led to a general doubt whether he really was good.

Of course, I didn’t know I felt this way. I wouldn’t have consciously been able to articulate it. But it showed up in my life as a lack of trust. And the evidence for distrust is directedly related to our level of control.

When we want to control God, when we want to control our circumstances, or when we want to control others—the general root is a lack of trust in God.

Trust is not the same as belief, though they are sometimes used interchangeably. We can have a firm belief in God, in Jesus, and in all that he accomplished for us at the cross—and yet not fully trust him.

These three things I’ve learned about trust:

1. Trust comes through relationship.

2. Experience builds trust.

3. Our level of trust directly corresponds to our level of surrender.

At the core of my difficulty trusting God was a wrong view of him, and a wrong view of him will always lead us to suspicion and control. Over the last decade, I’ve discovered more and more who God really is—the perfect, loving Father he’s always been. This changes everything.

My ability to trust him grows as I see his continued faithfulness and goodness and as I learn to surrender every part of me—all that I want to control.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a parenting book I read years before we were parents. It says, “The only person I can control on a good day is myself.”

God gave us a spirit of self-control (2 Tim 1:7). We control our choices, our response to our circumstances, and our response to those we’re in relationship with. That’s it. We can’t control what other people do or every circumstance in our life. And we sure can’t control the Creator of the universe, try as we might.

When I know God is sovereignly in control, that He maintains all things, and by him and through him and for him, they exist; when I know this sovereign God is both holy and good, just and merciful, gracious and loving, present and faithful—then I can trust him fully with my heart, despite my circumstances.

In this world, you’ll have trouble. Jesus said so. But he didn’t say it without hope. He attached it to a promise—”Take heart, I’ve overcome the world” (John 16:33).

It seems like every time I’ve blogged over the last year, I’ve said the same thing: I’m in a hard season. It’s still true, though now it’s a season of grief. My heart hurts, and the pain and sadness overwhelm me some days. I simply and profoundly miss my mom. And yet I understand now why Paul writes that we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thes 4:13). I understand the comfort God gives us in our grief because I’m experiencing it daily (2 Cor 1:4). His presence never leaves. He’s faithfully carrying me through good days and hard days.

This is no longer a mental assent, a choice to believe the truth of God’s word. It starts there, yes. But what grows is a familiarity and a certainty in the character of God and in the strength of our relationship.

That’s trust.

If we want to trust the Lord, we have to let go of our suspicions, embrace the truth of God’s nature and character, and surrender all to him.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.

For our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

—Psalm 33:20-22

We want to thank Laura Brandenburg for sharing this post.