2BecomeBrave

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone. It has been a difficult week to write with everyone home from school and Christmas to get ready for. However I couldn’t leave out one of the most powerful weapons we have in doing battle with fear, anxiety and depression and that is the weapon of Love. An act of love, no matter how small can bring peace, calm fears, sooth depression and stop anxiety in its tracks. ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18. and we my friends have been filled with God’s perfect love for the sole purpose to share it.

I believe we all have a purpose. Every single one of us was put on this earth with a purpose to fulfill. As Christians we are told what one of our purposes is its to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…and Love your neighbor as yourself…” Mark 12:30-31. That commandment is our purpose and when we choose to act in that love when we are fearful, depressed or anxious it takes the focus off of ourselves and onto God and other people which is where it should be. Its not easy to love someone when your suffering. The love that God calls us to is not an easy love that we do because we feel like it. It’s hard, sometimes scary but always good in the end.

It’s also not easy to accept love when your suffering. But God does not want us to shut ourselves off or down. He wants us to communicate and have community. He wants us to accept help, and love when its given to us, even if its not done the “right way or the way we would have done it.” By receiving love from others and from God himself we are able to give it to others more abundantly. I just watched the 2019 film Klaus for the first time this week. One of the themes of the movie is that one good, selfless act spurs others on to doing good. That how love works. You share it to someone and they feel loved they can share it to someone else.

God loves us, Jesus loves us, more than we can imagine and that love is never-changing. We were called to be lights in the world and to share that love with others. Whatever your purpose, whatever God calls you to do, know that loving other people will be at the center of it.

I hope you have a good Christmas. Ours looks very different from what were used too but that’s ok. I challenge you to show love to others even more so this year than in the past. So many people are suffering and need to feel God’s kind of love.

I have a friend who has found the secret of joy. She has not lived an easy life. She has overcome alcoholism, a debilitating spinal cord injury and the loss of her mother. But none of those things define her. What defines her is the three little words she puts at the end of every Facebook post I see. “I choose Joy.”

Webster defines the word joy as the ” emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The state of happiness or felicity.” But Biblical Joy is more than just a state or feeling its an attitude, one you have to decide to choose daily.

Tim Macke of the Bible Project explains it this way in their video Chara: Joy. (You can view the video herehttps://youtu.be/qvOhQTuD2e0.) ” Joy is an attitude God’s people adopt not because of happy circumstances but because of their hope in God’s love and promise.”

When my friend, Stephanie Bowman, decided to start choosing joy she was not in a happy circumstance. She was grieving the loss of her mother. After spending a few weeks in a deep depression she realized She needed to make changes and could choose joy from within herself. “I can’t change depression but can change how I address it and change my attitude,” Bowman said.

This attitude of joy can be seen as a theme in both the new and old testament. When the Israelites escaped the Egyptians after the red sea was parted they found themselves in the desert and the first thing they did was sing for joy. Even though they were in the desert and the promise land was far away they still celebrated.

Isaiah writes about the coming of the Lord with joy. “So the redeemed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away,” Isaiah 51:11 AMP

Jesus spoke of having joy when you are insulted and persecuted in Matthew 5:12-13 “Blessed ( morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness) are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of (your association with) me. Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (absolutely inexhaustible) for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

James said “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you fall into various trials.” James 1:2

Paul spoke tons about being joyful and content. Philippians 3:1 :Finally my fellow believers continue to rejoice and delight in the Lord.”

Mackie puts it this way, “The joy of Gods people is not determined by their struggles but by their future destiny.” We can be joyful because we know the end game. We know who is going to win in the end and that were on the winning team. We can rejoice that in the end our affliction will be healed, our emptiness will be made whole, justice will be served and Jesus will return.

Do we still struggle with our circumstances? Of course. Bowman said it wonderfully, “I can be mad, sad and have all those feelings but in the end I accept things and have a positive attitude.” Bowman and I agree that this is a hard thing to do when your in the blows of depression. Bowman has struggled with depression her whole life. She said she still struggles with it ” Everyday but I just can’t let it define who I am. And when your in the depths of depression it sounds hokey, But some of it can be controlled by you.”

Choosing joy is a weapon that sets us above our circumstances. Bowman has used much of the memory of her mother to help her get through dark days. She said her mom always called her, “her little Joybell.” and even had a tattoo made of her mother’s handwriting with a bell labeled joy below it. She also has adopted her mother’s two favorite verses to be her own. Psalms 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” and Psalms 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in your sight, O Lord my rock and my Redeemer.”

“I choose to let my thoughts and my actions be positive to glorify God.” Bowman said.

   When asked what she would say to someone who struggles with depression Bowman said,” Don’t give up. There’s so much out there about suicide but it’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You wont’ stay in that valley forever.” She also said, ” Reach out. Things are not always as perfect as on social media.”

Having a friend like her is such a good reminder to me that I can also choose joy whatever circumstance I find myself in. I hope this encourages you to choose joy too.

We are currently in quarenteen, awaiting results from tests and my sweet boy needed something to do. He is super smart but struggles with fine motor skills and writing, so together we came up with this fun craft that really works those pincher fingers. We had spent the morning reading “The Polar Express” and discussing the book so our first attempt at this Christmas ladder reflected that. We had so much fun we made a second ladder about Advent. Here are the steps to make your own Christmas Ladder.

The supplies you need are construction paper, ribbon, a hole puncher, paint, q-tips, marker, scissors and pencil. You may also want paper towels to cover the table and a paper plate to put the paint on.

First you will take your construction paper and fold it in thirds. Then cut the paper on the fold. Write your words in black marker on the center of each third. like so.

Next have your child pick out what color of paint they would like to use and put a little bit of it on the paper plate. Have your child dab the tip of a Q-tip in the paint. This is there “paint brush.” Have them make dots around all the letters of your words. Then let them dry. We played a game of checkers while we waited for ours to dry. Well we tried, my son is very competitive and likes to make up new rules while he’s playing games so we didn’t actually finish the game. Thankfully the paint dries fast and we were able to move on to the next step. Using the hole punch. My son truly enjoyed this step.

Using the pencil put little dots on the top and bottom of each card except the last one of where you want the hole punch to go. This will help your child line up the hole punch when using it. On the last card only put dots on the top of the card, not the bottom. With adult supervision have your child put a hole punch over where you made your pencil mark. All your cards should have four holes, two on top and two on the bottom except for your last one which will have 2 holes only on top.

Next lay your cards on the table in order. Taking the ribbon loosely measure how much ribbon you will need to go through all the holes leaving a little extra at the top. Cut the ribbon with the tip at an angle. This will help little hands get the ribbon through the holes. Next tie a knot in the upper left hole on the last card. Then have your child take the other side of the ribbon and feed it into the hole of the bottom left hole of the second to the last card from the back to the front. Have the ribbon then go out the top left hole of the second to last card. Attach all the cards together in this fashion on the left side of the ladder until you get to the top card.

When you get to the top card help your child make a little slack going across the top of the card with the ribbon. Starting on the front of the right top hole on the top card feed the ribbon through the top right hole and out the bottom right hole. Continue the pattern till you get to the bottom card. When you get to the bottom card tie a knot in the right top hole. Straighten your cards so their spaced evenly and hang up and display. We put ours by our advent calendar.

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It amazes me how God orchestrates my life. I had no intention on writing about Advent but it falls beautifully with this series. If your doing an advent study you’ll find this week is about peace. I will tell you this week, my peace is being tested. I like many others in this world will go for a test tonight to see if I have been exposed to the Covid virus. I was around someone last week who tested positive and although I have no symptoms I am getting tested. I will tell you not knowing the outcome of all of this has my peace in battle. Fear and anxiety and worry are all huge factors that I am battling with and one of my current prayers is that of peace. Peace in my house and peace in me.

The Biblical definition of peace is different from the worlds definition of peace, much like that of hope. The Hebrew word of peace is Shalom and it is defined as complete or whole. “Shalom refers to something that is complex or has many pieces that’s in a state of completeness.” according to Tim Mackie in the Bible Project’s video Shalom-Peace. You can view the video here https://youtu.be/oLYORLZOaZE .

“The core idea is that life is complex and full of moving parts and relationships and situations and whenever one of these things is out of alignment or missing your Shalom breaks down and life is no longer whole and needs to be restored.” Mackie explains.

I will be honest worry, fear, anxiety often break down my Shalom. So how can you have peace in difficult circumstances?

Paul talks about having this kind of peace in Philippians 4:7. “And the peace of God ( that peace which reassures the heart, that peace) which transcends all understanding, (that peace which) stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (is yours.) ” AMP

God’s peace transcends over our hearts and our minds. I have experienced this peace before very clearly when our cat died 5 years ago. We came home to find her blind and covered in her own urine. She had a stroke while we were at work. She was crying and confused. My husband and kids panicked but I didn’t feel panic. I felt grief but I wasn’t paralyzed by it I was able to take the necessary steps to get her to the emergency vet. I was ok making the decision to put her to sleep as well as all the other decisions that entails. It wasn’t an easy day, it was a hard day but I felt peace as I walked through it.

Jesus said right before he ascended to heaven “Peace I leave with you, My (perfect) peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. “Let my perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.” Goodness do I need to hear that today. His peace gives us strength and courage for whatever we are facing.

Joyce Meyers often quotes this verse and then states that We already have peace. Jesus gave it to us there and it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit that were given to us as seeds when we accepted Christ into our hearts. She explains the problem is we don’t utilize this peace and her point makes sense. If Shalom is defined as completeness and we are complete in Christ we have peace.

In Advent we celebrate the peace that Christ brings and that wholeness in Him is just that. So when we are in a battle. As I find myself today, we must remind ourselves that we already have peace and stand on it. Exercising our peace will increase our faith and trust in Jesus. It’s a knowing that God is in control of our circumstances that will foster peace in us.

Jeremiah was a tragic prophet. The message God gave him to deliver Israel was heartbreaking, terrifying and definitely not what they wanted to hear. Jeremiah predicted the war with Babylon, the ultimate slavery of many Israelites and scattering of others. He was jailed and left for dead in a well after giving news that Israel would be defeated by Babylon and that King Nebuchadnezzer reign would reach to Egypt. I would not have wanted to be Jeremiah, but despite his country crumbling around him, his people making him an outcast Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3:24 The Lord is my portion and my inheritance,” says my soul; Therefore I have hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.” Jeremiah had hope.

Biblical Hope is powerful. It is not the same as optimism which is   having confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. Optimism is based on circumstances. Biblical Hope is based on faith in God. The Bible Project has a great video about Hope you can view it here. https://youtu.be/4WYNBjJSYvE. In it Tim Mackie describes that there are three different words for Hope used in the Bible. The two talked about in the old testament is Yakhal which means to wait for. Quvah, which means to wait with expectation. In the new testament we get the Greek word Elpis, which is an anticipation of the Living Hope Jesus brings us through his resurrection.

When you have hope in God it’s different than just hoping things will turn out okay. It’s active reliance despite your circumstances. Lets face it our circumstances can and do change in an instant and that unknown drives most of our anxiety and fears. But Biblical hope tells us that despite what’s going on right now God is in control and His promises will come to pass in the end. Our circumstances no longer seem hopeless in the face of God’s goodness. We know the ending, we know God’s promises to us if we love and obey him. Hope in Him is stronger and more powerful than the situation you are in right now. This life is temporary just like the situation you are in. God is permanent and unchanging. It’s like the old hymn. “The Solid Rock” by Edward Mote, 1834

As Christians we have a unique and powerful weapon, We have God’s word that tells us exactly how he feels about us and who we are to Him. It says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God does not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind. God has bestowed in each of us power to overcome our enemies in our mind. knowing who you are to Him is powerful and you cannot be afraid if you know who you are.

So who are you? I spent a long time in church before anyone ever started talking about who I was to God. I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew God loved me but I never knew the extent of His love until I started going outside of the church, into Bible studies and conferences, listening to people like Joyce Meyers and Vivian Hibbert. The truth is that if you don’t know who you are in God you don’t really know how to rely on Him to live a Christian lifestyle. Its all ritual and religious rules until you encounter how much He loves you.

A friend passed on to me an email about who I am in Christ to me when I was going through a really rough time. You can read the email here. Who I am In Christ. It is a list of verses that describe who God says you are. Joyce Meyers has a similar list you can find here. https://joycemeyer.org/everydayanswers/ea-teachings/knowing-who-i-am-in-christ

I read my list aloud everyday for months. Then finally one day I didn’t need to read it anymore. When negative, spiraling, out of control thoughts would hit me I would just start saying who I was to myself and it worked. The thoughts would stop. Today I don’t accept thoughts that say I’m worthless or not good enough or not good at my work. I know I am God’s child. That He holds me up with his mighty right hand and makes my paths straight. That He inclines His ear to me when I talk to Him and keeps my tears in a bottle. He promises He has good plans for me and He does and will do the same for you. God promises armies of angels to cover you. How can you feel afraid when you think of that.

God promises a sound mind. That’s a healthy mind, a strong mind. But you have to put in the work to get there. If your like me and your neurons need help, take your medicine, go to therapy, learn the tools you need but also soak in these verses and begin to fight back those negative thoughts with the loving positive thoughts that God has for you.

Paul talks about putting on the Helmet of Salvation in Ephesians 6:17. Knowing God’s love for you, knowing what He saved you from. That is what that helmet is. Helmets protect your head from injury. Your mind is in your head. The Helmet of Salvation, knowing who you are in Christ, protects your thoughts, your mind from the enemy, Satan, who loves to try to fill our minds with negative thoughts about ourselves.

God’s love for you is so vast. Just think we are seated in heavenly places with Christ. (Ephesians 2:6) He fearfully and wonderfully made you (Psalm 139:14) with a plan and a purpose for your life in mind. (Jeremiah 29:11) because you are His creation and He loves you.

Yesterday at church, I help teach the four and five year-olds and we talked about being thankful. It’s November and of course the church is getting ready for Thanksgiving and teaching the kids about thankfulness is just part of that. However, thankfulness in itself is a really powerful weapon against depression and anxiety.

Stop for a minute today, think of a situation that is causing you stress or anxiety and write down 5 things about it you are thankful for and then every time that stressful situation pops in your head, say to yourself, but I’m thankful for…. Pretty soon that situation won’t seem so impossible.

Let me give you an example. Last week I wrote about my oldest traveling alone to a horse show. I was full of anxiety about it but besides praying one of the things I would say is. Thank you God that she gets to be with the horses today. Thank you God that she had a ride there and a ride home. Thank you God that it didn’t rain in till she got there. Thank you God we packed extra underwear, (she had to stay an extra day.) Thank you God that I have a brave, kind, daughter who loves those animals.

Being thankful changes your focus. We are blessed beyond measure but we don’t always see it through our problems. It also reminds us that the God of the universe is on our side, fighting for us. It reminds us of the grace and mercy he extends to us. Have you ever heard of someone getting to the hospital right on time. That’s God taking care of them and that’s something to be so thankful for. Many of my friends will do a Facebook posts about what they are thankful for every day in November, leading up to Thanksgiving. That’s a wonderful way to celebrate the month but we need to do this 365 days a year. You can’t be depressed if your thankful about your life. Fighting depression and anxiety for many people is more than just taking antidepressants, you need to change your view of your world. You need to create new good habits and paths for your mind to follow. Thinking thankful thoughts helps make those new paths in your brain. It helps fight anxiety and depression.

Today, whatever problem you are facing there are things surrounding it you can be thankful for. Look for them and soak in them for a moment and focus on those things instead of worry or anxiety.

I have a hard time being away from my kids. This past weekend my 15 year-old traveled with a group of people to work at a horse show in another state. It was about a 2 hour drive from my house. I was very nervous and worried. I had to continually pray and remind myself that God had her and would protect her. It was hard, but God showed me that she needed to be there for the good of others. While we were planning for the trip there were times I almost didn’t let her go. But now I’m glad I did. She was responsible and a good helper and needed.

Sometimes fear can stop us in our tracks. We get stuck in all the “what if’s.” It happened to me again today. My son is home sick from school. He woke up with croup in the middle of the night. He was hospitalized as a toddler for croup. Within minutes of running the steam in the bathroom for him, in my mind I already had us packed up and heading to the hospital. The steam worked, his coughing calmed down and he made it to the doctor today.

What helps me the most when these “what if’s” start spiraling around me is to be thankful for what I do have and to pray and have faith for what I still need. I needed my daughter to come home safely. I need my son to get better without a scary trip to the hospital. So I have to pray. Pray that God helps me and has mercy on my kids and remind myself of the blessings God has given me.

It’s hard for me to imagine that in 2 short years my oldest daughter will be graduating high school. If she goes on to college, as I hope, it will be weeks without her instead of just days. God is using these short trips to prepare me for that I think. He is increasing my faith so that I will be able to handle that time well.

When facing the “what if’s” its easy to start planning for the worst case scenario. But I believe the times when we feel completely out of control are the times when God is inviting us to grow our faith. We are never in control of anything except how we choose to react to a situation. I’m still learning the right reactions to stop the anxiety around it but I believe faith is a powerful weapon.

Last week we had beautiful fall days. Warm sunny with crisp leaves and cornstalks. Me and my youngest son enjoyed those days with trips to corn mazes and local parks, jumping in creeks and scavenger hunts until I got sick. Now I didn’t and don’t have Covid, Praise God, but I caught a cold which turned into a sinus infection. We had plans for the week. We had plans for the weekend but all came to a sudden halt and I was left struggling at home with disappointment and so was he.

Disappointments happen to everyone. I used to get really bent out of shape when they did. They are not a sign that God doesn’t love me or that Satan “won.” There just a part of life. When we focus on them instead of the goodness God gives us we can easily fall into depression and sadness.

I started with being thankful. I am thankful I got sick while my kids were on fall break so that no one missed anything important. I am thankful for doctors who prescribe medicine that made me feel better. I am thankful for hot tea and Netti pots.

I started reading what the Bible says about disappointments. Romans 8:28 says,” And we know (with great confidence) that God (who is deeply concerned about us) causes all things to work together (as a plan) for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”

I love the way the Amplified version of the Bible says this verse. We know with great confidence. Do you have great confidence in God that when things don’t go how you planned that its still working to your good? How great is your confidence in God for him to guide you, protect you and have a plan for you, to love you?

Next it says, God who is deeply concerned about us. Do you think about how concerned God is for you? His love is more than just feel good mush. He cares for you, he keeps your tears in a bottle, he is concerned about you. Why because you are his adopted child. I am concerned about my children all the time. I am concerned when they go to the mall with their friends and I’m not there. I ‘m concerned when they go to school. I’m concerned when they go to their extra curricular activities. God does that over you. ALL THE TIME.

“He causes all things to work together, as a plan, for good” That cold it was for my own good. It didn’t feel good. It didn’t seem good at the time but it was for my own good. When I was in my twenties I worked for a company that was not great. There were lots of things going on there that weren’t good. But I was a hard worker and wouldn’t just quit. I was fired from that company. Being fired was awful. It didn’t feel good at all. But God used that to get me on the right path again. He changed my plans for His own good.

Finally, “For those who love God and are called according to his plan and purpose.” If you love God then he has a plan and purpose for your life. It may not feel like He does right now, but he does. You have to become brave to fulfill it maybe step out of your comfort zone, but He has a plan for you. That plan doesn’t change no matter how many mistakes you make.

Romans 5:5 says “Such hope (in God’s promises) never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

God’s promised us so much. God does not disappoint in His promises to us. We can take comfort in Him and in those promises. When the worldly disappointments happen.

2 Corinthians 4:16 says “Therefore we do not become discouraged, (spiritless, disappointed or afraid) Though our outer self is (progressivley) wasting away, yet our inner self is being (progressively) renewed day by day.”

Disappointments in life can prune us. They can be used by God to shape us into being more like Jesus, who suffered many, many disappointments in His time here on earth. If your struggling with disappointment in life I hope this brought you some comfort. God is always for you. I would love to pray for you if you are struggling today.

I had this thought yesterday as I put on my make up getting ready for church. Why am I covering my whole face? It seemed silly to apply foundation and concealer to the bottom half of my face, chin to cheeks when the entire time I would be at church they would be covered up by a mask. It got me thinking about why I wear makeup to church.

I’m not really a make-up girl, unless I’m going somewhere special filled with aquaintances or church, or I know my picture will be taken. I rarely wear it. In times of Covid I really don’t wear it. So I asked myself am I putting it on for me or for how I’ll be perceived by others.

I decided it’s how I want to be perceived, not frazzled. I was trying to put on a cover that I had everything together. When honestly none of us do. And church if church is a hospital for the broken hearted and the broken spirit then we all need to stop covering up our brokenness.

I’m talking more to myself and more about just make-up today. We can’t heal or be healed, we can’t be comforted or comfort if where not honest with each other in the body of Christ. We need to take of the things that mask our insecurities and put on what God calls us to wear.

In Colossians 3:14 AMP it says “Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in (unselfish) love, which is the perfect bond of unity, (for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others.) I want to be wrapped in unselfish love when I wake up in the morning.

Unselfish love is so needed and important today. So many people don’t know what that is. And its a principle we should be showing to each other everyday.

My pastor at Greenwood Christian Church, Matt Geibler, offered a challenge this week during service. He challenged all of us to pick one person in our lives to be kind to this week. He explained that that relationship would grow from being kind. Kindness is unselfish love. Putting others first. And for many of us who struggle with anxiety and depression sometimes that is telling our story because I bet as you share you will find there’s someone who’s story is not much different than yours. When we find someone who also struggles as we struggle we feel better. We can build each other up and help each other with our struggles.

We are so tempted to hold our anxiety inside. But keeping it inside only encourages us to spiral downward into depression. It’s ok to be anxious. It’s ok to share your feelings about being anxious. It’s the first step in getting help to learn how to cope with that anxiety. Because friend let me be the first to tell you it never goes away completely. It’s a battle you will have every day for the rest of your life and you need to know how to fight and you won’t know how to fight unless you share your story with someone who does.

Share your brokenness, Share your grief, share your struggles. Allow others to share their brokenness, grief and struggles with you. Pray for each other. Love each other with the gift of hearing and seeing each other. Give each other grace and mercy. If we church live a life like this inside and outside. Our cups will remain full and those outside the church will see what their missing.