Tempest

I send this today in loving memory of a beautiful soul and child of God that we lost this week, Joanne Mayne.

Joanne, through her actions and throughout her courageous battle, personified courage, faith, perseverance, trust, family, and possessed a true child-like approach to life, love and to her Faith in the good Lord.

We are suffering today in her absence and her departure leaves a massive hole in all of our hearts, but she would want us all to remember that she is now Home and without pain or illness and we will indeed be with her again - hearing her laugh and seeing her beautiful smile! 

Of this we must be certain!

Rest in Peace, Joanne and watch over all of us until we can thank you in person for enriching all of our lives by simply being who you are! :)

"The main thing is to suffer without becoming discouraged."
     -  François Fénelon

We all suffer.

Some have more suffering in their lives than others, some have less.

Some have greater degrees of suffering than others and make our daily issues look like blessings.

Many of us are going through tough times, personal strife and situations that are full of fear and anxiety as we speak.

Some of us are struggling to keep hope alive as we move through our challenges and try to keep on charging forward.

Some of us are grappling with our Faith in the face of a personal loss or disappointment.

To quote one of my all-time favorite movies,  "The Princess Bride";

"Life is pain, Highness.  Anyone who tells you differently is selling you something."

We were never promised that life would be trial-free or even relatively easy!

Jesus' promise to us instead was that we would never be given more than His grace and strength would allow us to handle!

We cannot avoid pain and suffering in this life and the sooner that we can grasp this and accept our struggles, trials,  challenges as they arise,  the more peace and fulfillment we will experience.

The key is indeed to not become discouraged as we fight these battles and push forward!!!

No matter our current circumstance - no matter what it is we are facing this very moment -  if we can remain hopeful, faithful, and do not allow ourselves an ounce of discouragement or quit - whatever we are undergoing will surely pass!!!

Persevere - with courage and faith that you are EXACTLY where you are meant to be at this very moment - good or bad - and know that whatever your struggle may be it is merely temporary!!!!

It will get better!!

The best is yet to come if we promise ourselves that no matter how rough the seas get or how strong the current may seem to be against us - NOTHING CAN DEFEAT US if we persevere - if we resolve to never quit!

We must TRUST and BELIEVE that this test of our strength and faith will not only pass, but it will also take us to much higher ground and one giant leap closer to peace and joy!!

You are not alone in your strife and trials - so put your head down and keep charging forward - never doubting the reward and prize that awaits us as we overcome and persevere through this current, temporary Tempest!

Even the darkest and longest nights yield to the breaking sun - if, and only if we hang on and see it through with Thanksgiving, Hope and Trust!

Know for certain that you are never alone in your battles and you will make it to the dawn!

This is a Promise we can believe in!

STAY STRONG!

[Stay Strong] Storms...

And there arose a great storm
   (Mark 4:37).

Some of the storms of life come suddenly: a great sorrow, a bitter disappointment, a crushing defeat. A senseless tragedy.

Some come slowly.

They appear upon the ragged edges of the horizon no larger than a man's hand, but, trouble that seems so insignificant spreads until it covers the sky and overwhelms us.

Yet it is in the storm that God equips us for service.

When God wants an oak He plants it on the moor where the storms will shake it and the rains will beat down upon it, and it is in the midnight battle with elements that the oak wins its rugged fibre and becomes the king of the forest.

When God wants to make a man He puts him into some storm.

The history of manhood is always rough and rugged.

No man is made until he has been out into the surge of the storm and found the sublime fulfillment of the prayer:

"O God, take me, break me, make me."

We all have our daily battles and challenges. 

Some are minor and some are more serious, but at the end of the day the bottom line is that one fact remains true always - this too shall pass!

You may not see the clearing of the storm just yet and all hope might be close to lost, but you have to live to fight one more day!

There may not be any answers or reason for the storm.

But remember that it will always get better.

It is a fact - not just a hope!

Time will help heal the painful wounds of today - even if we cannot seem to imagine the day where things will resemble any normalcy.

You will get there!

You are not alone!

Stay Strong!!

Trust When Things Go Wrong

WHEN THINGS SEEM to be going all wrong, stop and affirm your trust in Me.

Calmly bring these matters to Me, and leave them in My capable hands.

Then, simply do the next thing.

Stay in touch with Me through thankful, trusting prayers, resting in My sovereign control.

Rejoice in Me—exult in the God of your salvation!

As you trust in Me, I make your feet like the feet of a deer.

I enable you to walk and make progress upon your high places of trouble , suffering, or responsibility.

Stay Strong!

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him."
—JOB 13: 15 NKJV

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."
—PSALM 18: 33

Do Not Fret

SIT QUIETLY IN MY PRESENCE while I bless you.

Make your mind like a still pool of water, ready to receive whatever thoughts I drop into it.

Rest in My sufficiency, as you consider the challenges this day presents.

Do not wear yourself out by worrying about whether you can cope with the pressures.

Keep looking to Me and communicating with Me, as we walk through this day together.

Take time to rest by the wayside, for I am not in a hurry.

A leisurely pace accomplishes more than hurried striving.

When you rush, you forget who you are and Whose you are.

Remember that you are royalty in My kingdom.

Stay Strong!

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."
—PSALM 37: 7

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
—ROMANS 8: 16–17

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
—1 PETER 2: 9

Don't Worry and Endure

HOLD MY HAND, and walk joyously with Me through this day.

Together we will savor the pleasures and endure the difficulties it brings.

Be on the lookout for everything I have prepared for you: stunning scenery, bracing winds of adventure, cozy nooks for resting when you are weary, and much more.

I am your Guide, as well as your constant Companion.

I know every step of the journey ahead of you, all the way to heaven.

You don't have to choose between staying close to Me and staying on course.

Since I am the Way, staying close to Me is staying on course.

As you focus your thoughts on Me, I will guide you carefully along today's journey.

Don't worry about what is around the next bend.

Just concentrate on enjoying My Presence and staying in step with Me.

Stay Strong!

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
—JOHN 14: 6

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."
—COLOSSIANS 4: 2

Through the Clouds

THE SUN STILL SHINING

"They looked . . . and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud."
EXODUS 16: 10

Without the clouds we wouldn't be shielded from the burning sun.

Without the clouds there would be no lavish sunsets, no beneficial rain, no beautiful landscapes.

The same is true with life's clouds.

When hard times come we easily get discouraged.

But behind the clouds God is still present, and can even use them to water our souls with unexpected blessings.

Longfellow once wrote: "Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; behind the clouds is the sun still shining."

As God's people wandered in the wilderness, He declared, "Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud"(Ex. 19: 9).

Each of us experiences clouds in life—sometimes slight, but sometimes dark and frightening.

Whatever clouds you face today, ask Jesus, the light of the world, to help you look behind the cloud to see His glory and His plans for you."

"Hope for Each Day"
- B Graham

Stay Strong!

Never Leave You nor Forsake You

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU from My Love.

Let this divine assurance trickle through your mind and into your heart and soul.

Whenever you start to feel fearful or anxious, repeat this unconditional promise: "Nothing can separate me from Your Love, Jesus."

Most of mankind's misery stems from feeling unloved.

In the midst of adverse circumstances, people tend to feel that love has been withdrawn and they have been forsaken.

This feeling of abandonment is often worse than the adversity itself.

Be assured that I never abandon any of My children, not even temporarily.

I will never leave you or forsake you!

My Presence watches over you continually.

I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.

Stay Strong!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
—ROMANS 8: 38–39

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
—JOSHUA 1: 5

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
—ISAIAH 49: 15–16