God is able. No matter what your situation may look like, no matter what you have been told, God is able. Ephesians 3:20; God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.
Are you lonely this morning? God is able to comfort you and give you companionship.
Are your finances pulling you under? God is able to supply your need.
Hungry? God is able to feed you.
Afraid? God is able to protect you.
Is your marriage falling apart? God is able to restore love and your broken marriage.
Are you sick? God is able to heal you. He is our Jehovah Rapha.
Are your children in trouble and away from God? God is able to draw them back.
Are you anxious for the days ahead? God is able to control the future.
Is your heart burdened with a deep desire that you haven't shared with anyone? God is able. He knows your heart and He is able to give you your deepest desire.
Trust in His promise, believe with all your heart that He is able. Don't quit, don't give up.
God is able.
Penny
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
My Remembrance Book
I am a fan of Little House on the Prairie. Each Monday night at 7:00 my little boys and I would sit in front of our big ole box tv and watch as the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder played out on that screen. Most Monday nights David was working and each fall and winter when a new episode aired I made sure homework was done, baths were over, the popcorn popped and we were ready for each new adventure. Of course I had read every single book she'd written and even though most episodes weren't actually in the book, the theme was the same each week; good wins. In the very first episode of the tv show, and in the opening page of her first book, Laura says, "If I had a remembrance book."
In a recent conversation with a friend, she shared the very real struggle she was having with depression and anxiety. As a woman I could relate. Studies show that women are more prone to suffer depression and anxiety than men, and while I am certainly not qualified to speak from a clinical perspective, I want to share with you something that helps me when I feel myself slipping into that dark pit of self absorption and lies of the enemy; my remembrance book.
I have loved writing since I was a little girl and for most of my adult life I have kept a daily journal. I also love to keep a journal of my daily Bible readings and even writing down on paper my prayers. But I have one special arrangement of writings that reminds me of God's love, His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness, and the truth of who I am in Christ. It is my remembrance book and it has truly been light in the darkness, my shelter in the storm, because it is God's perspective of me.
You see, for me, a remembrance book cannot be written in the dark; it can only be written in the light. So I prepare for the dark, while I am in the light. So how do you make your own remembrance book? Today, begin remembering the good things, and writing them down. It's good to put a date beside them if you can. Write a scripture with a promise, write what you feel the scripture is speaking into your life, write about a special memory, a fun adventure, those you love. While you are in the light, look for God's activity in your life and your family. Look for the little things like a sunset, your granddaughter's laughter, a gift from your son, a dinner with your husband, a special hymn that touched you deeply. The point is....remember something good, then write it down because when the darkness comes, it's hard to remember the good times of the light. And when the fear, the dread, the depressing thoughts come to your mind, get your remembrance book and begin to read.
Many times in the scriptures God encourages us to remember the good. In Genesis 9:13 God gave Noah a rainbow to help him remember His promise not to destroy the world again by a flood. When we observe the Lord's Supper we are to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. The most important memory anyone can have is when she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. And each time I remember the good, the darkness is beaten back just a little bit farther because nothing dark can exist in the light.
This is by no means the answer to all forms of depression or anxiety. It is simply something that helps me keep a balance in my thinking. Remember the good, write it down, choose to read it when you feel the dark creeping in. Laura Ingalls Wilder had no idea that her remembrance book would have such an impact on the literary world. What could your remembrance book do for you and maybe others?
Penny
One of my "Remembrance" books.
In a recent conversation with a friend, she shared the very real struggle she was having with depression and anxiety. As a woman I could relate. Studies show that women are more prone to suffer depression and anxiety than men, and while I am certainly not qualified to speak from a clinical perspective, I want to share with you something that helps me when I feel myself slipping into that dark pit of self absorption and lies of the enemy; my remembrance book.
I have loved writing since I was a little girl and for most of my adult life I have kept a daily journal. I also love to keep a journal of my daily Bible readings and even writing down on paper my prayers. But I have one special arrangement of writings that reminds me of God's love, His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness, and the truth of who I am in Christ. It is my remembrance book and it has truly been light in the darkness, my shelter in the storm, because it is God's perspective of me.
You see, for me, a remembrance book cannot be written in the dark; it can only be written in the light. So I prepare for the dark, while I am in the light. So how do you make your own remembrance book? Today, begin remembering the good things, and writing them down. It's good to put a date beside them if you can. Write a scripture with a promise, write what you feel the scripture is speaking into your life, write about a special memory, a fun adventure, those you love. While you are in the light, look for God's activity in your life and your family. Look for the little things like a sunset, your granddaughter's laughter, a gift from your son, a dinner with your husband, a special hymn that touched you deeply. The point is....remember something good, then write it down because when the darkness comes, it's hard to remember the good times of the light. And when the fear, the dread, the depressing thoughts come to your mind, get your remembrance book and begin to read.
Many times in the scriptures God encourages us to remember the good. In Genesis 9:13 God gave Noah a rainbow to help him remember His promise not to destroy the world again by a flood. When we observe the Lord's Supper we are to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. The most important memory anyone can have is when she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. And each time I remember the good, the darkness is beaten back just a little bit farther because nothing dark can exist in the light.
This is by no means the answer to all forms of depression or anxiety. It is simply something that helps me keep a balance in my thinking. Remember the good, write it down, choose to read it when you feel the dark creeping in. Laura Ingalls Wilder had no idea that her remembrance book would have such an impact on the literary world. What could your remembrance book do for you and maybe others?
Penny
One of my "Remembrance" books.
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