[ For from his and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ~ Romans 11:36 ]
Focus! Maybe Refocus?! As we all cross the finish line of a long, and difficult year we can take refuge that our Lord has been with is the entire time. He's held our hands, wiped our tears and made it possible to move slower, or sit still; to just be wherever he wants us to be. Whenever we've felt that we can't go on, he's the rope that's pulled us through and gives us hope to move forward...
[ Yep, me trying to out run this year! LOL ]
Personally, I feel like I've run a 'life marathon' this year, I've endured health, family, loss and other challenges that I didn't think I could conquer, but I made it. I'm not healed completely from physical or emotional challenges but I'm still here ready to be where God needs me to be.
[ We can walk through the fires and come out on the other side with our Father by our side; Faith over Everything Else! ]
My fears have been highlighted, and I'm being shown that I still allow them to drive the direction of my decisions many times. I'm also becoming more adept at recognizing this weakness and surrounding myself with God's word and prayer to reset my default setting fear over faith to his preferred default setting Faith Over Fear! :() I know, It will be a lifetime of refining, and that's ok, that IS life! :-[]
The best thing about refocusing on the Lord is that it removes the ME focus and replaces it with HIM!! I used to write in a gratitude journal but have moved away from it ( I don't know why ) but I stay in a state of gratitude. I'm consistently thanking God for his presence in my life, for his patience with us as humans ( now y'all know that it has to take some kind of transcended patience that ONLY the Lord has!!! :-{} ). I routinely thank him for the ongoing blessings in my life and for the trials whether I understand their purpose or not... Gratitude puts me in a better space to handle what life throws at me because I know the Lord is with me and has my back regardless how things will turn out!!!
Outward prayer also helps me to shovel through this fallen world and the difficult circumstances that consistently occur. Praying for others, for mankind, that includes those in positions of power that run our nations allows me to feel less helpless against things that are so far beyond any of our control...It gives me a sense of Godly peace that can only be gifted through him. When my attention is on prayer, its away from my own fears, and the need to control things that I cannot. Yes, prayer is a gift that cocoons us in the competent hands of our Father!!!
[ We Are Transformers! ]
So I'm ending this year wiser and it took my trials to get me there...Growth can and does hurt ( I picture it like when werewolves go through their transformation in movies, yeah, that looks like it hurts! LOL! ). Pain is a part of transformation, we are transformers ( not like the movies!! :-(} ). It is a part of our purpose; to become like Him we must change, fight through our sin nature so that we can embrace and become...
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11
[ But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~Isaiah 40:31]
It is my prayer for all of you to keep going, to move to become less so that we can become MORE. I pray for each and every one of my brothers and sisters, all of us sons and daughters of the Almighty; that we go beyond who we think we are what we believe we can do, how we feel, what we desire. I pray that together we lift one another up to build a village of Christ believers and followers who choose to live not by this broken world, but by the desires and purpose our Father has set for us. Together we are mighty when we're in Christ, we are many and we are one body. Together we will carry on, push past all the evil satan's spreading throughout our earth, because we are God's children, we are Warriors in Christ!!!! Can I get an Amen?!!!
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