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“Do You See Me?” He whispered

March 5, 2016 by Kim Erickson 4 Comments

20160228_064137_resizedIn the quiet stillness of dawn, I sat on a bench. My breath blew puffs of steam over my coffee. The sky was red as the birds sang in the morning. Every now and then something would stir in the lake and ripple the water. As I prayed, divine peace settled over me like the blanket wrapped around my shoulders.

The sun rose and a beam of light cracked the sky and warmed my face. “Do you see Me?” whispered a small, still voice in my heart.

20160228_071259_resized

“Yes, Lord…thank You, Jesus…” I whispered back.

I really needed God to show up that morning in a tangible way. The night before, my sister called as I attended a writing conference and gave me the news we’ve been dreading.

My brother’s brain tumor is back with a vengeance. My niece’s wedding is being moved up to Easter so he can walk his daughter down the isle. My heart was heavy and my spirit was crushed.

The scab of losing my son, Austin, was ripped open. The scar of losing my other brother, Jeff, to a car accident years ago was bright red again.

“Lord, I need you,” I prayed as I walked in the dark to that bench by the lake. As I prayed in the red dawn, I felt Him. As I cried out to Him, He answered:

“Look around. Do you see Me?” my heart felt the small, still voice deep in my soul.

As peace wrapped around me, my mind remembered the Truth of His Word:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  ~Joshua 1:5

I know that God and the Bible will lift me up when grief knocks me down…again.

As I turned to my Bible to write this, I learned that the above verse was also written in the New Testament. The author of Hebrews packed a punch:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  ~Hebrews 13:5

When I think about what my brother’s family is facing, and I consider this verse, I feel like God is reminding me:

Keep your priorities straight, be content with your life, and know that no matter what happens, I am always a part of it and you can see Me every day if you will only pause to look.

Prayer: Father God, show yourself to each hurting heart. Give us eyes to see You. Let us hear Your voice in the morning light. Wrap the comfort only You can give around those who are grieving. Let us trust in You, Lord, to always be there when we cannot lift our head. For Your glory, let our grief be turned to joy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Filed Under: Living With Loss, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bible, faith, God, gratitude, grief, grieving, hope, Jesus, joy, Lord, loss, love, power, thankful, truth, widsom, Word

Is Your Soul in the “Abode of Silence?”

January 18, 2016 by Kim Erickson 2 Comments

silenceSometimes life throws us into the “abode of silence.” When unexplainable things happen, it can feel like you are all alone. As a grieving mom, I have come to accept these hours or days when losing Austin is simply too much to bear. There are days when my soul feels like this picture – dark, silent, alone … dreadful. Yet, Psalm 94 reminds me of my hope:

“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.” ~Psalm 94:17

When I am living in some silent, dark world, I open my Bible. The Lord leads me to read something that feels like God reaching out His mighty hand to pick me up off the rocks and out of the dark.

Sometimes, we enter the “abode of silence” because we’ve messed up. Mistakes can make you feel like the woman in this picture. But, read the next promise in Psalm 94:

“If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.” ~ Psalm 94:18

Even when our own mistakes are responsible for something awful, the Lord loves us enough to hold us up.

The next verse in Psalm 94 also holds true for me when grief and regret start filling up my thoughts:

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” ~ Psalm 94:19

If you feel like you are alone in an “abode of silence,” I pray that you will remember God is reaching out His mighty hand to help you. If you will simply call out His name, the love of God will console you. God waits to restore delight to your soul.  Don’t let your anxious thoughts convince you that you are alone. You are never alone.

If you experience your own “abode of silence,” and found Scripture that lifts you out of the darkness, will you please post it here? Let’s pour the Word of God out to hurting souls. Thank you for helping . . .

Filed Under: Living With Loss, Mighty Mondays, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bible, faith, God, gratitude, grief, guidance, hope, joy, Lord, loss, love, meddling, power, praise, Psalms, truth, Word

Who Listens to Tiny, Insignificant You?

July 25, 2015 by Kim Erickson Leave a Comment

tiny

We were traveling through farm country when these huge windmills popped up on the horizon. As we drew closer, we realized that the windmills were HUGE!

The windmills, along with the vast open fields rolling with corn, made me feel small. Very small. God also felt big. Very big ~ and a bit a far away as we drove mile after mile… after mile…after mile…

But, Scripture tells us:

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.   Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11-13

If you’ve been a believer for very long, Jeremiah 29:11 probably is familiar to you. If you’ve ever been to a Christian bookstore, you can find this verse on numerous cards, plaques, coffee cups, knickknacks, etc.

I think this verse is so popular because sometimes you feel so small and insignificant, while God can sometimes seem so mighty or far away. Verse 11 reminds you that you are not here by accident, that God is in control, and that He has a plan for your life.

Somehow knowing that God has a plan for your life makes the uncertainty of this world less scary. The Creator of the universe, after all, has your back!

I like verse 11, but I love verses 12 and 13. Not only does my Creator and Almighty God have plans for me, but He will listen to me? How is this possible? Why would He bother to listen to me? If I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him?

The One in charge of all things makes a promise to me? God Almighty will be there when I call on Him? Isn’t He kind of busy with more important things?

I simply cannot wrap my head around these truths. Why would almighty God care about tiny, insignificant me?

I don’t get it, but since I believe that the Bible contains the true Word of God, I am forced to put my brain aside and allow these words to be true in my heart. God doesn’t lie, so today’s passage must be true.

Pick up a pen and paper and write these verses with your name and the correct pronoun (he/she). Read the passage again with your name in the blanks below:

For I know the plans that I have for _________,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give _________ a future and a hope.   Then ________will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to __________.   __________ will seek Me and find Me when he/she searches for Me with all his/her heart.

Let these promises sink deep into your heart for a few minutes.

Now doesn’t life just seem less intimidating? The Creator of the universe has plans for you. He listens to you. He will be there when you call on Him. With God, you will be able to get through whatever life throws at you.

Sometimes the revelation of His care for me makes me want to fall down on my knees in awe and humility. Sometimes His care makes me want to jump up and down for joy! One of my girlfriends says this type of thing makes her want to run!

What is your reaction to these promises? Do you think God has plans for you? Do you think God listens to you?

Filed Under: Mighty Mondays, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bible, call, come, declare, fact, faith, find, God, gratitude, guidance, hope, Jesus, joy, know, listen, Lord, loss, love, plans, power, praise, pray, search, seek, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving, truth, widsom, Word

Check Your Attitude At The Door?

July 15, 2015 by Kim Erickson Leave a Comment

attitude at door

This is the scene that welcomes you when you enter my home … shoes, towels, flip flops, umbrellas.  It is a place to kick your shoes off as you arrive home, hang your towel from the beach, and get ready to relax at home.  Aaaahhh…home.  It may be messy, but it prepares your heart to be at home, where we gather together to love each other, rest, play, laugh, eat, and sleep.

The funny thing is that this area is the only “messy” place in our whole house!  I think it’s a symbol of sorts.  We like to have a casual, “beach” sort of attitude about our home.  Come as you are. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself. Relax ~ life is good. Enjoy it.

Since today is the 15th, I was reading Proverb 15 this morning:

“All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it. Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred.”  ~ Proverbs 15:15-17

It occurred to me that the “good” things in these verses were things I could choose: a cheerful heart, fear of the Lord (which is respect for God), and love.

So, if I choose to have a cheerful heart, I can have a “continual feast.” And even if I have “little” in life, but have respect for God, it is better than having “much” and having a lot of trouble because I am not living in a way that honors God.

In the same way, it would be better to have a less extravagant lifestyle, but have enough (vegetables) and have love in my house, than to have wealth (fattened ox) but have my house filled with fighting.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is this: Check Your Attitude at Your Door!

  • As you enter your home, try to shake off any impatience or irritations hanging on from your activities.
  • Consider creating a “catch all” place like this in your entry hall so that you can physically “unload” and perhaps that will help you mentally unload as well.
  • If you feel tired or impatient in your home, ask the Lord to give you a cheerful heart (I have to do this ALL the time!) and to give you renewed energy so that you don’t feel so tired that you don’t show love to your family.

What do you do to keep a cheerful heart at home?  How do you keep your home filled with love and not fighting?

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Wisdom Wednesdays Tagged With: attitude, Bible, busy, change, cheerful, faith, fear, God, gratitude, guidance, hope, hurry, joy, Lord, love, power, praise, Proverbs, strife, thankful, thanks, truth, widsom, Word

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