My Place of Grace

My friend and I were walking by a pond and spotted these curious bubbles making their way to the surface. Being a photogragh fanatic I saw opportunity...and siezed it! We watched the bubbles for quite a while to see if anything recognizable surfaced...to no avail. Later when downloading the pictures from our walk, this one got me thinking. Isn't it so in our lives too, that all the things buried under the surface must eventually bubble up? Sometimes these bubbles take the form of things like anger, stress, worry, guilt, poor self image, withdraw all evidence of what ever it is thats underneath the surface. My point is when the bubbles come, don't ignore them. Name them for what they are and explore the deep. Investigate what's causing the bubbles...and bring it to the light. My friend and I never found out what was causing these bubbles in the pond, but I'm sure had we more time and patience we would have. When our life bubbles surface...remem...

What are the enemies that threaten our life, our well being? Enemies can be defined as anything trying to destroy us, or in the spiritual sense, anything that hinders our relationship with God. Whether your enemies are of the human nature, or those of more subtle varieties, such as fear, shame, pride, guilt, self indulgence, self hatred and a myriad of others that infiltrate our land and try to steal out joy, we have a most powerful God waiting for us to trust Him and he will take them out! Read this chapter in 2 Samuel twice through. The first time as it is and the second time make it personal to you by replacing any reference to enemies with what ever enemy you are facing in your life right now. God's word is truth. Will we believe it? If so, we have access to it's power to use in overcoming our enemies that try to keep us bound to this world. Let us, as David did, praise God for the things He has done and is going to do in our lives! Blessed be the name of the Lord! 2 Samue...

" Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22 We all have burdens. Situations come into our lives that may feel heavy , annoying, hopeless, and just plain too much for us to bear. Our human tendency is to lash out or crumble under their weight. To be honest, if I did not know God and continually keep Him in the forefront of my heart, soul, and mind, I would resemble a squished bug at this point. When my oldest son was in the throws of drug addiction I and my whole family was living every day in a cyclonic funnel. Uncertainty was the norm. Nothing we did to "help" our son seemed to be helping, life was out of our control, he was completely out of control, and fear ruled in our hearts. Day by day we watched helplessly as he continually made poor choices, rebelled against our rules by staying out late, came home high, stole from us and others, and constantly lied. Adding to these obvious stres...

Sing praise to the Lord when you're feeling blue, Though it goes against what you want to do. Thank Him for all the battle's He's won, And the hurdle's you've already overcome. Try not to dwell on the problem at hand, But on learning to live by God's command. Hiding His word deep down in your heart Will give you the perfect place to start. Don't let your feelings define who you are. For you are God's child and He'll search wide and far, To bring you into His loving arms; Where He'll shepherd and shelter and keep you from harm. So let's practice the principle of opposites. When down,practice up to stay out of life's pits In fear display courage; when angry, you bless. And when you are sad, proclaim happiness. Becoming aware that you feel as you do, Instead of the feeling becoming you, Is an insightful key to emotional health, And a skill we must master, then share the wealth!

I've been battling depression for as long as I can remember, it's been a silent battle up until a couple years ago. I began writing my feelings and the things God has revealed to me in this time. The wonderful thing is, that when we put our trust in God, He provides the grace we need for the trials we are faced with. I wrote this passage a while back describing a little bit of what course He's taken me through. I have a long way to go, but I am confident that when I choose to trust my God, He is faithful to provide that amazing grace to see me through. Slammed again...back against the wall...trapped like a rat in a cage...call out for help...nobody hears...get down on my knees to pray...Oh God come quick there's little time left...fear gnawing away at my heart...worry and stress have led to duress and I can't pull myself from the dark. Experienced calm just before the storm struck...thought pain was receding inside...oh was i fooled by the lull in my mood...all the ...

Sometimes when I am feeling sad, depressed or overwhelmed with life, it helps me to sit down and write out all that I have to be thankful for. It gets my mind off of me and on the bigger picture. Gods plan, providence and provision. A grateful heart is a wonderful weapon against depression. This is not an all inclusive list...please feel free to add the things you are thankful for! God Bless!...Mary 1. He died so we can live. 2. He made the earth. 3. He made the animals. 4. He created us. 5. He knows us. 6. He loves us. 7. He wants whats best for us. 8. He gave us authority over the earth. 9. He gave us authority over the animals. 10.We can talk to Him any time. 11.We can count on Him. 12.He calls us His children. 13.We are heirs to His kingdom. 14.He's prepared a place in Heaven for us. 15.He walks with us through trials. 16.He gave us His word as a guide. 17.He gave us His word to know Him better. 18.He is perfect. 19.He is three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20...