Tina Yeager's Blog

God With Us
Guest Post by Matthew Ronan

As we end another year I want to share with you about beginnings and endings, and God being with us through the highs and the lows.

I write this as a widowed dad home alone with my 6-year-old on winter break. I had a realization last year, that what was the most joyful time of the year for me as a kid, no school, no homework. Now as an adult, doesn’t bring more joy, it brings more responsibility, and less productivity, as a solo dad, how am I going to keep my child busy and get work done?

3 years ago I experienced the biggest challenge of my life as me and my 3 year old flew back to Cincinnati for the last 5 weeks of my wife Chastidy’s life. She had been battling stage 4 cancer for 3 years and on August 17, 2019, my wife’s journey in this life ended, as she began her new life in her heavenly home.

One of the last things I remember her saying to me was… “It doesn’t make any sense.” I responded, “What doesn’t make any sense?” She said, “It doesn’t make any sense that I would graduate.” “That you would graduate?” I replied. She continued, “It doesn’t make any sense that I would graduate for just sitting here.”

At first, I dismissed this thinking, that must be the meds talking. At the end of her life, she was given some heavy pain medication.

Upon reflecting on it, I realized that Chastidy WAS graduating. She was graduating from the final semester and the trial that is this life. She passed the brutal battle of cancer, she endured the testing of her faith through not just this but a lifetime of trauma. Her final exams ended where her life began back in Ohio.

But as Godly as she was, Chastidy was a failing student, a broken sinner just like we all have been. She needed the gift of God through Jesus Christ his Son, dying on a cross to graduate into Heaven.

Having all the answers to the test isn’t good enough, getting straight A’s isn’t good enough, it is by God’s grace, His unmerited favor that we get that diploma, that rolled up piece of paper tied with red ribbon, sealed with the blood of Christ, is a deed to a home in heaven. She was graduating into the greatest moment of her life, into the fullness of the presence of God, and I was entering the most painful time of mine.

At the same time as experiencing some of my lowest of lows, I also experienced some high highs. That seems impossible, but in the midst of the greatest storm of my life, God was with me, my encounters with Him with me increased as we got closer and closer to her death. He was leading me, guiding me, speaking to me, and comforting me. In those final weeks, all I wanted to do was seek God in Prayer and Worship. Connecting with His presence was how I survived.

God’s presence with us is a central message in the book of Matthew. I recently realized that in the beginning, the ending, and right in the middle of the book of Matthew, God tells us He is with us.

In the beginning of the book of Matthew in the first chapter, it says about Jesus that, “… they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us.”

In the middle of Matthew, in the 14th chapter, we learn that

the disciples were terrified in a storm, “But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!'”

In Chapter 28 at the end of the book of Matthew, in the last verse of the last chapter,  Jesus says is- “… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

I was listening to a podcast not long ago that talked about how important the first and final frames in a movie are and how much about the story you can get from just these two images.

I started to think about how not only the first and final frame in a movie, but the first and last line in a poem, how a song begins and how it concludes, artist and writers are deliberate about how they begin and end a project. How you start, and how you finish something is important.

In the past I just glossed over Jesus’ parting words in Matthew 28, thinking about them more like a goodbye, a closing salutation. But now I think He was very intentional in his closing statement. For those of you that have had a loved one die, do you remember the last thing your parent or grandparent said to you? How important are those words to you?

When Jesus said “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It was really moving for me to think, that of anything the God of the universe could say to us, what He said was that He would be with us!

He’ll be with them when their brothers are being martyred. He’ll be with them when their families reject them. He’ll be with them when they are imprisoned, crucified, tortured to death. He’ll be with us when our parents die. He’ll be with us if we lose our house, our jobs, or our health. He saves us from a fiery hell, but He doesn’t save us from all of the fiery trials of this earth. He has promised that He will be with us, through it all, even till the end of the age.

And really what more could we want? There is nothing more meaningful than to experience God’s presence with you, even at your darkest hour.

Oh come, oh come Immanuel!

Matthew Ronan likes telling good stories, helping others tell good stories, and most of all wants his life to be a good story. He is an artist, writer, and content producer who’s worked in film, television, and radio. His credits include projects for Disney/Lucasfilm, Warner Bros.,20th Century Fox, and the Michael Jackson estate. He lives in San Francisco with his daughter Catica.

Chastidy Ronan was an executive director of a family support center, a teacher, a missionary, and a nanny, but the brightest part of her life was being a mom. She taught elementary through college in Ohio, Haiti, China, and San Francisco. She knew 5 languages and always got the most blue ribbons in Toastmasters. She died in 2019 from colon cancer and is survived by her daughter Catica and her husband Matthew.

The Girl With 5 Hearts is about a girl who gives her hearts to the things that she loves, only to have them rejected and broken. It is a painfully honest, yet hopeful story about giving your heart back to the One who made it, because many things in life can break it. No stranger to heartbreak and loss Chastidy’s inspiration for The Girl With 5 Hearts was autobiographic, at the same time universal. This story will inspire both young and old, and point towards healing even the deepest of wounds.

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by Dr. Pamela Prince Pyle

It was an ordinary office. The couches and chairs well worn by the patients who came before me. The therapist said, “Take a seat, anywhere you would like.”

My physician mindset thought, “I imagine my choice of chair or couch are already giving insight to this well-respected counselor.” When I mention this, he laughs. “Well, sitting position, body language, greeting, they all give me a sense of the comfort of the patient in the room. I want them to be comfortable.”

This was not my first visit to a therapist for the yoke of depression I had worn. Most of the time it was light, however, on this day, it was quite heavy. This was a new therapist; however, I expected a similar approach to working through my issue at hand. I was wrong.

During that first visit, he began by showing me Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of control subjects without reported depression in comparison to subjects who had depression. I sat up straight in the recliner (yes, I chose the comfy chair close to him). I could not believe the images displayed and the distinct differences of a healthy brain versus one that was trapped in depression. I was intrigued.

He then began to explain that the great majority of those who suffer from depression can be successfully treated through retraining or “re-wiring” how the brain processes negative emotions. He said, “It is not the negative emotion itself which causes depression. It is the struggle against it which can spiral an individual into negative self-talk ultimately resulting in a sense of chronic depression.”

I sat back and processed what he said. It was true, I could be having a great day and a fleeting sense of melancholy would occur. I have experienced significant depression in the past which felt as if I had been consumed in a “black hole”. I would then spend time focusing on avoidance of that “black hole”. If you have ever had depression or anxiety, I am sure that you can relate.

He then switched screens on his computer and said, “This is the good news. These are images after development of a mindfulness practice.”

I sat up again and was amazed at the differences which occurred on these fMRIs. I thought, “But, will this work for me?”

He must have read my mind because he stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. Turning back to me, he said, “I would like for you to read this book. It is called The Mindful Way Through Depression. [i] Also, there is a companion workbook to the book and part of an eight-week program which I believe will significantly help you. We can meet as you want while you complete it.”

             I believe if he had not started with the images, I might not have been so willing to try this process of becoming mindful. I am thankful he did. I went from skeptic to advocate during this time. It was a summer of change for me and a new way of thinking that benefits me to this day. I continue to share my story with those who suffer with fear, grief, anxiety, and depression. If I share my bruised authentic life, then perhaps, I may be able to help in another’s bruised authentic life.

Mindfulness is described as “the dispassionate, moment-by-moment awareness of sensations, emotions and thoughts”. [ii] The importance of understanding mindfulness is that it is an awareness of an emotion and not associating a judgement with that emotion. However, while this may seem impossible at first (at least for me it did), it becomes easier with training and practice. Success is linked to practice.

Christians can view mindfulness through experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. He is describing mindfulness and with the lens of God’s Grace we no longer need to judge our thoughts.

Meditation is not so easily defined as there are many different types of meditation. Cahn & Polich (2006) described it best: “Meditation is used to describe practices that self-regulate the body and mind, thereby affecting mental events by engaging a specific attentional set…. regulation of attention is the central commonality across the many divergent methods” [iii]

I consider my times of meditation as opportunities of hearing from rather than speaking to God. My prayer life has changed because I am no longer doing most of the talking. Wouldn’t you rather that be the case when you consider who is talking most in this particular conversation? God knows our broken our hearts and minds. He wants us to know His thoughts about them.

The workbook associated with The Mindful Way Through Depression: Free yourself from Chronic Unhappiness worked for my style of learning. However, there are many resources which may work better for your style of learning. A classic book is The Practice of the Presence of God in Modern English [iv]. First written 300 years ago in French, its timeless message remains applicable. Smart phone apps exist in this genre without a focus on Eastern Philosophies. I can recommend the following:

Reflect: Christian MindfulnessRecenter with Christ – Christian MeditationCentering PrayerSmiling MindMindfulness Coach

As I reflect on that time in my mental and emotional health, I can truly say that I was relieved of many of the issues that would periodically present themselves. Rather than perseverate in the brief sense of melancholy, I would recognize it, not struggle against it, and then proceed with what I was doing. I intentionally look to God’s creation for something beautiful. It is surprising how many seemingly ordinary objects are, in fact, drenched with beauty.

I won’t declare that my life is completely shed of the yoke of depression. However, these practices have lightened its weight and in concert have enriched my relationship with the Lord and with others. I pray they do the same for you.

[i] Williams, J. M. G, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness., 2007. Print. 

[ii] Marchand, William R. “Neural mechanisms of mindfulness and meditation: Evidence from neuroimaging studies.” World journal of radiology vol. 6,7 (2014): 471-9. doi:10.4329/wjr. v6.i7.471

[iii] Cahn, B. Rael; Polich, John (2006). “Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies”. Psychological Bulletin. 132 (2): 180–211. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.180. PMID 16536641.

[iv] Lawrence, B., & Davis, M. (2013). The Practice of the Presence of God in Modern English. Marshall Davis. 

Dr. Pamela Prince Pyle is a Board-Certified Internal Physician, chairman of Africa New Life Ministries, national/international speaker, and host of the Hope for Every Season podcast. She is also a regular contributor for outlets such as  The Epoch Times and Christian Post. To get a sneak peek of her book or obtain all her tips to live your best life, visit www.drpamela.com.

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            Are you in a shifting season and a time of transition?  If your life is anything like mine right now, I am experiencing a myriad of changes all at once. Some of them are positive and exciting and others are painful and challenging. I am learning to live day by day and trust God with each change that comes. He has been so faithful to give me grace and strength to handle each day’s circumstances and to focus on the next right step. These three principles have helped me during this season of transition.

            First, I am learning to surrender to God’s plan for my life. I am laying down all my desires, plans, expectations, wants, needs, worries, and cares and trusting Him to carry me and my family through this season. I am asking Him to lead and guide us each step of the way into His perfect plan and purpose. My prayer is that we are all flexible, teachable, and willing to move in a new direction. One of my favorite verses providing a firm foundation during this time of transition is found in Isaiah 43:19. It says, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” NLT

            A second principle I have embraced is asking God to clearly show me the next right step forward. When you are in a place of great change and uncertainty, life can get blurry and confusing. Maybe you are moving to a new state, changing jobs or careers, caring for elderly parents with ailing health, or dealing with unique challenges in your immediate family or community. During these times and seasons, it is reassuring to start each day in prayer and wait in the presence of the Lord so you have clarity and strategy on how to take the next right step. In Psalm 37:23 it says, “The steps of a (good and righteous) man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way (and blesses his path).” AMP

            Finally, during these moments of uncertainty, I turn to the community He has placed in my life to help me walk through these challenges as I step into the new. Every day I pray for key connections and the right relationships as I transition from one career to the next, as me and my family are transitioning my parents into assisted living, and as we are preparing to send our daughter from high school to college soon. I am looking to those who have more wisdom and experience and can help bring guidance, comfort, and direction as we move into new and unchartered territories. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” NKJV

            Transitioning into the new is not always easy, but it is a welcome process when God directs you and key people see you through. Oftentimes, it seems like it would be easier to wave a magic wand and get to the new place effortlessly. Yet, I am learning as you press into God through prayer, let go of the comfortable places that have held you down, and embrace new places and people, your faith grows stronger. As you step into the new, you will be equipped with His grace and find you are ready to flourish in the purpose God now has for you. Enjoy the new, amazing adventures He has laid out for you and your loved ones too!

Amy Joob is an award-winning author, speaker, and model turned advocate. She hosts the podcast Support Someone Saturday and recently released A 40-Day Prayer Journal titled Unstuck: Step into the New.  Amy has been married to Eric for over 20 years, is the Mom to Arianna and Ashton, and lives in the suburbs of Chicago.

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What You Can Ask on This Mother’s Day

By Blythe Daniel and Helen McIntosh

We tease our children about “asking 20 questions” and here it is Mother’s Day and what a great time for them to ask you questions.

What would it be like for you to guide your children or grandchildren in coming to you this Mother’s Day with their curious thoughts and questions?

Questions can be powerful motivators for young children and adult children to get to show you their love and to learn something about you they don’t know.

Some of these could include:

What was it like when you were born? Where were you born? Where all have you lived?

Can we draw a family tree? I want to know about my grandparents and great grandparents.

 

When you were growing up, what was hard for you?

What would you do again if you could?

 

What do you like best about being a mom?

As a mother-daughter team, we love to encourage families to talk to each other even if things aren’t going great between you. To start the conversation and sometimes just even by saying, “I know we haven’t had some good days lately, but can we start again?”

This is a great time to have conversations that can start to bridge the gaps between you. Isaiah 58:12 (NIV) shows us that we can be the ones to repair whatever has taken place in our family or our family line just as Isaiah preached to the Israelites who experienced such devastation. He said: “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

Do you know what your loved one probably longs to hear? Words of affirmation, or what we like to call word gifts.

Because word gifts are something anyone can give at anytime, think of a word gift that you can write out and give to your mom (or ask your children if they would be willing to do this for you). What is a word that describes mom? Can you have children write out the word, color and decorate it?

We believe that this Mother’s Day can be a way to start or continue healing between hearts when we genuinely can affirm the other with not just our words, but God’s words as well. If you aren’t sure what to say, ask God to give you a word picture that he wants you to see for your mom. It may be that he wants to first give you something for you to take in and another word for your mom. Be listening to what all he not just for your mom, but for you as well. He longs to be the one who affirms us and helps us remember that He is never too far away to help us love each other through his power and strength.

God bless you and your families this Mother’s Day!

For a full book of word gifts and to celebrate the mom in your life, click here for I Love You, Mom! Cherished Word Gifts from My Heart to Yours. Written by the mother-daughter duo Blythe Daniel and Helen McIntosh, this book/devotional offers beautiful sentiments to share with your mother, grandmother or mother figure in your life.

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Freedom to Keep

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”

(Galatians 5:1, NIV).

Soldiers of freedom’s cause bled into the earth upon which we’ve founded our nation. The principles of honoring all our nation’s citizens with basic liberty and the right to worship wove the parchment with which we established America. Yet the issues of oppression surfaced again. And again. 

Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal freedom from sin and death. He rent his pure and perfect life open as the gateway to peace with our heavenly Father. Christ served selfless love and sacred truth through his blood and flesh while commissioning all who follow to “do this in remembrance” of him. Yet even after receiving this hard-won gift of freedom, we remain locked in strongholds of our own volition.

The darkness of this world lures us away from these freedoms bought at such a high cost. An insidious enemy plots to steal the rights and dignity purchased for us through sacrifice. Evil lures us away into toxic indulgences iced with charm, the iron maiden of self-protection, or a bedful of avarice chiggers. We unwittingly betray our freedoms for fear, shame, or pride. The enemy will try his best to nail us inside despair. He will attempt to pluck our identification from our pockets so we forget who and whose we truly are. The enemy will enslave anyone he can and use them as a weapon, whether they recognize his insidious role through them or not. He plots destruction upon perpetrators of harm and their victims.

Evil lures us from our birthrights with lies. The prince of this world trades us a deceptively comfortable prison cell for the true freedom we might claim. So we lock ourselves inside fear and suspicion, self-destructive choices, or empty pursuits. And wonder why our relationships, well-being, and purpose cannot escape the dungeons closing in upon us. 

We grieve our imprisonment in these shadowy strongholds because we were meant for more than this. God created us in his image as souls meant to soar in peace, joy, and liberty. Christ poured out his life to bless us with everything we needed to experience eternal freedom. 

And we can claim our birthright once again. 

We don’t need to accept the dungeons as our lot in life. We can embrace the truth and life granted by blood and break free. Through the truth and grace in our Savior, hope remains ours to seize. And this time, we can keep it.

It is one thing to be granted freedom by grace. To retain it, we must stand firm upon our identity as the heirs of LOVE and TRUTH personified. 

We need not shrink back in suspicion of our brothers and sisters. We need not close our hearts to sharing love OR truth. We need not pursue comfort over kindness. We need not hide our potential to avoid risk. 

If we stand firm (Ephesians 6) in Christ, no one can steal what he declared as ours.

I encourage you to consider your freedom as people of faith this week. Tune in for more insights on freedom with this episode of Flourish-Meant:  https://tinayeager.libsyn.com/faith-of-our-founding-fathers-with-christina-rose

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”

(John 1:1,4-5, NIV).

Clouds obscured the sun and marred the late spring daylight with gloom. From inside the windows, we discussed the possibility of rain and whether we might hold out hope for the day to improve. Our conversation shifted to the impact of another dark shadow. Fear and isolation had oppressed our world for so long.

While some places invited us to gather face-to-face again, many people remained imprisoned. We had learned to avoid eye contact with three-dimensional human beings during our homebound term. The video camera met our gaze, but we failed to share expressions with those we half-saw in public.

Gas shortages, riots, and increased aggression on the roadways threaten to hinder us from venturing out of these prisons even after the worst of the pandemic passes. The screens to which we turned for escape overflow with vulgarity. Terror, stress, and hopelessness build higher walls than a virus could manage to construct on its own. No matter our attempts to recover and break free, darkness seems to besiege us on every side.

A few utter the concern many hold in silence. Will the next attack of evil overtake us altogether?

Evil has launched effective strategies against every generation. From unspeakable debauchery to genocide, horrors have ravaged the earth in every century of its existence. The black plague and other pandemics sent the masses into understandable panic. Those who lived during the holocaust might have expected the apocalypse to arrive at any moment.

Each time we endure oppression or disaster, doubt rises. Is there a Savior with the power and willingness to rescue us from our pit? Some believe our Creator has disowned us all. Or that evil has prevailed over the power of God.

Genesis relates the power of our triune Creator to sculpt all the universe from a void. If we see this onset of life as merely sculpted from the darkness, we’re missing a key part of the amazing truth. John 1 reveals Christ as the light forging all life and creation. The transcendent and eternal God existed long before anything other than himself. In the beginning, God alone existed. Before the darkness. Before time.

The infinite power of love and life and perfection breathed himself into us. He spoke all things into being for our benefit. He offered us the choice to love him freely. We accepted the Lord’s gift and used it for self-destruction instead of peace.

Yet even though we rejected him, the Lord cherished us. He invited us to walk with him on the journey of renewing our hope. We could not repair the damage, so Jesus offered himself as the only possible means to restore mankind. He suffered and died to take our pain and cover the cost of all we had broken. All the weight of earth’s evils bore down on his body and heart.

In the moment Christ died on the cross, darkness engulfed the earth. An eclipse coincided with his last words, “It is finished.” Crowds flew into grief and panic at the sight of ghosts appearing in a lightless day. Satan might have believed he had triumphed.

In the moment we experienced the world at its darkest, our Savior accomplished the greatest victory over evil. His triumph stands forever.

No matter how circumstances lie to our hearts at any given point in history, the immutable truth remains.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5, NIV). It never can and never will.

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by Grace Fox

To say the last year has been challenging is an understatement. The pandemic grounded me and my husband—the director of a mission sending agency—from our usual international ministry travels. It left me unemployed by banning large gatherings, thus canceling my speaking invitations to women’s retreats and conferences. It stole time with our children and grandchildren, and it complicated everything surrounding my mother’s illness and passing.

COVID-19 ravaged and robbed the world of loved ones, jobs, homes and material possessions, health, and dreams. It even targeted our hope—the one thing we cannot afford to lose, according to John Maxwell. We can recover from other losses, he says, but “when a man loses hope, there’s nothing to do but bury him.”

One dictionary defines hope as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” But, for believers, hope runs deeper than an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking. The Holman Bible Dictionary says hope is “trustful expectation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of God’s promises. Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance.”

So, how can we hang onto hope as we face ongoing challenges and a host of unknowns? I believe the key lies in placing our expectations not in circumstances but in God and His promises. Here are five biblical promises that have buoyed me through the storm.

God is with us.

Isolation and loneliness are significant issues, especially for singles and seniors, my mother included. Lack of in-person fellowship and conversation leads to feeling forgotten and, ultimately, to despair.

Some individuals express feeling abandoned by God. Their losses are so painful and their fear of the unknown so all-encompassing that they’ve lost their grip on God’s promised presence. “I am with you always, to the end of the age,” Jesus told His disciples (Matthew 28:20). His promise stands true for us today. We hold onto hope because the truth is this: we are not alone even when we feel alone.

God is still sovereign.

God didn’t wake up mid-March, wring His hands over the world news, and gasp. He knew the pandemic was coming and how it would affect the world and you and me.

Circumstances are not out of control. God has plans we cannot understand, and He will accomplish His purposes. “I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish” (Isaiah 46:9-10). We have hope because God is still God.

God the Holy Spirit prays for us.

Sometimes our circumstances seem so dark and difficult that prayerful words escape us. That’s when we need promises like Romans 8:26-27— “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” Hope comes when we rest in the truth that the Spirit’s got us covered in prayer even when we can’t express what’s in our heart.

God will provide for our needs.

A plaque on the wall above my writing desk begins with text from Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd. I lack nothing.” A shepherd’s primary focus is his flock’s well-being, so he’s diligent to make sure his sheep have everything they need to flourish. Psalm 23:1 assures us that our Shepherd has equipped us to survive this wild ride. Need wisdom? We just need to ask in faith believing He’ll give it to us (James 1:5-6). Peace? It’s ours when we give Him our concerns and thank Him for all He has done (Philippians 4:6-7). Strength? It’s ours when we make Him our focus (Isaiah 40:28-31).

God will wipe away our tears.

This, too, shall pass. Someday, somehow, God will bring about a good outcome. No matter what the future holds, He will eventually make everything right. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).

Chuck Swindoll writes, “God keeps His promises. It’s a major part of His immutable nature. He doesn’t hold out hope with nice-sounding words, then renege on what He said He would do. God is neither fickle nor moody. And He never lies. As my own father used to say of people with integrity, ‘His word is His bond.’”

God holds out hope to us through His promises, and we hold onto hope by clinging to those promises.

Grace Fox co-directs an international non-profit, speaks at women’s events overseas and across North America, and has authored ten books. She’s a regular contributor to Mornings with Jesus (Guideposts) and a member of the “First 5” writing team for Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her new devotional Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos is available wherever Christian books are sold.

www.gracefox.com

www.fb.com.gracefox.author

Finding Hope in Crisis

A few hundred writers had gathered to pursue their calling on a smoky North Carolina mountaintop. Sunned by worship and swathed in the dewy atmosphere of prayer, an iris raised her amethyst head near the summit stairway.
She wore her crown of petals as a hard-won accomplishment. The iris began her journey to glory as a misshapen bulb, appearing dead and worthless to the untrained eye. Human hands proceeded to bury her in reeking filth. Like some of her sisters, she could have given up. The earth urges the broken to rot rather than persevere.

Perhaps the iris felt the call of our worship, the warmth of Sonlight, and the energy of our prayers. Glory summoned life to break forth from the buried, unseemly bulb. Pressing out of the miserable and impossible circumstances, a sprout pursued what it could not perceive. Faith compelled her to reach up toward an unimaginable outcome.
The iris spent her days dwelling in a thin place between heaven and earth. Her smile bloomed at me, a weary passerby who also pursued an unimaginable calling. This flower held her wind-whipped position with patience and grace, despite the short span of her existence. 

Soon after I photographed her, the iris surrendered her life to enrich the soil for coming generations. A chilling wind lifted the last breath of her fragrance and conveyed it beyond the reach of mortal senses.

Long after her death, Esther’s story imparts a lesson of courage. The iris also taught me ways to rise as a royal heir in God’s Kingdom.

Don’t allow untrained eyes to define you as misshapen and useless. Your Creator sees your potential. The world might view the shape of your backstory, emotional struggles, or other circumstances as unseemly. If you believe those who can only see the surface, you will join them in the shame-lies. You might even adopt the names the enemy uses to trap you in the dirt. The Lord never refers to us by our worst moments. He offers us a name that transcends our past and present. God defines us by the potential Christ activates from our surrendered lives. Like Esther rose from orphanhood to become the queen who saved her people from genocide, we can submit our bulb-like lives to bloom as heirs of Christ.

When rottenness buries you, don’t waste it by staying there. Refuse, suffocation, and death envelop us. Dirt tangles around our roots. We can remain buried and become part of the rotten muck or choose to use it for our growth.

The suffering soul cannot see past the dank pain overwhelming her. She must pursue the sunlight in faith until her life sprouts above the surface. Her new growth requires continued nurture and perseverance, holding out hope for the promise of her dreams. The creator designed her to bloom in colors she has never seen in herself. She must focus on His whispers to guide her into the fullness of her potential.

Grow by faith. Don’t believe your surroundings more than you believe God. How can one hope in the midst of darkness? Believing in what cannot be seen defines the essence of overcoming. Faith, neither trite nor cheap, determines our survival.

Through roadblocks like packed soil and ongoing winds of attack, persevere. Stay the course. Hold your position on this steep path to the summit. Weary passersby depend on your ministry to reach their own potential. If you give up, others will rot in despair because you weren’t available on their path to sustain them on their journeys. The choice to live rather than die will involve challenge and suffering. Your path is a hard one for an important reason: because you matter to the kingdom of God.

Nourish your growth. Don’t attempt to fulfill your calling on your own energy. Contrary to the teachings of our humanistic earth, you don’t actually have any real power of your own. No one has what it takes to fulfill divine purpose without the Holy Spirit. You could overcome darkness and fulfill your potential as the King’s heir. Christ has his eye on you. And so does the enemy. Spiritual warfare will attempt to suffocate you in the dirt and attack your growth. No one can survive to wear an amethyst crown without proper water, light, and nutrients. Maintain daily connection with the one who sustains you through scripture study, prayer, and fellowship with healthy believers.

Here are a few additional tips for healthy spiritual growth:

1.  Journal through the flower bed of your pain. Decide not to rest your head there forever. Process the past but refuse to let it sour your future with bitterness. Seek healing and do the hard work of forgiveness to set your soul free.

2. Adopt the name your Creator bestows upon you. Accept your Savior’s view of your flowering potential instead of limiting self-definition to your current, root-ball state. Identify yourself as who you’re becoming instead of who you are or who you’ve been before. Determine to learn your beauty as one destined to bloom and share a legacy of fragrant blessings.

3.  Declare where you’re heading before you see the sunlight. Post inspirational notes to keep faith in the center of your perspective.

4.  Listen for the songs, messages, and prayers overhead. Find wise counsel in mature groups, books, and individuals to encourage your growth upward. Avoid the pull of those who linger in resentment and rot.

Each persevering life inspires mine. And countless others. Let us encourage one another on this steep journey. As we persevere together, may your soul bloom in the ultimate gardener’s perfect care.

Join us for the Arise Esther Conference this month!

I’ll be sending love to my husband from a distance this Valentine’s Day. He has an extended business trip for which I cannot join him due to my own commitments. So our embraces will remain spiritual, stretching from the mountains to the oceanside. Our thoughts and wishes will not touch more than our minds and hearts this year. Yet we’re closer in many ways than we have been in past Valentine’s Days. 

Many feel even less included in this month’s holiday than I will. February highlights romance and all things sugar-coated about how relationships should seem. I have serious qualms about the happily-ever-after tales which include little or no effort when things get difficult. As if fate demonstrates itself by your feelings and the circumstances, so one either has fallen into perfect love or must allow it to find them elsewhere. As a counselor, I have seen the damage of unrealistic expectations when couples believe ongoing stomach butterflies define true love. Some abandon commitment in times of disappointment, crisis, or boredom. Others suffer from abuse, rejection, or loneliness. 

While advertising insists upon love as a romantic notion of fate and goey emotions, this concept reflects phenylethylamine, norepinephrine, and dopamine reactions instead. The fluttery neurochemical experience fades after a short period of time. 

Those experiencing isolation, brokenheartedness, or other major let-downs this Valentine’s Day can find encouragement in the true definition. Because perfect love isn’t for romantics.  It isn’t a notion, feeling, fate, or happenstance into which one falls. Nor is it restricted to romantic relationships. We see its signature in healthy motherhood, selfless neighborly support, care for the needy. Its hallmarks include commitment, sacrifice, unconditional acceptance. We find this true heart of life by intentionally seeking it. Unlike romance, real love has no expiration date looming.

True love, in fact, isn’t a thing but a WHO.

Jesus Christ proved his identity as LOVE incarnate.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” ( 1 John 3:16, NIV).

Christ as our source, conduit, and receiver of all pure love offers us:

Unrestricted access for those who choose him – this love isn’t reserved for couples or privileged socio-economic groups.Eternal experience – unlike phenylethylamine’s tummy butterflies, God’s love continues to bless our hearts forever.Fearless love – because our love centers upon and springs from the omnipotent Creator, we never need to live in the insecurity of losing the source of our deepest fulfillment.Unshakable strength and joy – Perfect Love Himself provides indefatigable support to the heart and soul. Circumstances cannot diminish his powerful love or separate us from him.

If you’d like to experience Perfect Love, simply ask Jesus Christ to dwell in your heart as Lord. He alone will offer you the fulfillment your heart and soul crave. 

You might already know Christ as your heart’s true love, yet feel disconnected and lonely right now.  If so, you could benefit from opening yourself as an aqueduct. Pray for the Lord to show you how to serve as a vessel through which he can pour freshly through your life into others.  As we love others from his heart’s outpouring through us, we experience more fulfilling connections to Christ and others.

May the Lord wrap his loving presence around you. May the embrace of Christ’s Holy Spirit warm your soul. And may his love stream forever through your heart to bless others.

BY THE WAY …

If you need some self-care and sisterly love, join us on February 11th for a Soul Care and Chocolate Spa Party on the Arise Esther Facebook page!

The DELICIOUS & FREE event you’ve been craving will air live at 4:30 PM ET! You can watch the replay for flash sales, recipes, and humor, but certain prizes will be awarded if you attend live!

Join amazing speakers, comedians, & experts like

Linda Evans ShepherdDr. Sabrina BlackKerri PomarolliRhonda RheaEdie Melson and I’ll even show up wearing a GREEN face mask!

Don’t miss this night of prizes, stress-relief techniques, humor, prayer, chocolate recipes, and DIY facials! Look forward to free gifts, flash sales, AND A TON OF AMAZING PRIZES!!! Be there to win and to enjoy an hour of rejuvenation, fun, and inspiration with friends!!

https://www.facebook.com/TheAriseEstherMovement

An army of pines surround my home. Towering a hundred feet over our moat of grass, they toss their needled heads against the passing clouds. Howling gales bend their pulpy extremities to brush against one another. Sleet pelts through their branches and slaps their trunks. Should any one of these elderly trees surrender to the weather, the fall could crush us. Yet despite the series of fronts that ravaged our area with drastic changes, the wooden soldiers held their positions.

Fierce shifts rush toward us today. We all face the dilemma of how to weather changes howling in the atmosphere around us. In the physical realms where we feel pelted and slapped. In the unseen realms where the icy breath of doom penetrates our minds and hearts.

The rage of these spiritual storms feels like an indefatigable attack surging against us from every angle. Fear and despair ambush us. This emotional turmoil comes armed with reasons why we should abandon hope.

Our ability to withstand these seismic shifts in the atmosphere matters. Perhaps more than the mortal eye can ever perceive.

Should we fall, our defeat threatens to crush a multitude of hearts. Including our own.

In comparison to the mindless guard of trees, those in the divine ranks have access to far greater power to persevere. We can face change with strength if we hold onto the following keys:

Maintain deep and wide faith roots. Immerse your mind, heart, and soul in meaningful study and prayerful meditation. Extend your connections into supportive fellowship for a broad base of emotional and spiritual support. Foster ongoing, healthy connections to God and his family.Nourish yourself to prevent structural weakness. Drink deeply and often from the Holy Spirit’s presence. Sustain your well being on all levels: mental, emotional, relational, AND physical. Disease or weakness in one part of ourselves will affect the others, so taking care of your body, mind, relationships, emotions, and spiritual health remains key to surviving storms with strength.Remember the light defines your position, not the shadows. Hold onto your who, where, and why as authored by the Lord. God alone bears the right to grant your identity, purpose, and position. Resist the onslaught of lies attempting to revoke your title, name, and mission. Focus on the light of Christ, not the darkness.

Journaling your strategies to apply these three secrets can help you weather any storm. Even the unimaginable and seemingly impossible shifts rushing in today.

Feel free to share your tips, comments, and strategies in the comments!

Be Encouraged,

Tina