Tag Archives: hope

The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Christmas JOY

 

‘Tis the season of Joy and happiness. A time where the country is transformed into bows, presents and special movies that make us smile. Holiday decorations come down from the attic and more memories are made.

But for some, this time of year is a nightmare.

The warmth of the season brings back the pain and memories of what was lost. It brings to light the reality of their current circumstances and the pain becomes all to real again.

This year, God has been working on my heart like never before. I have an unexplained excitement about this Christmas year… But not about the shopping and sparkle that surrounds us.

See, the very first Christmas seemed small at the time. Another baby was born.. Unknown by many, in a dirty manger on a cold night. No facebook announcements or Instagram pictures to celebrate with friends around the world. I’m sure as a little girl, Mary didn’t envision an engagement filled with scandal, horseback riding in the 3rd trimester and a labor among cattle. But like so many of us have figured out…. such is life right?

For some, we have learned to roll with the punches and for others, they are too broken to get up anymore. Like Mary and Joseph, the life they envisioned and planned for so long, is but a distant daydream… and what they are left with just makes no sense.

So why am I excited?? Why would such sour news bring a smile to my face?

Because this time of year more than EVER, is a time to seek after the JOY that we have been promised. But, not only to seek after it, but to SHOW it to others. TELL them that although the winds of change have thrown you into the sewers, you are never ever out of God’s grasp…

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wing you will find refuge.” Psalm 91:4

God sent His ONE son into a world that wanted to kill and destroy him from the start. He was born into a world ready to devour him just to give us LIFE. To give us JOY. A future we can never imagine!

THAT my dear friends is CHRIST-mas…. The GOOD news. The reason we celebrate. Not because life happened to be good to us one year, not because of our current circumstances…

But because no matter WHERE we are in life, WHAT is happening to us, WHO we lost, WHO we love….

JESUS CAME TO SAVE! HE CAME TO LOVE and He came to give us JOY!

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Busy moms, life is tough. And life doesn’t always work out the way we planned. But hold on tight to the one that holds tomorrow.

On that dark night in Bethlehem, as Mary rocked baby Jesus to sleep, I am sure she wondered WHAT God was thinking…. really?? A BARN??? After spending days on horseback and giving birth in a dirty haystack. Could life get any worse???

At that moment, She couldn’t see the bigger picture. As Joseph was kicking the cows away so they had room to sleep, She didn’t know how beautifully God would turn that story around. That “Fateful” night would turn into something GLORIOUS!

Because that’s the beauty of God.

That’s why we trust Him…

Because HE weaves our story…

He is the  Mighty God and the Prince of Peace… and all we have to do is trust him.

I challenge you today, no matter what is going on in your life, to look UP! Seek Him during this season… and celebrate.

God’s got this!

Merry Christmas my friends

XOXO

Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

Rarely Early, Never Late: God Can be Trusted

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Hi Moms…

Today I am in the book of Genesis, so if you have your Bible with you, go ahead and take it out and get your highlighter or your ball-point pen (or whatever makes you happy when you sit down with your Bible) and get ready to mark it up a bit. Today, I want to talk about the faithfulness of God and how trust worthy God is.

I’m not going to read the whole passage, but I want to encourage you to read all of it on your own, and that Scripture is Genesis 22:1-19. This is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Some of you might not be familiar with this story so I am going to give you some background on it. Basically, Abraham has been asked by God to lay down his son on the altar and to sacrifice him. It is an incredible story of God testing Abraham’s faith.

In Genesis 22:14, we read,

“So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Now, this is the end of the story, where God clearly provides a sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac was not a required sacrifice. But, here is a tremendous lesson we learn about the relationship God had with Abraham, because God is the same as today than He was all those hundreds of years ago.

The Bible says that God and Abraham were friends.  Can you imagine that?  As God and Abraham became friends, God tested Abraham. He offered to enter into an agreement with Abraham.  God told Abraham that if he would obey Him and would be blameless, He would Abraham’s family with many children and that God’s blessing would be on Abraham’s family forever.

As part of that agreement, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. God often changed people’s name in the Bible to signify a new beginning; Jacob became Israel, for example, and Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. So, Abram became Abraham and now, we see, he has a son named Isaac. Abraham was like any father, he loved his son very much and Isaac meant more to Abraham than anything on earth, except for Abraham’s love for God.

One day, God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to a particular mountain and offer him up as a sacrifice. I can’t even imagine what it was like; it’s always gut-wrenching to even think that God would ask Abraham to do this! It’s a good example of our inability to understand God’s ways.  God asked Abraham to do this and, of course, Abraham was upset and afraid, but the Bible says he obeyed and he trusted God.

Can you imagine trusting God that way? He gathered two of his servants, a donkey, some wood to build a fire, and he set off with his son Isaac. After several days, they arrived at the mountain and Abraham and Isaac went alone the rest of the way. Isaac carried the wood and Abraham only took his knife and a flint to light the fire. Suddenly, Isaac looked around and realized they had no lamb for their offering and he asked his father where they might find a sheep. But, Abraham answered saying, “God will provide a lamb for us.” And they continued on their way.

Now, just for a few seconds, try to put yourself in Abraham’s position. Abraham loved the Lord, he knew that God had been faithful to him in the past and God had demonstrated His power and His sovereignty in Abraham’s life over and over again. And now, He was asking Abraham to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Let’s continue with our story…

At last they had arrived at the place that they were instructed to go and Abraham began stacking the wood to make a fire. Now, all this time, Abraham knew God had asked him to sacrifice his son. Could you imagine how sad he would’ve been as he walked for three days toward the mountain? What do you think was going through Abraham’s head? He must have believed his own words and I’m sure he was praying as he walked with his beloved son towards their destination.

This story illustrates how hard it can be to trust and obey God—but it’s also a wonderful example to us of following God through difficult circumstances. Abraham trusted and loved God.  He knew God’s heart toward him and his son was good. In the end, Abraham was going to obey the Lord, no matter how hard it was.

When Abraham and his son reached the place they were going, Abraham had Isaac lie down on the wood on the altar. The time of the sacrifice had come—and still God had not supplied a lamb, so Abraham obediently took out his knife (could you imagine this?) and prepared to sacrifice his son. To Abraham’s relief, at the last moment, God finally spoke and told Abraham not to harm Isaac. He then provided a ram for a sacrifice.

Could you imagine how relieved and thankful Abraham was at that moment? He had trusted and obeyed and the Lord did not let him down. God came through for Abraham at the last moment, and because Abraham obeyed, God reaffirmed the covenant with him.  Today, God’s promise remains in effect; Abraham has many, many descendants.

We see this kind of faith throughout Scripture, but never more poignantly than in the story of God’s own son, Jesus.  Just as God would someday offer His only son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins, so was Abraham willing to offer his son as a sacrifice.

Are you facing something difficult in your life right now? Is God asking you to do something difficult? Maybe He is asking you to move to a different city. Maybe He is asking you to homeschool your children. Maybe He is asking you to take a quieter time around the table in relationships around you. Maybe God is asking you to trust Him in the midst of an illness or financial struggle.  Maybe God is asking you to spend more time with Him.

Whatever He is asking you to do, the Bible tells us that one thing is for certain: God can be trusted.

You can trust the Lord today, busy mom. Take your burdens to Him, let Him guide and direct you, and then believe that He will come through for you. God is rarely early, but He is never late.

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Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

God Works Through Suffering

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Hi moms..

Today I am going to talk to you about a difficult subject and I hope you can bear with me for a couple of minutes and open up your Bibles to the book of James

I want to talk about suffering today.

It’s been a difficult month, I won’t lie to you, for our family. We’ve had to walk through very difficult situations and some where we’ve watched our daughter walk through. Earlier this month, a new mom had given birth to her stillborn baby, and she was full term and it was right before our daughter Savannah gave birth to her baby, Noah. And right after Noah was born, about a week or so, another dear friend of ours lost their baby in labor, also.

It was a difficult thing to walk through with my daughter as she fought with the questions that we often fight with, like why them and not me? Why do bad things happen to good people?

And so, I’ve been thinking about suffering a lot and what the Bible has to say about suffering. And, what I think, as believers, we need to remember that God is working in the midst of pain; God is working.

It is the job of a Christian to look more like Jesus.

Open up your Bibles with me to James chapter 1. Starting in verse 2, we read of James’ point of view on trials and suffering. James has written this letter to teach Christians the practice of Christianity, to teach them what it means to walk with the living God.

And, James says if we have real faith, we will show it by acting like real Christians, no matter what it is that we are going through, even if it’s suffering, if we’re angry, if we feel like we’ve been wounded, or unjustly treated.

There is the heart of the Holy Spirit inside of us when we know Jesus.

Starting in verse two, in chapter 1, James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask of God who gives generously to all not finding fault, and it will be given to him, but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

If you read earlier in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy, 4:31, we read, “For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you.”

So, how do we respond when trials and temptations come our way?

Well, the first thing that we are learning to do as Christians is to be thankful, for we see this over and over again in the Bible.

Ask yourself, do I have a heart of faithfulness? Do I have a heart of thankfulness? Am I wallowing in self pity? Or am I allowing God to work through the midst of suffering that I find myself in?

We NEED to have a heart of thankfulness and a heart of faithfulness.

And, we need to believe that no matter what comes our way, that God is inherently good and He loves us, and that He is working THROUGH the pain that we are going through.

Satan WILL lie to you when you are suffering. He will say to you that other people are watching and that you have to put on a face, because people are watching. Which is true, because Hebrews says we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, but, remember that God also understands your humanness, and when we believe “Oh I have to do it well,” that is performance based.

The other thing that we tend to fall into is the fact we want the approval of other people, and that is approval based.

Mom, hang on to the fact that God already approves of you. He loves you, He sees your suffering, and He knows that you want to serve Him.

And so, as you go through sorrow and temptation and suffering, trust the Lord for His goodness for you and that His mercies are anew every morning. And allow Him to fill you up.

I have a friend who used to say to me that if I lived in the future, that I would live with fear and anxiety, and if I lived in the past, I couldn’t have victory in the present.

The same thing is true when we are walking through suffering.

We cannot imagine, or take ourselves to a future place because it will take us to a place of fear and anxiety.

So, we need to learn to live in today.

TODAY is God’s gift to me and tomorrow (like the Bible says) has enough worries of its own.

So, learn to trust the Lord, today, busy mom. He cares about you; get alone with Him, allow Him to come in, lay down your sorrows at His feet and allow Him to work through the midst of the pain.

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Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

Hope in our Heartache

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holiness

We ask our children when we pick them up, “Did you have fun?”

We ask our spouses when they return from work, “Did you have a good day?”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with those questions, but they each have as their main concern the person’s enjoyment of that which occurred. If those are the only questions we’re asking, then we’re missing the best ones we could ask. What about “Were you a blessing today?”  “Did you point people to Jesus?”  “Did you offer hope today?”

God’s main concern isn’t our happiness, yet we often (inadvertently)  train our children to think it is. Happiness is temporary, fleeting, dependent on the circumstances or the moment. No, He’s concerned with our holiness. Because when we are holy, we ascribe glory to Him which is the entire reason we were created.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said,

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup…”

Jesus – son of the Most High God – asked God to provide another way! He knew the next chapter in His story was going to be a painful one, and in His humanness didn’t enjoy pain and suffering any more than the next guy. Yet in His holiness, He said,

“…yet not my will, but Yours, be done.” both Luke 22:42

Jesus underwent terrible pain – worse than we can ever imagine as he took on the sin of the world – and chose to give glory to His Father.

You see, God sees the big picture in our lives, and He can use anything to make us more like Him. Failure, hunger, depression, heartache, wayward children, past abortions, divorce, abuse, abandonment, unfaithfulness, betrayal or littler every day things like unkindness from a friend or a terrible day of homeschooling…  Don’t get me wrong – He doesn’t cause any of the sin of this world, but He will redeem it in our lives if we let Him. All of these struggles that come as a result of this fallen world cause us to run to Him, desperately cling to Him, and sometimes even to need Him for our very next breath. And that makes us holy.

My husband and I lived in a season of infertility. (The Lord has yet to give me more “fruit of my womb.”) I wanted more babies, but I learned I wanted His best for me more than I wanted to grow that little one. That unsatisfied desire for more babies made me more holy.  Needing God, submitting to God, allowing Him to mold us into the beautiful creation He intends for us to be… all of those make us holy.

And when we’re holy, we can give Him glory even when we are drowning in the sadness of infertility.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by being patient and kind – even when our growing-up-family baggage is rearing its ugly head and wreaking havoc in our marriage.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by waiting on Him as our Provider – even when we aren’t sure how we will pay that next electric bill.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by offering forgiveness – even when someone we trusted betrays us.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by recklessly trusting Him – even when we’re fearful of what tomorrow might bring.

When we’re holy, we can give Him glory by offering the gift of hope – even when we feel hopeless.

Unless you’re somehow exempt, life is going to be hard at one point or another.

There is still hope in this.

And hope breathes life and purpose into the heartache of the present struggle.

I can choose to use this struggle well, or I can choose to waste it.

I want to use it.

I want to be more like Him.

I want to be holy.

I want to give Him glory.

What is your heartache? Will you join me?

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Heidi St John Guide to Daylight

Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

Faith for the Fight

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Good morning, precious moms.

As I write this today (Tuesday, October 22, 2013) my palms are sweaty and my heart is racing—because I’m facing my own battle.  Tomorrow, I will have surgery to address some major health issues, and one surgery includes a hysterectomy.  I wrote about the initial diagnosis a few months ago.  You can find that post here. Four doctors have all told me the same thing: this is the best course of action at this time.  At some point, a decision has to be made.  And we have prayerfully made it.

My husband and I took a few days off to be quiet together these past two days.  We talked about our years of having children—and rejoiced over the gifts God has blessed us with.  We marvel, frankly that my body has held up so well.  🙂  Jay says I’m held together by “duct tape and bailing wire.”  I love that man.  I held on tight to his hand as we walked and talked, but still, I battled fear of the unknown.  Fear is a crippler. A thief.  Fear is NOT from God.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Today, I find myself running to God’s Word again.  As I pray, I am reminded of the struggles facing others around me, and of my own frailty.  I say out loud:  “God.Is.Faithful!” While satan would have us feel defeated and afraid, God would have us at peace.

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27

My devotion today was recorded several weeks ago, in anticipation of my being “out of commission” for a while.  As I listened to it today, tears ran down my face—because even before my surgery was scheduled, God was preparing my heart through Gideon’s story of struggle and faith.  I especially loved God’s tender heart toward Gideon’s doubt and fear.

Are you struggling with a fearful situation like the story I’m reading about Gideon today?    If you are, remember that nothing we encounter escapes God’s tender care.  He never sleeps. The Bible says He even cares about the sparrow.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29-31

Can you imagine? The God of the universe—cares about us!  He is trustworthy.  He is good.  He is the ultimate healer.

Trust Him with me today, busy mom.

I do covet your prayers for the next few days.  My surgery will be tomorrow (Oct 23)  at 2:30 p.m. pacific.

—-Quiet Times for Busy Moms—-  Faith for the Fight

I want to go back for a few minutes today to the book of Judges, chapter seven.  I’m not going to read the whole thing to you, so if you’d like, you can read the story here, or you can open your Bible to Judges 7 and read the story of the battle that Gideon fights against the Midianites. As you read, you’ll discover that Gideon wins the battle with only 300 men.

This is my point: there is no battle so big that God is not able to fight it for us on our behalf. Gideon started with a bazillion men and God pared his army down to just 300 men and Gideon still won the battle!  It’s as if  God was saying, “I’m trustworthy!”

I love that God didn’t get angry at Gideon’s lack of faith, but He encouraged him by giving him access to the thoughts of his enemy. God is after your heart, busy mom–so you really can live the big assignments to Him.  He’s trustworthy.  He’s proven Himself, over and over again. At the end of the day, we either trust Him, or we don’t. We’re either like Gideon or we’re not.

Today, whatever circumstance you’re facing, whether it’s a financial difficulty or a struggling marriage or a struggle with a particular child or a big decision that you have to make, you can trust your decisions, your marriage, your finances, your children to the living God.  He is trustworthy.  He’s proven Himself before and He’ll do it again. You can trust Him.

In His Grasp,
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Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

Carrying Tomorrow’s Load

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worry

Good morning, Mom!

Worry much? As moms, we are prone to it at times, aren’t we? After all, there is so much to worry about:

—the health and well-being of our children
—finances
—current events (for goodness sake)
—education of our children
—relationships with others

The amazing Corrie Ten Boom once said,

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time.”

I was reading this morning in the book of Matthew and in Matthew 24:6, Jesus reminds us of what our response to fearful things should be:

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.”

So often, our first response to fear is to panic. And “the basis of panic is cowardice,” says Oswald Chambers. Jesus tells us over and over again the He can be trusted. That He is “with us always.”

I have a friend who speaks at conferences like I do, and this past spring I had the privilege of hearing her talk about fear. She said, “Run to the roar!” I loved that—because that’s what Jesus is essentially saying. He’s saying to us, “look things full in the face—and do not be alarmed.”

Worry is really the “quiet” version of being alarmed, isn’t it?  Jesus knew the effects of worrying too:  anxiety, physical pain, increased stress—wasted time.

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Look what Jesus says in Luke 12:25: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ?”

Or, in homeschool mom speak: Who of you by worrying can add a single point to your child’s SAT score? Or, who of you by worrying can change the the attitude of your teen or keep your child from suffering?

What message are we sending to our children when we are always worrying about things? We’re sending the message that we don’t trust the Lord.

Remember yesterday when we talked about “abiding” in Christ? Abiding in Christ frees us from fear and worry. Not because of our strength, but because of His. When we keep our eyes on Him, like Peter, we stay on top of—not under—the water. (Matthew 14:29)

1 Peter 5:7 
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

This tells me I need to give my worries to God—and then go on about my life. If you’re struggling with worry and fear today, take some time to write down your fears and then give them over to the Lord. He can carry them.  He’s good like that.

Worry much? Run to the roar!
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PS:  Looking for encouragement? I highly recommend Corrie Ten Boom’s books

 

Looking for Joy?

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Remember that old Johnny Lee  song “Looking For Love?”  It’s from a just-as-old movie called “Urban Cowboy” from what I’ve been told.  🙂

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I don’t think I’ve heard that song in years but for some reason as I was loading the van to hit the road to Spartanburg this morning, it was playing in my mind. Maybe you’ll recognize the lyrics:

I thought it was funny …

I was looking for love in all the wrong places
Looking for love in too many faces (grumpy, tired faces this morning)
Searching thier eyes looking for traces (any hint, really)
What I’m dreaming of

So here’s what I was dreaming of …

  • cooperation
  • good attitudes
  • the breakfast genie to show up
  • a little less pollen
  • ____ fill in the blank

I was looking for joy in all the wrong places 🙂  Or the  illusion of joy anyway.  🙂

Sierra_sydney

And then I remembered–the devil likes to lie about stuff.  He lies about joy.

He’ll tell you money will make you happy. But it won’t.  And it’s not the money, it’s the pursuit of it.  Because joy, true JOY, is not found in power, passion or possessions.  Or even in my kids obeying with a smile on their face.

(But that would have been extra-great this morning.)

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It’s found in a personal relationship with God.

Satisfaction is found in the Lord and in His Word.

Joy will never be found under the sun … but above it … where God is. 

Today, busy mom, let’s keep our joy in plain sight. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, and run the race that’s set before us with the joy that comes  from following Jesus.

Remember those trees that are “firmly planted?”  They’re rooted in Christ!

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Lean into Him while you do laundry for the millionth time.  Talk to Him about your kids. Ask Him to show you how to love your husband.

He has something to say to you.

Looking for joy? He’ll show you where to find it. And where joy is, strength is.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b

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Heidi St John Guide to Daylight