Tag: Steadfast

Peace Be With You

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Peace Be With You

Tis the season when family and friends gather. Food and drinks are shared. And the barrage of questions begin…How are you? What’s new? What’s next? What about…? The list goes on. The intent is meant well, a genuine interest in you. Meanwhile, the answers aren’t always easy and the questions can be uncomfortable. 

When you’ve been through something traumatic, you might not want to relive it. Or maybe you’ve improved but aren’t out of the woods yet. 

You’re clueless of “what’s next” and the thought scares you to death.

You don’t really have anything “new” going on, but you won’t want to seem ho hum (or worse boring).

The most common response to “how are you” is typically “fine,” which could be short for frustrated, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. Let’s face it—we’ve all faked a smile and said “fine” because it’s easier. Preparing for the holidays can sometimes feel overwhelming. Maybe nothing necessarily “bad” has happened, it can just all be exhausting…defensively causing your guard to go up. 

Am I in a bad place? No. This is simply me thinking ahead and telling myself to read the room. Listen—attentively, giving the person in front of me my ears AND eyes. Sometimes we miss things when there’s background noise vying for our attention. I fondly remember talking with someone who made me feel incredibly special. Even though she was hosting the event, I felt like our conversation was in a beautiful snow globe. Magical—protected from everything else happening around us. Could I tell you what we talked about? No. But I can absolutely fondly remember that peaceful feeling. 

So my friends, here’s my prayer for us as we enter “the most wonderful time of the year” (thank you Andy Williams). It comes straight from the Apostle Paul, who reminds us of God’s free and boundless grace. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13 ESV). Kids believe in Santa. Let’s remain steadfast in believing we can not only find but bring peace wherever this season takes us. 

Heavenly Strides

by 4letsgetrealtogether2 Comments on Heavenly Strides
Heavenly Strides

What do you call a writer who doesn’t write? Me. What do you call a Christian who isn’t disciplined in reading His word? Also me. Spending quiet time reading the Bible, feeling His grace and mercy when I do, empowers me to share…His goodness, His truths, His gentle hand in my life. It’s truly a simple formula.

A (Reading the Bible)

+ B (Reflecting on Him)

= C (Writing inspiration)

I KNOW THIS! And yet, I’m mystified when I go through a “dry spell.” I’ll think about writing. I’ll wonder what’s stopping me from writing. I’ll shame myself for not writing. But for whatever reason, I’ll waste more time on the above fruitless efforts, scroll, or play games on my phone and find myself still stuck in the same slump. Here’s one more stinger: I “proudly” have a 100 day streak on a language app because apparently that’s of higher priority in my feeble brain! How utterly ridiculous is that?!

Why am I confessing this to you? Exposing my vanity might give you enough pause to reflect on yours. If that’s offensive, stop reading here. Forgive me friends. You will totally miss the point of what I’m trying to share.

It’s infinitely easier to “busy” ourselves right out of meaningful work, or toil as the Bible references it. Both are four letter words, and we can logicize our way out of it’s profane presence. Labor is hard and often viewed as punishment. But laboring in vain? That’s ultimately more painful friends!

“Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 NRSV

Today, before starting this, I spent time in His word via the Bible app. Easy. Accessible. And in seven minutes, I navigated through the scripture of the day, guided reflection, and spent time with Him in prayer. Seven minutes y’all! That’s significantly less time than ANY of the aforementioned fruitless tasks! And what did it yield? Easing back into the familiar formula: A + B = C

I feel better about myself. I accomplished something meaningful. I found myself back on my purpose path. And as an added bonus, I started a NEW streak: 1 Daily Refresh. Day one is a great place to be friends! It’s a step in the right direction, away from my worrisome past.

The biggest irony of the day? I have the best image of our loving God chuckling as I share this. Here’s one of the verses from today’s guided prayer portion of the Bible app…

“And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”

Matthew 6:17 NRSV

So in my REA/L moment today with you sweet friends, instead of wasting time worrying, let’s commit to working our way back to Him. Be steadfast in the things that matter. Prioritize our streaks towards Heavenly strides.