Surrender

My One Word for this year is Enough, and it feels like surrender to me.

There are certain things I want control over, but I'm surrendering—letting go of the thought that I have any control at all. It's not easy.

I have to surrender thinking I can fix a situation and trust that God will show me if there's something I can do. It means being still and waiting.

Every day, I'm surrendering my worry to God, knowing that He has not forgotten us or walked away. That knowledge has to be enough to keep me moving forward.

My days are not how I thought they would be, but I know God is in control. I'm focused on Him and I'm watching for His work, down to the smallest of ways.

Waving the white flag of surrender is hard. It feels like losing, but I know it's not. When we surrender to God, the gain is always greater than the loss. Even when we can't see it yet. {Tweet this}

I'm joining the Five Minute Friday community with the word prompt: Surrender.

In Christ,

Laura

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Linking up with: Five Minute Friday, #DreamTogether, #glimpsesofHisbeauty, #momentsofhope, Purposeful Faith, #TeaAndWord, Trekking Thru, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, #RechargeWednesday, #porchstories, #ChasingCommunity, #HeartEncouragement, Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, Sitting Among Friends, #writerWednesday, #DestinationInspiration, #gracemoments

3 Ways to Look for a Different Perspective in the Midst of Difficulty

Last year, for me, feels marked by a medical timeline. There was the jumping through hoops to get insurance pre-authorization, the planning and making reservations to be out of town for a length of time, and the monitoring of the medical bills—what insurance would and would not cover.

Throughout the months, I reminded myself to trust God every step of the way, and watched as He worked out the timing and details. But, when the final bills came in the mail, I felt myself start to panic. The amount we were responsible for was higher than what I had anticipated.

I had already set up a payment plan and I knew it would all work out, but seeing that final dollar amount caused my stomach to tense and my heart to pound.

What my head told me—that everything would be alright—was betrayed by the panic mode my body went into on its own.

As I sat at the kitchen table with bills and insurance paperwork spread out in front of me, I decided I had to look at it differently. I knew the total we would have to pay, but I wanted to know what our insurance company had already paid.

The two totals were not even close.

In that instant, the panic I felt subsided, and all I could do was thank God for His provision. {Tweet this}

The same dollar amount that looked so high now appeared to be so low—all because of a different perspective.

Sometimes, a different point of view makes all the difference in our attitudes, our outlook, and our response to God. {Tweet this}

I'm so excited to be sharing my first article today as a member of the Candidly Christian writing team! (I was a guest at Candidly Christian last year.) 

Please join me there to continue reading 3 Ways to Look for a Different Perspective in the Midst of Difficulty.

Has there been a time when a different perspective brought you peace, instead of worry and anxiety?

In Christ,
Laura

[Photo credit: Candidly Christian]

Linking up with: #HeartEncouragement, #gracemoments, Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, Spiritual Sundays, #chasingcommunity, #destinationInspiration, #MomentsofHope

How to Make a Difference in Someone’s Day

Not long ago, I was reminded again of the pain and heartache in the world. It's not that I'd forgotten exactly, but sometimes it's there—everywhere you look. It becomes hard to miss and impossible to ignore.

That was a week I had. I could see the struggle behind the smiles. I could read the heartache in written words. I could hear the pain in the tears.

Family members struggling.
Loved ones hurting.
Friends grieving.

Strained and broken relationships.
Physical and emotional pain.
Financial hardships.

Everyone has something to deal with, and while our struggles may be different, they are no less real. They are no less significant.
{Tweet this}

Often, one of the only things we can do for someone is to be there. To listen, without giving advice (unless asked) and to extend compassion, even when we don't understand.

What else can we do?

3 Things We Can Do to Make a Difference in Someone's Day

1) Smile

I wonder how often one person's smile is the best part of someone else's day. Something so small, and yet so big and important. So easy, but forgotten about when we get busy and rush through the day.

What if, regardless of our mood or how our day is going, we make an effort to smile more—with our families, co-workers, at the grocery store, the bank, the school—wherever we have the opportunity to make a difference? Your smile may be just what someone else needs today.

2) Reach Out

When someone is in your thoughts, let them know. God will bring someone to mind and place them in our hearts for a reason. He knows they need a kind word. They need to feel remembered. They need to know someone is thinking of, and praying for, them.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard from a friend at just the right time. I want to be that friend to another. I'll admit, I'm working on this one. I have a habit of putting off an email, thinking I'll get to it later, and then forgetting. But I'm trying to be intentional about reaching out to others.

3) Pray

Something happens when we pray. We draw closer to the One who hears us and sees everything. He not only works in the lives of those we pray for, but He works in our lives.

Prayer changes us from the inside out, in ways we may not even be aware of. Perhaps you've been praying for someone, or for a situation, for so long and you're ready to give up. I know the feeling. But, we can't give up. Prayer matters! It makes a difference, even if we can't see it.

We may never know if, or how, our prayers were answered for someone else's life. But God knows, and that's what matters. {Tweet this}

How can you make a difference in someone’s day today?

In Christ,

Laura

[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]

Linking up with: #DreamTogether, #glimpsesofHisbeauty, Purposeful Faith, #TeaAndWord, Trekking Thru the Week, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, #RechargeWednesday, #porchstories,
#ChasingCommunity, #HeartEncouragement, Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, Sitting Among Friends

Thought vs. Truth

Have you ever noticed how quickly comparing yourself to someone else can ruin almost anything? {Tweet this} A good mood, a great idea, a new opportunity, an exciting adventure, a well-earned accomplishment, or even a God-sized dream.

As soon as we start looking around at what others have done, we start criticizing what we're doing. Certainly, looking at someone else’s success can be inspiring and motivating to reach for the stars, but that's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm talking about the comparisons that make us think we can't do something and shouldn't even try; when we look at someone else's accomplishments and pick apart our own.

When we believe the enemy’s lies.

  

In her book, You're Made for a God-sized Dream, author Holley Gerth lists five lies that keep us from dreaming.

Lie #1: “Dreaming is Selfish”

Lie #2: “I Don’t Have What It Takes”

Lie #3: “It’s Too Late”

Lie #4: “I Don’t Deserve to Dream”

Lie #5: “I Don’t Have Time”

Which ones get in your way? For me, the second and third are the ones I have to work the most on. I can too easily give up because someone else is doing what I dream of doing...as if one person's success takes away the possibility that I can succeed.

To fight the lies, I have to determine what is thought and what is truth. {Tweet this}

I'm happy to be sharing at God-Sized Dreams today. Please join me there to continue reading...Thought vs. Truth.

In Christ,

Laura

[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]

Linking up with: #glimpsesofHisbeauty, Purposeful Faith, #TeaAndWord, Trekking Thru the Week, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, #Recharge Wednesday, #porchstories, #WriterWednesday, #ChasingCommunity, #HeartEncouragement, Sitting Among Friends, Salt & Light, #GraceMoments, Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, 

When the New Year Starts and You Feel Lost

An uncomfortable feeling set in on December 31. I already knew my word for 2018—Enough, but unlike a few weeks ago when Enough felt like a good fit, I was getting nervous about it. By January 1, feeling uncomfortable moved to feeling unsettled. I was restless and unsure about what to expect this year and where my word Enough fit in.

We’ve been in an unresolved situation for quite a while now, but for the past 3 years, something was in the works when New Year’s Day rolled around—plans to try something new, upcoming doctor visits, insurance red tape to work through…whatever it was had me busy. This year, there’s nothing for me to work on, and it has me feeling lost.

I keep thinking there has to be something I can do, but it’s out of my hands…and I’m struggling to accept that.

Maybe that’s where my word fits in. I’ve done all I can do and it was enough. Now, all I can do is keep praying. I don’t even want to tell you that my immediate thought was, But that’s not enough! And in the very same moment, I reminded myself that it is more than enough.

I have to wait and see where God leads us and what He asks me to do next. I need to wait on Him and keep praying. {Tweet this} (Why is that still so difficult?!?) And be ready to move when He calls me to move.

I need to trust Him because I know that no matter what I can and cannot do, He is in control…and that’s always better than the control I’d like to think I have.

Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; but He has said to me, 
“My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 
Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 AMP

Afterward:

After writing this post, I realized I started feeling better. Sometimes identifying what’s causing the unsettled feeling is enough to calm it down. But, what really brings peace to our restless hearts is inviting Jesus into every moment. {Tweet this} (I don’t pretend I’m an expert at this.) I do this through journaling, reading God’s Word, and of course, prayer.

If you’re hesitant to try journaling, I was too. When I finally decided to try it, I was preoccupied with perfection (no mistakes, no crossed out words, and only black or blue ink.) Eventually, I was able to let go of my need for perfection. I realized that my journal is for me, not for others to read. I have more mistakes and crossed out words when I’m upset, and when I’m upset, my journal is the place to pour that out. So, I don’t worry about that anymore. Oh, and now I love color—all sorts of colored ink, gel pens, and felt tip markers. The more color, the better.

If you’re looking for an easy way to try journaling without cost or commitment, click on my Resources page, and help yourself to my journaling printables.

How are you doing so far this year?

In Christ,

Laura

Linking up with: #DreamTogether, #glimpsesofHisbeauty, Purposeful Faith, #TeaAndWord, Trekking Thru the Week, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, #Recharge Wednesday, #porchstories, #WriterWednesday, #ChasingCommunity, Salt & Light, #HeartEncouragement, #gracemoments, Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, Faith Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends

Called to Be Enough

  

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my One Word for 2017—Called—and my questioning if I did enough with it throughout the year. The day after I clicked “publish” on that post, I was still thinking about it.

As I opened my journal that Monday morning, I reread my latest entries. Two words filled the pages—Called and Enough. It’s no wonder since many of my posts start in my journal and that’s what I’d been thinking about. But the word Enough started to stand out.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’ve been reading Come With Me by Suzie Eller and had just finished a chapter about being enough. And it was then I felt my word for 2018 become clear.

Enough.

I don’t always feel like I do enough, understand enough, or try hard enough. I don’t always feel like I am enough. Maybe you can relate.

But, as I’ve been reading and thinking about it, I know…

My little is enough when I give it to God. (He makes it more than enough.)

My small steps are enough when I’m following Jesus. (He waits for me.)

My writing is enough when I offer it to God. (He will make it more than enough to reach others, if He chooses.)

When I give Him all I have, no matter how little, He makes it more than enough.

When I’m obedient to what He asks, my not enough is more than enough. {Tweet this}

As I explore being enough in 2018 I’m not quite ready to let go of being called, so I’m going to continue my Called… series.

After all, being called by God isn’t a one-year commitment. It’s a life-time adventure with Him. {Tweet this} Each year becomes a stepping stone to learning, understanding, and becoming so much more.

We are enough—just as He created us. And He calls each of us personally by name.

In Christ,

Laura

Linking up with: Faith 'n Friends, Grace & Truth, #FaithonFire, #DreamTogether, Trekking Thru the Week, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, #porchstories, #RechargeWednesday, #WriterWednesday, #ChasingCommunity, Salt & Light, Thankful & Grateful Thursday, Faith Filled Friday, Spiritual Sundays, Create with Joy