Trust With All

In You, Lord my God, I put my trust. – (Psalm 25:1, NIV)

Lord, I put my life in Your hands. – (Psalm 25:1, ERV)

Forever I will lift up my soul into Your presence, Lord. – (Psalm 25:1, TPT)

 

Today is a long-awaited day, as it will be the start of the first time that I have spent seven consecutive nights in the same room as my spouse since the end of April. During the day, as there is much to do with and for mom, I am typically occupied enough that I am able to be fully invested here, and present where I am planted. However, during the time that mom rests or when all is silent and still, my heart aches for my family and my home. This upcoming time of reprieve and refreshment is what my heart has been longing for. Each day, I continue to learn to place my life in the Lord’s hands, and trust Him with all that I am. Some days are far easier than others, yet He remains faithful, even when my faith wavers. It is my hope that both as I go and when I return, He may use me as His instrument of peace and shine His light of love through my words and actions.

Yesterday was a bit of a tired day for mom, as she woke twice in the night, and then rose to eat breakfast extra early. She didn’t really get the rest her body required, so by noon, she was dragging. During her occupational therapy appointment in the morning, mom overcame a giant obstacle. The exercises Larissa wanted her to do to strengthen the right side of her body, required mom to kneel on the floor. She was terrified to be on the ground, as the last time she was on the floor was when she had a frightening fall in the middle of the night, on one of her first nights back home. Thankfully, she was not harmed in any way at that point, but it was traumatic for her, and the very idea of being on the ground became a space of terror, rather than something that might actually be beneficial. Mom fought past the fear, and knelt to the ground to participate in the exercises. Her courage and strength astound and inspire me daily, and yesterday was no exception. After OT, we had a quick bite of lunch, followed by speech therapy. Though mom was weary, she rallied well, and did a great job. Her speech and word recall are remarkable, and have recovered and been restored the fastest. Most people would be unaware that she had ever even had a stroke, based on speaking with her. Today, mom has physical therapy and occupational therapy back-to-back. Both are fairly early this morning, then we have down time to wait for Megan’s arrival. My sister is driving this time, so we do not have an exact time to expect her. We anticipate late afternoon, but much is dependent on traffic and road work as she travels. Join us in praying for a safe journey, as it is typically a seven-hour drive.

In all things, and at all times, may we ever place our trust in the Lord.

 

In all things and times,

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Choose trust in the Lord;

For He is faithful,

And true to His word.

His grace is enough,

And He does provide;

All that is needed,

In love, He supplies.

Be it time of rest,

Or strength to endure;

God is the giver,

Our hope held secure.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we place our lives in Your hands, You provide all that we need, as it is needed. Thank You that You love us best. Forgive us for our frustration and fears when we are at the end of our own strength and resolve. Teach us to trust You more, as it is in that very space of our own end, that Your strength and power are made most evident. Show us how to love, encourage and support those around us best, so that they may know Your love tangibly. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You will all. Amen.

 

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

 

But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. – Psalm 13:5

Trust for Peace

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. – (Isaiah 26:3, NIV)

God, You give true peace to people who depend on You, to those who trust in You. – (Isaiah 26:3, ERV)

You will keep the peace, a perfect peace, for all who trust in You, for those who dedicate their hearts and minds to You. – (Isaiah 26:3, VOICE)

 

God does exactly what He says He will do, when we do our part. That does not mean that we have to perform at a certain level, or achieve a specific status, but rather we must trust Him and rely on Him to be God, in order for there to be room in our hearts and lives for Him to move. Yes, I believe in God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength, however, there are times that I know my trust wavers. It is in those moments of troubled trust, that perfect peace escapes me. Sadly, I don’t think the peace is gone, as much as I cannot feel nor find it in my stirred-up state of being. When I slow down and recognize that I am trying to control circumstances that are out of my control, and give the reigns back to the One who is a far better driver than I, it is then that I find the peace that I have needed all along. There is a large learning curve for this for me in my current season. As a wife, still in her first year of a new marriage, the mother of twin seventeen-year-old boys who have always been in my direct care, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an invested member of my church community, a runner, and so on, I have had many moments that I have desperately wanted to be in one place when I was in another, or help, or participate, or orchestrate, and I could not… I know that people, my family and friends, understand and are gracious, however, I find that is not always true within me. It typically takes a very honest and defeated conversation over the phone with my persistently patient husband, to get to the place of accepting what is, letting go of what I cannot control, and placing all back in the rightful hands of God. It is a season, and I am learning to let go and trust big. Peace is far preferred to its absence, so today, I choose again to trust.

Yesterday, mom and I had a good day. It was a strange start, but went well. She was rather tired as the day began, and went back to sleep after breakfast. When she woke, she was really groggy, so her preference was to relax and watch a movie so that she could continue to wake up more gently. Later in the morning, we ventured into town again. This time, after the coffee drive thru, we drove to a store in town so that I could run in and buy a few CDs for my drive home in the afternoon. I offered to bring her in with me, but she was not ready yet. She happily waited in the car while I ran in and quickly selected my music and returned to her. We drove around a bit more, then went to a restaurant in town that she had wanted to go. Again, she had me run in to get food for takeout. By the time we had arrived home, settled in and eaten lunch, she was a bit weary. Mom determined that she would take a bit of a snooze. The rest was short-lived, and when she got up, we decided to work on some of her exercises. She did some hall walking and some stretches, then we relaxed and hung out until Sharon, my honorary sister, (grew up across the street and we literally lived at each other’s homes our entire childhood) came to stay with mom until Megan arrived, so that I could get driving home before dark. Meg arrived safely and on time, and Sharon and mom had a good visit. I made it home in excellent time, and was wrapped up in giant arms the moment I pulled into the driveway. 😊

May we ever trust in the Lord, for He is good, and He is our peace; always.

 

The God of all grace,

Promoter of peace;

Lavishly He loves,

Good that will not cease.

As we trust in Him,

Peace shall abound more;

For fears fall away,

Hope brings us ashore.

God knows what we need,

His heart is to bless;

Keep trusting in Him,

He hears each request.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You bring peace as we trust in You. Thank You that peace is not dependent on our circumstances, but rather it is dependent on our awareness of Your presence. Forgive us for the times that we allow ourselves to get worked up and worried about what is happening around us, rather than allowing You to do the work within us. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to be ambassadors of Your perfect peace to those around us as we love others in the same way that You love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we choose to trust You to be our peace in all things and at all times. Amen.

 

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

 

Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. – Psalm 9:10