Hello Friend! Day Twenty

Hello Friend!

Where do you friend your peace?

There are times I associate peace with quiet. Or nature. Or alone time. But when I really am looking for true peace, I can only get it from God.

I see what is going on the world. I see what is happening in my community. I know my own struggles. I also know that there are many things out of my control. There is so much sadness, anger, death, disease, and destruction. There is evil in the world. There has been evil in the world for a very long time. If I dwell on all of that for too long, I can become anxious. But I remind myself I can only do one day at a time. And I ask God to help me; to breathe in and through this day and let me see the opportunities that are most beneficial for those around me. While it would be nice to cocoon and only deal with my own life, I know I am called to step out of my comfort zone and share His peace with others with a cup of cold water or words of comfort. Some days, it is just a matter of surviving the day. I pray God will guard my heart when there is turmoil — whether internal or external.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

I don’t know that perfect peace is achievable this side of Heaven. But I do know that the comfort of knowing Jesus has wiped away the sin that plagues me and the promise of salvation gives me a peace like no other.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:27-29 NIV

In the midst of stress, confusion, and intensity I feel safe and at peace.

The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Nineteen

Hello Friend!

The moments of joy float in and out of my day. And sometimes the weight of the world and the day set in and try to steal my capacity for joy. Unfortunately, I can be a reactor to my immediate circumstances instead of looking at the big picture and God’s work in and through all of it.

When I am in the midst of a joy-less moment, I try to remember to think, “Lord, I can’t wait to see what you do with this!” If I don’t dwell on my circumstances and I just keep moving forward, time will pass and I will soon realize that I have made it through the muck and mire to a new place, a place where there is more.

More understanding.

More patience.

More love.

More true joy!

There is no law against it!

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Eighteen

Hello Friend!

I suspect that those easy things to love can come from within me. I can be nice. I can be pleasant. I can even be tolerant.

We are all unloveable at times, especially myself. And when I am in a situation that goes beyond my own ability and strength to love, I know that I am tapping into God’s resources. It is then I know I am getting to that “true love”. It goes beyond my own limitations and comes directly from the heart of God. When I rely on my own capacity for love, I will fall short every time.

A lack of love in one’s life might explain unloving and ugly behavior, but it doesn’t excuse it. We have opportunities each day to show love to those around us in both simple and complex ways. Even though it is easy and requires little effort, let’s not just love the loveable. That isn’t very challenging — it doesn’t demonstrate God’s ability to transform our hearts and expand our capabilities. God’s love, through us, enlarges our hearts. And this is the love the world needs!

Beloved, let us love one another! 1 John 4:7a

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Seventeen

Hello Friend!

There are times I get stuck in negative thought patterns but I am generally a hope-full person. I don’t know if it is a part of my personality or if it is intertwined with faith and trust in God or a combination of all of that. I am thankful for my optimistic perspective. In spite of what is going on around me, I know God will work it out. It might take effort on my part. It might take a new look at my circumstances, but I trust God. I have seen Him work in my life before and I know He can take some pretty ugly things and transform them to serve a greater purpose.

Even though we live life on Earth with all of its beauty and tragedy and fragility and complications, it is such a comfort for me to know the grave is not the end. The older I get, the more difficult things I see happening around me and the more quickly I surrender my agenda.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 ESV

Always hopeful!
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Sixteen

Hello Friend!

Have you read through Hebrew 11? Here is a snippet:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous…

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know about God or believe in Him and His love and provision for me even though we didn’t always go to church when I was growing up. Part of that was because my mom was very discouraged and frustrated by the political games that happened within the church.

Hmmm. That sounds familiar!

But I haven’t really had an issue with God. Life hasn’t always been easy but and yet He has always been there for me. And yet, I haven’t always behaved like a child of God! I have had times I deliberately did the wrong thing, the ugly thing. And still I never questioned God’s love for me.

By the same token, when ugly things happened TO me, I never wondered where God was in the situation. I never thought He was behind evil nor did I blame Him for allowing evil to cross my path. It just feels like I have always known that He will right every wrong — and that He will transform me, if not my circumstance, and that it will all work together for good — eventually.

I am so thankful for this faith. I don’t know how I would have survived so far without it. But even more important is God’s faithfulness! Clearly, I have not always been faithful. But He always is. I can rest in His faithfulness!

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Fifteen

Hello Friend!

Do you have a friend you can call on to refresh your heart? That person who can listen and encourage you when the day, week, or month has been more than you can bare?

There is nothing like a friend who hears your circumstance, will pray for you, and tell you the truth about God’s love! It is so essential for my heart! My circumstances may remain but a good friend helps me see beyond the situation and, hopefully, can help me see a Kingdom perspective.

A friend like this is a treasure. And if you have one, hold tight! They are worth more than their weight in gold.

Thank you, Father, for blessing me with amazing friends. When I lose my way or lose sight of You, I am thankful they will help me see You and the work You are doing in my life!

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Fourteen

Hello Friend!

I am thrilled to have two grandbabies added to our family since May and so I have been extra introspective about a lot of things, particularly in how one is “wired”!

The fun (and sometimes frustration) in learning about a new person in your life is understanding them. What are their needs? What makes them tick? What is their communication style?

We all have a lot of people in our daily lives and some people fit with us so easily while others take some getting used to. When I am in the midst of figuring someone out, it helps me to remember that we are all knit together, created by God — even those people that take a lot of effort for me to connect with.

If you have tiny new people in your life, enjoy the process of getting to know them. Pray for them. Love them in the way you know how but don’t be afraid to learn new ways to love!

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Thirteen

Hello Friend!

Have you noticed that when you aren’t paying attention, things can disintegrate?

A marriage.

A friendship.

A job.

A grade in a class.

Physical health.

You just can’t set some things on autopilot and expect they will stay on their path. There is so much happening around us at all times and the important things take intentional effort.

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. Matthew 13: 24-26

While we are “sleeping” or distracted or deep in mourning or healing or ___________ (fill in the blank) some things that need our attention can fall by the wayside. Thankfully, God will forgive our inattentiveness and will work with us as we work towards a remedy. There may be some bumps in the road but this is life on Earth — there will always be bumpy roads! I am so thankful that He is merciful!

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Twelve

Hello Friend!

It is so hard to hear the life stories I hear sometimes and I can only imagine how difficult it is to live through them. There is a lot of heartache and pain in the world. It’s difficult to be in it but also very painful to watch. Some of what people have lived through is unfathomable – it doesn’t even touch my worst moment. All I can do is listen. And pray.

For peace. For healing. For reconciliation. For strength.

I have walked in my own shoes but I really haven’t walked in anyone else’s so, given a situation, it’s hard to say if I would have done things better or worse or at all.

What has helped you most when you have been on a difficult road?

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Eleven

Hello Friend!

Have you ever been sucked into something so ugly with such speed you wonder “Where the heck am I and how did I get here?”

It happens. Addictions are evil.

It mainly happens with addiction and it doesn’t have to be ours — it can be someone else’s and it can sometimes change the course of our lives. Instead of the regular things like paying bills and working the job we become familiar with calling the cops, paying fines, court dates, rehabilitation, and the jail system.

We can get sucked in so quickly!

If this is your life, I am so sorry. It is heart wrenching to have someone you love catapulting themselves towards disaster. They are seeking peace for their troubled soul. And you are along for the ride because you love them or think you can help them.

I will pray for you. I will pray for your wisdom and discernment. I will pray for your safety. I will pray you have healthy boundaries.

Sometimes you cannot stop someone who is bent on destruction.

Love,
Liz