Be Still and Know

Trust. 

5 letters.

Why, who, what, where, when, and how?

When I made the difficult decision to leave my former job, I was hopeful, even confident, that a new position would become evident within days. I applied, interviewed, and pursued all positions that I qualified for. (and yes, even some that I didn't really qualify for! But hey, let's face it, you'll never know if you don't ask. ;)

Yet here I am, weeks later, still without a job to my name.

It has been a bumpy road. I've clung to Worry because I did not know Trust. Though it wasn't clear at first, I see how God used these last few weeks to teach me-again-what it means to trust.

So why trust? Maybe because the alternative relies not on God, but on self. Worry does not lead us to Christ. Through worry we fall farther into pride and sinful ways of finding freedom from our fear. Trust loosens our grip, turns our eyes to the Lord, and tunes our hearts to hear His voice. 

Trust who? Where sin lies, imperfect motives and actions follow. We humans try to be trustworthy, but the truth is we fail. Not only do we fail, but we are not able to do all or know all. Only one who is sinless and possesses all power is worthy to be trusted. Fully. Therefore, I trust in God. He created Trust and knows the meaning of it. 

What is worth trusting? If God is trustworthy, then the truth He created is also. I can depend on everything He has said, and everything He will say, because it is True. There are many things that masquerade as the truth, especially lies that I create in an effort to mask worry with my human abilities. When my knowledge of God gives birth to my trust of Him, I will see the lies as they are. His Truth cannot be hidden, cannot be denied. 

Where is trust? Is God limited? Is His Truth limited? Is there any corner of the world, any corner of my mind, of my life, that is kept from His eyes and where the Truth may not go? There is none. Where God is, there Trust follows. I can trust Him for everything in my life, with everything in me.

Will trust expire? God holds Time in His hand, for He created Time. When God ends, so will trust. Yet He is eternal and neither will Trust. It is like a boat upon an ocean that goes on and on, a boat which will never sink. I can choose to jump in and out of it, but if I stay in that boat, it will carry me forever. It is guided by God. Trust in God has stood the test of time.

And now for the ultimate question: however does one trust God? I think I've asked this question more than any of the others. I don't have a job yet, and my stomach still wants to tie in knots. Sometimes I want to cry in pain and frustration. I still want to run out and demand a job. But after these last weeks, I've come to the following determination:

Trust is the abandonment of worry. It's letting go of your imperfect ability to swim that ocean, and it's making the decision to climb into the boat. God gave us many talents, skills, and abilities. We think we can save ourselves from any problem, little or big, with those gifts! But we forget so easily that they are gifts. We did not receive them by our own merit. All we have is Grace. 

It's my prayer that from now on, instead of blindly jumping back into worry and swimming it out, I will remember that there is a boat just ahead, waiting to bear me peacefully through any storm or challenge. That boat is called Trust and its Maker is called Jehovah Jireh-my provider.

www.freepik.com

Linked up at:

http://www.deeprootsathome.com/encourage-one-another-wednesday-link-up-108/

Simply “Cuptivating” ~ a little touch of holiday cheer; personalized!

December is largely considered the month of gifting, but here’s an idea that I think would be useful the whole year round—whether for birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Veteran’s Day, anytime you’d like a little way to say “I love you” to someone special. 

 

To create, all you need are a few fillers, a cup, and about 10 minutes!  

For this project, I chose three cups (a good sized manly one for my Dad; a pretty flowered one for Mama, and a lovely shaped cup for my sister Hannah.) I found them at Wal-Mart. Next, I headed across the store and collected fillers: it being wintertime, I decided on hot chocolate, apple cider, and toppers: several rich chocolates. 

Once at home, I spread everything out and removed several rather stubborn barcode stickers. (A fingernail brush and water works really well for getting all that sticky stuff off, by the way!) 

Determine what sort of arrangement you want in each cup. If you use hot cocoa/cider packets, it helps to roll them up or fold to fit. 

 

Place gently into cup, experimenting with various locations, orders, etc. Make a pleasing arrangement that displays the contents. Then if you chose little toppers, go ahead and stick those in where they’ll fit.

 

And there’s the completed gift! 

 

 

 

What I love about this idea is that it demonstrates thought (as all personalized gifts do) while bringing together usefulness (the cup will last long after its contents have been enjoyed) and charm (the special contents and the design of the cup.) I can think of so many variations to this that would make those you love smile. For summertime, it could be a handled jar with lemonade mixes, gumdrops, maybe sunscreen or chapstick even! A tea aficionado might like a tea kettle or tea pot with special tea bags, maybe a whole leaf brewer, honey, etc. An ill person would appreciate a uniquely crafted bowl with dried soup mixes, noodles, and perhaps a spoon. 

Use the personality of the receiver to dictate what goes into the gift. And remember that it’s not the cost of something, it’s the time and thought you put into it. 

I would love to hear about your simple, inexpensive gift ideas! There are countless ways to express God’s love without breaking the bank, while making someone’s day brighter. I encourage you to do all you can to share His smile everyday.

Delightful Apron Giveaway!

My dear friend Jacqueline over at Deep Roots at Home has teamed up with the talented family at Marie-Madeline Studio to give away perhaps the trademark of femininity--a lovely and practical apron. I for one love aprons, and would love to have such a pretty one to wear everyday. If you feel the same, hop on over here to enter the drawing! You never know...maybe you'll be the one to win. Even if we don't, it is still wonderful fun to participate.

And while you're at it, please take a few moments to browse the cheerful wisdom found at Deep Roots at Home and the beautiful clothing offered by the Marie Madeline Studio. Both truly nice sites.

May God bless your day with His smile. Keep close to Him and nothing will pull you apart. And if you have a minute, please comment and tell me how your day is going! I'd love to hear. :-)

~Petra