Tag: jesus

He will make your paths straight.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. “Proverbs 3:5-6

For every promise from God, there is a response I must make.  Proverbs 3:5-6 has three actions.

Trusting God

I was raised in a Christian home by parents who lived out their faith and trusted in God.  Prayer and Bible reading were built into the rhythm of our daily routine.  It was a stable and secure place to grow up (Prov. 14:26). An added blessing was that we lived in the country.  I remember one evening lying on my back in the grass. I was listening to a chorus of frogs croaking in the pond. I looked up at the “millions” of stars in the sky. Heaven touching earth (Psalm 19:1). My head knew that I could trust the God of the universe. However, it took a while before it became heart knowledge.

I gave my heart to Jesus fifty-four years ago, at the age of seventeen. Jesus is my Shepherd.  Faithfully, gently, and ably He tends His flock.  He takes care of my needs, makes sure I rest, and guides my steps.  He is with me when enemies attack me in whatever way.  And, best of all, His goodness and love are always there. Someday I will live with Him forever (Psalm 23).

Sometimes it is easy to say. “I trust You, God”.  But sometimes, I need to struggle with my emotions, cry out to God and choose to trust Him.  God promises that when I call out to Him, He will answer me. He will be with me in times of trouble. Not all my problems get solved the way I hoped. But God will be with me in my circumstances (Psalm 91:15).

 When I trust that God knows the path of my life, I can be certain that He will guide me.  He will stay with me.  There is no need to be fearful or distressed. (Deuteronomy 31:8). He works all things together for my good (Romans 8:28).

Our Father knows best.

There have been times in my life when I felt sure of the path I was on. I believed I knew what God would want me to do. When I got married, the pastor delivered a brief message based on John 1:5. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” For seventeen years, that light flickered and flamed, and I believed it would become a bright shining light “someday”.  However, over a few months, God began to reveal to me that change was on the way.  He used the words of our fifth marriage counselor. He used some reading I had done. My spouse’s actions played a part. Comments by my children also contributed. I had to accept that God wasn’t going to save my marriage; He was going to free me from it.  God loved me more than He loved my marriage.

 During the next years, I attempted to find out what to do next. Various scenarios occurred to me. Through His Word, God told me to forget the past because he was going to do something new (Isaiah 43:18-19). God would direct my steps. “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’.”  Isaiah 30:21:

Later, I sometimes struggled to adjust to the changes in my life. Despite this, I trusted that I was in the right place at the right time. I can make plans, but God will guide me to what He knows is best for me (Proverbs 16:9).

During the process of considering what I would change, I was sometimes too influenced by others’ thoughts. Their ideas affected me. This can be a stumbling block when trying to discern God’s voice. When God guides my steps, the way ahead can be different from what others or I, myself, expected (Proverbs 20:24). At the age of fifty-four, I made significant changes. Initially, I moved from Ontario to Alberta. Two years later, I moved to British Columbia. God’s promises reminded me that I was not alone in the transition phases of my life. Psalm 119:105 reminds me that God’s Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. Significant transitions can lead to big blessings.

Acknowledging God

There are many ways in which I can show God my gratitude for being in my life.

I am grateful for the ways God shows His love for me.  The most significant way was by sending His Son into the world. God promises me eternal life if I believe in Jesus (John 3:16).  With profound gratitude, I thank God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15).

My love for God is precious to Him. God asks me to love Him above all and my neighbour as myself (Mark 12: 30-31).  May my words and actions be pleasing to Him (Psalm 19:14). 7) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances (I Thess. 5:16-18)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being”, Rev. 4:11

He will make your path straight.

One day, when I was still married, someone gave me a small corner of an envelope. It contained two Bible texts and the words, “I believe these are meant for you and your family.”  These verses have given me comfort. They have provided a sense of His direction in the years since. My path may seem straight and curvy, up and down, looping backwards.  However, I am confident that, eventually, my path will lead me straight to where He wants me to be.

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. Jeremiah 29:1

The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden. Like a spring whose waters never fail.

Navigating Life’s Uncertainties with Faith

In the Bible’s creation story, the earth is described as formless, void, and dark (Genesis 1:2).  The Hebrew word that is used indicates formlessness, confusion, unreality or nothingness and empty space. Sometimes life can feel like that.  Everything changes, plans fall apart and nothing seems to make sense.

I have a few examples of that in my own life:

 When I was 21 years old, I made a decision. I wanted the adventure of moving far away. I went to work in a small hospital in a small town.  Once there, I soon discovered that I didn’t like the isolation, and nearby city hospitals weren’t hiring. My adventure had become a disaster,

After 17 years of marriage, I realized that God wasn’t going to save my marriage. Instead, God was going to free me from it.  Being single again was not part of my hopes and dreams. I hadn’t anticipated being a single mother of two teenagers. Having an uncertain future also did not figure in my plans.

The events that caused the most significant change happened a while later.  Within 9 months, my children moved more than 3000 km away. My parents had been living down the street and around the corner. They had to make a change after my father’s stroke.  They moved to an assisted living place more than 2 hours’ drive away.  I experienced feelings of emptiness, especially in the empty spaces.

After my adventure at 21 years old, I was rehired in the hospital where I had worked before I left. After my marriage ended, I understood that the change was necessary. After my children and parents moved away, I also decided to move. My life took on a different dimension in ways I had not imagined. God knows the end from the beginning and guides our steps.

The end of Genesis 1:2 reminds us that, amid the chaos in the beginning, “the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” God is always with us.

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If we want to deal with the chaos in our lives, we must accept that life is painful and that we will have negative feelings. Haruki Murakami said, “While pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” Suffering happens if we ignore the pain. Acceptance requires us to trust that God is with us in our moments of pain, uncertainty, and joy. He is with us and loves us throughout our whole life journey.

There are some Bible verses that I have read repeatedly over the years.  I hope they will bless you, too,

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; Isaiah 66:13.  When everything feels like it is “too much”, it is comforting to be sheltered in the arms of the Father.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18, 19  When the past needs to be left behind, we can be confident. God has prepared a path for us.

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11. We can go forward with confidence.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6.  Trusting that our Father God knows best gives us security and peace.

A prayer written by Ted Loder

O Lord, deepen my wounds into wisdom;

Shape my weakness into compassion;

Gentle my envy into enjoyment;

My fear into trust;

My guilt into honesty.

O God, gather me to be with You as You are with me.

The Power of Gentleness: Strengthening Relationships and Self-Care

When contemplating my next blog post, “gentleness” resonated with me. As I soon discovered, it’s a concept that is universally acknowledged as a need in our world today.

What is gentleness?

Gentleness is a strength, a strength of character.   It encompassesmany parts of our personality, such as humility (having a quiet ego, being down to earth), forgiveness (being quick to let things go) and kindness (having a soft and supportive demeanour).  Dr. Ryan M. Niemiec says that perhaps gentleness is the ultimate “other-oriented strength”.

Gentleness and Others

When we are gentle towards others, we show them love and respect and lay the foundation for stronger relationships. We can communicate more effectively in a safe and trusting environment and resolve conflict more quickly.

It’s easy to feel like “tender” people should toughen up. This way of thinking will not foster closer relationships with people, and some of this behaviour may seem abusive to others. People are drawn to kindness and understanding.

Gentle people intentionally avoid causing other people distress.

Gentleness and Ourselves

When we are gentle to ourselves, we don’t strive for perfection.  We do the best we can in any situation.  Some days all we can do is get through the day, and that’s okay.

To be gentle to ourselves, we need to know ourselves.  What priorities do we have?  What things should we say “no” to?  It is essential to take care of ourselves in a way that is unique to who we are.  We should focus on the people and things that are important to us and make time for ourselves to enjoy who we are

We can be gentle to ourselves through our interactions with others. When provoked, reacting with gentleness keeps our mind at peace and prevents the unsettledness of anger and resentment.

Gentleness and Nature

Nature gives to every time and season

 some beauties of its own;

and from morning to night,

 as from cradle to the grave,

it is a succession of changes

 so gentle and easy that

 we scarcely mark their progress.

~ Charles Dickens

May we strive to calmly “go with the flow”. 

Faith Notes

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jesus showed us how a life can be lived with kindness, tenderness, compassion, humility and purpose. 

Gentleness begins with how we feel about ourselves.  When we follow Jesus, “Our worth comes from who we are in Christ. We are loved by Him, we are redeemed, we are His children for whom he gave His life so that we can be reconciled to the Father. That is how God sees us, worthy of the greatest sacrifice. And that is how we should view ourselves too, through the eyes of our Lord.”~ taken from Faithfood.blog. https://faithfood.blog/2023/03/31/finding-your-worth-in-christ/#:~:text=Our%20worth%20comes%20from%20who,the%20eyes%20of%20our%20Lord.