The arms of Jesus

We long for the arms of Jesus...

Arms that carry.
Arms that hold.
Arms that are strong
when we are weak.
Arms that are safe;
and we can run to
in our various trials
and times of need.

Arms that are full
of tenderness and
compassion.

It is here we find
the embrace of Jesus.

Happily Disorganized

Life is messy!  No matter how much we try to organize, plan-control!  Papers still pile up, accidents do happen, conflicts arise.  We need help!  We need God!  Only God can manage our mess in a way that is happily disorganized, as the late Mother Teresa, said.

Give God your plans, and watch him make your mess into success!

The blessing

It's so hard to pray a blessing over others, when we ourselves long so much to be blessed.

But that is the way of the cross, and the Life of Jesus.  He died so others could live.

We have to be happy for others when goodness and beauty come their way.  When Jesus' love is in

our hearts, we are able to bless others because we ourselves are deeply blessed by his presence alive

within us.

Give a blessing today!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I feel more and more imperfect every day.  How can I experience my imperfection as liberating instead of as a crushing defeat?

Since I was born I believed I had to be perfect in order to be loved, admired, esteemed, and respected.

I flaunted my strengths and lied about my weaknesses.

I hated my imperfection; it took the wind out of my sails.   When I showed imperfection, it felt so humiliating to me.

I was being exposed and shown for who I really was, an imperfect and fragile person filled with uncertainty and insecurity. 

I always wanted to be strong and beautiful. 

There is another side to this story.  Jesus says, “My power is made perfect in weakness.”

 There is Christ-like beauty that shines through our weaknesses and  imperfection…

 “ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” says the psalmist...

Journey of the heart

Life is a journey of the heart.  And what affects your heart most of all is relationships. Trusting, Letting go, healing wounds, forgiving…this is the difficult work of the heart.  The heart is a muscle.  We need its physical and emotional strength.  Value your heart.  Befriend your heart.  Let exercise and good communication do its work.  Let the hard work of engaging with others no matter how you are feeling strengthen and develop your heart.  Encourage the hearts of others and you will be encouraged.  May God strengthen and encourage your heart today!

Shards of sea glass

Life is filled with divine moments and missed opportunities, good and poor choices, days filled with control and days filled with surrender.  And yet through it all we see a reflection through shards of sea glass and tainted stained-glass.  A reflection of Christ’s love and beauty radiating though our imperfect lives.

Triggers

No matter how good you feel, no matter how well you are doing it serves you well to know that you are only one step away from the trigger of feelings of despair and woundedness. These feelings serve a purpose if only to direct you to Christ and deepen your sense of compassion in and for broken humanity.