And in our spiritual lives with Jesus, Paul tells us that there are just two critical things. Two things we absolutely need in order to grow and learn and simply survive: God’s Word and prayer. A small list with huge implications.
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These beautiful spirits that make us who we are sometimes get weighed down by fear. Like our bodies and our minds, they are vulnerable to the dangers and discouragements of this life.
I think of these spirits inside of us like kites.
Kites?
How long has it been since any of us have flown a kite? Maybe forever?
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God knows us so well.
He knows that one of the emotions we struggle with much of the time is fear. Sleepless nights, bouts of high anxiety, and even panic attacks are happening more and more to the people I love.
When we are in the grip of fear, he reassures in this promise that HE IS WITH US. That helps. So much.
But dismayed? What exactly does that feel like?
The definition I found for dismayed sounds a lot like fear: experiencing feelings of alarmed concern; worried, upset, agitated.
But then there’s more in the thesaurus: discouraged, disheartened, unsettled, and daunted. To dismay means to lessen the courage or confidence of.
Less courage? Less confidence?
That happens in my heart pretty much every day…
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The One who designed every brilliant star in the sky, every unique grain of sand, every intricate cell in our bodies, takes special care to surround each one of his children with a strong and lasting hem.
He doesn’t do this to constrain us or restrict us, but to keep us safe.
He doesn’t do this to force us to be close to him, but to reassure us that he is close to us.
He doesn’t do this to shrink our world, but to free us to open up to the adventure of life with him.
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He looks past all our distractions, right into our hearts. He finds us where we are and lets us know that he is with us. Even when we mess up. Even when we forget about him. Even when we are running away from him. Even when we don’t really expect him to show up. He sticks with us to the end.
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She had every reason to assume that she was about to be condemned to a horrific and agonizing death by stoning. She saw the sharp, hard rocks the men were holding and shuddered as she imagined them striking her head and body until all life was beaten out of her.
But Jesus had a better plan. He always does.
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