This is the place you’ll find hope. The kind of hope that can carry you through those hard places you unexpectedly find yourself in.
I’m no stranger to the hard life throws at us and in the midst of trying to find my way through one of those dark places I heard 4 words deep in my spirit,
“Lift Up Your Eyes.”
It was a gentle reminder from our great God that I needed his perspective instead of my own to walk through my husband’s unexpected journey to Heaven.
Those words carried me and you too if you’ve followed along with me. They also led us to creating the Seek and Savor podcast which equips us to lift our eyes on a daily basis.
I’m Mama to four amazing young adults and Nana to six darling grands with two more on the way.
My sweet husband got to meet his Savior at the age of 47 after a year long battle with brain cancer. We miss him every day.
Life for me, felt like it was ending but God was doing a new thing.
I don’t know where life finds you today beloved, but God, He is all about doing a new thing in us and it begins when we fix our gaze on Him instead of our circumstances.
Life may be filled with hard things dear one, but we were made to do hard and holy things and in the process we become vessels of beauty, fit for the KING.
“My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. ” Exodus 33:14
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Email me using the form below and I’ll respond soon. I’m also available for speaking events for women of all ages and stages. For a list of topics, please visit my Speaking Page.
It’s ok to take a step back and focus on what is in front of you. Because the truth of it is we only have today once. Tomorrow it will be yesterday. I don’t want to look back and see that I allowed my feelings about what might be happening in “today” to rob me of the GIFT of it. The sheer miraculous gift of what our eyes are seeing and the sounds all around us is evidence that God is here in our midst.
He is with us in the joyful and the mundane. His right hand holds us steady in the hard and His Spirit counsels and keeps our hearts. Quiet your heart beloved. Listen to His still small voice and proceed with courage. ❤️
* More on listening to His voice coming soon to the Seek and Savor podcast.
I am loving the Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble as part of my daily reading this year. She dropped this truth bomb the other day and I had to push rewind and write it down. Truth from God’s word is worth savoring friends. The reality that God is Always working on our behalf and no man can thwart His purposes is an anchor for your heart on the days your circumstances feel like mountains no man can climb. We can trust in our faithful God beloved.
“In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” Psalm 18:29
Redirecting my eyes towards the truth of God’s word always redirects my heart. ❤️#seekandsavorpodcast #hopeinhim #rejoicealways...
Happy Birthday to my Alan! 10 birthdays in Heaven, and it makes me wonder. Is he celebrating being home from his mission on this earth? What is He doing while we remember the gift He was to us, and still is? Ever since he left I have been sharing words with you. Because I feel called by God to share in some small way the “JOY, that is set before us.” Sometimes it’s a joy that wells up and overflows for the taking and other times it must be fought for.
I can make a list a mile long of all the good God has brought about since he left. Because that is our God, good and faithful, chasing us down with His mercy and grace. I can also count the tears that have been shed, how many times we have longed for Alan’s actual presence and the memories we wanted to make with him. The in between, is the place I have learned to live. Holding both joy and sorrow, trusting that when I am weak Christ’s power is being made perfect in me and finding true joy in walking every day with my Savior. When we had to choose the words to mark where Alan’s physical body was laid, I waited a year. I wrestled, I cried but, then I knew…”Alive in Christ.” It was the single most important thing to say and it’s true. This is why we lift up our eyes beloved. It’s why we are not overcome by it all. If life is in between for you beloved, you aren’t alone. ❤️ May I pray for you? #seekandsavorpodcast #lifeafterloss #hopeforthefuture #rejoicealways #griefshare...
I can tell you when I’m NOT the happiest, when my thoughts are all about me.
I am the most happy when I forget about myself. That is when I can let go of disappointments, anxiety, or even pride.
When I “Lift Up my eyes” from myself to others and then to God, hope comes, love pours out and I am filled with joy.
This week God gave me a beautiful picture of what happens when we do that! He gave me a choice to give in to the frustration of the moment and how I was inconvenienced or lift up my eyes and give. ❤️ I’ll be hopping on stories this weekend to share what happened so make sure you are following along. ❤️ We always have a choice.
What encourages you to keep going friend? Is it setting goals? Is it words of affirmation? I was thinking about how hard it can be to persevere when life feels hard. When all we want to do is REST… And I had a memory come back to me. I was in high school in the middle of a track meet. I wasn’t fast. A sprinter I was not. No, the mile was my race. I never considered myself a runner, just someone who could endure. But as I remembered circling the track I was taken back to the stretch of turf that ran in front of the home crowd. You know, the one right before the finish line. And, I remembered instead of slowing down because I was tired and it was near the end of the race, I actually ran faster. I had a bit of a kick at the end. You see, it didn’t matter that my body was tired. I had witnesses. All my friends and family were cheering me on! I wanted to give it everything I had to finish well. Guess what! We have that still.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.(Hebrews 12:1)
So friends, let us lay aside or throw off every weight be it sin, or sorrow or heaviness or fear and let us RUN. * Save for the days you feel weary.❤️ #seekandsavorpodcast #rejoice #finishtherace #hopeforthefuture...
This was us…. 10 years ago ,about an hour after the doctors in Chicago told us to go home and set up hospice.
The light in my eyes is supernatural.
I guarantee you there were many tears that came too. But in that moment, I was overwhelmed by God’s Grace. I was there, in the city of my birth, and God was pouring bountiful snow on my head as the worst news was delivered. I felt carried in His bosom, seen to the depths of my being. And while my heart felt broken beyond repair, I also knew I was deeply loved.
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me, your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” Psalm 138:8
I ran across this quote one day that I’d saved from T. Davis Bunn- “The whole world’s out there screaming for our attention and only one little voice in our heart is whispering ;The answers not out there. It’s in here.” Oh how I want to listen to that still small voice beloved!
There have been times in my life I desperately wanted to hear from God. I know you have too. Write it on the wall, Lord. ❤️ Isaiah 30:21 says, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, This is the way, walk in it.” Now more than ever it’s imperative that the sheep know the Good Shepherd’s voice. We could just make up our own path but why would we do that when He can see down the road? He can direct our steps and lead us in triumphant procession. For more on this check out my Seek and Savor podcast and search the episode, “The Good Shepherd.” #seekandsavorpodcast #hearinggodsvoice #liftupyoureyes...
It was just a couple of years ago, but I still remember it. She told her mama that Nana had to have this even though they had already bought me a present. Her mama obliged.
It was a necklace that said two words, “Immeasurably More,” A lump rose in my throat as I opened it.
My heart needed those words. It needed to remember that while I “lift up my eyes,” I also need to remember that God is able to do immeasurably more than I can find the strength to ask for or even imagine. This is for you too friend.
Our God is for us. His book is a love story. Sit down, and invite Him to speak to your heart. You are dearly loved. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen Eph. 3:20,21 #seekandsavorpodcast #heisforyou #renewyourmind #rejoicealways...
What love are we filling our hearts with this week?
Is it a temporary one that serves ourselves?
The Word of God is able and actually designed to perform surgery on our hearts dear ones. It penetrates the deepest parts of our soul and spirit.
Where there are lies, it can uproot them and plant truth.
If you struggle with fear God’s love can uproot it and plant faith that He is able to love you well and enable you also to walk in love. He is able to wash your mind in the truth that whatever is coming against you His perfect love casts out fear and He will be the keeper of your heart.
Lay down the striving and rest in His love. ❤️ #layitdown #restinhim #loveofgod #seekandsavorpodcast...
Have you ever found yourself holding your breath, not even aware you were?
Maybe you are anxious about all the things staring you in the face. They may even be accompanied by the potential threats of what could happen tomorrow . It’s hard to follow the instruction not to worry about tomorrow. And yet God’s word doesn’t just say. DON’T WORRY for tomorrow has enough trouble of its own. He tells us what to do instead. Today’s episode of the Seek and Savor podcast is, “In Need of Joy.” We don’t just talk about needing it. We look at God’s word for instruction on how to attain it. Find the link to listen in my bio. #seekandsavorpodcast #findingjoy #womenoftheword #christianpodcast...
So often fear makes us want to turn around and go the other way.
Or we think we must hurry ahead to achieve all the things we want to. Staying steady, our hand in his hand is often hard. The enemy comes in and tells us that uncomfortable is not the place we want to be. He says “in control” is better.
But, oh beloved what joy is found in surrender.
“For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
