This is not easy for me to admit, but 2020 has brought fleeting moments where I have questioned my faith. In those moments of question, I take a step back and look at where my faith has brought me and how many disasters it has made right. This year has brought challenges to the world, our country, and for many of us our families. I believe those challenges will be untangled as our faith stands strong and as love prevails. What I have realized in those moments is that I am not questioning my faith, but my ability to hear…
Lately, I find myself surrendering daily to Jesus. I pray for continued strength to be guided by faith. It is often the toughest route, sometimes the longest route, and usually a route where I have little prior knowledge as to why this is my path. For me, making sure I stay on course is the most difficult part. I have to be patient yet be open to trying different paths. I don’t sit around waiting for answers, I explore paths that present themselves and pray for guidance. Sometimes the path is clear and other times it is rather foggy…
I never thought I would need to remind myself to smile. I hate to admit this, but I have smiled less, hugged less, and communicated less with people in general than I had six months ago. Our lives changed dramatically with COVID-19. One thing that has hit me hard lately is that I am using my smile infrequently. I see social media posts that say, “I really am smiling behind this mask.” I absolutely would have thought that I could identify a smile with or without the mask. I thought our eyes would communicate the smile. But in the…
When something goes wrong, we are targeted, bullied, or are not included do we go the extra mile and pray for the individuals involved? How many of us after we give our worries to God pray for those who we fear? Recently, I was reminded by a friend regarding the power of prayer. I won’t give details of the situation but she indicated that when stopped at a stoplight she and her daughter were verbally harassed. Her first instinct was not to talk back but to pray. She prayed not for safety for themselves, but for the people who…
I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Issam Nemeh speak on True Faith this past weekend. He encourages living our faith daily. Not turning on and off our faith when it works best for us, but choosing to live by faith. Living by faith takes commitment. When things are going well, I remind myself to thank Jesus. As things change direction and become difficult I thank Jesus for carrying me through the tough times. I continue to thank Jesus for the strength to believe and experience true faith. Dr. Nemeh spoke on having the right state of mind and having…
My faith is my first priority under all circumstances. We are living in a world of change and many unknowns. COVID-19 has redefined and intensified the unknown. Stretching one to think more carefully about how one lives life. Rethinking what used to be normal everyday tasks. Led by faith, but initiated with prayer. 1. Prayer As I continue to find strength in prayer, prayer begins to consume my thoughts. At first, prayer was inserted into my day when I saw a need. I became addicted to prayer as I continued to see results and opportunities. Where once I intentionally…
Does anyone really want to feel invisible? From time to time, it might cross one’s mind that it would be fun to be invisible, but not to feel invisible. Whenever I feel invisible I ask myself why I feel that way. Is it because I am surrounded by people that I don’t know? Or because I’m in an unfamiliar place and feeling insecure about myself? Could it be that I am unprepared? Is my body language unknowingly dictating a desire to be invisible? As a child, before school field trips, I remember wondering if I would have…
Signals and signs grow fuzzy, it is time to refocus. I envision this great plan and a path that is clear but the noise overtakes my ability to concentrate. How do I stop the noise in my head? As the noise increases so do my stress and anxiety. How do I reset and focus on Jesus? All the noise is telling me this is my dream job; but as I refocus, my direction is clear. As I refocus on Jesus the pit in my stomach is clearly telling me, to be patient, this is not the one. If the pit…
I am referring to that voice inside us that tries to take us off track, tries to take us to a place of evil rather than joy. I have witnessed varying degrees of depression yet always feel like there is so much more to learn. What I have learned from many of my close friends and family is that it is a battle that is fought daily. It is a choice made daily to choose joy and to have hope. Working through those negative voices inside our heads reaching for something greater, blocking out the negativity. Reaching out in faith…
Few of us imagined that life would be like it is right now. Who would’ve thought we would be living in a world of social distancing, life without seeing facial expressions, greeting someone with no contact, and being quarantined from some of those we love? The element of change is always around us, but sometimes change is much more significant, more than we imagined. Years ago I remember a teacher nearing retirement telling me, “I feel so bad that you’re going into education now because it has changed so much. Student behavior is so much more difficult and…