Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Monday, January 10, 2011

Sieze the Day

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."  Psalm 5:3


    The old English major in me has been reasserting herself more and more these days.  Once upon a time I was someone who journaled religiously, and lately, the urge to do so has been overwhelming.  Thus, my new blogspot "Carpe Diem", which means "sieze the day."  I believe what scripture tells us:  that God creates for us a fresh and new batch of promises and blessings each and every day.  It is up to us to accept His ongoing and staggering gift of grace and mercy with open hearts and arms.  Read Lamentations 3:22-23.


     The past two years of my life have been very challenging to say the least.  To say I have been struggling is an understatement.  I am a care-giver and encourager by nature, and sometimes it is to my detriment.  When I found myself overwhelmed by a relationship that was too burdensome and draining, I had to step out in faith and hand my fears and doubts over to God and leave that relationship behind.  I quickly discovered that once I did, I could breathe again and my heart could heal.  My heart had truly begun showing symptoms of stress and disease.  Thankfully, it turned out to be completely healthy, but God used the medical tests to get my attention and show me that it was time to make a change.  Change is very hard, especially to those of us in middle age who find some sort of perverse comfort in doing things the same way over and over again, even when the outcome is always negative and not in our best interest.  That has been a life-changing realization for me.  God has dealt with me sternly, but lovingly, and I praise Him for that.


    As the new year begins and I seek to be the best mother, daughter, sister, friend and mentor that I can be, I am discovering that stumbling blocks appear seemingly out of nowhere.  The harder I try to be faithful in my service to the Lord by encouraging others, investing in the kingdom through mission work, and studying His word, the more chaos and strife seem to swirl around me.  This is what Paul describes in the new testament as spiritual warfare and it is very real!  Read Ephesians 6:10-17.


     To all my beloved friends and family, it is my wish in this new year that God's blessings will chase you down and overwhelm you with their abundance!

1 comment:

  1. I love to hear about your life, as I hope I am a great big part of it. I thank God that He has given you to be my friend. It is impossible to describe how it feels to have a TRUE friend, in which to grow in faith. I never really had a friend like that before in my life. You are such a Godsend to me. I love you so much!!!!!! Hang in there, God is just teaching us how to have all the fruits of His spirit! Karen

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