peace

Weekly Devotion: …Because you trust Him.
by

Weekly Devotion: …Because you trust Him.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

-Romans 15:13 NLT

There’s plenty of parts in this scripture that will capture our attention first before we actually notice the point of it. All those lovely words-hope, joy, peace, confident, overflow, power-are well and true, but there’s something there between them:

…because you trust in him.

It’s very easy to forget that in a relationship with God, we have our own weight to pull. God can do everything, but He won’t do everything, and He has a reason for that. That would be something called Character…

This scripture is part of a chapter full of well wishes and wise encouragements. Notice that it did not end at joy and peace. Paul did not say, “I pray that God will fill you with joy and peace.” He said, “I pray that God will fill you…because you trust in him.” God has every intention to give you joy and peace. He desires it for you. He gives it to you freely. You know what your part is? Trusting Him. And because you trusted him, then you have joy and peace.

Trust gives birth to hope, and hope gives birth to peace, and peace gives birth to joy. God can’t give you trust. He won’t make you trust Him. Do you want joy and peace? Now where does that path start again?

by

Today’s the day…a gift



I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.-John 14:27

Peace of mind and heart seems like a fantastical endeavor that’s never really achieved. But it can be. It will take both you and God together, but it can be. Today, remember that this is a gift, and all you have to do is accept it. 

Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for. Now make a reason why. 

by

A Poem A Day #511

Something about Today

There’s something about today
That made my heart sing.
Perhaps the iridescent glow
Of a purity ring.
Perhaps the tremor of the hard drive,
A buzz that doesn’t cease,
Which I kick with my foot
To get just a little bit of peace.
Perhaps it’s the ache for a smile
Of a person I miss.
Sometimes I sit back in my chair
And I reminisce.
Perhaps it was the “Good morning, Beautiful”
That dinged on my phone.
I smiled like a fool,
But only when I was alone.
Perhaps I remembered
A sad dream from long ago.
I choked back a lump
That only seemed to grow.
Perhaps it was the scent
Of vanilla and lemonade,
Or the fact that instead of going,
I came back and stayed.
There’s something about today
That made my heart sing.
But it’s the type of song
That means everything.

By Catherine Joy

by

A Poem A Day #483

I shall miss his laugh
And his corny jokes, but most…
I shall miss him most.

By Catherine Joy

Last Thursday, my beloved Senior Pastor at my church passed away, but more importantly he won his race against a cancer and is now at peace with no pain. I am at peace, knowing where he is. My heart aches, but I am at peace.

I love you, Pastor Lee!

by

Project Inspiration

I have come to discover that I love to inspire and motivate others. I absolutely love it. It makes me feel warm and joyful and peaceful and all those good feelings. And I’ve recently come to realize something quite obvious: perhaps this is my purpose. 

I often wonder why it is God gave me the gift of writing. I’ve always known that our ultimate duty in life is to share his love with others and show him love, and our different gifts are ways that we do that. I’ve deemed the world of writing and literature as my mission field, and the written word is the best way I communicate (so much better than verbal). I know now that God ordained writing as the way that I share his love and show him love. 

I also always wondered why doing things like making homemade gifts and giving motivational advice to others made me feel so high on happiness. I believe that certain activities make us feel that way because they were the activities God ordained for us to share his love through. Now it all makes sense. I feel so happy doing these things because they were what I was meant to do.

Just a few days ago I established for myself a personal life project, called Project Inspiration. It’s ultimate purpose and goal? To go about inspiring and encouraging others, especially in the areas of pursuing their dreams and finding purpose. And I already have ideas of how I can do that, such as “Tokens of Inspiration,” crafty inspiring notes that are either regular or spontaneous, mass motivational text messages to my friends and family, inspirational messages on social media, etc. It doesn’t take a lot, and it doesn’t have to be flashy. 

I intend to take this project with me in my life journey, adding to it new ideas that can span a larger reach, like giving little gifts with notes to the homeless on the street, leaving gifts and notes for neighbors, sending flowers for the heck of it to a friend who needs a boost….there’s many ways I can show God’s love and inspire others. 

Why do I feel like doing this? Well, basically, I really want to. And I feel in my heart that I should, because it’s my purpose. I can’t wait to get started ^_^

by

Do what makes you forget the world

Have you ever been doing something, some activity or hobby, that makes everything in the background practically fade out of existence for a while and your mind to forget anything and everything except what you are doing right now in that moment? And you didn’t notice it was happening until you paused and suddenly life leaped out at you?

You can probably name one particular activity that puts you in that state of ecstasy. I have a few.

The biggest one is (surprise!) writing. But not just any writing. It’s when I’m creatively writing; fiction, short stories, poetry, skits and dramas. My head gets filled with imagination and I love, love, love how my current troubles melt away for a time.

Another activity for me is crafting. The moments when I was at my desk making handmade Christmas gifts for my family or decorating journals was some of the most peaceful moments I’ve ever had.

When I’m hiking and exploring and climbing, I am so swept up in the adventure the rest of the earth pauses and only resumes when I come back to normal life. Not to mention the physical activity feels amazing!

Reading. Oh, thank you, Lord, for books! And I imagine it’s a common thing that helps people forget the world, but I’m among them.

 

Getting away from the world now and then is healthy, and you don’t have to go somewhere or hide away in a remote place to do it. It can happen right where you are. Recognize those hobbies and activities that make you feel free and escape through them. When you’re beginning to feel the tremors of hardship, stop and go bake cookies, or dance, or play the piano, or take a walk, or research an interest, or take photos, or make origami animals, or string jewelry, or shoot some hoops, or read to children, or whatever makes the background fade away, the troubles melt, and your mind hone in.

by

A Poem A Day #396

Forever A Breeze

It happened to me
One day in the breeze.
I was walking along
And was swept off my feet.
I was flying, I tell you,
And many things I could see.
I became like the wind,
Air moving at ease.
It was so very beautiful,
And I was at peace.
I could be the wind forever,
Forever a breeze.
My journey wasn’t long,
Just a little down the street.
But I felt like I traveled the world,
Because for a moment,
I flew, like I had wings.

By Catherine Joy