Sometimes when you’re going through a difficult time in life, you need perspective. I needed to hear this, you might need it too. Try to remember: grapes must be crushed to make wine, diamonds form under pressure, olives are pressed to release oil, seeds grow in the darkness; nobody can see. It’s cold, damp, and dark in the dirt. Whenever you feel crushed, under pressure, pressed, or in darkness, know that you are in a powerful place of transformation.
Awards You Don’t Want
Here are some awards that people actually try to win, but the awards don’t even exist.
The Never Put Themselves First Award
The Most Stressed Award
The Worried More Than Anyone Because They Care Award
The Slept the Least Award
Stayed on That Weird Diet for the Longest Award
Sacrificed Their Entire Life for Others Award
Liked by Everyone Award.
Whew. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I wanna win any of those.
What To Do While You’re Waiting
It’s one thing to wait in a long drive through waiting on that sandwich and fries or that specialty coffee drink, and it’s another to wait on God. Some people do it for months and even years. When you’re in a season of waiting, at least from my experience, it’s never just a season of waiting. Let me explain. It’s a season of preparation, abiding. There’s a word you don’t hear every day. Abiding. Waiting is not passive, it’s actually active. You have to be prepared for what you are praying for, what you are waiting for. Be prepared that it may look different than what you expect. Be prepared to hear God’s voice. You might not know when, but when He speaks, it happens fast and you’ve gotta be ready for that next season.
Prayer is a big deal in some people’s lives. If I were to be completely honest with you, I should be praying more. I worry and try to have control too much in my life. I saw this prayer and I think it’s worth repeating. And if you’re able to pray this with me right now, I think it’s pretty powerful.
Dear God, when I feel overwhelmed, scared or anxious, please fill my heart and mind with your perfect peace. Amen.
~hopefully you.
Don’t Run on Empty
You can actually learn something from your bank account and apply it to your spiritual life: when withdrawals exceed deposits, bankruptcy is inevitable. I started to think about my own spiritual life. I know at times when I don’t pray as much as I should or spend time reading the Bible or doing a devotional, my attitude is bad. And imagine going on for weeks, months, and years like that. I can’t imagine people without God or Jesus in their life making it through the past two years. Maybe that’s why you see what I see- a lot of angry people walking around because they don’t have hope.
