Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

The Four Points of Forgiveness

Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour and Wednesday’s Word! This week’s blog was/is inspired by the many Transformers who have just completed the first part of Transform, Living Fearlessly, Forgiven and Forgiving! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith about some self-forgiveness, and considering that we just celebrated Resurrection Sunday, it’s a great reminder that we need over and over and over again.

Have you ever done something or said something and then hit yourself upside the head, beat yourself up and wished you hadn’t done it, or said it? We’ve all heard the phrase, “actions speak louder than words,” right? When someone says they are sorry for something they did or said to you, you know they are genuinely sorry if they don’t repeat the action, right? But for those of us stuck in a cycle of repeating things we wish we didn’t repeat, something forms on the inside; a cycle of shame. This one’s a tough one! Why? Guilt can be and has been atoned for and therefore goes away. For example, you get a speeding ticket, pay the fine, or go to traffic school, and voila, it’s done, gone! Guilt addresses what we did/do wrong, while shame, well, that’s a bigger monster screaming “What’s wrong with you?” It’s internal so therefore requires a deeper, different work.

Over the last few weeks, we have been working through the Root of Guilt and Shame and I have been incredibly overwhelmed with thanksgiving as I’ve listened to people share the things that have held them in shame and then I’ve watched many of them break free from that captivity! Talk about a thrill, a humbling, heart-squeezing, mind-boggling and vindicating thrill!

But there are still those who are having a difficult time letting go of their shame; after all, they’ve walked with it as a second skin for much of their life. How does one who is convinced of their shame break free? We’ve got to get it out, share it and talk to ourselves like we would talk to someone we love! Could this be another reason God commanded us to love our neighbor as our self?

Shame is the clog in the pipe of the heart that blocks us from believing that God really does love us and keeps us from the four points of forgiveness, the four points that cover ANY and EVERY sin we’ve ever committed in all our yesterdays or will commit in any of our tomorrows.

Psalm 103:12 tells us as far as the east is from the west…and right above it in verse 11, we read that His love for us is deeper than any ocean and higher than the heavens, which in my humble summation equals north from south.  So if we were to draw those four points, just four dots representing the east/west, and the deepest ocean and the heavens, we would have what? THE CROSS!

The Cross is the highest form of atonement for any sin either heaped upon us or that which we heap upon others, including self, and if we have unresolved guilt, often unknowingly this creates a cycle of shame. What happened on the Cross was meant to keep us wrapping ourselves in the rags of shame.  Shame is a self-harming attitude manifesting externally in all our relationships, choices and behavior. It actually becomes selfish. Look at the last two letters of shame!

The enemy wants us to clothe ourselves in shame and that truth in and of itself should have us looking to the four points of forgiveness, the Cross where it all was paid for. What garments of shame do you need to take off and leave at the cross?

Oh, to live a life forgiven and forgiving is so worth the living!

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Here we are at Monday again! I pray that you had a beautiful Easter. We can appreciate this holiday so much more when we take the time to make the time to reflect on the gift God gave us in His Son! Thank you for joining me today.

I've been going through a season of sleeplessness. In fact, as I write this at 5 a.m., I've been awake since 3! It is very annoying to say the least. I am someone who likes, and needs, her sleep. While some people may get by on a few hours of sleep a night, I cannot. I can't think as clearly, and I get moody. I remember being a kid and my mom not wanting me to miss any sleep…now I know why: she probably didn't want deal with my moods!

I have tried to figure out what it is that keeps me awake. I can usually go to sleep just fine, but if something wakes me up, it's over. I lay there staring at the ceiling, willing myself to fall back asleep, or tossing and turning. I look at the clock and think only 2 hours until I have to get up anyway, which doesn't make me feel any better!  Why is it at night that every problem seems ten times bigger than it is? It's like worry has a life of its own at 3:0 in the morning.

A friend recently sent me an article that begins with, "According to the National Center for Health Statistics, single mothers, followed by single fathers, are most likely to have trouble falling and staying asleep." Ah, yes, I can relate. Worries about my daughter, her well-being, finances, thoughts of relationships, choices I've made or need to make, friendships, work…these are the monster thoughts that visit me in the dark.

Often, I pray while I am lay there. Last night, I counted my blessings and that did calm me enough to fall asleep for about an hour before the alarm went off. God reminded me of two verses that I have memorized and quoted often to myself through the years. I guess He knows I need a reminder!!! The first one can be found in Luke 12:25 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"  Worrying certainly does not add a single hour to my night of rest!

The second verse, and perhaps one of my favorites, is 1 Peter 5:7 
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." He cares! In the middle of the night, when I feel most afraid and worried, I am not alone! I am eternally grateful for His consistent presence, for it’s in His presence that my mind, body and soul can rest!

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Spring Cleaning for the brain?

Spring has sprung, at least here in Florida.  I wake up each morning to a fresh blanket of humidity and 80 degree weather.  At least it’s not hot yet.  Spring brings other delights and I am reminded of annual spring cleaning.  I do my “spring cleaning” in January so I can open my windows and not worry about the rather large bugs and mosquitos coming in.  With the birds chirping in the background I still feel the urge to clean something out.

What about my brain?  It goes along with taking every thought captive.  What if I cleared out the old way of thinking and replaced it with shiny new thinking?  How does one do that? Well, the simple answer: we need to take the negative self-talk and replace it with God’s truth.

2^nd Corinthians 10:5 – “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Let me share some examples of old thoughts and what I am using to clean and make new:

Old thought: I need to make them sorry for what they did.

New thought: God will take revenge (Deut. 32:35)

Old thought: I am forgotten and alone.

New thought: He remembers me and will bless us.  He’s a good Daddy (Psalms 115:12)

Old thought: God doesn’t care about me or what I want.

New thought: I have a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11)

Old thought: They hurt me, how come they get away with it?

New thought: The Lord will take care of them too (John 21:20-22)

How about you?  What’s happening in your personal life that is affecting your thoughts and your mood?  What do you have going on in your head?  Do you need to do some spring cleaning and replace some old with new?  Write down what you are feeling and then find a scripture that shows a more positive truth.  If you repeat the positive enough, it will replace your once negative truth.  Throw the old thoughts out and bask in the newness of your mind.

Springing forward in His truth,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Where do you live?

John 8:32-33: And Jesus said to those Jews who believed, if you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power. Oh, His Word will take us where we need to go, keep us where we need to stay and prevent us from going in the wrong direction. Grab your favorite beverage and your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our strand of faith.

Have you ever gotten lost on your way home? I realize that in today’s era, with all of our technology available, any sort of directions at our fingertips just by asking Google or Navigation or our factory-installed GPS equipment in our cars, it’s a little more difficult to get lost. And yet, I have found myself lost a time or two as I don’t always remember to rely on technology! I’ve even been known to go to the wrong law office for a deposition before, having put in the wrong number or even worse, getting the wrong information! Wow, is that ever embarrassing! :-)

No matter the situation, the availability of technology or unavailability, getting lost is a horrible feeling. And yet, I run into so many hurting people who are not lost, per se; however they are overwhelmed with suffering of some sort. The waves of life have tossed them to and fro, and they have sort of lost their way.

Talk to the wife who has just discovered her husband’s having an affair…with another woman, or with an addiction of some sort, and then there’s the parent(s) hurting over the choices their child is making, choices that surely are going to cause so many unfavorable consequences. It’s like being lost in a sea of hopelessness for there is nothing to do but watch the unfortunate consequences come and…do whatever they’re going to do. And what about the one just given a life sentence via a medical diagnosis with a prognosis revealing the end is around the corner?

Friends, life is happening all around us and if it’s not happening to us, it’s happening to those close to us. What are we doing for them? What kind of directions are we giving when they reach out for help? Where do we send them or do we even stop to notice they’re a bit lost in their sea of life and the circumstances swimming around them threatening to overwhelm them, toss them to and fro that they may lose their way?

See, no matter the circumstance, and I’ve endured just about every one of those mentioned above, there is a place to abide where we will never get lost, a place that will shed new light, a fresh perspective, a location that is filled with peace, hope, a foundation built with grace, a place that if we would only turn to, land in, abide in, we would find freedom from all that has us overwhelmed: His Love Letters to you and me!

It’s time to stop being one of those who don’t ask for directions and abide in that place that we will be found, never to get lost again!

When we abide in His Word, and invite others to join us there, it is there we are found, and freed!

Abide means to dwell…where are you dwelling in mind, body and soul?

Abiding in His promises and principles,

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Good morning! I am so glad you are here!  Have you ever paid attention to your prayers? I know this seems like a strange question. You're thinking, "Of course I do! I know exactly what I am praying for."

I ask this question because I had an experience the other day that made me think. It was a day when I had to get to work earlier than usual. The morning was rushed, making lunches, getting two little people up and ready for the day. My daughter doesn't favor being dropped off early. It took extra time to hug and encourage her to stay with the big kids until school started. I was feeling stressed, a little anxiety and worry about being late to see my first patient.

I left the school, and of course, hit morning traffic. It seemed I was behind every slow car in Redlands. As I pulled onto the freeway, I could see the traffic was very slow. I felt my blood pressure rise. This is when I shot off a quick prayer, "God, please make this traffic get out of the way." I was starting to feel mad, and words and thoughts came to mind that were not helping me stay calm. I took a deep breath and tried again…this time my prayer was "God, would you please give me Your peace. I feel worried that I will be late to work, and it's making me anxious." I felt calmer within seconds.

I think I've often prayed for things to change to benefit for “me” rather than for God to help me IN the situation. I know God changes situations sometimes, I've seen Him do it. But He's probably not going to reach down and move traffic out of the way!   I am wondering if perhaps we feel frustrated over unanswered prayers because we need to change what we pray for.

We're told we can bring anything before God, and I believe this. We can talk to Him as we would a friend. He wants to hear our needs and wants. He won't force His will onto people; however, what He will do is give us His peace and His joy in the journey, no matter what comes our way. This is the lesson I am learning in my life. It's making all the difference.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Freedom Fridays! Oh, how I love taking these steps towards freedom with Jennifer! Grab your coffee and your strand of faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith as we learn to walk in freedom!

Freedom Begins…..where?

In my freedom journey I have often prayed for comfort and a release of the tormenting pain and bitterness that was always surrounding me.  Over the last month, I have been challenged by the Lord to identify and deal with that torment.  I started a Bible study on Joseph, one who forgave much, thinking this will help me get free.  While the study is amazing, I found I was looking in the wrong place.

So, you might ask, isn’t praying or studying the Bible the way to freedom?  Absolutely, yes! However, it’s not where it begins.

Freedom begins in our mind.

Let me explain.  When we have been hurt it causes a chain reaction in our mind, will and emotions.  Though we may think our will is the strongest of the three, it is the mind that is the strongest.  That’s why taking every thought captive is a battle (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Did you know that we have been given the mind of Christ? (1 Cor. 2:16). That’s a hard truth to fathom, right?

When we are hurt by something big (or a pile up of medium to small things) we often start “collecting” offenses.  When we do that, we start looking for trouble when maybe there is no trouble.  Sometimes we base our conclusion on past offenses and we feel justified. Often we start heading down an imaginary path and the pain collides with our imagined scenario.  For me, this feels like a mushroom-size cloud type of explosion that gets released upon an innocent bystander or becomes a series of passive/aggressive remarks.  (Sorry – just keeping it real)

Freedom begins in our mind.

When we are able to step back and really pray through what we are “feeling” is happening, often we find that we are collecting offenses in our own imagination.  Here is a scripture that is helping me through this thought process –

Trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.  (Psalms 37:3-4)

What this means to me is – don’t worry; stay in today; deal with what is known and give the unknown to God.  This has brought me immeasurable peace and a depth of my freedom I had not known before.  Every time I feel those thoughts rush in, I take them captive and focus on Him.  I need to Let Him sort it out, fight my battles and I need to do the work He has called me to do…follow in His footsteps to Freedom.

What sits in our mind is our choice.  I challenge you to do some mental spring cleaning today.  Do you have a pile of offenses real or imagined?  Are you letting them win in your daily walk?  Sort through them as you would laundry. You may even find you have three piles – give to God, give to God, and give to God.

Walking towards Him who sets me free,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Minimize instead of Maximize

Proverbs 26:20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;

And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.

Thanks for joining me today for Wednesday’s Word and our Coffee Hour! Grab your Coffee, journal and your Strand of Faith and join me for what I pray will be a knot-worthy sharing for you in your faith journey!

Have you ever said you’ve forgiven someone for an offense only to find that the next time that anything that even remotely reminds you of it, resentment, re-ignites the flame of un-forgiveness? Of course, it was all in the name of “just sharing,” right?! 

Let’s take people out of the equation and instead put challenging circumstances: when something comes up that reminds you of your current challenging circumstance and frustration takes the reins of your thoughts and runs like a champion thoroughbred, do you ever realize that before you know it, everyone knows about it? And suddenly that little hill of a trial becomes a mountain!

If there’s one lesson I seem to be forgetting more than I’m getting, especially lately, is that the more I talk about a problem the bigger it gets! Have you ever noticed that? In my quiet time just the other day, waves of conviction overcame me as He and I replayed the tape from the previous day’s conversations and then as if to drown me, while holding me, of course, the tape kept re-winding, stopping on other similar segments which revealed the need for some scriptural sanitization of my mind! Oh, and to make sure I got what He was throwing, the message that following Sunday was tailor preached for guess who? Yours truly!

As I read this verse within a particular study that I am working through, this verse popped out and literally grabbed my heart and sent it racing, bringing this truth to life! What a beautiful way of saying let go, let God, of gently but quite firmly reminding me that I don’t need to keep adding wood to my tough circumstances by talking about them – in the name of venting – and I definitely don’t need to participate in a disagreement by continuing to disagree! Oh, the beauty of scriptural sanitization and the power of His Words to us underlined with the gift of grace, all to bring me closer to Him, not push me away.

Let’s have some fun with the NIV version of this verse:

Without wood a fire goes out – think about it; can a fire burn without wood? Of course not! This part of this instruction is telling me to minimize what I tend to maximize, and it can be applied to relationships and circumstances!

Let’s look at the second part of the verse: without a gossip a quarrel dies down. Ah, can a person fight all by themselves? What a funny picture, right, to leave a person standing there arguing by themselves because we refuse to participate. :-) :-)  But this verse is also telling me that many disagreements happen because of un-truths, aka, gossip! If you can’t say it to the person, you shouldn’t say it about the person! OUCH!

Maybe it’s time to minimize what I maximize, and let Him make it go away!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve tied me a few knots to remind me of these truths in the journey! I pray you’ve been able to do the same!

Much love,

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday! Thank you for joining me today. Come on in and let me share a recent event that has added diamonds to my journey!

The other day I was reminded of something that happened to friends of mine. The woman collected baby dolls, life-size, real-looking dolls. One weekend, she decided to take two of them with her to a meeting that we were all attending. She wanted to show them to us afterwards.

When she and her family went out at lunch time, it was to a car with broken windows. Apparently, a person walked by the car, saw two babies lying in the car seat, and called the police. The fire department came, bashed in the windows, grabbed the babies, performed CPR, and went so far as to declare them dead. All before they realized these were only lifelike dolls! We had a good laugh over this for the rest of the day.

Yet, this story contains a lesson or two. How often do I think I see something that seems real and react to it, only to find out later it was not what I thought it was? Or, do I hold on to things that seem real but aren't? If I am honest, it happens often!

Situations, emotions, the behavior of my child, comments by a friend, all of these are easy to react to without thinking. But, does this bring about the best outcome? Rarely! I have spent my life playing it safe, or over-reacting.  God is teaching a better way. Assess before acting. I am sure He often shakes His head at my slow learning…and smiles.

"Wise people think before they act; fools don't." Proverbs 13:16

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Freedom Fridays…a powerful insight from Jennifer’s heart to ours about emotional, spiritual and physical freedom! Grab your coffee and your strand of faith for some knot-worthy truths!

Are you running in or running out?

I was recently attending a church conference and one of the keynote speakers stated, “Fear will make you weird.” I laughed out loud because I knew that to be true of myself but didn’t know that anyone else felt that way.  On my freedom road I have encountered lots of fear [and certainly acted weird]. 

There are circumstances in my life that can certainly make me feel afraid: Fear of confrontation, failure, emotional pain…. The list goes on.  When contemplating all that I heard loud and clear I can’t help but ask: “Are you running in or running out?”

To me it meant this: When I start to feel afraid, do I stand in my own strength or am I running into my Heavenly Father?  When I do anything in my strength, it will drain me so I have nothing left but emptiness.  That’s the opposite of how we are supposed to function.  “Fear not” is mentioned in the Bible 365 times!!!!  That’s not a coincidence.  One “fear not” for every day of the year (except for this year :-)).  I know that I have to change the direction I am running in.

For me, fear has become the identity that the enemy wanted me to have.  I have been abused and molested by people close to me.  I grew up in fear.  I was 23 before I could walk into a dark room. I’ve lived my life in fear.

Fear is not what the Lord wants me, or you, to identify with.  He will change our identity if we let Him.  He changed Simon (meaning grass) to Peter (meaning rock). 

What if you knew you couldn’t fail? Psalm 34:4 “God met me more than halfway; He freed me from my anxious fears.” I know I want to be free from my anxious fears.  If we start walking towards Him He will meet us.  It takes obedience, not faith, to walk forward when you are in fear.  Often we spend our time looking back but looking back is what is holding us back from what He has called us to do.

Fear will never co-exist when God is seen as a loving father.  Seeking the kingdom first will give us an un-intimidated point of view.  I know walking away from fear is hard [I am learning how to each day!] so I will leave you with this thought to contemplate.

1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. In this way love now has the run of our house and becomes at home and mature in us so that we’re free of worry. Our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Fear is crippling and causes us to live a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—it is safe to ask: is one not yet fully formed in love?

Run in obedience towards your freedom (and leave the fear behind)!

Running towards freedom,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Frienemies!

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
C.S. Lewis

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word. Grab whatever you are having for your break and come on in and join me for what I pray will be a knot-tying time for us! Don’t forget that strand of faith, because friendship has a lot to do with our faith!

The last several weeks, there are two struggles that keep running into me, or should I say I keep running into them in my journey: Conflict and forgiveness! Ugh, sometimes I just want to blow right by them like I would an unseen stop sign as a result of being in a hurry. However, when I take the time to stop, HE never fails to grant me a new lesson, a new revelation, and granted, there are times I think, why do I always have to be the one to change? Well, because God has granted me the courage to know that the only one I can change is me! And oh, the illustrations He gives, the lengths He goes to in order to bring me through this lesson victoriously are…well, simply astounding!

I found another truth about conflict and forgiveness while at our grandson’s 6^th birthday party. Have you ever watched children in conflict? There is actually something to be learned by observing their struggle with innocence and their juggling of their little cups of pride that spill out onto the one they are conflicted with or by. There is this sort of bittersweet thing about them as they wiggle through the conflict.

I got to watch little B, whom everyone wanted to be around, trying to throw juggle all the attention, especially since he was the birthday boy and everyone wanted to be his number one friend. Well, there was this one friend there who was insistent upon him paying more attention to her and as I watched them, I marveled at the truth that we as adults can be so like children, except – and this is a big one – they still have a blanket of innocence around them and they get over conflict soooo much quicker! It was like witnessing the ingredients to what it takes to live out Colossians 3:12a-13 which tells us “to put on tender mercies, kindness humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against the other, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.”

Let me try and paint this picture verbally: As the party progressed, this girl, who by the way little B says “She’s a girl and she’s a friend, but she’s not my girlfriend” :-) – rather aggressively demanded her way.   At first he ignored her; that didn’t work. Then he tried appeasing her; that worked for a New York minute. And then as these things didn’t accomplish her desired goal, the conflict escalated and they began to sort of toss their point of view across to the other in hopes that the other would catch it. But then, a burst of innocence would happen and one of them would stop it with a hug, or a simple “I’m sorry,” and the conflict was over. All was forgiven…until the next time she, or he, didn’t get their way, or the other felt slighted or ignored and not special and then the tug of war began all over again.

 His other grandma, whom my heart loves, and I were talking about it and she called them “frien-emies” and that stuck with me; you can’t be an enemy unless you’ve been a friend first! Think about it; we aren’t nearly as hurt or offended by a stranger’s behavior as we are by the behavior of one whom we love or care deeply for. Why can’t we be more like children, and get through the conflict with a simple “I’m sorry”? Why does it seem to require so much more as we get older? 

Maybe it’s time to consider the value that that frien-emy brings to our life…and if there’s more conflict than caring, maybe it’s time to evaluate the amount of space they take up in our hearts without paying rent…

True transformation can only happen with another and that’s the value that a friend brings!

Love,

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to the first Monday of March! I pray you had a great weekend and are ready to meet this week head-on. Join me for a few minutes, and grab some tea or coffee.

Compassion: "A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering."  (From Dictionary.com)  In Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, compassion is defined as: "That (human) disposition that fuels acts of kindness and mercy. Compassion, a form of love, is aroused within us when we are confronted with those who suffer or are vulnerable. Compassion often produces action to alleviate the suffering."

Do you think of yourself as a compassionate person? When I read the definitions above, I can honestly say yes. I am often moved to tears by the pain I see in others. I help in any way I can. I mentioned in my last blog that I have many friends who I can look to for help and I give it back. Often, I feel helpless when I know someone I love is suffering in some way and wish there was more I could do.

However, when it comes to offering it to myself, I tend to fall short. I've known for a long time that I am my own worst enemy. Sadly, some of my relationships have capitalized on this trend, and I've allowed those to make me even harder on 'me.' I say things to myself that I would never think of saying to anyone else. This effect ties in with my need of perfectionism and need to appear as 'having it all together.'

 In Mark 12:30, 31 it says," Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”   In her book "Give Yourself a Break", author Kim Fredrickson says this: "Extending kindness to ourselves means we see ourselves as human beings who are wonderfully made by God and valuable, yet who are imperfect and make mistakes. This plays out in the way we view ourselves, speak to ourselves, listen to ourselves, care for ourselves and respond to ourselves when we make mistakes."

This new way of understanding brings a sense of relief. Kim Fredrickson puts it this way: "Grace is compassion towards yourself with kindness and gentleness."

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Coffee Hour and Freedom Fridays. Grab your drink and your Strand of Faith. This is a great one and her timing…impeccable! I so was catching what Jennifer’s throwing here, from her heart to yours!

1 step forward and 2 steps back?

Ever feel like you have been making progress climbing up the (proverbial) mountain only to stumble backwards?  It's frustrating to make progress and then lose ground.  Our freedom journey is a lot like that... Or at least mine has been, especially lately. What do we do when our “I got this” becomes “I got this?”

Taking steps forward…progress…it’s thrilling when we move forward, especially if we have been stuck in our own ways or our pain.  It takes resolve to move forward; where does that resolve go to when we take steps back?  It dissolves into discouragement, depression, fear, stress…the list could go on.

The key is to keep the setback in perspective.  They are delays, hindrances, but not necessarily failures. You only fail when you choose not to get back up and keep going. American author Les Brown once said, “Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead.”

Paul the apostle faced setbacks.  How did he handle them? “I have learned,” he wrote, “in whatever state I am in to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:11-12).

When things didn't go as planned he could still maintain a positive attitude because he knew God would make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

We can strive toward faith, trust, and determination, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

God's word is loaded with truth and guidance, which enables us to cope with setbacks.  There is so much freedom in knowing that setbacks happen but I don’t have to stay there.  I can grow stronger by having the courage to get up and move on. 

Walking forward, toward freedom,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Distressed or De-Stressed!

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Grab your Strand of Faith; it’s my prayer that you will find many knots to tie in yours today.

A few weeks ago, I began a sort of renewing, refurbishing project. I wanted to distress my bathroom door, make it look vintage-like. I wanted to change its appearance. When it comes to this sort of thing, I’m not one that likes to do a whole lot of research first; nor do I like to do any of the prep work. I like to just jump in and begin. Thank goodness for my husband who doesn’t mind doing the stuff I don’t like doing. :-)

It was a four-step process, which included wiping down the door to make sure there was no residue of any kind, paint with a primer-based paint, then sand to distress it and then glaze and wipe. Whoa-la! I loved it; and what’s even better, I absolutely enjoyed doing it. 

As the project was coming to a completion I realized I wanted to do more, so I began to plan to refurbish, renew and refresh our laundry room, mainly by distressing the door and the cabinets. The problem is the cabinets are laminate, a totally different type of finish which required a different process. How hard could it be, right?

This time, I did a bit of research before beginning and so began the process to refurbish, refresh and renew our laminate cabinets. Oh my goodness, I had no idea! I can’t even remember how many times we painted on the primer, sanded, put on the color, sanded…only to see it wasn’t the look we were going for. I was in a quandary, and the fun and excitement were slipping away. In its place was a bit of frustration.  We made several trips to Home Depot and Lowes, and the hardware store down the street, purchased several types of brushes thinking this would do the trick.

We kept doing and undoing, until finally we reached out and received help from a friend who shared his secret to adding texture to the laminate cabinets and then came the final step, glazing, which also turned out to be full of learning and re-doing!

I thought about how I am much like those laminate cabinets, and maybe you are too. We may have a smooth finish on the outside, but when trials and tragedies hit, what is inside of us will eventually come out and distress us and what distresses us interferes with our ability to live a faith-filled life and requires a bit of work, like our laminate cabinets. Jesus wants to de-stress what distresses us!

Jesus needs to take that sander, maybe even a scraping tool, peel back the layers, reveal the issues, the blockages that interfere with His original design for us and in us and then seal it back up with His amazing grace and healing love…thereafter imprinting a new design, a design which includes a coat of love and joy, peace and patience, and then a coat of kindness, goodness and gentleness and finally, the glaze of self-control.

He will stop at nothing to infuse us with these gifts. His ways are not our ways and His love is relentless, and though the process hurts a lot of the time, the finished product, aka, that part of our life, beholds His artwork, glazed with the beauty of His grace.

In His artistic grip

Evinda