I have been in church my whole life. Forest Mill Baptist Church is the place I call home. I went there as a child, but when my dad was called to preach, we would go wherever God called him to go. I visited many smaller, country churches. When my sister and I started driving, our dad let us choose where we wanted to go. It was hard to not be with my parents, but we both wanted to be back at our home church. Over the years, I have seen people come and go for various reasons, but there have been a few that I refer to as pillars of our church. Those who always were bold about their faith, encouraging others in their walk with Christ. Their servanthood and faithfulness to the church and to God was visible to those who crossed their paths.
For me, a few that come to mind that are no longer here with us are Billy, Jerry, and David. Just recently though another one went home to be with the Lord, sweet Ms. Linda. She was a bright light radiating Christ’s love to those she met. She was so good at making sure to greet any new people that would come in the door at Forest Mill. Over the years she spoke often of the goodness of God and how he is so faithful. I remember her always saying that we need to fill in the gap when our loved ones go home. I will be honest, it will be hard to fill in her gap, she left a mighty one. She was faced with hard times in this life, times of being a widow for several years and being the social personality she was, I imagine the loneliness got heavy at times but she knew God was with her every step of the way. She made that known. She was a devoted church member and a prayer warrior indeed. Her laughter was contagious, and she had a sweet spirit. She will be greatly missed. I am sure she heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”, as she took her last breath here, and took her first step into heaven. I can only imagine how noisy heaven must have gotten!
I pray that her life and the other pillars we each have had in our lives will continue to be an example to us all. They each faced difficulty but they never gave up on their faith and the promises of God. They are all living out those promises as we speak. I can only hope that more of us can step up and fill the gaps left behind of these devout Christians. The church needs us. May we try to do better. Love deeper. Be bold and courageous. Give grace. Live humbly. Spread kindness and encouragement. Stand firm in the faith and scatter seeds of God’s love where ever we go. Our lives matter. What we do matters. Not just here on earth but in eternity.
Reflecting on her life makes me ponder on the question of how are we using the time God has given us and are we filling in the gaps?
To the one who is exhausted from trying to keep it all together and make sure everything gets done – I see you. I know that look in your eyes because I have been there too. Take a moment and breathe. You were never meant to do it all. Surrender your tasks over to God and let him help you carry them. Take some time to rest, it is crucial. If needed ask for help. That isn’t a sign of weakness. Don’t forget just how strong you are. Even God took a day to rest.
To the one whose finances are stretched so thin that it is almost suffocating – I feel you. I have been there too. Keep working hard and doing the best you can with what you have. Your identity does not come from what you own no matter how much the world will try to convince you of this. If you believe in God, you are a child of the king. Keep pressing on.
To the one who has hit that wall of burnout – I can tell you from experience burnout is a real thing. You keep going and pushing yourself to a point of exhaustion. Because you choose to just keep going, you are just going through the motions with no passion or zeal. Somehow in all the busyness, you lost that spark that helped ignite that energy that propelled you in motion to be active in what drives you. It gets hard but you must choose to step back and take time and just be still. Take a break. Nurture your body physically and spiritually.
To one who has strayed from God or just doesn’t feel as close to him – I understand. I have been there several times. I feel like it is just a part of our Christian journey. There have been times when it was my poor decisions that led me to feel so distant, but then other times when I never could figure out why I felt the way I did. I just learned to keep seeking him in prayer and reading the Bible even when I didn’t feel like it. No matter what, just keep moving forward in pursuing God. I promise you; He is not the one who has moved. He is still there.
To the one who is facing some major life changes and you may be drowning in the fear of the unknown – I can relate to you. I am sure my situations are different than yours, but I have had moments in my life where the future was so uncertain that fear had paralyzed me. It is scary. It can feel very isolating. But God. He has a plan for each of us. He isn’t surprised by what happens to our lives. Trust him with it all. Completely. Take it one day at a time if you must. Don’t give in to the fear.
To the one who has prayed relentlessly for certain things, yet they seem to go unanswered – I encourage you to just keep praying. It is hard to keep lifting up the same prayers when we feel like they are not being heard, but they are. Even if we cannot see the evidence, he is always at work behind the scenes. He doesn’t work on our sense of time. I believe in the goodness of God and I know, in his timing, things will work out according to his will. His plans > our plans. Do not underestimate the power of prayer.
To the one stuck who feels stuck in a waiting season – I get it, it is hard. Being patient has never been one of my strong traits. I want to remind you that God has not forgotten your story. You see those around you who seem to be moving forward with life and you feel like you aren’t making any progress, you are just left behind. May I encourage you to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Turn your focus on your life, and do not get caught up in the lives of others. Stop comparing. Believe better days are coming. Do not give up hope. God loves you. His plan is already in motion in your life, so while you wait, learn to be joyful in your present circumstances.
To the one in a season of loneliness – God is there with you. I pray you feel his presence and his comfort. I pray he will send the right people into your lives at the moment you need them. Please know you are not alone. Reach out to someone if you need to. You probably have more people in your life that care about you than you realize. Isolation and loneliness are two of our enemy’s greatest weapons. He knows we are an easy target when we feel alone.
To the one who feels like they have no purpose – I think we all struggle with this feeling. If you are alive and breathing, you have a purpose being here on this earth. God is not done with you. There is always something we can do in our lives to give him glory. Loving others. Helping others. Encouraging others. It may seem like mundane work to you, but to his kingdom it is very important work. That is why we are here to tell people about Jesus! Remember God is in the small deeds just as much as he is in the big deeds.
To the one struggling with their self-worth or body image – listen to me, this is one of the biggest ways the enemy used to distract me from doing what God wanted me to do. He loves to whisper those lies of being too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too shy, too talkative…..the list could be a mile long, so fill in the blank with whatever your struggle is. Embrace who you are in Christ. You were created in God’s image. He doesn’t make junk. Learn to love the one looking back at you in the mirror. God does.
Just know you are not alone. I believe in you. God believes in you. Don’t let the hard days overshadow the good ones. We all have things we are struggling with. We are all carrying around burdens. I think if we could see the mental loads, we each are hauling around, we would have a different perspective on how we treat those we encounter. We need to lean on each other and help encourage one another. And no matter what, keep moving forward!
In the past recent weeks I have started a new habit each morning. Before my feet ever hit the floor and I get out of bed, I start thanking God for the blessings he has given me. It could be anything: my salvation, my health, my family, my home, or my job. I really do try to think of new things each morning and sometimes that can be difficult. Some mornings are harder for my brain to wake up and think clearly. I don’t want it to be a habit of the same old repetitive stuff, but be intentional about focusing in on all the many blessings I have, big or small. If you think about, we are all abundantly blessed by a loving God. Do we deserve the gifts he gives? I do not, but yet he continues to work good in my life.
Practicing gratitude has a significant impact on our lives if we will let it. I get it, it is hard to be grateful every single day. But when I put the effort in to intentionally focusing on having a thankful heart, it truly makes a difference in my outlook and how I approach each day. When I think back on all the blessings and gifts I have been given, it also serves as a reminder of where I have come from. How he has made a way when I couldn’t see one. How he brought me through hard seasons and my faith grew stronger for it. This helps fan the flame of hope I have inside. I know God is at work even if it is behind the scenes.
When we live with thankful hearts, that gratitude can ripple out and have a positive effect on those we engage with. We tend to be more kind and encouraging and let’s face it, the communities we live in are struggling right now. We need more of God’s love being shared. This world needs hope, not in humanity because we are fallen, but in the One who created it all.
When you have God in your life, you have HOPE. I have mentioned before how grace is a word that has become very significant to my Christian walk, but I will tell you hope isn’t too far behind. Oh the hope we can have because of Christ! It doesn’t matter how dark the storm clouds may be, we can always cling to the hope we have in HIM!
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20.
If you are in a season of hopelessness, I would encourage you to take time each day focusing on things you are grateful for. Maybe your season is so dark that you can only come up with one or two things the first few days but don’t give up on it. Continue each day by being intentional about reminding yourself of your blessings. Write them down if you need to. But I do think that after you get into a habit of doing this, you will start to see a change in your attitude and how your days progress. I dare say you may start to feel your hope being revived. You may find some joy rising back up in your heart. I pray you do. The hope we have in Christ is a gift in itself and it is one we should share with those around us.
For grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
Grace is one word I have come to appreciate, but I honestly cannot fathom the depth of it. To have the grace of God is to have his unmerited favor and love. His grace is freely given and we did nothing to deserve it. I don’t know about you but I need his grace daily. Like just pour it all over me from head to toe! I can’t go a single day without messing up. I could list all the ways I fall short, but I will spare you some time because it could be a very long list. He continues to love me despite my failures and because of his love for us we need to learn to show grace to ourselves. After all we can be our biggest critics.
We all have those bad days where we just can’t seem to get anything right. Usually, it turns into a mental battle against ourselves. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I be like so and so? Why am I so stupid? I mess everything up. Blah, blah, blah. I hope you realize that when you criticize yourself, you are also criticizing your Creator. After all, he made you. Yes, we all have flaws. God knows that. We will make mistakes. God is aware of this as well. We all have things we wish we could change but it’s not healthy to continue with the negative self-talk. It can be audible or internal, either way it does damage and the longer you speak it to yourself the more you start to believe it. You must realize that our enemy loves this act of self- condemnation. He is the one who put it in your mind in the first place. He wants you to doubt your purpose in Christ. He wants you to think that you are worthless and not enough. He wants you to think that you have made too many mistakes to be usable by God. These are nothing but straight up lies!! Think of what God has done for you. Your value and worth meant enough to Jesus that he gave his own life for it so that you may have a chance of redemption and eternal life with him. He loves you not just with words but with his actions.
When you have a terrible day, or you have made a mess of things it doesn’t mean you are a bad person. A bad day doesn’t equate to a bad week or a bad life. (Read those first two sentences again if needed) It is just a bad moment or two. Get up, dust yourself off and give yourself grace and carry on with God’s help. Ask him to remind you of his truth. Quite often I pray for encouragement not only for myself but my family too. We need it daily especially in the days we are living in. Everything on any type of media source seems to be so negative and distracting. If you don’t think it is harmful to your mindset, think again. It is necessary to take a break from TV and your phone from time to time. It helps de-clutter our minds from all the information we take in. It really does cloud our thinking. I promise you if you step back and take a break your mindset will gain some clarity and peace.
“Give yourself grace” has become a phrase I use often with my kids. I know too well what it feels like to beat yourself up daily for your shortcomings. It isn’t worth it. It gains nothing. All it does is make the heap of lies you’re carrying around about yourself get heavier. Jesus came to set us free from these thoughts that chain us down, things that imprison us and keep us from being who he created us to be. Do not let the negative thoughts consume you. Do not let the hard days win. Keep on keeping on. If you are breathing then you have a purpose and your life has meaning. Do not let your enemy defeat you with his deceitful whispers. Remind him and yourself of who you belong to and claim the win. Christ is the victor. The battle has been won. Own it and stand on it. Jesus didn’t die on that cross so you would be shackled down by lies. He came to break those chains and set you free. His mercies and grace are new every morning to give you a fresh start. Grab hold of it. Soak it in and rise back up knowing that God is for you and with you.
Unpolished & Imperfect 