"And hope does not disappoint, because the Love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Today I am grateful for little messages from God.
.
Oct 3, 2014
Oct 2, 2014
"Wait and see!"
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit"
--- Jeremiah 17:7-8
"When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful."
--- Romans 12:12
--- Jeremiah 17:7-8
"When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful."
--- Romans 12:12
Mar 2, 2014
My Daily Dose of God
Hello there,
"When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: 'Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.' Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.
Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed."
--- Jesus Calling, March 1st.
I am not a daily Bible-reader, journal-writer, or devotional-devourer. I am not good at continually doing something every day. But I do talk to God. A lot. I chat about my day, I talk about all the wonderful and inspiring people in my life, I thank Him for all the blessings He has given me. I cry and beg and plead more often than not. And I do believe He is listening, sometimes probably with hands over His ears to muffle my whining, but He DOES listen. I know this because I get answers. Not always the clear shout out or instruction booklet I'd very much appreciate (hint here, God...) but He talks to me. Especially when I have no idea how to keep going any longer.
- A couple weeks ago through my friend Kaile who said just the right things to get me through the day.
- Through my incredibly strong friends Molly and Gary who I admire more than they will ever know, who are my role models and inspirations.
- Through the devotional I quoted above, which always has the most perfect "letter from God" for the exact day I need it most.
And that is what I needed most today. The reminder that God WANTS to hear about what's going on in my life. Not just the good things, but also all the bad things that are happening in my life. All the worries I have, the anxieties, the fears, the pains. That is quite incredible, don't you think? That there is someone who cares about you more than you could ever imagine, who wants to be a part of your life, who listens to all your whining and begging and will never have too much of it. Someone who cries with you, laughs with you, loves with you... I think that is quite incredible.
But not only does He listen, He also promises peace. His Peace. We only have to trust that He will not leave us alone but will equip us with all the things we need to get through this journey, this plan He has prepared for us. We only have to trust. Sounds quite easy, doesn't it? But it is not. It is the hardest thing we will ever do. Trust in something we can't necessarily see, hear, touch. That is hard. It is a leap of faith. Literally. It's like jumping over a cliff not being able to see the other side but trusting that it is close enough for us to reach and not to fall.
So here I am. Finally starting the long process of surrendering that I have been fighting for so long.
Trust. That's the key.
Love, Eileen
_______________
The two verses to go with the Jesus Calling Devotional today are
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts you."
"When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: 'Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.' Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.
Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed."
--- Jesus Calling, March 1st.
I am not a daily Bible-reader, journal-writer, or devotional-devourer. I am not good at continually doing something every day. But I do talk to God. A lot. I chat about my day, I talk about all the wonderful and inspiring people in my life, I thank Him for all the blessings He has given me. I cry and beg and plead more often than not. And I do believe He is listening, sometimes probably with hands over His ears to muffle my whining, but He DOES listen. I know this because I get answers. Not always the clear shout out or instruction booklet I'd very much appreciate (hint here, God...) but He talks to me. Especially when I have no idea how to keep going any longer.
- A couple weeks ago through my friend Kaile who said just the right things to get me through the day.
- Through my incredibly strong friends Molly and Gary who I admire more than they will ever know, who are my role models and inspirations.
- Through the devotional I quoted above, which always has the most perfect "letter from God" for the exact day I need it most.
And that is what I needed most today. The reminder that God WANTS to hear about what's going on in my life. Not just the good things, but also all the bad things that are happening in my life. All the worries I have, the anxieties, the fears, the pains. That is quite incredible, don't you think? That there is someone who cares about you more than you could ever imagine, who wants to be a part of your life, who listens to all your whining and begging and will never have too much of it. Someone who cries with you, laughs with you, loves with you... I think that is quite incredible.
But not only does He listen, He also promises peace. His Peace. We only have to trust that He will not leave us alone but will equip us with all the things we need to get through this journey, this plan He has prepared for us. We only have to trust. Sounds quite easy, doesn't it? But it is not. It is the hardest thing we will ever do. Trust in something we can't necessarily see, hear, touch. That is hard. It is a leap of faith. Literally. It's like jumping over a cliff not being able to see the other side but trusting that it is close enough for us to reach and not to fall.
So here I am. Finally starting the long process of surrendering that I have been fighting for so long.
Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to trust you more.
Trust. That's the key.
Love, Eileen
_______________
The two verses to go with the Jesus Calling Devotional today are
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts you."
Feb 18, 2014
wise words
"Tragedy obviously does not lie in a conflict of Right and Wrong, but in a collision between two different kinds of Right."
-Peter Shaffer
-Peter Shaffer
Jan 17, 2014
rollercoasters and marriages
Hello there,
It's been quite some time since I last posted anything. There just was nothing to write about. A lot has happened since October 2012. I moved back to Germany to work, I met the most amazing man in the world, introduced my grandparents to the US and the huge Walmart isles and American food, started college in Germany in October and welcomed my family back to Germany. It has been quite the year for us.
Throughout this time my faith grew only stronger and more consistent but my walk with God was a rollercoaster ride at its finest. It is fascinating to see how a change of wallpaper - in my case across the Atlantic Ocean - could change a person entirely. Being in the US, it is easy to feel connected with the Lord because that's where I fell in love with Him. My faith is all about the American way of being a Christian, I read an American study Bible and I pray in English. Not having a loving church community close by makes it even harder to stay focused on the Lord. That is where I trip. - Well, I guess trip is not quite the right word... How about stumbling with flailing arms trying to regain my balance and then crashing against a huge stop sign saying "Geeze you're so dumb, making that same mistake over and over and over again". Yes, that sounds more like it.
Every time I lose sight of the Lord, I change. I change into a person I don't want to be. A person, I don't even like. It takes time for me to see these changes in myself and every time this happens, I slap myself on the forehead. Literally. Because I could have avoided this by learning from the same situation last time. But no, I am human. A very weak human and my only hope is that God will take me back, no matter how often I run away from Him.
The other day I read an article about three mistakes we make in our marriage. The one that struck me was, that we think of ourselves more than we think of our spouse. If we pour all that we have into our spouse, all our love, our happiness, our commitment, that will lift them up so much, that they have so much more to give back to us. Making someone else happy, doesn't only make you happy in return, but that person will have so much more energy and love to help us and encourage us. It's like a mirror, isn't it? Stand in front of your mirror and look really grumpy at yourself. What to you see? How do you feel? Now look sad. Doesn't what you see make you sad as well? And now try smiling. How does that make you feel? I think you get the point.
Our relationship with God is like a marriage. If you give all you have to the Lord, He will reward you. Not necessarily with a good dinner and probably great sex like your spouse will. No, He makes you feel great. You are nicer. You smile more. You see the blessings in your life more clearly. That's what it's like for me anyway.
Take this to heart. Make God, the center of your life. You will be rewarded.
Love,
Eileen
'This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:24
It's been quite some time since I last posted anything. There just was nothing to write about. A lot has happened since October 2012. I moved back to Germany to work, I met the most amazing man in the world, introduced my grandparents to the US and the huge Walmart isles and American food, started college in Germany in October and welcomed my family back to Germany. It has been quite the year for us.
Throughout this time my faith grew only stronger and more consistent but my walk with God was a rollercoaster ride at its finest. It is fascinating to see how a change of wallpaper - in my case across the Atlantic Ocean - could change a person entirely. Being in the US, it is easy to feel connected with the Lord because that's where I fell in love with Him. My faith is all about the American way of being a Christian, I read an American study Bible and I pray in English. Not having a loving church community close by makes it even harder to stay focused on the Lord. That is where I trip. - Well, I guess trip is not quite the right word... How about stumbling with flailing arms trying to regain my balance and then crashing against a huge stop sign saying "Geeze you're so dumb, making that same mistake over and over and over again". Yes, that sounds more like it.
Every time I lose sight of the Lord, I change. I change into a person I don't want to be. A person, I don't even like. It takes time for me to see these changes in myself and every time this happens, I slap myself on the forehead. Literally. Because I could have avoided this by learning from the same situation last time. But no, I am human. A very weak human and my only hope is that God will take me back, no matter how often I run away from Him.
The other day I read an article about three mistakes we make in our marriage. The one that struck me was, that we think of ourselves more than we think of our spouse. If we pour all that we have into our spouse, all our love, our happiness, our commitment, that will lift them up so much, that they have so much more to give back to us. Making someone else happy, doesn't only make you happy in return, but that person will have so much more energy and love to help us and encourage us. It's like a mirror, isn't it? Stand in front of your mirror and look really grumpy at yourself. What to you see? How do you feel? Now look sad. Doesn't what you see make you sad as well? And now try smiling. How does that make you feel? I think you get the point.
Our relationship with God is like a marriage. If you give all you have to the Lord, He will reward you. Not necessarily with a good dinner and probably great sex like your spouse will. No, He makes you feel great. You are nicer. You smile more. You see the blessings in your life more clearly. That's what it's like for me anyway.
Take this to heart. Make God, the center of your life. You will be rewarded.
Love,
Eileen
'This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:24
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