"In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. And one called out to another and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3 Do we understand just how holy God is? In the Scripture, when words are repeated it is to denote it's importance, it's like putting several exclamation points behind a word. We see the word holy in this instance repeated 3 times, this is to say that God isn't just holy but He's like MEGA HOLY, the holiest. The word holy has a few different meanings that all tie together. In essence, when looking at God's holiness we can say it means complete perfection. His holiness magnifies our sinfulness. God is perfect, we are not and our sin separates us from a holy God. "And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, 'Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.'" Isaiah 6:4-5 When Isaiah comes in contact with God, he sees and understands just how holy, holy, holy God is and just how not, not, not he is. Isaiah is undone, he literally thinks it's over for him and that God brought him to the throne room to destroy him. Isaiah exclaims "woe to me, for I am ruined" and then he points out why he is ruined, his sin. Do you fear the Lord? I can tell you in that moment Isaiah certainly did. When we understand (as much as we can) God's holiness and who He is, this should generate a healthy and proper fear in us. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of understanding and knowledge. Isaiah's eyes were opened and just like Isaiah, when God opens our eyes to who He is, we see our desperate need for a Savior and the grace that only God can give... "Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.'" Isaiah 6:7 Instead of getting what he deserved as a result of his sin, and what getting what he thought he was going to get, death, he received grace and forgiveness. For us, Jesus is the burning coal that touches our lips and takes our guilt away as He has made atonement for our sin. What happens next, how Isaiah's responds, is how we ought respond when we come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, “'Here am I. Send me!'” Isaiah 6:8 When we understand the gospel, when we understand just what God has done for us, we, like Isaiah should be falling all over ourselves to serve, obey, and tell others about Jesus. Isaiah found himself in the throne room before God and his initial reaction was "It's over for me." The man thought he had reached the end of his time on earth and that he was about to be destroyed by the true and living God because of his sin. Isaiah, after his confession of his sinful state, is forgiven his sins. So rather than being destroyed, he is forgiven and restored. This is the gospel. The bad news comes first, that we have all sinned against a holy God, and sin, our rebellion, brings death. However, Jesus stepped in, took the punishment we so rightly deserve so that we may live in right relationship with God and go from death to life. May those of us who are in Christ take Him seriously, recognizing His holiness, and finding ourselves eager to share and proclaim His Holy Name! My we echo the prophet and say "Here I am, send me!" Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, if you have any questions or want to chat more be sure to leave a comment. Below is the new single from Meek Heroes HIYN (Holy is Your Name). The song declares that God is holy, and we are not. Every one of us is in desperate need of His grace and mercy every second of every day. HIYN is a reminder that God is the King of kings, Lord of lords and that one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. HIYN is not only a reminder but a worshipful proclamation that our God is not one to be messed with but His love for His children is immense.
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Isaiah 62:3
"You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Our hair is a symbol of beauty that represents growth and cleanliness . We proudly wear this crown that was given to us by our heavenly father. We show our appreciation by actively choosing God, focusing on Him, and embracing his grace and mercy in faith. As women of God, we rejoice in worship, and seek to honor Him with the spiritual gifts He has given us. I salute all my sisters in Christ who are carrying their cross while they celebrate their baby’s first smile, and pour into their family’s every day. “His daughter's crown” is a platform Committed to actively expressing how God has influenced my decisions and my gifts that directs my path. Becoming a woman of God is about living according to God’s priorities, reflecting His greatness with my spiritual gifts, while displaying elegance and beauty. To God be the glory. Vickie is a pray warrior, loctician, and artist using her gifts everyday to glorify God while being a committed wife to her husband Dexter. Vickie continues to grow in Christ as she participates in youth ministry outreach, being a intercessor in prayer and establishing her spiritual gifts to be used for God's glory. Born in Ann arbor Michigan she was blessed to have a family that worked in the church which gave her the opportunities to sever and be raised with a foundation centered around Christian values. After going to school for visual communications and art design, she decided to focus her spiritual gifts helping others show of their natural beauty and God given talents. She does this now while working with ChristCentered.us and has experience with outreach programs, church planting, and teaching youth.
Over the course of many years we have endured lots of pain; physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Usually our first pain have started during our earlier childhood. My first pain that I experience was learning to ride a bike, you are probably asking, “What happen?” Well I ran into a tree, and end up scarping my knee pretty bad, well to me it was bad. My mother came over to my aide and made sure I wasn’t seriously hurt. In that process of pain, we end up storing pain within ourselves at young age. When we start storing up different type of pain our heart starts to harden, and become a why person. Why is this happening to me? Why does this hurt so much? Why can’t I do this or that? We have to understand pain has been and will be part of our experience. 1 Peter 3:14 (But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Don’t not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”) On a daily bases, we have to remind ourselves That Jesus went through pain, suffrage, persecuted and crucified by the Roman officials.1 Peter 4:1 (Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.) The weight of pain and suffrage will come through like a twister, but God can give us grace and strength to overcome every trial.
Thank You Heavenly Father, For the pain and suffrage, and the burdens that I endure and carry. Without the pain and suffrage, I would have strayed away. Thank you for your comfort and being with me through the process of pain. Your mercy and grace trumps everything and the love you have for us, shows by allowing your only son, Jesus to die for our Sins. I humble myself to you, Lord. I ask, that you continue to Shepard me throughout my year to do your prefect will. In Jesus name Amen. Helpful scripture reads 2 Corinthians 4:17 2 Timothy 3:12 Colossians 1:24 Galatians 6:2 Isaiah 43:2 James 1:12 Raising children in today’s society I feel like is so tough. Things have changed so much since I was a kid. Even from when my kids were little. Raising God-fearing, God-loving, tender, meek but also brave children of the Lord is an even harder quest. How do we instill all the biblical morals and teachings when they literally only see a society that is so severely broken and backwards? And not just teach them biblical truths; but today, we are living in tumultuous times! How do we teach them to go above the moral code and be Heroes of the Lord? To be fishers of men? To be modern day Esther’s, David’s, or Paul’s?
Well, here are some practical ways to raising meek heroes in today’s world: First and foremost, pray. Often times we think of prayer as a last resort when really, this is the strongest weapon we have in our arsenal. It is arguably probably the greatest threat against the enemy and the biggest protection over our children. Pray and don’t stop. Cover your children in prayer, biblical principles and morals. Speak scripture over them, pray over their hearts, minds, and spirits, pray over their futures, pray a hedge of protection around them… When you’ve prayed over every aspect of their lives, pray some more. Then, give them to the Lord. He loves them even more than even we do as their parents and He has His own plans for them! Do not discredit His plans over yours. Start when they are small, and teach them all the things of the Lord. Proverbs 22: 6 says; “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” ~ Proverbs 22:6 Maybe you’re a new parent or a new Christian and wondering how? Read the word and live by the word. Read it to your babies, study the word of God and explain in to your children as they grow. Show them in action how to love others. Let them see you walking that road not just reading it. There are so many great resource out there for teaching but nothing is as perfect as the word of God! When you are unsure if you are doing it right or doing enough, ask the Lord to step in. As a single parent, one of my favorite scriptures that I cling to says this: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” ~ Isaiah 40:11 We, even as parents, are not supposed to have it all figured out! He is faithful! Amen! His word right there says, He will guide those with young. Seek him for help whenever you need it. I am living proof. I have not been even close to a perfect mom, ever! But my heart has desperately sought the Lord in raising my kids and where I fall short as a mother, He steps in. Every. Single. Time. It is never too early to start teaching them about the Lord. Even when they are little, you can have them sit and color while you read the word of God to them. Children are like sponges and soak in everything. You would be surprised how much they will retain just from reading the word while they color. Need a cool Christ centered coloring book? Meek Heroes Christ Centered Coloring book is great for young kids that love to color and are learning scripture. It even has some pretty cool pages with amazing meaning behind it! You can grab that FREE right here, and print it today! Meek Heroes is a hip hop rock duo that is a part of the Christcentered.us Ministry. Their passion is bringing the body of Christ together and to create trendy new music with sick beats while still holding firm to the word of God! Our youth especially is thirsty for the Lord. They need the truth spoken and what perfect way to reach them then through music that they love! They are about to drop their newest album on September 17th! Set your alarms and keep a look out for that! Don’t forget to check them out at www.Christcentered.us/meekheroes. So, how else can we train up our children in the ways of the Lord? Well, a scripture that has really impacted me is Deuteronomy 6:5-9, it says: “You shall love the Lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.” ~ Deuteronomy 6:5-9 When the Lord first put this scripture on my heart I didn’t know how to do this. We should be pouring the word of God into our children in literally EVERYTHING we are teaching them! Do you see that? Teach them diligently. When you sit. When you walk. When you lie down. When you rise. For me, my kids spent so much time in school and sports that I didn’t know how to do this, but I wanted to! My heart desperately had a strong urging to begin pouring living water into them. That is when the Lord put it on my heart to homeschool my five children. Six years later, one graduated, and now homeschooling the last four, I have recently created A Simple Guide To Homeschool by Simply Kerri. It gives great resources for parents wanting to start homeschooling but not sure where to begin. It gives document templates, tips and tricks for organization and a wealth of knowledge from all my homeschool to-do’s and not-to-do’s. Plus a few free printables! You can grab that on sale here! Lately, friends… Trust the Lord that He can do abundantly more with your children than we can. Yes, He has charged us with parenting and raising them, but we are human and humans are frail. And that is ok! Humble yourself before the Lord and seek him in all that you do. Trust your little ones into His hands and watch Him build Strong Meek Heroes out of them before your eyes. The Esther’s, David’s, and Paul’s of today. Won’t He do it. Simply Kerri simplykerri.com By Simply Kerri This is such a popular subject nowadays. A subject that has so many people running to the book stores for that newest self-help book or scouring the Internet for that newly famous self-help guru. It’s such a huge industry right now. How to heal yourself, how to heal others, how to become famous on this platform or that platform, how to better yourself in this area or that area, affirmations, and all the things. All. The. Things. There is so much out there.
I have seen so many with all varieties of topics. I’ve read some myself. I’ve used some affirmations, researched some of those big timer gurus too even. While I’m absolutely not against self-help or any of these people making literally millions, I do think some caution is needed when it comes to the big self-help culture. Now before I get any negative comments, please here me out on this.. Hear my heart on this first. I am in no way against any kind of self-help. And I’m not referring to counseling which I’m a very firm believer in. I’m also not against any person in this industry. I don’t hold any judgement to you or anyone that finds these types of things useful. I have used them and in some instances I guess you could say, still use them to some degree in parts of my life too. I think speaking positive things to ourselves is super important. Speaking truth, and loving ourselves is super important. Pushing ourselves to take big, new steps; also super important! I don’t discount that at all, in any way. With that being said, as a Christian, I think we need to also use caution with these types of things. How quickly can we pick up that self help book to find what they have to say on topic x, y, or z. How easy is it to pop on a search engine and look for ways out of that icky feeling? Again, those things aren’t necessarily bad. But, and I may strike a nerve with some on this next point, and for that, I apologize, my only intention is to speak truth. I am not here to hurt anyone. Think of this though… How easy is it to make those things come before God? When did we stop asking God for advice and direction or help with x, y and z? Not only that, but for the Christian seeking Christ like wisdom; why are we first, turning to things that are sometimes so very far and so very different from what the word of God says, even before seeking God’s wisdom? Because it’s easier? And second (this is not directed toward any one in particular at all – just a general thought) but what are the fruits from these people, from their own wisdom they share other than money? Just some food for thought there. Listen, I’m a sinner just like everyone else. I am so far from perfect! So no judgment here, I ask myself this question all the time when reading things. In today’s culture it has become so popular to empower ourselves, and root for ourselves when the Bible says so differently… “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” JOHN 15:5 Apart from me you can do nothing… “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” PHILIPPIANS 4:13 Through Him who strengthens me. Can we do things on our own without God’s help? Sure. Does He allow us to do things on our own sometimes? Sure. Does He want us to use that grit and dig deep and push through and step out? Absolutely! He gives us free will and I definitely believe we have to work with God to make some changes happen. But we are certainly not called to do it on our own. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” JOHN 14:16-17 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” JOHN 14:26 Did you see that? The Holy Spirit, will teach you all things! Not some things; not, here’s a, b, and c, try and figure out what x, y, and z are.. ALL THINGS! There’s also this scripture; “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” PROVERBS 2:6 Are you lacking wisdom? Look what it says here; “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” JAMES 1:5 He is THE answer! He has knit you together, formed every part of your heart and mind. He knows our hearts better than we do! He already knows our pasts, present and futures! Why on earth wouldn’t we go to Him who knows all, sees all, and can change all?! He has all the answers to every question we may have and yet we pay top dollar for someone to help us with advice which isn’t always good advice or even the advice we need. So often we are being deceived that we can do it all ourselves and we can’t, we were never meant to. Me, personally, I think in the times that I really sought answers from other things or people was because I wanted the satisfaction of having control over situations and those changes. Instant gratification even. I wanted to be able to say I did that. But the fact was, I didn’t. The change I did make, the choice I made that actually made a difference in my self-help journey was picking up my Bible. Not picking up my phone or that self-help book, but praying and asking God for the answers. Seeking Him for wisdom before others, even friends and family. Affirmations? I love affirmations. But I began searching who God says I am and what He thinks of me, and writing those down! It was realizing that I could make decisions on my own, which clearly shows I’m not very good at it. I could get answers from others, sometime people who don’t even know me, ok that’s a start. Or I could seek God who actually has all the answers. That was what changed for me. Clarity, knowledge, wisdom, better decision making. I had to realize how much I needed Him. It’s a daily struggle. It takes making that intentional decision to go to Him first every single day. Again, I don't think any of those things are wrong, but remember to use caution. Don’t let those things become an idol before God. Don’t let them be your deciding factor or strength. Let God guide you. Let Him be your biggest example that you follow. He will never steer you wrong and He knows exactly what you need in order to succeed in whatever part of your journey that you’re on. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” PROVERBS 16:9 For More Articles by Kerri Click Here.
The last couple years of Dia's life have been nothing short of a testimony of God's work, grace, and love in the midst of trial and tribulation. Knowing Dia, when I listen to her newest single Breakthrough, it hits different for me. This is music you feel. Dia is joined on this joint by Mike Teezy. The way Mike and Dia's voices work together is nothing short of magical. Don't believe me? Give a listen yourself below (if you haven't already), and just wait until you get to the third verse when they bring the heat lyrically, and harmonically. It is absolutely fantastic, and a part that I listen to on repeat.
Lyrically, Breakthrough is a refreshing message about trusting God's plan in the midst of the chaos and weight of life. My favorite line in the chorus "Even if it don't look like what I want it to, I know you'll send a breakthrough." To me this line screams that God's good and perfect will in our lives is what matters way more than how we think God should move. This is a profound set of lyrics draped in a beautiful melody. Breakthrough reminds me of a modern day Psalm. Dia and Mike are crying out to God who is the author and perfecter of their faith. In 1 Peter 5:7 it reads; "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." This verse echoes what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” Dia and Mike do a wonderful job of being open and transparent as they musically lay their worries, cares, and burdens at the feet of Jesus, while trust Him with their lives. We need more of this. Again, Breakthrough is music you feel. Are you following Dia on Instagram? You should be :) Click Here. You can also check out other songs by Dia on Spotify. If I may start by being transparent. God has used both marriage, and having children, to draw out just how selfish I am. I mean, I knew I was a sinner in desperate need of God’s grace but wow, could I really be that selfish? The answer sadly is a resounding “yes!” Having a spouse and kids changes everything, and it tends to expose everything. Our natural tendency is that when things are exposed we beat ourselves up. There were many nights I went to bed thinking I was a bad husband or a bad parent for letting my selfishness drive my decision making. If you're like me, this sort of beating yourself up doesn’t lead to change, it just makes everything worse. The reality is, I should not let my selfishness drive my decisions, the other reality is, I’m not perfect, I am a work in progress. When it comes to reviving our family life, it first starts with submitting ourselves to Jesus. This sounds over simplified but we all know it’s not as simple as it sounds. Philippians 2:3-5 states; “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” When it comes to reviving our families, we must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. We must surrender our lives to Him first, and regard the interests of our spouse and kids as more important than our own.
I am a husband so I want to speak to the husbands that are reading this though it can easily be applied to wives. A.W. Tozer stated; “I believe spiritual ministry flows out of a heart that has been in the presence of God. When we come into His presence, we begin to take on a ministry that can come from nowhere else.” How intentional are you when it comes to being in the presence of God? Do you make quiet time with the Lord and reading His word a priority? Do you make sure that you regularly attend church with your family, and do life with other believers as a family? Do we make time for family Bible reading or devotional? I don’t share this to brag, I simply share it because it is what I need to do. I learned early on in parenthood, that if I want to have any quiet time with God, I need to get up before everyone else, so I do. It’s obvious to me when I don’t get this time. When I choose sleep over reading and praying, I feel it. We must be filled up in order to pour out. If we want revival in our families, it starts with us. Our families are our first ministry. We are to disciple our family, and we can only do that if we ourselves are submitted to Jesus, having spent time in the presence of God, and are being discipled. When I find myself making my walk with Jesus a priority, I also find my selfishness lessens. I am more attentive to my family's needs, and I no longer see them as an inconvenience getting in the way of what I want to do (which could be simply sitting down after a long day). We are all in desperate need of Jesus and our family needs to see us fighting the good fight, surrendering to Jesus, and pouring out our lives for them. I have not arrived, I am still very much learning and growing. Instead of beating myself up when God uses my wife and kids to expose an issue I have, I rejoice and thank God that He loves me enough to show me. We all fall short, yet God is rich in mercy, and He is good to show us in His word what needs to go so that we may correct it. Instead of beating yourself up, recognize your need for Jesus and make spending time with Him a priority, even if it means you need to get up early. May we see revival in our own lives, and may that revival bleed into our families, remembering it is only by the grace of God we go. Beach photo credit: Nick Giammarco – Instagram @capecodgio Article by Simply Kerri Do you ever see a picture that just captivates you? This picture did it for me. I stared at this picture for so long when I first saw it. Then I went back and looked at it a few more times. I kept seeing this picture in my head. The simple, raw beauty of an amazing sunset. The way this photographer captures the sun just before it disappears behind the clouds and retreats for the night. The clouds in their own shapes and colors, perfectly imperfect. The way he captures the ripples in the sand from the ocean having pushed back and forth with the changing of tides and currents. The reflection of the sun and the clouds, how the water mirrors them so beautifully. The colors of every corner of this picture, like on a canvas, mixed so wonderfully by the artist. Every aspect of this picture captures nature’s splendor.
• But even in all it’s perfection, that’s not what I noticed at first glance. It’s not what kept me going back to look at it a few more times either. It was the 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 That I saw. Everything seems frozen, like time and the weather, the sun in its setting, the clouds, the water, even the birds, like everything just stopped for this moment. Sure we can say the photographer pressed the button at the perfect time. But he can’t make the waters still. He can’t still the birds or the clouds or the sun. • I felt God stirring something in my soul with this picture. I contacted the friend who took this and asked if I could use it for a post because I knew it gave a perfect visual to the words my heart needed to speak. But as I began writing my original post, something happened… Everyone in my home became sick with you know what. The extreme fatigue I have felt over the last, now 10 days, has been not just physical exhaustion, but so mental too. Quite honestly this post has been driving me nuts. I knew the words I wanted to say but they weren’t coming out. Mixed with being sick, I had zero desire to pick up my phone and even type it out. • As I sat in bed battling fatigue, discouragement, little flickers of guilt for not being able to even have energy to write this post, or work on the projects I have started, clean the house, cook dinner.. All of the things I should be doing. Even sick, I have always had the grit to push through and get it done. But not this time. So I sat there, feeling hopeless, not even having enough energy to have my own pity party. But one thing was for sure, this post bothered me. All the words I had wanted to share were just gone. Erased by sniffles and kids with fevers and headaches, repeat days of doctors calling and checking in, friends and family checking in, cat naps through out the days. Little ripples of life just happening around me, the tides and currents changing and there was nothing I could do to stop them. • One day, I opened up my Bible app, determined to at the very least stay connected to God, even if I could do nothing else. The scripture that was on the screen was the very scripture that this post was going to be centered around. It was my scripture. The very same scripture that long ago God gave me as a life line that has come to be so precious to me. Some day I’ll share that story, but for now, I will tell you, this scripture He spoke to my heart in a very dark time in my life. A time where anxiety and fear and feelings of pain were so deep, where everything in my world seemed so very out of control, I was spinning like a top that wouldn’t stop. And ever since those words hit, God has shown me hope with this one scripture over and over and over again through the years. Not just hope, but reminders of faith, and of His power. • So when I saw this scripture again, no my life isn’t in quite the same whirlwind it was that day so long ago, but the last 10 days it has been on pause, by something I cannot control. And so, this scripture, once again reminded me of His promise. Of His love. He was once again reminding me that I am not in control. That I cannot do all the things. • I looked at this picture again, and most of the words I had wanted to speak came flooding back. The main points at least. It was that 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 in that photo that captured my heart. It reminds me that every time life’s ebb and flow of changing tides comes to leave little ripples in our world, we have to learn to be still. We have to learn that just like this photographer didn’t create this beauty, but only captured it. We too can capture the beauty in all areas of our life. Even the hard ones. Being sick and feeling betrayed by my own body has forced me to slow down to a complete stop. A pause. A stillness. A resting place. To know that, we are not in control of these things, but we have to surrender knowing that God is in control. When I reflect on the things I see as important like, cleaning, cooking nice meals, growing my little business…. All the things we often think are so important.. God is reminding me, just where on the kingdom scale are they important? • Sometimes we need to hit the pause button. We need to embrace the stillness that God allows and remember that even when we stop, He never does. We may not be working or growing, or creating, or even functioning at any capacity that seems right by our own measure, but maybe, maybe being still is the lesson we need to learn. Maybe being still just like in that photo, in all its perfection and beauty, is a beautiful part in our journey too. The endless snuggles with the kids, the restful state that your body needs to recover. The quiet intimate moments with God. These are the ripples that matter. • The ripples on that sand look beautiful in that photo, but they were formed by the rough oceans ebb and flow of changing tides. The currents that are constantly pushing and pulling. The sun in its beautiful setting, offers a picture of hope. Darkness comes, but so doesn’t light. • Friends, if you find yourself in a place of stillness, embrace it. Remember who is in control, surrender the emotions, the fighting and striving for strength and just 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙂𝙤𝙙. • “”Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”” Psalm 46:10 Like what you are reading? Read more at simplykerri.com Article by Simply Kerri Sometimes we need to slow down, take a few deep breaths, and refocus. As a single Momma, I find myself constantly striving to just maintain even the most basics. Always pouring out all I have for everyone around me. Being a mom is my job and I fully understand sacrifice and being tired. Running on empty just comes with the territory.. But does it need to? I mean, how can I possibly pour out if I have nothing left to pour? It eventually causes me to lose my focus in every area! I’m stretched so thin, giving only half the effort here and half effort there… If we only watered a plant half way, or fed it half way, it may continue to grow some, but it certainly wouldn’t be thriving.
I’m a giver. I love to give. Whether it’s gifts or time or whatever I can possibly give, I want to give it. It’s how I operate. It’s how I show love. Sometimes; however, I come to this crossroad where I literally have nothing left to give. I am so burnt out, so depleted of everything I need to keep thriving. Then follows a spiral of emotions and feeling like a bad mom, bad daughter, bad friend, etc.. But honestly, I’m just empty. Anyone else? I get so tired. Especially as a single mom, my burdens of parenting are doubled. I won’t lie, every darn thing is hard and some days I just want to have a pity party for myself. I reach for things of this world to keep my cup full. Friends, family, coffee, book, tv; whatever lifeline I can find to try and hold on to and keep me going.. But still, nothing satisfies the emptiness that can only be refilled by one thing and one thing only. Why is it so hard sometimes to turn our hearts toward the one we know is the only one that will satisfy our thirst? The living water that fills our cup so full that it just overflows so easily. There is no striving for it. There is no effort at all except to acknowledge that, I need Him. It makes me think of the scripture in John, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” JOHN 15:5 See, much like a vine, if I am disconnected from the very thing that gives me life and sustains me, then I have zero access to the vital water and nutrients that I desperately need to grow. It’s the same spiritually, mentally and physically. If I am apart from the Lord, the stresses I have on my shoulders become too much. My cup will constantly be low or empty. But Jesus… He knows how empty and dry our cups get. Lord, tether our hearts to yours. Help us that struggle with striving and pouring from empty cups to just stop. Help us to just abide in you and stay there; where we can keep our cups full. Where your love and joy and peace overflows like a dam that has just been broken; where the water flows freely and abundantly with such a force that our cups are overflowing and flooding the lives of everyone around us with your love. 𝙏𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨, where the nutrients are pure and rich. Where we are fed. Where we can do all things in your strength and not our own. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” JOHN 15:5 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” PHILIPPIANS 4:13 Like what you are reading? Read more at simplykerri.com |