A Season of Perpetual Hope

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As I am writing this post, we are coming up on the Christmas season. Too often we get caught up in all of the lights and parties and present buying, so much so, that we may sometimes forget what this season is truly about. It’s about a loving God who sent His Son to be born of a virgin. It’s that untouched innocence in not only the Child but the Mother who carried Him. He didn’t come as a soldier to take away all of the things that were and still are wrong with the world. He came as a little baby.

I don’t know about anybody else, but there is something so magical about seeing a baby. For me, it’s about their innocence and their helpless need for us to take care of them. Imagine that…. the thought of Jesus as a small and helpless infant, who was totally dependent on the people around Him. That thought can, at times, be mind-boggling for us! Even though He was born on this Earth as a babe, He still represented and continues to represent a season of everlasting hope as a renewal for us to be made new as well.

This season of perpetual hope can also offer some healing as well for those who have lost loved ones and are going through their first year of separation during all of the holidays. That’s a struggle for sure. It makes it difficult sometimes to see that hope when we are sad. However, while we very easily see Christmas is a season of hope, we can’t dismiss that Jesus’ death on the cross at Easter is also another season of hope, as well. It was His death that has paved the way for us to be able to see our loved ones again. Before Christ died for us, we were separated from God and our loved ones by sin, but by dying on the cross, Christ took away that barrier. Now we know that this separation from each other is only temporary. So the cycle goes on and repeats as a reminder of how much our God loves us. He came as a child and died as a man…. all because of His love for us. (Related post: Jehovah-Jirah: Name of God)

What did I learn from this? It’s hard to put into words, how humbled I am. None of us are worthy of Him, but that didn’t stop Him from doing it anyway. No other religion can say that. It’s our faith in our God that gives us that hope for something better. It’s hard to see it now, but better days are coming and that is where my hope and faith lies. He hasn’t let me down yet and I know that He won’t.

So, what can you gain from this? I think and know and have experienced that as your faith deepens, our God shows up in miraculous ways. Things that seemed impossible before, now seem to have a new dimension. You experience miracles and wonders that give you hope for something that used to be just a dream. He gives you that hope and you know that it is real and true and genuine. (Related post: God’s in the Details)

“Takes a licking and keeps on ticking”

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The phrase above was an advertisement of the ability of a Timex watch to keep going even after it’s been through many “torture tests”. The phrase itself has actually become an idiom for an ability to endure hardship or stress and still continue to function.

So, why did that resonate with me?

As Christians, we are prosecuted and mocked and reviled for our beliefs. Yet, as Christians, we continue to persevere through those hard times. Once you understand and know and see the love of God, it’s value far exceeds any prosecution that you can endure. We want others to experience all of the joys and freedoms that we have experienced, knowing that He loved us so much that He even sent His Son, Jesus, to take up all of our sins on the cross so that we can be with Him for eternity. I don’t know about what you think, but that’s just absolutely AWESOME!

I also know that I’m not worthy of that level of love…. none of us are! Yet, He still became man, lived among us and then died. He never had to do that. The thing is, is that we have a LIVING God. He rose from the dead and visited with his disciples and others before going to sit at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He didn’t leave us alone though; He sent us His Holy Spirit which guides us in our daily lives, especially when we invite Him to walk with us in the this earthly journey that we are in.

What I want to know is this…

Will you stand with God? When you fall down, will you get up and still give glory to our living God in the midst of it? When you fail, will you work harder to do better? When you recognize His love for you, will you talk about that same love with others? Will you do your best to live a Godly life, emulating the love that God has for us? Will you forgive those who have hurt you? Will you….

What did I learn from this? I am so humbled by the level of love that I have FOR Him and FROM Him. This blog that I write was done because He wanted me to do it. So, who am I to deny Him anything with all that He has given me? I see it so clearly now, where I couldn’t see it before! The twists and turns in the paths that I have traveled have all been preparation for right now. He was leading me to this moment. I will do anything and I know that while I don’t always understand His purpose, I have full confidence that He will show me in time what I need to see. (Related posts: A Blessed Path and Knowing and Believing)

So, what can you gain from this? Do you want to feel joy? Do you want to feel peace? Do you want to experience a love so deep that you weep in gratitude? Will you have difficulties? That I can answer with a firm “YES!” Just know this, once you give your life to God, there is NOTHING that He will not do to protect you! That you can rest assured in. You might take that licking, but He will make sure you will keep on ticking. He has a plan for you and He’s only just begun. (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)

Jehovah Rapha-Name of God

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The meaning of Jehovah Rapha is “The Lord Who Heals.” and is found throughout the Bible, namely, Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.”; Jeremiah 33:6, ” Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”; Psalm 103:3, “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”; Psalm 147:3, ” He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”; and Isaiah 53:5,
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

This reference to a healing God is that He is the One who can and will and does give us that internal healing that heals the soul. When God came to Earth in the form of Jesus, His Son, we know that Jesus didn’t just heal physical ailments that people were suffering through at that time, He healed their souls from the sin that was, and is still, keeping us from being with God fully.

So many other religions require that the people make a sacrifice to their god in order to gain favor with them. However, in Christianity, we have a God who loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed for OUR sins! You see, our Christian God saw that we needed something more that would heal us not only physically, but mentally as well as emotionally. None of us deserve this level of love, but He gives it freely.

What does He want in return? He wants our hearts. He wants us to step away from the great tempter who only seeks to keep us from being whole and well. Our God wants us to know a love and healing that doesn’t count what we’ve done in the past against us. Our God is always seeking to show us where we are going, not where we’ve been. Our God is always seeking to meet us where we are and ask that we trust Him to take us where we never thought that we could go. Our God heals those broken pieces that we didn’t know that we had. Our God renews our spirit and makes it whole, again. (Related posts: “My peace I give you” and The Faith of a Mustard Seed)

What did I learn from this? I need God, every minute of every day. He gets me going when it’s hard to get up and go. He fuels my body with purpose even when I cannot predict the outcome. He gives me hope when the world shows me that there are so many who still need Him. He gives me the words to say when I am stuck. He gives me His love and comfort when I need it the most. He’s like a warm blanket by a crackling fire that wraps me up in His comfort and keeps me safe. That is the God that I worship. That is the God that I love because I know that He loves me just as much. (Related post: Reasonings)

So, what can you learn from this? You are never too far gone that God cannot find you. You are never too lost that He won’t give you a guiding hand. You are never so unlovable that God won’t wrap you up and hold you tight. He walks with you on a daily basis, but he needs you to open the door so that you can fully fill His presence. He loves you and wants you to know that He knows your inmost fears and seeks to comfort you in your pain and suffering.

The Gifts We Bring

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I love to watch YouTube videos and I just love seeing the people who are speaking out about how they came to believe in God, in Jesus and in His Holy Spirit. What I love most about seeing these videos is listening to them tell their stories. These are some who have been into some really bad things and have tattoos all over their body. They tell stories of where they came from and what they’ve done (drugs, prison, gangs, etc.) before God met them where they were and showed them a different way.

You see, so many of us look on the outside. Some ONLY see the tattoos or only see their past and hold that against them. God doesn’t do that. He challenges all of us to see past that to the new person that they have become. God challenges us to look for the gifts that we all can bring to the table regardless of where we’ve come from or what others think of us. Each of us has a story to tell. Each of us has a piece of the same puzzle that can contribute to the whole picture for the world to see. (Related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace)

I don’t know your story, but I’d love to hear it. I’d love to know the journey that you took to get to this point in time. Don’t worry, you are not alone. We all carry scars, but no one’s scars are bigger than the ones that are carried by Jesus. He came to this Earth as a innocent child and an innocent man to take our sins up on that cross so that we would have the opportunity to go and be with Him at the end of our lives. Those scars that Jesus has are to remind us that NOTHING that we have done or will do is bigger than His love for us. He knows that we have a gift to bring others to Him as well when we share our own scars, our own fears and our own pain. This is the gift that we all share.

So…. will you?

What did I learn from this? I learned that I am not alone. I learned that there are others who have suffered and continue to suffer through sin and shame, so much so, that we try to hide away from a loving God who only wants us to get to know Him. I learned that my gifts are there to be treasured but also shared, no matter what others say. I learned that I am beautiful in His eyes and that He looks at what is in my heart and what I try to do for Him. I’m not perfect but instead I am perfectly imperfect. Guess what? I can live with that.

So, what can you gain from this? Are you called to be a messenger for Christ? Are you worried that your sin will keep you from calling yourself Christian? Rest assured that God never holds your past against you. He welcomes you to a table with others who have traveled the same road of sin and shame. Aren’t we so lucky that we have a living and loving God who wants us to be a part of His family? So, what can you gain? Peace and a love so pure that it will bring tears to your eyes as you weep in gratitude. Your story has had a perfect ending after all. (Related post: The God of Everything)

Your Very Own Super Power

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For anyone who doesn’t know, I have been working recently in a local school parish as a Behavioral Support Staff, which is just a fancy way of saying that I help the administrators, teachers, parents (family) and students who are having behavioral issues in the school setting. I thoroughly enjoy my job even though it does have it’s ups and downs when you are dealing with people.

What does that have to do with you having your very own super power? Well… let me tell you about that because it’s something that I tell EVERYONE when we talk about behavior. Wait for it…..

Your super power is your ability to make a choice! Sounds simple, right? So why is something that is so simple, so hard to, well, actually do? It comes down to fear. We have a fear of making the wrong decisions as well as having the stress and uncertainty that comes with having to make a decision that others may find objectionable. Sometimes it can come down to determining that what you are doing or seeing or experiencing comes from a conflict of what you value which can (and often does) conflict with someone else’s values. In addition, we can have the fear of uncertainty about how our decision may turn out. We will second-guess ourselves when it comes to the choices that we make.

So, how can we make it easier on ourselves? It’s important to understand that you need to make a choice that is the BEST ONE for you and your family. Is everyone going to be happy with it? No, and that is part of the problem that we all have to contend with, as well. We all have to live with regret on some of our choices, but we can always use those regrets as a way to learn from our mistakes. In other words, the choices that we make (good or bad), can help us to grow in all sorts of ways.

For example, I always used to wonder why I had a need to skip from job to job. Sure, I stayed in them for 3-5 years, but it felt like to me that I couldn’t stick with one job for long. What I didn’t realize at the time is that I was not failing but, instead, taking something from each job and then using it in some way in the next one. It wasn’t until more recently, in which I realized that God had actually been laying the foundation for something bigger at the time. It has come to a point where I can now use the information that I had learned from my experiences and share it with others through what I am doing now.

Perhaps you feel the same about your situation or about the choices that you need to make. There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way at all. It’s hard to be brave when what you are is afraid. Just know that you are not alone. Trust that God will help you when you need to start something new. All you have to do is ask. (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)

What did I learn from this? The choices that I have made have impacted me in so many ways. I am more confident in my ability to make a hard choice. For me, it’s also a matter of knowing that I can count on God to help me when I do struggle with something. I know that God hears me and answers me. I also know that sometimes that answer will either be a “Yes”, a “No”, or a “Not right now.” I also know that I have the ability to wait on God and trust Him on this journey called life. (Related post: A Blessed Path)

So, what can you gain from this? You can gain your own confidence in the choices that you make. Sometimes those choices will be great and sometimes those choices will be wrong and sometimes those choices will be neither, just sort of in the middle. The thing is…. you can still learn and grow from every choice that you make. That’s the whole purpose of life… learning and growing and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! (Related post: The Seasons of Change)

ONE King!

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There have been some who have been having “No Kings!” protests and I know that their purpose is primarily because they are protesting President Trump and all that he stands for. However, we DO have a King and His name is Jesus. He was sent by God to live among us, to die for us and to ultimately rise for us. In John 3:16, it states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God has loved us, throughout time, so much so that He sent His Son to be with us. Two thousand years ago, Jesus lived and walked and taught and shared and healed and showed us what it meant to be the One King that we so desire, now, to learn more about. We understand now that He lives in our hearts, and He walks with us in our struggles, and He teaches us how to love others, and He shares His Gospel with us through the Bible, and He heals us in our hearts and minds and bodies and He continually shows us that He is forever and ever the greatest King who has ever and will ever walk the Earth. There is NO ONE greater than Him!

Know this, we CANNOT come to the Father by ourself or through our own actions but we can only get to Him through His Son, Jesus. We MUST renounce everything that is evil in this world and within our own lives. We must first seek His Kingdom and His Glory. God gives us Grace and Mercy even though we don’t deserve it because of our sinful nature, yet God still made a way to Him because of His love for us. We can’t buy it through good works but we can give Him our hearts and do what we can in this life to bring others to Him. (Related post: Jehovah: Name of God)

What did I learn from this? I am a sinful person, but He has made me clean. I am ugly but He has made me beautiful. I am weak but He has made me strong. I am ashamed and He has made me whole. I am not worthy yet He loves me anyway. Everything that I do, I do for Him. It is only THROUGH Him that I am a better person. (Related post: The Faith of a Mustard Seed)

What can you gain from this? Go and look in the mirror. Ask yourself if you truly like the person that you see. Ask yourself if God likes that person. If your answer is “No” to any or even both of those questions, then humble yourself before God in THIS life, because for sure, the judgement will come in the next one. No one can escape it. I don’t think that you would want to wait until then to make up your mind about where your priorities are because by then…. it’s too late. (Related post: Why is it SO difficult to have faith, when we are faced with SO many things to fear?)

“What do you have to lose?”

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I had grown up in a Christian family. We were always going to church and doing other church related activities, but I will be honest in the fact that there was a time, briefly (when I was much younger, in my teens and early twenties), where I would go and do all the extras but I had removed my self from really feeling the love of God and His Son, Jesus. I wasn’t feeling the true connection, then, that I feel today.

For context, you need to know that there had been things that I had gone through when I was a very young child like being sexually abused by a neighbor’s son and then later on in college, by choosing to date a person who was very controlling and who also had sexually abused me, as well. I say this because I know that we all have things in our past that we want to wish away. I found though that while (for that little while) I had abandoned God, He HAD NEVER abandoned me. I took me a long time to see how I was reacting was based on the trauma that I had been through. There was a shame that I felt because I had felt as though I was somehow to blame for what another person had done to me and that I was less.

So, how did that change?

The underlying message of the statement, “What do you have to lose?” is that the potential reward that you could gain is greater than any potential setback that could occur. I encourage everyone to see this statement as a chance to see and know and believe that we have a God who cares nothing about our past but who looks at the potential of what we could be. What happened to me did change things for me. Those times and incidents didn’t make me less. Oh no…. not at all! Instead, those incidents helped me to see others in a different way and with loving compassion, just like our Father in Heaven saw me all those years ago. Those incidents helped me to see that we have nothing to lose when we ask God to walk with us in this journey we call life, after all….. what do you have to lose, when you have everything that you could gain, instead?

What did I gain from this? Evil exist in the world. There is no denying that but we don’t have to live that way when there is a better way and that’s with God. Does having God in our lives keep bad things from happening? Unfortunately, no. For me, I’ve learned that love is so much greater than hate. I’ve forgiven those who did that to me all those years ago. It’s for God to decide their fate, now. I’ll trust Him to do that. In fact, I know that in going through my own trauma, I am now able to help others to process theirs. Isn’t that a wonder? (Related post: Called to Serve)

What can you gain from this? I don’t know your story, but we have a loving Father who does. He will NEVER let you go, when you invite Him in. So, what do you have to lose in asking Him to heal your heart? What do you have to lose in asking Him to help you through the pain and sorrows that you feel? I’m here to tell you…. that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I pray that you see that. (Related post: “My peace I give you”)

Stepping Out In Faith

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I was listening to this story on K-Love about one of the D-Jay’s son and his experience at school. He had brought his Bible to school for a few days to see what kind of reaction he would get from the students there. The D-Jay (her name was Amy) stated that he was amazed because the students only asked him some questions about it but he didn’t get any of the negative reactions that he had apparently expected.

This brought to mind that it may be sometimes difficult or strange when we decide to show and speak to others about our Christian faith. Amy went on further to state that amazing things can happen when we step out in faith. So, that had me thinking some….

Stepping out in faith can be difficult and is much more different than living your faith. When you live in your faith, it’s what’s between you, the individual, and God. It’s more intimate and personal and semi-private. When we live in our faith, we will pray, read our bible, attend church, quietly do kind and loving things for others, and discuss things that pertain to God with our families and close friends.

The difference is what you then decide to do with that faith that you have lived with and grown in. Do you keep it to yourself or do you risk what happens when you share it with others?

When we step out in faith, we risk being judged and criticized by some people. Those same people will ostracize us because of our faith. Some may state that we aren’t truly Christian because we are being “judgy” on them and telling them how they are acting in a sinful manner. Stepping out in faith is more difficult to deal with because it means that we are inviting people in who don’t think about God the way that we do. They don’t see how a loving God can exist in such a dark world space. They think that God “allows” sin to take place, so they question why we call Him loving and powerful and wonderful. They see God as puny and weak instead.

However, we see things much differently than those who are lost.

When we step out in faith, we choose to give our free will back to God. We trust that He will protect us and guide us in our quest to bring others to Him. We know that God has given us the words in the Bible to comfort us and lead us down the path that leads to Him. We can then use those words and tell others what we have learned. I heard once where someone said that the Bible is God’s love letters to His people. That resonated with me. There’s truth in that because those words are the stories and journeys of all those who have struggled with some of the same things that we struggle with today. God wants us to know that we are not alone in our quest to understand Him. By reading the Bible, it instills in us a desire to learn and discover more about God through those who have traveled before us.

So, what did I learn from this? This world is a very scary place. It has been that way for a while. However, I can’t be afraid to share what I know about God. My joy in His love shines and it can’t be hidden. Do I continue to risk sharing that even when I have been judged by others? Do I try to convince others of what joy they can have in their hearts as well? The answer is a resounding “YES!!!”. I want others to know what I know. I want others to see what I see and I want others to feel what I feel! That joy that I feel is too powerful to be contained, so I will gladly step out in my faith if it means that I can help just one person come to know Him. (Related posts: We are ALL called to be His Church and Reasonings)

What can you gain from this? When you find God, there is a light that begins to shine within you. You cannot hide it. Everyone notices it. Yes, some will be critical, but you know the truth. You know that it was God who put that light there and you have your own story and journey to share. Embrace it and then fling it out for all to see. Step out in faith and see where He leads you! (Related post: The Faith-Fueled Journey)

“I forgive him.”

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Ericka Kirk recently made this statement when she had to do something that she probably never dreamed that she would do this early in her marriage to Charlie Kirk. On September 10th, 2025, in an instant, she became a widow with two very small children because her husband had been assassinated. At Charlie’s memorial service, she stood on a stage in front of thousands of people who had come to honor his legacy and indeed many who watched from home and, in that moment, she state that she forgave the man who murdered her husband. She further stated the following, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate.”

There are many who can relate to the suddenness of a death of a loved one. They can understand the strain and heartache that goes along with the loss. They can know how hard it is to have to explain to their children that someone that they loved is not coming back home. What is hard to relate to is when the world loses a great man because someone didn’t want him to make true statements. What is hard to grasp is this idea of others celebrating the death of someone who was so effective in winning people over, that they felt that he needed to be silenced. What is even harder to say and believe and feel is forgiveness when someone is killed because they spoke truth and also preached about the love of God.

What does that have to do with forgiveness? We must remember that the opposite of hate is love.

The more that I get to know about Charlie, the more of his videos that I see, and listen to the people who knew him personally, I begin to understand that God gave Charlie a voice in order to bring the world together. Recognizing truth is hard. It should make us uncomfortable when we look within but then we should also begin to recognize that truth is hard because we are sinful creatures. Our sinfulness can help us to know that we NEED God in our lives because God is love. God is grace. God is joy and God is certainly forgiveness. After all, He gave us the greatest example for us to follow in His Son, Jesus, who forgave those who crucified Him because they didn’t want to hear the truth then, either.

Thank you Ericka. I am forever changed. Not only because of what Charlie stood for but also for your heartbreaking courage to proclaim that hate has no place in your heart and it shouldn’t in this as well. I do know that hate will not cast a shadow over the memory of a truly beautiful man that was with us for only a short while but, we already know that his legacy will have an everlasting impact on others for years to come. His leaving left a huge hole in our hearts but we will ALL continue where he left off.

So, I’ll say to you, Charlie, you can rest easy…. we’ve got this now.

What did I learn from this? If I am to be a disciple of Christ, then I need to speak truth especially when it’s hard. If I am to be a helpmate to God, then I must love those who hate me because of the truth that I speak. If I am to be called Christian, I have to know that I write this blog for God’s glory and not for my own. He speaks through me. I know that we HAVE to turn to God. We NEED Him in our lives even if we don’t yet know it. I just know, sinful though I am, that I am a better person because God guides me every step of the way. (Related posts: The Lost Sheep and Okay, God, help me with this….why do You say that I need to forgive others?)

What can you gain from this? I pray that for anyone who reads this, that you begin to understand the peace that comes from having God in your life. We are ALL sinful and have fallen short of God’s glory, but luckily, He made a way so that we can be with Him when we leave this life. So go out and live your best life with God at the center of it. Don’t worry about what others think or say…. give that to God. Find the love and forgiveness that Ericka and Charlie found and trust that God will help you to handle anything that comes your way. Remember that NOTHING is too difficult for God to handle!

With a Thankful Heart

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These are some of the questions that I deal with sometimes: Do I have everything that I want? Is everything perfect in my life? Is my home exactly how I want it to look? Do I struggle with things outside of my control? Am I thankful for the things that I DO have and not what I want to have? The answers for me are no, no, no and yes, yes. Perhaps these are some of the things that you ask yourself as well.

So, this is what I do instead….

I remind myself that I’m so thankful that we have a God who really sees us when the rest of the world may just shrug us off. God knows us and He knows what’s in our hearts and our minds before we can even voice those thoughts, worries, or pain and before we even cry out to Him. All that He asks is that we trust Him to get us through when we struggle with those very questions above.

When we are thankful, we can see things that others skip over or choose to ignore. When we give thanks, we are acknowledging that we need God in every part of our lives. When we ask God for help, we are trusting the process to Him especially if we don’t understand it and are powerless to change it on our own. Being thankful means giving God the reins and trusting Him to get us to where He needs us to be.

Is this process easy? No. It’s very, very hard to let go of those things that we don’t understand like needless pain inflicted on others, on killings, on wars, and other cruelties that we may witness personally or through the media. I know in my heart that we can only try to make differences in those that are around us and demonstrate how thankful that we are when we know that God helps us to do what we can. We can’t take on the world…. I’ll just leave that to God. I’ll do what I can because He’s been giving us plenty of warning about what will happen if we don’t change. I’m just thankful that I can help Him in some small ways even when I’m frustrated when it doesn’t work. (Related posts: Okay God……We need to talk; Beware! There is DANGER, ahead!!; and The lessons that I’ve learned during a global pandemic.)

What did I learn from this? I can try my best to help others, but I can’t control what other people choose to do. What I can do is pray for them that they see what they need to change before it’s too late. I try to say “thank you!” all the time to God- when I wake up, throughout the day and especially at night. When I go about my day being thankful for what I have versus what I want and…. surprise, surprise…. I have become more in tune with what I have already been given.

So, what can you gain from this? Try saying thanks a little more, too. Even if it’s just one time a day, then start paying attention about how it makes everything seem a little bit lighter for your heart and your mind and your soul. It’s just a small thing than can have huge benefits in the long run. In the end, it’s up to you.