Author: thischicksinpeace

Are you ready to say “out with the old and in with the new” for this new year and new decade?

If ANYONE is in Christ (joined to Him by faith), they are a NEW creature (reborn and RENEWED by the Holy Spirit); the old things have passed away. Behold, NEW things have come (because spiritual awakening brings a new LIFE)! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

You don’t like who you are? What you’ve done? You’re not happy or content? You feel peace is lacking in your heart? You feel no worth or value?

Find HOPE in a new life in Jesus.

Ten years ago I turned to God seeking answers and relief for my despair….I did not think He would answer. I was not looking for change or to be changed…

The comfort, grace, and mercy I found was gifted to me while on that quest was life altering….There is no turning back now! I have been made NEW!

YOU CAN BE TOO.

#hopeinchrist
#hope #hangonthroughthehurt #madenew #newcreation #faith #bechanged #griefjourney #depressionfighter #anxietywarrior #fightthegoodfight #fightthedarkness #2corinthians #newyearnewyou #newyearnewyou2020

2 Samuel 21:10
“Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sack cloth and spread it out for herself on the rock -from the beginning of harvest (in the spring) until (the autumn) the rain fell on them; she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on their bodies by day nor the beasts of the field to feed on them by night”.
There was a famine in the land during the time of King David’s reign…David asked the Lord directly why…The answer was about a senseless, cruel, desecration to the people of Gibeon by King Saul.
The solution was to publicly sacrifice 7 of Saul’s kin as payment for those lost ~in order to make right a wrong done by Saul, members of Saul’s family would need to die.
Those people were handpicked, led up a hill, and were put to death.
Some stories of the Old Testament are hard to read. They are filled with a brutality we don’t like to think about especially when we are enjoying our quiet time with the Lord while reading our Bible.
Yet, this is the passage I come across today…
Two of those chosen to die a horrible death of broken bones while being hanged were the sons of Rizpah.
Rizpah was a concubine of King Saul – she is introduced to the world in 2 Samuel 3:7.
Presumably, they (Rizpah and her sons) lived a quiet life together after the death of King Saul…I can assume that because they were still alive during the time of King David’s rule.
We know that David had spared the grandson of Saul -Jonathon’s son- Mephibosheth years prior…and when this particular time of payment for Saul’s crimes came upon the people, David again set his friend’s son aside as one not to sacrifice.
That choice, however, left Rizpah’s sons to join all five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab in death on that fateful day.
What stands out to me in this passage is that Rizpah protected her sons in their death. She sat by their bodies for months so they would not be further defiled by predators.
Rizpah sat on a sackcloth that she had placed on a rock in order to scare the birds and beasts away from the decaying bodies of her sons.
And she sat there for months.
This act of devotion and love impressed King David. It impressed him so much he gathered up the bones of these sons of Saul, King Saul himself, and Jonathon’s bones so they could all be buried together in the family grave site.
One could assume that to not be buried in the family plot was considered an insult to the family and to the honor of the deceased individual.
David’s choice, out of his response to Rizpah, brought honor back to house of Saul -Israel’s first king.
Why does this stand out to me?
All Rizpah did was sit by her sons in their death…

She was not looking for honor~ who was she after all? A concubine of a dead king…she was not even considered to be a widow. Her sons were not even recognized as “official” sons of a king (ask Google to list the names of King Saul’s sons and see for yourself that Rizpah’s boys do not get named).
She had no place in history, no prospects in the present, and had lost all chance for success in the future when King David took the throne.

She was not forgotten, though…because David knew who she and her sons were- which certainly helped him in this case with the Gideonites.
In those days, a concubine to a dead king, whose sons (those who would support her in her aging years) are now also dead, did not have much to offer the world she lived in.
So she did what she could….she sat by her boys and protected their bodies from further dishonor and harm.
An act of a mother’s unconditional love swayed the heart of a king.
Her actions spoke loudly that her sons mattered. Her sons had worth. Her sons were loved. Her sons made a difference in the world because of who they were and not because of who sired them.
Her love brought honor back to her family.
It is literally a small snipit of a story in the Bible – a small portion of chapter 21 in 2 Samuel- and she was spoken about by name.
This woman is recorded for all to read as a person who mattered and who made a difference.
We don’t know the impact we have when we make a choice to live our lives loving others.
I imagine we think we need to do large acts of kindness in order to create a ripple in our small pond…but, the reality is, even the smallest of stones can change the smoothest appearance of a lake when it is tossed into the water.

Rizpah shows us that large acts are not always necessary…She just did what came natural to her…She was a mom who loved her children even unto death.

She didn’t reach out of her comfort zone to do something out of her own personal toolbox….She just did what she knew to do.
I confess….I get lost or confused in the process of trying to be more or to do more. I sometimes think that who I am doesn’t make much of a difference because I don’t feel seen most days…I don’t feel heard.
Then I read this story…and I wonder maybe what I am doing (no matter how small it seems) does make a difference to someone somewhere.

Maybe it is in how I love my sons and would watch over them with the same intensity as Rizpah…
Maybe it is seen in how I love others…to love because God first loved me…
Maybe I am heard in the honesty of my sharing…
I pray for contentment in doing what it is that I do naturally and trust that it could make a difference in a way that Rizpah’s act of love did….either in the effect my choices have on those closest to me or, perhaps, on those taking notice…
I would say then:
Be kind.
Love sincerely.
Show mercy.

Walk humbly with the Lord.

How many times do we feel that God is distant?

How many times have we said ‘I can’t feel God here with me, I don’t know where He is”….

The Bible tells us that Jesus will NEVER leave us or abandon us…yet- if we’re honest- we do not “feel” His nearness on many occasions, do we?

Here is the crux in a relationship… both sides MUST do their part.

Jesus said He will never leave us and also gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us~that is HIS part.

We need to do ours next…

James 4:8 says it clearly~

DRAW NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU.

What are we doing to draw near to God so we are in His presence?

Have we slowed down to listen for His quiet voice?

Are we spending time with Him?

We MUST do our part to receive His comfort and companionship.

Try spending time talking with the Lord today…He is waiting for you.

#james4 #drawneartogod #fightthedarkness #fightthegoodfight #fightmybattles #fightdepression #anxiety #anxietywarrior #anxietysupport #crohnsfighter #crohnswarrior #crohnsgirl

I hope your Thanksgiving was celebrated by being surrounded by those you love and who love you, lots of laughter, minimal grumbling (let’s be realistic: it happens!- we are surrounded by people after all!), and too much food!

For the first time in many years I found myself to be uncomfortably full but not painfully full.

It’s nice to know I have matured as a human in my 44 years on this earth! I may have finally figured out the holiday meal balance!!!

Or my Bentyl (for my Crohn’s) just works really well! LOL!

As the remains of the dishes sat around my sink and the guests that had filled my house with conversation left last night, I found myself sitting in the quiet….feeling just shy of content.

This morning, as I continue to reflect, I find I am struggling just a little bit more for that peace that lingers in the quiet after a holiday.

I imagine I am not alone in my thinking.

Many of us joined hands at the dinner table to offer thanks….it’s in that moment that we acknowledge who is not present.

Many have lost loved ones, a spouse may be stationed overseas for military duty, or a divorce has completely changed the dynamic in a family causing a break in the unity chain.

The aftermath of the holiday dust settling, the effort to be of good cheer has drained us and we find ourselves sitting in the quiet….reflecting….on what was, what could have been, what we wish it was…

In the quiet I find confusion and doubt lingering in the doorway…trying to shadow my thoughts as my mind wanders.

The questions easily form to ask what now, what could I have done, what should I do next…

I sense thankfulness slipping through my fingers.

That’s where Isaiah 58:11 enters to silence the doubt and secure me with comfort~

The Lord will continue to guide you,

He will satisfy your soul in the scorched and dry places,

He will bring strength to your bones.

You will be like a well – watered garden;

Like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

In the doubts, in the uneasiness, in the wondering I find solace in knowing

my God is guiding me,

ministering to those dry areas of my soul that have been burnt in a fire trying to consume me,

that He is giving me strength all the way into my marrow,

His living water will fill me…

I don’t have to be thankful for all things but I can be thankful in all things for what God has promised to provide: to satisfy, to strengthen, to fill.

May your day be blessed.

Have you ever wondered if you are doing what the Lord prepared in advance for you to do?

Have you ever wondered if you are on the correct path that God cleared for you with one trust step at a time?

Have you ever questioned if this really is the plan??

Have you doubted if it’s you that changed or if it’s what God called you to do that changed??

I am completely guilty of second guessing, over analyzing, and reevaluating where I am, where I should be, what’s the plan, am I on the path, (and my personal favorite) asking are You sure Lord….

I’ve become pretty good at this past time….

Reading my Bible today, I stumbled across a passage in Acts that I had not noticed much before.

In Acts 23, the Apostle Paul has been arrested in Jerusalem. He stands before the Sadducees and Pharisees declaring Christ as the Messiah…the Resurrected King.

The Council of the Sanhedrin doesn’t like to hear that.

In fact, the council becomes so enraged that Paul is suggesting that they not only missed the Messiah but that they crucified Him too, troops are ordered to remove Paul from that place and take him to the barracks where “he would be safer”.

The council was so furious the commander of the guard feared Paul would be torn to pieces by these “God-fearing” Jews.

As Paul is sitting in prison that next night, this happens:

The Lord stood near Paul and said, ” Be brave, for as you have solemnly and faithfully witnessed about Me in Jerusalem, so you must in Rome” (Acts 23:11).

Paul was strongly encouraged by his friends to NOT go to Jerusalem out of fear/concern that this exact scenario would happen…but Paul had felt the leading of the Lord telling him to go anyway.. so he went out of obedience to God’s plan.

Now, though, he must be second guessing this plan…

How do I know that?

Because God came and stood near him to encourage him on to Rome….to stick to the plan.

If Paul didn’t need encouragement in that cold cell then the Lord would not have gone to him, would he?

If he only needed a little encouragement,then God surely would have sent an angel to minister to him…but the Lord Himself came and stood by Paul to administer grace.

“The Lord gave Paul special encouragement at this time, that he was indeed doing just what God wanted him to do” (AMP Study Note).

Wow….that blows me away!!

Sometimes, when we are being faithful to what God has called us to do the path gets murky and the plan looks messy.

It is so easy to begin doubting whether or not we should even be doing whatever it is we are doing.

It becomes easy to be fearful of what else may come along to murky these waters up even more.

It is almost a natural reaction to listen to others who love us and tell us that there may be a different way instead of trusting the plan of God.

There are days when I wish God would come stand by me and say “hang on kid, you’re doing alright…keep walking this way”.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful??

But, you know, I think He does do that for us …just in more subtle ways than He did with His chosen Apostle.

Why else would a verse like this pop out at me in a normal morning reading when it never had before?

Perhaps, it’s because the Lord knows that I need to be encouraged too today.

How about you?

Are you looking for clearer vision on the road you are walking that you feel God has placed you on?

Join me, then, in keeping our eyes open for the ways God reveals Himself to us….

His Word

His Church

Music

People we have been able to bless

Reminders of who has blessed us

His creation

Be encouraged to press on today.

I shared this to Instagram ( @amykay_barber) and the thought continued after I posted…

In the season of Thanksgiving, I think it’s a good thought to remember that we are to “give thanks TO God IN all circumstances”….

The pressure is on to be thankful FOR all things and, frankly, that just isn’t possible as there is much I couldn’t possibly be thankful for.

BUT, I can be thankful IN all those circumstances…

No matter who sits at my table or doesn’t, no matter in illness or health, no matter in conflict or in peace~ I AM thankful to the Lord for His salvation, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and faithfulness.

There my focus must rest.

#1thessalonians5 #thankful #thankfulheart #crohnsfighter #depressionfighter #anxietywarrior #anxietysupport #whatareyouthankfulfor

The picture I shared was taken a few months after the life – altering experience of my husband’s sister death at the age of 41 from liver failure due to her alcoholism.

I don’t know how many of you have lived through the destruction that addiction has on a family …but I can attest to the truth that it is devasting.

It has a domino affect that far surpasses the individual with the addiction and carries its wounds long into the future in the form of scars.

The picture represents a fragment of a family that was blown to bits after her death and trying desperately to cling to something good.

Looking into the faces, a stranger sees smiling faces and children distracted by something better than the idea of freezing a memory.

I see the deep hurt resonating inside me while echoing in my husband.

What you don’t see are her children that are off to the side running through that pumpkin patch …

I can hear them laughing in my mind…

The memory is fresh from that day…

The holidays stir those memories up, don’t they?

Therefore, surviving the holidays becomes important.

How can we when we do ache as we remember those who will not be joining us this year?

By being thankful …

Thankful for the memories.

Thankful we loved them.

Thankful they loved us.

Thankful for a chance to be reunited.

Thankful for those we have gathered around us.

Thankful for the many undeserved blessings given.

Be thankful to God in all circumstances.

He heals the sting of that sacrifice of praise.

I don’t think there is a verse in the Bible that can scare me more than Matthew 12:36~

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.

I am a talker.

I am an extroverted Chatty – Cathy.

The more nervous I get the MORE I can talk to fill up that potentially empty, awkward space!

I am well supplied with the gift of the gab.

I am the queen of small-talk.

There have been more times than I care to remember that I have walked away from a conversation wondering

should I have said that??

did I say too much??

was that comment or story necessary?

I have been told to “take a rest” from the talking, don’t be so distracting with the talking, don’t talk so much.

I have been criticized for talking for too long….too loud…too often.

The doubts that can plague me after a deep conversation with a person are endless.

The condemnation I fall under after sharing a thought from the Lord is incredibly heavy…I easily feel as if I sound like a “know-it-all” in those moments when I walk away.

Thus, this Scripture is terrifying for a gal like me.

As it should be.

The book of James talks about the power of the tongue – the spoken word.

He describes the use of the tongue as a bridle in a horses mouth in James 3:3~

It guides the WHOLE horse.

He describes it as ship’s rudder in James 3:4~

they are driven by the wind in their sails but directed by a very small rudder.

He describes it as having the power of a fire in James 3:6~

it contaminates the entire body and sets on fire the course of our lives.

But no one can tame the human tongue, it is a restless, undisciplined, unstable evil filled with poison…Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things should not be this way for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and a profound respect for His law (James 3:8-10).

Talk about a big stinking deal – all this talking!!

Here’s the issue~ I firmly believe that I have been created to speak up. I believe that I have been called to proclaim the Good News of Christ. I believe that I am NOT to stay silent.

With that confidence comes great responsibility! And, I suppose, it is also with no surprise that I would be met with an opposition trying to keep me quiet in the form of my own negative thoughts/insecurities/doubts or from the enemy who does not want to be identified!

As a talker, therefore, I must constantly be checking my heart:

For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34).

The measurement of how effective my words are is in the fruit that comes after~

Either make the tree good and its fruit is good or make the tree bad and its fruit is bad – for the tree is judged by its fruit (Matthew 12:33).

I am held accountable for the words I speak…and, trust me, I do not take this lightly!

I want only good things to pour out from my mouth because my heart has been cleansed and transformed by Christ!

I am slowly moving toward my dream to speak encouragement to the Lord’s people, to breathe His life into them so they can endure this world’s trials….My prayer is that good fruit will be evident as I have been entrusted to use this gift for HIS glory.

We all have been gifts to use that point the world to salvation in Christ and the light of His glory…May we all reflect good fruit as we use them!

Ephesians 2:10

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance for us to walk in.

Thought I would share my Instagram post here too…

Try to shine as lights among the people of this world as you hold firmly to the message that gives life ~Philippians 2:15

I was talking with an agnostic dad whose 6 year old daughter suddenly had questions about where “we go when we die”…his answer was wherever “we go” (if we go anywhere) it is where everyone goes. He felt uncomfortable with the uncertainty of his answer.

I did not listen to him out of an effort to “convert” him or to challenge his “theology” nor to start a debate. My response was only that my belief is based on a relationship with Christ and for me to live my life as He did- not with pointing fingers or judgment.

If my life reflects Christ and influences others then the next work is up to the Holy Spirit and the individual.

If my life and choices influences for change toward Christ then I am doing my part.

I wish I would have said that my belief gives me the hope that what I do matters in this life and in the next…

The interesting sidenote here is my insecurity. As a minister to be, shouldn’t I have been able to respond to him in a way that would have left him whirling in wonder about this Christ I serve? My doubts (the enemy in my head) scream that I failed here.

But you know what? He is watching me and how I live this “religious” lifestyle I say has transformed me.

He said he did not want to tell his daughter any tall tales that could point her toward the hiprocracy of religion…yet, he felt comfortable to share all this with me in a dark room during a procedure.

In Endoscopy, there isn’t a platform to do more than live my life the way Christ desires for me to do… quietly. The reward I get is being called “religious”…perhaps that’s a seed being planted or yeast in the dough after all.

“Be a light in the darkness”…why do we complicate our efforts with more than that?

#lightinthedarkness #lightoutshinesdarkness #lightoftheworld #philippians #philippians2 #bealight #bealightinthedarkness #fightthedarkness #fightdepression #anxietywarrior

I’ve been thinking about something…

Why is it when we, as a generic group of people, hear that there is only one way to do something we innately rebel against that theology?

Why does it seem that we, again as a generic group of people, would rather ignore the sign or person that tells us the best route to take and instead insist on doing it “our own way”?

Why do we feel as if we know best even if we have no experience of the subject at hand?

Are we truly that rebellious of a people?

For example:

Your dad gives you directions to get to the store. He has seen that construction has stopped traffic through a different option and an accident has blocked another road that could be used- although it loops you far in the other direction before pointing you toward your destination anyway.

He says that “this route I am giving you is the only way to the destination.”

What emotion rises up in you upon hearing that?

Trust?

Or doubt?

How about a sense of “oh yeah, Pops: we’ll see about that” as you go your own way irritated? How dare the man who loves you try to tell you how to do something while seemingly limiting your options that could be more fun.

Does your dad have your best interest in mind or is he a killjoy know-it-all?

John 14:6 says this

Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me”.

That ONE verse stirs up alot of controversy…doubt…and anger.

The only way to the Father?

Really?

Seems limiting….and self serving…

God, the Father, loves us so much that He sent His Son to die so we could live eternally with Him.

Through His Son we gain access to a right relationship with a perfect God …

God has given us the way to the end destination and gave us a traveling companion in the Holy Spirit to guide us and yet we balk at the limitation of hearing “THE ONLY WAY”.

If someone told you, or your cell phone navigation system told you, the easiest, shortest, less hassle, no tolls route would you be tempted to say “naaaahhhh, I’d rather go the longer, harder way on my own with no map direction”?

Then why on earth do we feel we can figure out a better way to the Father than through the direction He has given us??

Through Jesus we have forgiveness of our sins, we are absolved (justified) of our guilt and declared free from all things that condemn us {Acts 13:38-39}.

Through Jesus we have peace in our troubles {John 14:27} and the possibility of an abundant life amidst our circumstances {John 10:11}.

Through Jesus we do not have to live in darkness {John 12:46}.

Through Jesus we have a helper in the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter, Strengthener, Advocate, Counselor, Intercessor {John 14:16}.

On our own. ..we have our limited wits, limited vision, limited strength. We also have an enemy who is seeking to lie, kill, and destroy us {John 10:11}- what weapon do we have against a determined enemy who never rests but, instead, waits to pounce when we try to rest?!

In Jesus, I have the Armor of God {Ephesians 6:13-17}.

Acts 13:15

Kinsmen, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.

I am standing to say it~

Be free in Christ

Follow Him

Know where you are going

Know you are loved

I read an analogy about fruit and it got me to thinking…

One of my most favorite verses in the Bible is from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (go get your highlighter to mark this one in your Bible!)~

We are PRESSED but not CRUSHED;

We are CONFUSED but not in DESPAIR;

We are PERSECUTED but not ABANDONED;

We are STRUCK DOWN but not DESTROYED.

“Mama said there’ll be days like this…” Am I right?

There are those days when you feel pressed on every side- be it grief that is crushing you…job stress that is crashing down on you …a life crisis or family issues that are squeezing the life out of you…

You know that feeling…

You can’t catch your breath.

You can’t take a deep breath.

You just can’t breathe.

The pressure is on.

The vice is tight.

There is no room to maneuver.

It’s not pleasant.

You feel as if there is no way out.

TRAPPED.

The question I want to ask is….what is coming out of you when you are squeezed like that???

If you were an apple in a press….one would assume apple juice would be squeezed out, right?

If you were a lemon~lemon juice.

You get the picture.

The Bible tells us of another kind of fruit: the Fruit of the Spirit.

You may have heard of them from Galatians 5:22~

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Self-control

Sound familiar?

These are GIFTS from God that we are filled with and emptied of as we use them on a daily basis.

They are not of our own merit or doing.

These gifts work best when our own efforts fail us.

When we feel we can’t be loving to someone? The Holy Spirit helps us to supernaturally love that hard-to-love person in our life.

When we feel there is no NO WAY we could show kindness to another because there has been NO kindness shown to us? The Holy Spirit helps us to express a genuine kindness that will surprise even us.

When we think there isn’t a CHANCE we could use any will-power to keep our mouth shut/keep our opinion to ourself….The Holy Spirit is there with a hearty dose of self-control to assist us with the impossible.

This kind of Fruit works best in a tight vice…

So, I ask again….what is coming out of you when you feel pressed??

Are you showing peace in those times?

How about patience?

What about goodness?

When we belong to Christ, we begin to walk with the Spirit…Our conduct, therefore, is empowered by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Therefore, it is possible, in times of great stress, trials, suffering, loss, or pain to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit -which is the evidence of Christ in us.

Our “job” is to ask for help in those hard times. Our “job” is to request a heart check in those days…

We can ask God what does my heart look like when I am in turmoil?

Do I reflect You, God?

Does it look like I’ve been changed by You while I struggling in this situation?

Will people see You in this and be encouraged themselves?

Could I be more loving….kind…good…patient… peaceful…joyful….self-controlled?

Decent thought to munch on today….tell me what you think!