Tag: bible

  • Unknown.

    Unknown.

    The unknown can be our biggest enemy sometimes. Unknown is the thing we put most of our focus on. The thing we spend most of our energy trying to control.

    I wonder if it’s actually more comforting for us to look ahead. We want to figure out the unknown simply because we feel a desperate need to avoid what we are facing today.

    Because let’s face it, today can be hard. We can be broke or we can be sick or we can be abandoned. We may be living in limbo in our marriages or in crisis with our jobs. We may be aching for our children and their needs. The right now can hurt so badly that the only escape is to get lost into the unknown. Get lost in the “what ifs” that give us the illusion of control.

    What if I take this job, or what if we lose the house. What if we make that move, or what if I get the raise, or what if I try this treatment.

    We can live in fear and dread the unknown, assuring ourselves of the worst. Or we can live in hope and see happiness ahead with Pollyanna eyes.

    But neither of them are truly right. Both are still guessing games of the unknown.

    The last couple of months have been filled with the unknown for me. I’m learning how to fully live right in the middle of the hard, in the here and KNOWN. What I know is that this is the life He has blessed me with. If this is my life, if this is where I am at, then this is where God is too.

    When I was little, my parents would take me and my 5 siblings fishing. In the bible, there are a lot of stories on fishing. In particular, Jesus telling the disciples He would make them fishers of men.

    I believe He calls us all to be fishers of men/people.

    Fishing is filled with unknown. The lure would be cast out into the water and sink to the unknown waters. We can’t see what is going on in the murky waters. We just sit and wait. Wait until we feel that nibble.

    That’s what life is like. We wait on God to give us the nibble. The next step He wants us to take on this life journey He has prepared for us.

    We start reeling in the next step to see what is on our life line. Sometimes we catch the big one. Sometimes we catch a small one. Sometimes we miss it all together because it either wasn’t set right or we reel too fast.

    Our choice is what we do while we wait on the nibble. He calls us to be still. To enjoy the time. To be content in Him and enjoy the journey.

    Be still and know that I am God. ~Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

    Sometimes we choose the opposite. We don’t like the wait. We get frustrated and reel too fast only to miss the blessings He has provided.

    Too many people miss the silver linings because they are expecting Gold. ~Maurice Setter

    So, what is the lesson?

    By trying to control the unknown of the future, I am wasting my time and energy. I am not fulfilling what God needs from me now, which means I’m wasting God’s time as well. I am also missing all the blessings He has provided, that are right in front of me.

    It all boils down to this:
    none of it is unknown to Him.

    I am going to trust Him, live for today, and wait for the nibble. How about you?

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Stop Looking. Start Acknowledging.

    Stop Looking. Start Acknowledging.

    Have you ever noticed that sometimes the more you search for something, the further away it gets?

    Sometimes, with the best of intentions, we go to God looking for answers… for direction… for guidance… and we get…

    Nothing.

    We get silence. We can be quiet. We can listen. We can be silent while screaming inside at the top of our lungs, “WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!”

    We do all we are supposed to do. We follow the rules…pray, sit in silence and yet we get… nothing. We can’t seem to find Him.

    I wonder if I am trying too hard. If I should stop looking. And start acknowledging.

    I start thinking God has gone somewhere. That He has fallen silent and I am doing something wrong. That I need to search for Him and find Him. But really, I don’t think either of those things are true. I think I am just waiting for Him on my terms instead of His.

    I want the control. I want answers, direction, resolution. I want the warm and fuzzy feeling that I think faith should give me.

    I have grown up to believe that if I follow the rules of praying I will get the answers. Of course, the answers in my time and in my way.

    I long to know what He knows. I wait to hear the definitive word so I can step ahead in His good grace. And when He is silent, I think I’ve missed something. And I once again, think I need to find Him.

    Do you notice the control theme in there?

    I want. I look. I expect.

    The other day, I had one of those “Aha” moments when I was driving home. It was an overwhelming day, there wasn’t one thing that seemed to go right. I was tired of the number of things that seemed to not be going how I wanted them to. In the middle of these thoughts, I began taking in the beauty of His creation. I began focusing on all that I am grateful He has given me.

    And then I felt calm, grateful, and serene.

    I had been frustrated, feeling He was nowhere near me and silent. When I changed my thoughts and perspective, I got what I was looking for. Those thoughts, turned my attitude and feelings on a dime.

    And it was then I realized:

    I don’t need to find God. I just need to acknowledge Him.

    I thought He was silent because He wasn’t giving me the answers I was looking for. He wasn’t speaking to what I wanted Him to speak to. I knew what I needed and what I wanted and He wasn’t providing.

    He wasn’t under my control.

    But He hadn’t gone anywhere. I was the one who had moved. I moved from a place of being a servant. I moved to a place of wanting Him to serve me on my time and in my way.

    In that moment I stopped trying to find Him. I found the creator of the Universe who I thought had somehow disappeared. He is EVERYWHERE. I was just looking for what I wanted instead of what He was offering.

    I need to stop looking for Him and started acknowledging Him.

    Stop waiting for my answers and started walking ahead in faith. Stop waiting for Him to give me what I want ahead of time. Trust that He will give me what I need when I need it.

    I don’t need to pack my bag before the trip He has called me to. I need to travel the road He has called me to and trust He will provide for me as I go. I need to acknowledge Him along the path.

    I realize that He doesn’t have to speak to be heard. I need to start listening with something other than my ears. I need to listen to Him with my heart and soul.

    Walking in faith is hard and scary, and I can be okay with that.

    Because hard and scary is His specialty.

    He has called me to focus on the word serenity this year. Serenity is a state of inner peace and mental clarity that is independent of external events. It’s a feeling of calm and tranquility that can help avoid stress.

    “I leave the gift of peace with you, my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts, instead, be courageous.

    John 14:27 (TPT)

    My job is to stop looking and start acknowledging. It is there I will find the serenity that comes from Him.

    What is God calling you to this year? Will you join me in acknowledging Him along the way?

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Shoo Birds

    Shoo Birds

    The last couple of months, my ministry partner and I have been on a sabbatical. A sabbatical is an extended period away from work for personal growth and reflection. It is a time for us to be intentional in seeking God’s call and provision for 2025.

    There have been many times over the last couple of months where I have been intentional in being still. Being still so I can hear from God. During the times of being still, I find my mind trying to control my thoughts. I have tried to stop the thoughts and the worry that creeps in by praying and giving it to God. Yet the minute I stop praying, my mind is back to trying to figure out next steps.

    Has that ever happened to you?

    Then I came across this quote…

    You can’t prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. ~Chinese Proverb

    I changed the word sorrow to worry and I decided that it appears I’ve got some birds of worry swarming around. It also appears that they are taking up residence.

    I have found over the last several years that worry is NOT from God. If I truly have faith and trust Him like I say I do, then I have to let go. I have to let go and surrender the situation to Him.

    Fear, worry, and anxiety are all weapons of Satan. They keep us from experiencing the full life God has for us. These emotions tend to overwhelm us and keep us paralyzed.

    1 John 4:18 (NIV) says, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears in not made perfect in love.

    They say faith is believing without seeing. I think it’s also believing without feeling. It’s believing in those moments when our hearts ache, worry consumes us, and our tears betray us by spilling over. When we know better, but feel the worry and/or pain any way.

    Faith isn’t a feeling. It’s believing despite our feelings.

    So what’s the answer?

    I have to do more than pray. Praying is one step in combating worry. I have found that getting into His word and reading all His reminders and promises is also an important step. His word gives me what I need to combat what Satan is trying to do to stop me.

    But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

    When I read His truth and promises, the feeling of love, security, and peace take over. These feelings allow me to be still, listen, and Hear from Him.

    Have you been trying to be still and hear from God? Pull out your bible and read His promises and truth. Talk to Him. Hear from Him.

    Oh, and by the way, it also helps keep the birds from building the nest in our hair!

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Holy Spirit Prompting

    Holy Spirit Prompting

    I often wake up in the morning with a song going through my mind. I know, many people probably have this happen, but I’m talking really off the wall songs that I haven’t heard in years!

    One morning, I sent my daughter this …

    once upon a time television GIF
    Hi Ho Hi Ho…It’s off to work we go!

    She knows that I’m weird like that, so I had to share the song as we were getting ready for work.

    Yes, I am one of those mom’s that sang songs to her kids that they hated to wake up to. Songs like, Rise and Shine or School Days Rule Days.

    OK…back on track to where I’m going with this post…

    When I wake up with a Christian song in my mind, I love it. I feel like there is something in the song God wants me to hear. So, I ponder it and take what the Holy Spirit is giving me through song.

    Well, this week, I woke up with the Doris Day song, Que Sera Sera …Whatever Will Be Will Be, running through my mind.

    When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me…Que sera, sera…Whatever will be, will be…The future’s not ours to see…Que sera, sera ….

    Although this is not a Christian song, I did take time to ponder it. The phrase made me feel light and calm inside. Then bam, out of nowhere in my mind came came the phrase… Hakuna Matata! A phrase and song from Lion King. It means no worries for the rest of your days, It’s our problem-free philosophy.

    I would tell my children that Hakuna Matata, was actually not such a great philosophy at all. It takes away the responsibility we have for ourselves and to others. I think both of these songs leave out the responsibility we play in our future.

    It is important that we don’t go to extremes in life. Quite honestly, I think that is what is happening in our world today. We are going to extremes and the balance is somewhere in the middle.

    I see the phrase Faith over Fear a lot. It has become a motto when we are facing times of fear and difficultly in our lives. I love this phrase, but I want to make sure we don’t take it out of context. That we don’t go to an extreme.

    I don’t think the phrase means to just sit back and let things happen. I shouldn’t tell myself that things happening aren’t my problem (Hakuna Matata).

    What I believe it means, is that we have a responsibility to carry out God’s call. Then, have faith that He will take care of the rest. God’s call for each of us to live the values of service, giving, self-sacrifice, obedience and truth.

    The parable of the Good Samaritan is a great example for each of us…Luke 10 starting at verse 25…

    What do I need to do to inherit eternal life? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself…

    Love your neighbor and serve them. Love God and serve Him. Then, trust and have faith that God is walking beside you and guiding you through it all.

    Also, don’t just brush away silly things that enter your mind. The Holy Spirit may just be prompting you.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Transform Your Choices: Embrace the Greater Good

    Transform Your Choices: Embrace the Greater Good

    Lesser of Two Evils vs Greater of Two Goods.

    As I prepare for a new year, I find it interesting that people are so anxious to move on from one year to the next knowing that we are beginning next year the same as this year will end. I am not trying to be debbie downer but isn’t that our reality?

    What are we doing differently as we begin next year to make it a year we won’t be ready to leave behind? One where people are not so divided and angry; where instead of hate we love; where instead of skepticism we trust.

    At Choose Ministry we focus on empowering and equipping people to make Godly choices that will transform their everyday lives. God has blessed us with a free will to choose, and it is up to us to choose Him and trust His word. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond.

    What I have discovered over the past several years is that sometimes our perspective is choosing the lesser of two evils instead of choosing the greater of two goods. The lesser of two evils begins our choices with division, hate, and skepticism. We end up feeling like we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    I don’t want to get into politics or any other debate, as that is not my point to writing this. What I do want is for us, is to open our minds, hearts, and prayers to the fact that the greatest good is God. If we want our choices to begin with good, we have to begin with God. He is good and perfect.

    God will direct us, love us, and give us hope in this imperfect world. He is our cord of Hope! His word is truth and will take away skepticism. He is love and will take away hate and anger. He is telling us to love our neighbor as He has loved us. So what is our Godly choice? LOVE

    In those times when the choice you face seems to be the lesser of two evils, turn to Him. Ask Him to direct your path. Ask Him to give you an open mind, humble heart, and faithful feet to walk where He leads. And then, trust His direction and love as He has loved you.

    It’s really about changing our perspective from the lesser of two evils to the greater of two goods. Will you join me this next year on focusing on the greater of two goods instead of the lesser of two evils?

    With love and joy, 

    Laura