Becoming A Woman Of Excellence

A woman of excellence

Is what I long to be

Filled with your godly wisdom

So it is part of me

A woman of integrity

No matter what I face

Standing up for righteousness

And for your saving grace

A woman of destiny

Living out your plan

Knowing where you’d have me walk

Being guided by your hand

A woman of promise

Standing on your word

Holding on to all the truths

While carrying out your work

A woman of compassion

For the ones in the dark

Those that do not know your love

And have darkness in their hearts

A woman that will never

Compromise the faith

With what the world may offer

But will keep the narrow way

A woman who loves Jesus

And will only follow Him

Gladly to give up the world

So His light can shine within

Lord this is my earnest prayer

As a daughter by your grace

Grow in me these qualities

As I walk with you in faith

~ M.S.Lowndes

Life in True Color

Life is a journey, and sometimes it appears black and white. One would think that this should make things more simple, yet often it just makes them more complicated, more gloomy, more frustrating. Where has the color gone?

So often, we focus our eyes on the world…and the things in this world that discourage us, frustrate us, bring us down. We have school that is hard, work that is harder sometimes, friends who disappoint us and hurt us, and sometimes family who we don’t get along with. There are these, and other countless things that have the opportunity of bringing us down into a pit of despair. These are what create a black and white world for so many.

You may sometimes wonder if you’ll ever be happy again…but the truth is that you can be happy and if you want to be, you will be. A large part of it is the first step, making the choice. It’s not really about the world being black and white after all; it’s mostly about finding color in the black and white of every day life! It’s about allowing God to paint you a beautiful picture full of color and vibrancy and life! That’s the thing though, you have to want it enough to allow Him, because He doesn’t force His will upon you.

My encouragement would be this: When times get tough, turn to Jesus! He is hope, He is Love, He is Joy, and He is LIFE! He is this and so much more. Without allowing Him to be involved in our lives from day to day, we have no real chance of finding true happiness in life, because He IS the source of true happiness and without Him, we’ll just be running down a road that leads to a dead end.

Never give up, just look to Jesus and the beautiful, amazing things He wants to do in your life if you allow Him in. He is something to live for. Without Him we are nothing.

May this week be a week of happiness for you as you find your true worth and meaning in a God, who loves you unconditionally. Forget about the things in this world that bother you and bring you down – only look to Jesus, because He is there for you and is waiting with arms wide open! 

Happy Sabbath

God is Love. {1 John 4:8} 

 
I am so thankful that God has provided us a day to rest and relax and spend time with Him and others close to us without the distraction of homework and other weekly things.

May you bask in God's great love for you today and always. It is so broad, so unconditional, so amazing, so generous...and we are so unworthy...yet made worthy because we are children of the King. Sometimes I can't wrap my mind around how big His love really is! It's so incredible!

Think about it. Just ponder. Let it sink in...

God loves you. Now.

Always. 

Happy Sabbath! Rest in His love. It will never fail. 

Arms of Love

Whatever may have been your past experience, however discouraging your present circumstances, if you will come to Jesus just as you are, weak, helpless, and despairing, our compassionate Savior will meet you a great way off, and will throw about you His arms of love and His robe of righteousness. He presents us to the Father clothed in the white raiment of His own character. He pleads before God in our behalf, saying: I have taken the sinner's place. Look not upon this wayward child, but look on Me. Does Satan plead loudly against our souls, accusing of sin, and claiming us as his prey, the blood of Christ pleads with greater power. {MB 8.2}

Out With the Old, In With the New

2011 is now just about gone. I have some mixed feelings about this last year. It was rough in some places, and peaceful in others, and though it was hard at times and I wondered if life would ever be normal again...God was always there, leading me and my family all the way through. If we but put our trust in Him, He will never let us down. He, after all, knows what is best for us. 

I am so thankful I am not where I was a year ago. God has brought me so far even though sometimes I don't realize it. If we look back, things always come to us in a different light. We just need to be courageous and keep looking up even when things are hard, and in the end it will be worthwhile. 

Sometimes we may think we have things figured out already, and we may make new resolutions and set out to stick with them, but of our own we will utterly fail. That failure then may lead to despair...just what Satan wish is for our  new year, but if we start out with God and His help, we will succeed and prosper and do well.
 
May Christ be reflected in our lives from day to day and may He change us into the people we need to be. Let us leave behind the old self and take on the new! 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is anew creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." That includes you if you want to accept God's gift of a clean heart and fresh start! 

He is so good and I want to walk with Him in this new year! Don't you want to do that, too? =) 

Happy New Year! 
Blessings! Remember to keep your focus [on Jesus]!

Jesus

In His great fullness, I have all I need. ♥

Let Fear Go

How many times have you found yourself in a situation that makes you feel feelings of utter anxiety?

Anxiety can be caused by all number of things, but most commonly because an individual feels that their self will be negatively affected in some way and that the result will be "terrible" and unbearable! Does this ever usually end in "the end of the world," however? I think not. 

I was just reading a book called "Telling Yourself the Truth" - the chapter was on anxiety and it got me thinking. One thought/quote in particular that I wanted to share is this....

"Christ wasn't devastated by what others thought of Him because He kept His eye on the Father and doing His will. He lived to please His Father in heaven." {Telling Yourself the Truth p. 68)

I thought that was just a neat little idea...or big idea. We ought to take Christ's example - He is, after all, the perfect example. He was so often not socially accepted and if anyone had a good reason to "worry" about what would happen or how they would be treated, it's Christ. Yet as the quote said, He kept His eye on the Father and did His will, living to please God.

Perhaps if we stop thinking of ourselves and look to our Father in heaven, and learn to trust in Him through all things, we won't have to feel as anxious anymore either. He is God, all things are possible through Him, and He is more than capable to take these unhealthy feelings from us and give us a fresh start.

Won't you let Him help you today?