Why we need to walk in the light

Posted on April 2, 2016 by sandra

Morning came early today, too early.

What used to be a rare occurrence now happens all too often. I wake up in the middle of the night and have to visit the facilities or my inner furnace kicks into overdrive (infernal inferno, anyway). Once the critical state passes, my mind refuses to drift back to dreamland.

I now understand why “Momo,” my much-loved, Texas-tough belle of a grandmother, used to spend the wee hours of the night seated at her kitchen table with a deck of cards playing solitaire.

In my teen years, she played the game on her Apple II. As an early adopter of personal computing, she used hers for three primary tasks: accounting spreadsheets (she was a savvy businesswoman), writing letters to far-flung family (Uncle Clifford’s got the gout again), and playing card games. Momo was something of a card shark – Bridge, Hearts, Canasta, she’d win ’em all – although she was known to throw a game of Go Fish to her grandkids. The computer didn’t stand a chance.

I digress…

Back to this morning. After awaking at 12:55 and again at 4:13 and killing time by reading on my phone (my hand-held computer), I rolled out of bed at 6:19. Since daylight savings started a few weeks ago, that hour is still quite dark.

I made a cup of hazelnut cream coffee in my beloved Keurig and pulled my Bible, study book and journal off the shelf. I was so tired that I longed to go back to bed, but that wasn’t going to happen. The bright fluorescent kitchen light hurt my eyes, so off it went. I settled in with my Bible study and tried to focus by the 60 watt lamp next to the couch. With my aging eyes, I could either turn on more light or pull off the glasses.

Side note for all you youngsters who don’t need reading glasses yet. Near-sighted older folks have an advantage over those with better vision. If you pull off your regular glasses, you can read the tiny Bible print even in dim light. When I’ve got myself more pulled together later in the morning, I’ve put in my contacts and need reading glasses for fine print. Oh, cruel vanity!

Anyway…There I was relishing the shadows while bringing my Bible near my glasses-less nose. For Northwood Ladies’ Bible Study, we’re in 1 John with Kelly Minter’s study “What Love Is.”

“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true, but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:6-7

I realized that my tired, discouraged self was craving the darkness, not so I could commit a bunch of dastardly deeds but to avoid dealing with my messes. You can’t see the dog hair tufts on the carpet or the cobwebs clinging from the ceiling when the light is dim.

Now, yes, I need to clean house literally, but I’m going for the metaphor here. I need God’s light to show me where I can clean up my attitude and get rid of harmful habits that are the dirt and clutter of my inner world.

In our study, Kelly Minter had us look at 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” She asked us to confess any bitterness, jealousy, strife or “any areas the Lord shows you.”

I thought, “I don’t have harsh feelings toward others right now, so I’m good.” Then I felt that Holy Spirit pang. “Wait a second, Sandra, you are often quick to forgive and ask forgiveness of others, but you hold on to anger over your own failings.”

God was getting up in my business again. I believe he was prompting me to turn on the light and see that he is bigger than any of my failings and move on. Focus on blessing others rather than wallowing in self-pity.

A few weeks ago, our family took a Spring Break trip to the Great Southwest. We spent our first night in the aptly named View Hotel in Monument Valley. All the rooms have balconies on the east side, so you could get a glorious view of the sunrise. Shawn and I were in one room and the girls were next door.

The two of us bounced out of bed (unexpected bonus: getting older makes it easier to wake up) to watch the sky turn from navy to violet to rose and fiery gold behind three terra cotta towers (East Mitten, West Mitten and one I can’t remember). The sky put on an awe-inspiring show, but my phone camera didn’t capture the beauty very well. The iconic buttes looked like black blocks because they were backlit, meaning the source of light was behind the subject.

When I turned the opposite direction and snapped a photo of Shawn lit by the first rays of the sun, the colors of the nearby mesa (not to mention the handsomeness of my man) were on full display.

This photo was snapped seconds after the previous one.

It only occurs to me now, after reading these verses from 1 John, that anything we put ahead of God is going to turn dark. The way we get the best picture is by shining the Lord’s light on the subject. Light comes from God; “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” – 1 John 1:5. And it is found in his Word: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” – Psalm119:105.

What does it mean to fear the Lord?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by sandra

“Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity and their children will inherit the land. The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He will teach them his covenant.” – Psalm 25: 12-14

I’ve always struggled with the concept of fearing the Lord, not that I have trouble with reverence, but I couldn’t really grasp its complexity. How do you do it?
Twice in the span of two weeks, portions of this scripture showed up.

In our Northwood Ladies Bible Study, Discovering The Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer, she asked us to choose two of six possible verses to post on a mirror or carry around with us. One of them was Psalm 25:14. When I read the two preceding verses, I decided I wanted to claim those, too. I need guidance – constantly. I often get lost, metaphorically more than IRL (in real life, for those of you not living with a teenager). And as a parent, I definitely want to leave a legacy for my kids. I copied the three verses and taped them to my bathroom mirror, where they have become part of my “Flossing Meditation” (see this podcast from Happier with Gretchen Rubin about putting the word “meditation” with a boring task to trick yourself into doing it).

A week later, Northwood Church’s Executive Pastor Mike Mowery used the same passage of scripture from Psalm 25. This is not one of those verses that show up all the time, so my “Holy Spirit radar detector” started beeping at me like crazy. I thought, “Oh wow! I need to write about this.”

Then life happened, and I haven’t posted on my blog in THREE WEEKS. I’ve got a long list of wonderful excuses, but I’ll skip over them. I’ll just acknowledge that I missed some of God’s blessings by dragging my feet. Time to move forward.

After having a gauzy picture of fearing the Lord, the concept is starting to hit me upside the head in glorious Technicolor. Earlier this year in Ladies’ Bible Study, there was a line that I can’t find at the moment about how the author’s friend described fearing the Lord as seeing God in everything. I revere the Lord when I see Him in everything.

I see God in the morning sunrise over rooftops, the wrinkled face that smiles at me over grocery bins of apples and pears, the stop-and-go traffic that makes me slow my roll.

But the concept of fearing God goes deeper than this. Because He is my first, last and best hope, I seek Him in everything. When I long for guidance in a difficult situation, I seek Him. When problems large and small threaten to derail my puny faith (and especially after it jumps the track), I seek Him.

My understanding of the fear of the Lord wouldn’t be complete if I stopped here. If I see Him at work all around me and I seek His guidance, then the next logical step is I say “yes” to whatever He asks of me.

My faith shrivels and wilts when I refuse to follow God’s leading.

From Priscilla Shirer’s Discerning the Voice of God: “Over and over Scripture makes clear that the determining factor for experiencing God is obedience. We must learn to make obedience a habit regardless of our feelings.”

I write instead of watching that movie I’ve seen 21 times. I ask my children to do their jobs instead of giving up. I talk about the deeper things of life with a coworker rather than rushing past the pain in her eyes.

I’m giving myself a pep talk more than anything here. All too often I pretend I didn’t notice that prompting or I rationalize it away (remember I avoided my weekly post for two weeks). We are all poor in spirit. Those who recognize their poverty and their complete reliance on God get to inherit all that He offers us, the whole world, in fact.

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” – James 2: 17

Let’s be thankful that we see God’s hand everywhere. In those stormy, bleak or arid places, let’s seek Him. Then where He leads, we say “yes” and take that leap that makes faith blossom and bear fruit.

“But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.” – Psalm 103:17-18 (ESV)

How to find your purpose in the midst of trials

Posted on February 14, 2016 by sandra

I recently interviewed a local woman who helps the homeless. She began her ministry because her ex-husband suffered from severe mental illness and chose to live on the streets. She and her son began collecting blankets to distribute in the winter to the Fort Worth homeless (You can read about her here).

She told me, “You find your passion through your pain.”

There’s really no getting around it. Adversity is the training ground for growing our faith and finding our purpose. Nothing will soften the stiffness of pride like humiliation. Heart-breaking circumstances fuel not just our passion, but our compassion. The pain of loss allows us to more fully treasure those we love.

When my third child came into the world, I thought I was a pretty good mom. I had two bright little girls who did what I asked them (most of the time). They put away their toys, patiently sat in the cart or walked next to me in Kroger and enjoyed bath time, playing with bubbles and relaxing when I would wash their hair.

Then No. 3 came along and rocked our world. A few of her cousins actually thought “No” was part of her name.

If you asked her to clean up her toys, she might dump out a bin of Legos, crawl onto the dining room table and attempt to hang from the chandelier. When we went to the store, she would try to stand up in the cart and scream to get candy or a toy (even though I NEVER gave in to the tantrum, EVER). I became THAT MOM, with the screeching toddler you could hear from the other side of Target. Bath time was a battle. She hated to have her hair washed and refused to keep her head tipped back and still, inevitably getting shampoo in her eyes. She even had to go to the ER once and get skin glue for a gash above her eye from a bathtub slip.

Here’s my curly-haired tot at almost 17 months. She’ll mess with Texas if she wants to.

Once when her big sister read a sign aloud that said, “Don’t mess with Texas,” she said, “I’ll mess with Texas if I want to.” She was 3.

Needless to say, my concept of my prowess as a parent took quite the hit. But really, it was just her personality. Sometimes you get a strong-willed child instead of one who loves to please you. Hubby and I had to correct her way more often than her two sisters (added together and multiplied). As she got older, we learned more what worked and what didn’t. She, too, gained some self-control (thank the good Lord).

Now, she is a smart, responsible, compassionate young woman of 17. She has high ideals and sticks to them with steely eyed determination. Her perseverance is a force to behold. When it comes to what she wants, this girl DOES NOT QUIT.

God knew just what He was doing when He created her. It was just very challenging and humbling to parent her.

All that points to the fact that I would not have nearly the empathy for other parents who struggle if I’d never had her. She’s also had some health challenges. Again, another opportunity to grow in how I love others and the way I can identify with their pain.

Being at the end of your rope forces you to look up. You devour God’s Word to find hope. Prayer becomes a life-line that gets you through the day. That’s what trials do. They force us to depend on God.

Here’s a promise to hold in your heart during a tough time:

³Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and 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 5:3-5

and a reminder:

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. – 2 Cor. 1 8b-9

We experience God’s supernatural joy when we turn to Him in times of trial. We feel our dire need and go to His word and lift up heart cry prayers. Trials prune away the excess baggage and show us what truly matters: loving God and loving others.

We don’t mature in our faith by problem-free lives (as if there were such a thing anyway). We focus on eternal treasures when we realize our need for a Savior and Redeemer.

How can we flourish in a time of struggle?

Immerse yourself in God’s Word. Go there first for messages of hope.
Be like David. Tell God your troubles. He’s big. He can take it.
Spend time with those who love and encourage you.
Seek to bless others. When I help someone else, my pain has a purpose.
Look for reasons to be thankful. Gratitude makes us ripe for joy.

This isn’t just a message from over a decade ago. God is using difficulties in my life today to fire my passion and guide my direction.

How have you grown through a challenging season?

This is the sixth post I’ve written in 2016! Yay!!!

How to know when you have confirmation

Posted on February 2, 2016 by sandra

^“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” -James 1:2-4

So last week I talked about waiting on an answer/waiting out a storm.
I posted my blog entry last Sunday night, not knowing that I’d encounter a different kind of storm the next morning.
On the previous Friday, my boss said that her boss wanted to meet with me on Monday, but she didn’t have any details. In the newspaper business, when the editor wants to meet with you and the details are sketchy, you have every right to be concerned.
When I arrived at the appointed time, he hustled me down to Human Resources. I figured I knew what was coming. Profits in newspapers are shrinking like the waistlines on “The Biggest Loser.”
They were doing away with several full-time positions in the newsroom, and I was one of them. Fortunately, they offered me the option of resuming my part-time gig because they were happy with my work and still needed someone to cover schools.

One of the many cool stories I got to cover was on local beekeepers.

Part of me was sad that the side of my job going away was the magazine feature writing. But another part of me believed this was an answer to prayer.
We’ve been studying “Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks” by Priscilla Shirer in our Tuesday morning Northwood women’s group.
Priscilla’s 5 M’s of correctly hearing God are:

Look for the message of the Spirit
Live in the mode of prayer
Search out the model of Scripture
Submit to the ministry of Eli
Expect the mercy of confirmation

Priscilla asked us to write down in the back of our study guides “circumstances troubling me” at the moment. After a few really big ones I won’t mention here, I had listed “What to do with my writing.”

I’ve been feeling the call to write, but with all the time and energy I spent crafting these huge feature stories, I felt played out. On magazine deadline weeks, sitting down at the keyboard to do MORE writing was not appealing. I decided that I wouldn’t let my full-time job completely derail my other writing and made the New Year’s Resolution to post weekly on my blog. But I still wasn’t able to invest the kind of effort I’d really like to make.

I asked God to give me direction in how to proceed. Did he want me to focus more on the blog? If so, he was going to have to help me figure out what in my schedule would be replaced. Women, repeat after me: “I can’t do it all.” And if you try, you’re going to drive some folks crazy (like those closest to you, and maybe even the one in the mirror).

Not so coincidentally, I just read Lysa TerKeurst’s insightful book, “The Best Yes.” Every time we pick up a new commitment, we’ve got to put another one down.

When I was sitting there in H.R. hearing that my full-time gig was going away, I almost smiled. No, I wasn’t happy to be taking a major cut in pay. We are beyond blessed that we don’t require that extra income. We will just tighten our belts a bit. Not everyone is that fortunate. If you’ve read to this point (THANKS!), you can say a prayer for my colleagues who lost their jobs.

With the study on discerning God’s direction, I realized that the circumstances were providing confirmation (and more time) to pursue my own blogging and other writing.

After the better part of the week marveling at the Lord’s working in my life and (not gonna lie) still mourning a little that my big feature writing stint is coming to an end for now, I heard this song from our Praise Team on Sunday morning.

“All things are working for my good ’cause He’s intentional, never failing…”

Gotta love that God pursues us constantly to remind us of His never failing love.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” – Romans 8:28

What to do while you’re waiting on the answer

Posted on January 24, 2016 by sandra

“The vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” – Habakkuk 2:3

When you’re driving through heavy snow or on icy roads, you have to slow down and look intently. You can’t relax. You’ve got to watch for the next turn or an unexpected obstacle. Sometimes you have to stop altogether and wait it out.

I have this BIG prayer request, and the answer I want isn’t coming at the moment. The struggle is mighty. The stakes are high. There’s no end in sight.

But I’m not alone in this storm. God is with me. He wants to speak to me, even if the solution is nowhere near the horizon.

At Northwood Church this morning, Pastor Robert Stephens talked about what to do WHEN (not IF) storms come. Know Jesus and that He is the living Savior. When you don’t know what to pray, just say “Jesus.” Be obedient.

The Tuesday morning Northwood Ladies Bible Study gives me insight on what to do. We’re studying “Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks” by Priscilla Shirer. It’s been a wonderful reminder that God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. We have God’s power to do God’s will.

When you’re going through a storm, you’re on high alert. I’m seeking God’s face in my personal Bible study and prayer time. I’m desperate for guidance. Here’s some of what I’ve been hearing:

God may not be answering my prayer in the way I want, but He’s still giving me guidance.
I may not get the whole answer, but look for the next step.
Take it, even if it is uncomfortable.
I am called to act in love, but the response of others is not my responsibility.
Becoming like Christ is a process. Choose to obey the Holy Spirit in the small things.

I didn’t choose this storm, but I can choose how I face it: angry and fearful or expecting God to be with me and work in me.

I may not like this verse, but it’s proved true in the past and will be true again in the future:

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and 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 5:3-5 (ESV)

While I’m waiting on the big answer, I’m not giving up. I’m searching for the good in the moments. I’m looking for beauty around me. I’m thanking God for His many blessings. I’m seeking out ways to bless others.

” ⁹So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” – Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Letting go of Unrealistic Expectations (a.k.a The Great Christmas Card Fiasco of 2015)

Posted on January 20, 2016 by sandra

The last time I didn't send a photo Christmas card was 2000, when I painted one (back when a stayed home all day and did stuff like this to keep from going bonkers).

The last time I didn’t send a photo Christmas card was 2000, when I painted one (back when I stayed home all day and did stuff like this to keep from going bonkers).

Most every year since the girls were tiny, I’ve sent out Christmas cards with their shiny, happy faces on them, often including all five of us. This year, I did not.

I had every intention of doing it and had planned to get a quick family photo of us at Thanksgiving, like I did last year. I got busy and distracted and forgot, but we could still get one several days before Christmas. Anna, my youngest, has developed some great photography skills, so Shawn and I thought she could set up the photo. The challenge was Rachel would not be home until the day before we would leave to go to Kansas for Christmas. I could upload the photo for one-hour developing at Walmart and I could address cards on the seven-hour road trip. That’s kind of a holiday tradition for me anyway.

Rachel was later than expected, so we thought we could take the photo before we got in the car and send it to a Walmart in Norman, Okla., and I could still get them addressed and stamped.

Then the last-minute photo session fell apart. I won’t name names. Let’s just say some people don’t always work well together or cite creative differences and leave it at that. It was a very unpleasant 20 minutes that ended with no photos. Then we had to get in our Durango, three adult-size kids, two parents and a nervous medium-large mutt and ride seven hours together.

Some people had to get over some stuff fast or make everyone miserable. And when I say SOME people, I’m looking in the mirror. I still had the thought in the back of my mind of putting together a collage or getting a Yuletide photo in the snow once we got to Kansas and making it New Year’s Greetings.

Sometimes you’ve got to know when to let go.

My family knows I’m a bit of a Christmas junkie. I decorate like crazy and play Christmas music whenever I can. But it’s okay to let go of some of the trappings and focus on the people around you. It’s even better if you can see the bigger picture of what Christmas means.

While the cards, decorations and carols are wonderful, what I like even better are the special times with family and friends. We got to spend Christmas with Shawn’s family on their farm in Kansas and New Years with my mom and step dad. Rachel came home for a nice, long visit, and we had friends from church come to our house to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

I treasured the few hours I got to spend having breakfast in Yoder, Kansas, with my friend, Anne, whom I have known since junior high when the Bee Gees topped the charts and “Happy Days” was the most popular show on TV. Anne teaches at a mission school on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, so I only get to see her a few times a year, at most. Enjoying the presence of one of my best friends was better than any present she could have given me.

I wouldn’t have traded Rachel coming home for any kind of material gift, nor would I want to give up time with other family members or friends. Festive cards from loved ones, strings of lights, the smell of spiced cider and ancient carols delight the senses, but treasured time with an encouraging friend, a warm hug from my mom, and the sound of my daughters, nieces, and nephews laughing together bring more joy.

The older I get, the more I realize that presence is greater than presents.Emmanuel is “God with us.” Jesus came to earth to be with us and so we could be with God.

People sometimes let you down. That Christmas card scene you imagined in your head may not come to fruition. Instead, you might be fussing and fuming. But stop for a moment to thank God for what you DO have. And when you do, remember that God is with you (long after the holidays are over) no matter what. That’s the greatest gift of all.

If I were doing a Christmas card collage, here are some photos from 2015 that I might have included (see how I sneaked that in there?).

Posing with Rachel when she was a bridesmaid at Melissa Canter Ha’s wedding.

Anna and Shawn at the Northwood Church Car Show with Anna’s 1968 Chevy El Camino (nicknamed Buckley).

Rebekah and Carlos at Northwood Church’s camp for 75 orphans in Atlixco, Mexico.

What to do when you’ve blown it

Posted on October 7, 2015 by sandra

I went to bed last night drowning in disappointment and woke up in the wee hours with the weight of it sitting on my chest. I tried my trick of listening to the melodious voice of Max McLean reading the Psalms on biblegateway.com. He can almost always lull me back to sleep. Not this time.

Almost all of my frustrations were messes of my own doing. I said something to friends that was VERY judgmental instead of reflecting the love of Jesus.

I couldn’t resist this impromptu trashcan bouquet

My house is pretty much a wreck from one end to the other because I’m busy, and when I do have time I get discouraged because my efforts have so little impact.

I worry that my mistakes as a mom have made it harder for my young adult kids to follow God rather than easier.

Around 5 a.m., I gave up and got out of bed. I brewed my coffee and sat down with my computer, Bible and journal looking for solace. I found a Beth Moore video that included a pop quiz. One of her “true-false” questions was, “I know God loves me but I think I often disappoint Him.”

That struck a bruised spot on my heart. I disappoint myself so often that I think God must be disappointed in me, too. Beth said God isn’t disappointed because He isn’t surprised by our struggles. I didn’t catch Him off guard when I messed up.

She quoted Romans 5:5, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

As I was looking up that verse, my eyes drifted up to 5:1. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

My problem is that sometimes my faith is in the wrong place. I try to do big things (or not-so-big things) through my own efforts and I fail. I may be disappointed, but God is not. He’s saying, “Look over here, my daughter. Put your hope in me. Give me your expectations. Let me guide your steps. Don’t sit down and have a pity party or immerse yourself in distractions to avoid the difficult work ahead. Grab my hand and take a step with me. You don’t have to know the whole trip just the next step.”

As for dealing with my shortcomings, I can apologize for thoughtless words. I can wash the dishes and start a load of laundry. I can pray for my girls and look for opportunities to love them in words and actions.

And I can remember that I will never be enough, but God is. There’s a certain freedom in that.

Did you ever think of your failure as an opportunity to grow your faith?

Brave enough for the next step

Posted on September 23, 2015 by sandra

You know how sometimes you need a kick in the pants, but you don’t want one, so you avoid situations where you think God’s going to call you out on stuff? Tonight I knew I’d probably get a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit, and I’ve been allowing myself to be mired in the rut called “I’m too busy and tired to do that.”

I went to Brave anyway and got that bop on the backside. Instead of collapsing on my couch with the next episode of “Downton Abbey” on Amazon Prime Video, I spent an hour and a half hearing God’s Word, listening for His voice, and talking with women I’d never met about the awesome power of grace to break the chains that hold us back.

God told me to let the Holy Spirit out of the closet where I’d chucked Him lately. He told me to call on the Holy Spirit to help me do the difficult things he has planned for me to do, to face fear and be brave.

My beautiful mom venturing out on a pasture trail at sunset in central Kansas.

While I was praying with the small group of women I’d never met, one of these ladies quoted a verse that has been one of my favorites for a long time because it coaxes me out of my comfort zone. I remember it being my key verse when I was in labor with each of my three children. God often brings it to my mind even now that my girls are 23, 20, and 17.

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

Some translations say “a sound mind” instead of self-discipline. Some days I really need that sound mind promise and other days the self-discipline.

I believe that God calls me to use my writing to encourage others. I don’t yet know all the details, but I don’t have to know the whole journey, just the next step.

As I look to Him during the trials of this season in my life, I trust that He is at work. As Laurie Graves told us at Brave, “When we stand against the devil, we get joy and patience, and eventually, we get a testimony.”

Make no mistake, my friends. God has plans for you in this very season.

What is God calling you to do in the middle of your difficult time? This isn’t a hypothetical, by the way. If you want to comment with what God is calling you to do, your words may encourage someone else to be brave enough to take the next step.

Sandra Engelland

Cultivating peace

Category Archives: Faith