Change For a Dollar

Someone sent me an awesome video that is especially appropriate for this season of Thanksgiving: "Is he asking for Change, or is he asking for CHANGE? Follow a man as he affects multiple peoples' lives with just one dollar, proving that it doesn't take much to be the change in someone's life. Written and directed by Sharon Wright."

* Change For a Dollar *

 

 

Something to ponder... Whatever our gifts are, how much do we use them towards positive change in others?

Every Household Has Its Hidden Pain

Did you ever look at some families and think: Wow, they really have it together! They are closely knit and so zealous in their faith. Is it really what it looks like? I think if we could peel back the outside layers of every household, we would find some kind of pain or trouble inside.

This has been heavy on my heart since I went to a writing conference this past week. There are people out there who need us. People who are hurting. Some speak up about it and others don't. And that's why I need to write, not just to people who are visibly needing the comfort, but also to those who creep along behind the scenes. People who are afraid of being judged. People who think their thoughts don't count. People who are smiling on the outside but crying on the inside.

Are you one of those people? Do you feel insignificant and alone? Please know that God cares. He cares about every secret tear you shed, every hidden hurt you carry, every unbearable burden you bear.

Here are some nuggets of truth I hope will encourage you today:

• Do you feel burdened? "My soul is weary of sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word." Psalm 119:28
• Jesus invites us - "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28
• God is powerful and always keeps His promises. He has promised - "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deut. 33:27a

There is pain everywhere, some of it revealed, but so much of it hidden behind the scenes. Whoever you are and wherever you live, you matter to God. Whatever pain you're holding inside, whether it's about someone in your family or personal burdens you alone know within yourself, God longs for you to unburden it to Him. Though He doesn't promise there won't be pain in this world, He does promise He will be with you through it.

God already knows your pain, but have you ever talked with Him about it?

What pain will you unburden to God today?

Conquering Self-Doubt and Fear

Self-doubt. The story of my life. I come from a childhood jam-packed with feeling I don't measure up and a legalistic church system where I was not valued as a special person created by God with gifts to offer others.

Growing into my teens, I was super-insecure and felt like no one understood me. As a young adult, depressed and vulnerable and not knowing where else to turn, I went to a minister for counsel. I fell headlong into a trap where I was stripped of my very being and self-worth through spiritual, emotional, and sexual abuse.

Though God has graciously healed me in many ways, those ugly, old feelings of worthlessness can still cling like a leech, sucking out the motivation, the creativity, and the gift of writing God gives me.

Years roll on as I bottle up my ideas inside of me. God has given me so many experiences to share - lessons I learned that would make a difference in other people's lives. And yet I hesitate. Why? What am I really afraid of?

I'm not sure, but I do know I need to step out of my comfort zone and expand my writing horizons. I am planning to go to my first writer's conference this week. While I'm so excited to learn and discover, I'm so nervous - the pacing in a cage type of nervous. Maybe it's because I always feel judged in crowds of people. I don't know. I just know something is triggering this fear inside of me.

Last night I cried, "O God, I feel so afraid." Then I read Isaiah 54, one of my favorite chapters, and verse 4 especially comforted me: "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated."

I need confidence. God confidence. Trusting Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I need to bask in the steadfast sunshine of Jesus' love and claim the everlasting promises He has given and will faithfully fulfill even for me.

Yesterday my little grand-daughter showed me what she made in Sunday school. Held with yarn around her neck, a paper badge said, "I will be brave." Yes, I will be brave. I will take courage in Christ Jesus, because in Him I can do all things. In Him I can conquer a troop, leap over a wall, and level a mountain.

Yes, I will pluck up courage and face the unknown, believing God will be with me. I will tune out what past pain says of my worth, and I will tune into what Jesus says. In Him I am good enough. In Him I am special and precious!

When do you most doubt yourself and the gifts God has given you?

Which of God's promises gives you courage to press on?