Category: Peace

And so the conflict continues…..

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou6 Comments

“He did this terrible thing.  I just hate him!!”

“No Mom, this is what really happened…”

And so the conflict continues…and parents around the world are faced with strife and conflict between their children.

As a parent, I can usually see both sides of the conflict.  Both people have a legitimate grievance, and both have a reason to feel justified in their anger.   Yet, because I love both parties intensely, I want them to share that same love for each other—a love that covers a multitude of sins.

How I wish they could see each other through my eyes—they would see the hurt places in the other; they would have a well of love for the other; they would see the other’s perspective.  Then perhaps they could look past their own hurt, and forgive, and be forgiven.

This is our Heavenly Father’s perspective, and this is every good parent’s perspective.  We want our children to love one another. 

That’s it—we want our children to love one another—and all that love encompasses—forgiving, giving and serving.

Sometimes, as a parent, we actually see this happening, we see the love, we see the forgiving, we see the serving.   It is one of the most beautiful things to behold.

What parent doesn’t smile to see their children hug?  What parent isn’t encouraged to hear one child praise another? Or offer to help each other?

When my son Sean was alive, he had a sibling that angered him a great deal.  I would hear his story of woe about this sibling, and vice versa. The summer before he passed away, he made peace with this sibling.  Their relationship was healed.  They confided in each other, they helped each other, they loved each other, but first they forgave each other.  They willingly laid their grievances down about the other.  They chose with their wills to not take into account the wrongs they had suffered in the past.  They chose to think the best of each other, while sharing the worst with each other.

I have been so grateful for this knowledge, that Sean went onto the next life, at peace with this sibling.

Right now, there is hatred and violence and discord all around our world.

The world would be a different place if we saw each other the way God sees us.  He sees the total picture, the hurt on both sides, the right on both sides, the wrong, and evil on both sides.  He also sees what can be done when we willingly lay our grievances down; when we do not take into account the wrong we have suffered in the past; when we chose to think the best of each other, while being honest about the worst that has happened.  God sees what happens when we forgive, as He has forgiven us. 

What happens is reconciliation– what happens is peace.

It’s a beautiful thing to see this kind of peace—ask any parent—ask the greatest Parent of all!

It’s a beautiful and encouraging thing!!

Focus and Breathe

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou2 Comments

When I was pregnant with my first child, I went to a Lamaze class, and one of the things the nurse taught us, was to have something to focus on, during one’s contractions.   I chose a verse–Hebrews 12: 1,2.   Was that helpful?  Yes, it was really, really helpful.  The class also taught us not to give in to the fear of the unknown, but to breathe and focus throughout labor.  Was this helpful–yes, it was really, really helpful.  (In fact after our first child was born, my husband turned to me and said, “That wasn’t as bad, as I thought it was going to be.”)

What is the point of this story?   Right now, many people are feeling very, very anxious.  We just came through a pandemic, with shut downs and quarantines.  We have seen gas prices more than double in the past year.  We are seeing food prices rise, and are being told that we could see massive inflation by the fall.   There is good reason to be anxious.

So what can we do—we can focus our thoughts, and we can breathe.   Why?  Because it really, really helps.

We can focus our thoughts on the truth.

Lately, I’ve been focusing on one truth in particular:

2Co 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

What does this mean?  In Romans Chapter 6—It spells out what this means—I am going to paraphrase it for you—it says that when Jesus died on the cross–our sin natures were crucified with Him.  So our sin natures are dead, and we are new creatures in God’s eyes.  He sees us as His children, without sin before Him.

Now–we don’t ‘feel’ without sin, we in fact still give in the temptation to sin.  But God says–sin actually has no power over us–anymore–in fact–we are dead to sin, and alive to Christ.

We are to present ourselves to God, and He will give us the power to turn away from sin.  He sees us as a new creature—the old creature is dead in His eyes.  He wants me and He wants you to see ourselves in this way too.  

The new creature wants to obey Him.  The new creature wants to please Him.  The new creature wants to walk with Him.  The new creature loves God and loves others.  The new creature forgives.  The new creature gives grace and kindness to others.

So—when I am aware that I am acting like the old person that has passed away, I say to myself, “That is not me.  That is not who God has made me to be.  I am a new creature.  This old person is dead, and has no power over the new creature.  I surrender to you Lord, so that I can live out Your truth–that I am a new creature.”

The new creature is not afraid.  The new creature is not anxious.  The new creature knows her God, and trusts in His love and provision.  

The new creature focuses on the truth, and the new creature breathes in the truth.

Will this help during these trying times?   Yes, I promise you, this will really, really help!!

May We Be Encouraged!!

And so the conflict continues…..

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou2 Comments

“He did this terrible thing.  I just hate him!!”

“No Mom, this is what really happened…”

And so the conflict continues…and parents around the world are faced with strife and conflict between their children.

As a parent, I can usually see both sides of the conflict.  Both people have a legitimate grievance, and both have a reason to feel justified in their anger.   Yet, because I love both parties intensely, I want them to share that same love for each other—a love that covers a multitude of sins.

How I wish they could see each other through my eyes—they would see the hurt places in the other; they would have a well of love for the other; they would see the other’s perspective.  Then perhaps they could look past their own hurt, and forgive, and be forgiven.

This is our Heavenly Father’s perspective, and this is every good parent’s perspective.  We want our children to love one another. 

That’s it—we want our children to love one another—and all that love encompasses—forgiving, giving and serving.

Sometimes, as a parent, we actually see this happening, we see the love, we see the forgiving, we see the serving.   It is one of the most beautiful things to behold.

What parent doesn’t smile to see their children hug?  What parent isn’t encouraged to hear one child praise another? Or offer to help each other?

When my son Sean was alive, he had a sibling that angered him a great deal.  I would hear his story of woe about this sibling, and vice versa. The summer before he passed away, he made peace with this sibling.  Their relationship was healed.  They confided in each other, they helped each other, they loved each other, but first they forgave each other.  They willingly laid their grievances down about the other.  They chose with their wills to not take into account the wrongs they had suffered in the past.  They chose to think the best of each other, while sharing the worst with each other.

I have been so grateful for this knowledge, that Sean went onto the next life, at peace with this sibling.

Right now, there is hatred and violence and discord all around our world.

The world would be a different place if we saw each other the way God sees us.  He sees the total picture, the hurt on both sides, the right on both sides, the wrong, and evil on both sides.  He also sees what can be done when we willingly lay our grievances down; when we do not take into account the wrong we have suffered in the past; when we chose to think the best of each other, while being honest about the worst that has happened.  God sees what happens when we forgive, as He has forgiven us. 

What happens is reconciliation– what happens is peace.

It’s a beautiful thing to see this kind of peace—ask any parent—ask the greatest Parent of all!

It’s a beautiful and encouraging thing!!

Peace, Baby, Peace

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou7 Comments

Have you ever taken a ride on an airplane and looked down and everything seems so small? — Small houses, cars, buildings, trees.  I love looking down and seeing the world get small.  I feel such a peace when I am looking at life from that angle.  Why?  Because it reminds me that it is all a matter of perspective.

  Often, when I focus on a problem—the problem can seem so big, so huge, so unsolvable.  For example, in marriage, my husband and I often have differing opinions from one another.  That is to be expected, we are two different people, we had different backgrounds, he is from the East Coast, I am from the Mid-West, (I don’t have to explain any further than that—the cultural differences alone, explain most of our differences.)   There have been a few times in our marriage, where our differences were so extreme, that I wondered if they could be overcome. 

It’s all a matter of perspective.   It’s all in how I look at the situation.  Often, reading the Bible will help me find perspective.  I find God’s point of view—His eternal view, and that makes everything else seem small in comparison to His view, and I have that same sense of peace.

When I was in college, I began my relationship with the Lord.  One of the verses that I read over and over again was, Philippians 4:6,7:   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

I heard a great talk by Josh McDowell, on this verse. The talk was about taking every concern to the Lord in prayer and the result will be—peace.  Not that I will necessarily have what I ask, but that when I put things in God’s hands, with an attitude of thankfulness and respect, God gives His peace.

Peace is a gift.  It is not being anxious but being calm.  It is realizing that “it”, (whatever “it” is) is all in God’s Hands, and He is motivated by love.  He can be trusted with the “it”.

Every time, I have lost someone I loved, I have been forced to look at God and look at that belief that He does love me.  He is in charge.  He can be trusted.   How do I deal with finding my way back to God when my heart is torn, battered and my soul is reeling?

I look at what I know—I know that Jesus did live, and He did die, and He did rise again.  (I am not going to go into all the apologetics of how I know this, but I will give you a link, so you can start doing research yourself into these topics.) Click here for apologetic videos.

I know that scripture is reliable and can be trusted.  Click here for a video about this.

I know prophesy in scripture has been fulfilled, showing me that God knows what is going to happen, and He is Sovereign, He has a plan, His will—will be done. Click here for video on fulfilled prophesies.

The Holy Spirit continues to speak in my heart, reassuring me that I am God’s child, that I am loved, that I belong.  (Romans 8:16)

There was a song that I learned when I was in college, (I was on summer break, working up north with the children of migrant workers, and attending a little tiny church—where this song was sung), the words to the song are:  “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, but I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand.”     I loved that song.  I would sing it, over and over again. Click here to listen to song.

That was a time in my life, when I was coming to the end of college, and my future was full of question marks.  This song, helped to remind me of God, the One Who holds my hand, and the One Who holds the future.  The song helped me to focus on God and He helped me to gain perspective and peace.

God holds your hand and He holds your future too.   God loves you with an everlasting love.  When we doubt that, our peace is destroyed, as it is difficult to trust and follow God if we doubt His love for us.  So, remember—all He has done to demonstrate His love to you, all the Evidence He has provided so you can know what you believe is true and Be at Peace and

 Be Encouraged!!