Guided In Love

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. – (Psalm 23:1-3, NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that He is good. – (Psalm 23:1-3, ERV)

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always. He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His Name. – (Psalm 23:1-3, VOICE)

 

Yesterday was such an incredibly strange day. I felt a bit lost, and quite uncertain as to what I actually was meant to do. After beginning my day with God, I went to the grocery store with my “youngest” boy, and was thankful to find restocked shelves. Upon our return, I sat and pondered and prayed a bit, to determine what to do next. Following the lead of some of my school district colleagues, I constructed a message to my students and families, providing suggested activities and drawing prompts for the coming week, as well as conveying my care for their well-being. Upon completing some other household tasks, I determined to at least begin tackling my grading pile. Just as I completed the final class for the first project that needed grading, my best friend messaged me to go take a walk out in the sunshine. For me, this was exactly what my heart needed, as our walk took us down a steep staircase to the Puget Sound, where we took in the view and soaked up some sunshine, before embracing the challenge of tackling the stairs back up to the road. In Him, I do indeed, have everything I need. He is granting me rest and refreshing my soul. Walking near the waves, comforts me, as I am reminded of His power and strength. Despite what we see, He will lead us on the right path, and show us that He is good. May we ever remember that even in the most uncertain of times, God cares for us; always. He provides, calms, comforts, restores, and leads, demonstrating His unending goodness to all who seek Him.

 

O Lord, my shepherd,

I choose seek Your face;

Lead me and guide me,

In Your loving grace.

Show me the planned paths,

That I’m meant to take;

Help me to love well,

Forgive my mistakes.

The comfort You give,

Help me to give too;

Rest and refreshment,

Grace that makes us new.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You lead us beside still waters and bring us to spaces of comfort and rest. Thank You that You strengthen and restore us so that we can go forth and follow the path that You prepare for us to love others well. Forgive us for not embracing the rest You provide, or for not following where You lead. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would receive all that You offer and go wherever You call. Show us how to love those around us tangibly in ways that make Your heart known and Your provision shown. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You, our shepherd, to lead and guide us each step of every day. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. – Psalm 62:1

To Be Resolute

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV)

You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following Him. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. – (Colossians 2:6-7, ERV)

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You’re deeply rooted in Him. You’re well-constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill into thanksgiving. – (Colossians 2:6-7, MSG)

 

When we accept Christ into our lives and allow Him to be Lord, we become rooted and constructed in Him. Our design is to walk out our faith in all that we do and all that we are, and as we do, gratitude grows and overflows from the core of who we are becoming in Christ. May we ever seek to be strengthened in our faith and remain constant in our thankfulness to God.

Mom and I kept missing each other with our attempts at calling yesterday, but we did exchange text messages a few times during the day. Each time I receive a message from her, gratitude to God rises, as I know how overwhelming even the thought of sending a text message was a few short months ago. Though I know that progress feels extraordinarily slow, it is in the moments when I am able to see tangible evidence of things that were once seeming impossibilities, have again becoming part of mom’s daily life. I trust that God will continue all that He has begun in her healing process, and am beyond grateful for the blessings that I can already see right now.

 

Choose live in the Lord,

Allow faith take root;

Nourish and water,

In Christ, resolute.

The Lord will strengthen,

Grow our hearts in Him;

Overflow with thanks,

For His love within.

By grace, He shows us,

Love all of our days;

For His strength and peace,

Let us choose give praise.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we invite you in, You come and strengthen us and grow roots in our hearts in Your truth. Thank You that for these things and more, we have reason to continuously give You praise. Forgive us for allowing our challenges to distract us from the reality of who You are. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would overflow with gratitude; always. Show us how to love those around us well, so that they would be strengthened and encouraged and hunger after You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we thank You for growing us deeper in You and granting us the strength that we need each new day. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Doing As We Were Designed to Do

For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do good things He planned for us long ago. – (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

 

Every one of us has been intentionally designed. Our strengths, our dreams, our attributes, our personality and our determination are all part of the masterpiece constructed by our Maker. Even more, when we submit our lives to Christ, we are made new in Him. All of the weathering and damage that we have done to the Lord’s artwork up to that point, is wiped away – we are made new. As we choose to embrace this space of being a new creation, we are able in Him, to go forth and do the things that He designed us to do, before we had life and breath. May we rise up and go forth in the plans and purposes that we were designed to do, as we embrace His grace that has made us wonderfully new.

 

Before we were born,

We all were designed;

Planned with a purpose,

God’s goodness aligned.

Then there comes a day,

When we have to choose;

To receive the Lord,

So we are made new.

All of the wreckage,

The scars and the dirt;

The Lord wipes away,

And shows us our worth.

There is no measure,

But rather a call;

To love as He loves,

Great purpose for all.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are Your masterpiece – each and every one of us. Thank You that we are created anew in Christ when we choose to follow You. Thank You that as we are invested in You, You equip us to go forth and do the good that we were designed to do. Forgive us for our lack of gratitude for our lives and how You so specifically designed each of us. Teach us to have grateful hearts for the new that we have in You, and for Your strength and capacity to do what You designed us to do. Show us how to walk out our purpose, daily. Lead us to love others as You so lavishly love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek to serve and honor You as we were designed to do. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. – James 5:13