A Moment in Time

"Life will always be stressful if you try to rearrange it."   I just read this quote from Joyce Meyer this morning and it hit me how true that is.  I don't know about you but I tend to spend a lot of time playing and replaying things out in my mind versus just staying in the moment and going with the flow.   Even a simple traffic jam will send my mind so many different directions, "should have left earlier", "shouldn't have looked at email before I left", "should have taken that other route", etc., etc.

We only have this very moment once in our lives and to spend it thinking about something that has past is futile and serves no purpose.  We can't rearrange our past; we can only learn from it and move forward.   So many times we can miss something God is trying to share with us by not being fully present in the moment.  It may be a sign to guide us, an answer we've been seeking or just a beautiful sunset to put us at peace.  Yes, I need to remember to embrace each moment for what it has to offer, find peace in that moment and stop trying to rearrange those moments past that are gone forever.

Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. – Ephesians 5:15-17

Peace in Our Day

God's peace is there for us each and every day. It's so easy to get caught up in the rush of life and lose that sense of peace. We often look to external things to provide that sense of peace when in reality we need to be looking inward. Seeking peace from external things will only lead to a peace that is momentary and fleeting. Seeking peace from inward reflection provides a peace that is enduring and everlasting, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Looking inward requires us to stop for a moment, be silent and just "be" - so hard to do in a society that continues to move at an unyielding pace. But that is where our true peace lies and the Spirit within us is eagerly waiting for us to turn inward to shower us with His peace "at all times and in every way".

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you His peace at all times and in every way" - 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Hope vs. Faith

What is hope? The dictionary defines hope as "the feeling that what is wanted can be had". At first glance, hope and faith appear to almost be synonyms but if you go deeper you see a very clear difference. Hope is based more on a desire where faith is based on a knowing. Both relate to something that is unseen but to have faith is to truly believe in the outcome rather than wish for it. With hope, there is still a seed of doubt but when we have faith, we believe to our core that the desired outcome will prevail. 

We can either live our lives by hope or by faith. If you live by hope, you are not fully committing to your beliefs and desires. When you live by faith, you have that internal "knowing" that allows you to completely commit and believe in the outcome. Hope may provide the path but faith is our compass to travel down that path. Faith allows us to stay strong and anchored in our journey and not succumb to the challenges or trials along the way. I've learned the difference between hope and faith these past few months and yes, I choose faith! 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" – Hebrews 11:1

Forget About the When

I'm reading Wayne Dyer's newest book, "Wishes Fulfilled" and he reminded me once again in a very simple statement to stop worrying about the future. He writes, "Let go of all doubt, forget about the when. It will develop into a material fact on Devine time". We spend so much time planning and playing out different scenarios in our mind often times focusing on the negative outcomes versus the positive. We've been so ingrained to think the negative outcome has a stronger chance of becoming our reality that we don't even give much time or consideration to the positive outcome. We get impatient and want to know all the answers right away, many times feeling sure that the negative scenario we've already played out so many times in our mind already will be the outcome and we just want to get it over with. God must surely laugh at us!

It's so important to remember that God wants nothing but the best for us and while we plan and think we can totally control the outcome, God is in charge and will have the right outcome play out according to His plan and in His time. Yes, some trials may come in the process but those trials are there for a reason and as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we'll get through it and the outcome will most definitely be positive. We need to live in the moment and stop worrying about what happens next. God is there taking care of all the details making sure everything works out in His perfect timing. We need to be open to that so we don't miss his cues and learn to focus inward letting His spirit guide us and provide us with a sense of peace that can only come from following His plan.

Don't spend your time weighed down in worry or trying to rush an outcome. Just remember God is there making sure it all works out. As long as we're seeking and trusting in His guidance, the outcome will truly be better than anything we could have ever possibly planned for or imagined.

"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 29:11

Learning to Surrender to What You Can't See

I'm very slowly learning to truly embrace that God will bring into our life exactly what we need when we need it. He is there to understand and encourage as much as to provide answers. What may seem like chaos at the time has a purpose in a bigger vision we cannot see. It's so hard to fully grasp this but God helped me tremendously the other day by bringing a song into my awareness that so beautifully summed up everything I've been feeling lately. It felt like He literally was speaking to me through this song, reminding me to believe in what I cannot see. I've been so caught up in trying to figure things out my way in my own timing that I've missed His reassurance that it will all come together in His way and in His perfect timing. As I listened to the words in this song, I realized exactly what I was doing and knew it was time to as the song says, "surrender to what I can't see". Since then, that message has been reinforced for me in numerous ways reminding me that He truly is there for us when we open our hearts to His presence.

We can imagine a bigger vision but look for solid proof that our vision is real and worth trusting in because it seems so impossible in our realm of understanding and we cannot conceive on our own how it can come into reality. There is a sense of chaos as if God is stirring the pot yet there is also an intuitive knowing that a bigger plan is at work and an inner sense of peace that surrounds that. God is teaching me to not question the chaos but to rest in His peace, trust in His plan and surrender to what I cannot see. When we surrender to God's way, we know we are surrendering to something heavenly that is far beyond any limitation we could ever place on it. Through God, ALL things are possible!
  
"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. - Habbakuk 2:3

 

The Beauty of Space

I love this time of year – my favorite! Everything is in bloom and all the colors are just so wonderful and energizing. My container pots and planters are filled with pansies and absolutely bursting with gorgeous color right now which definitely hasn't been the case in prior years. Each year, I make the trek to the nursery, buy the tiny pansies and then come home and overfill the containers because I want instant color. I'm not patient enough to plant the recommended distance apart and sure enough, they usually die very early on in the season because they just have no more room to grow. This year I decided to take a different approach and plant them spaced apart. They looked so lost in the beginning, these tiny single pansies overwhelmed by the size of each container and I truly did have to fight the urge to add more in! But this morning as I looked out to admire their color, I realized just how incredibly beautiful they are this year! Each container is overflowing with big colorful blooms and looks so healthy. By giving them their much needed space to grow, their true potential and beauty came through. It dawned on me that there is probably a life lesson here.

How many times are we impatient and want immediate results? We don't allow the space or trust for God to work His magic. Instead, we press for the results and often get frustrated or feel like we've somehow missed the mark along the way. Often times, the answers lie in that quiet space but if we're too busy pressing for an immediate answer, we push out and miss what otherwise could have been. I think I now get it. Beautiful things will happen when we're willing to be patient and give into the space that must exist for God's greatest works to be done.

"But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently" – Romans 8:25

 

 

Wait for the Lord

Do you ever have that unsettled feeling that God is up to something in your life but you're not exactly sure what? I've had a restless feeling for months now and can't quite put my finger on it. I sense the answers are coming and I just need to be patient – the hardest part of any journey!

Sometimes I feel like the answer is right in front of me but I have a blind spot around it. Other times I feel like the answers haven't been fully revealed and I'm pushing too hard to find them. There is old proverb I love, "Don't be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams." How true! When feeling unsettled, it's time to trust the process and let your dreams lead you forward. It will make the "wait" less difficult and help you focus on the goodness and abundance that awaits you regardless of your current situation. Yes, I need to spend more time focusing on my dreams while I "wait for the Lord".

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" – Psalm 27:14

PS-

After I posted this, I found the following when I went to Facebook:

Sometimes you are delayed where you are because God knows there's a storm where you're headed.

Amazing how God works when you finally agree to let go :)