Monday, December 31, 2012
Top 5 posts of 2012
As we usher in a new year I wish you all a very healthy & Happy New Year.
I have one more week enjoying my children & husband before we go back to our regular routines. Next week I will be back to share with you how God is speaking to my heart. Until then I hope you enjoy the top 5 posts of 2012.
In His Calm,
Mary
#5 - Thankful Thursday ~ Trusting God fully
#4 - Thankful Thursday ~ a nest full of eggs...
#3 - Thankful Thursday - Mercy, Peace and Love...
#2 - Labels
#1 - Thankful Thursday - The grace to try again...
Friday, December 28, 2012
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
from my family to yours.
May God Bless you as you sit in His Presence!
As 2012 ends I am so very thankful for each one of you who walked the journey of this year with me here at The Calm of His Presence.
Please join me in January as I share with you the many ways He has been speaking to my heart the last few months, until then may you feel His Calming Presence with you each and every step you take.
In His Calm,
Mary
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thankful Thursday ~ Little things
This list of 1000 Gifts has been a year in the making. As I've gotten closer to 1000 I've kept in mind that the 1000th Thanks needed to be BIG... a culmination of many thanks. I've actually held off finishing the list because I haven't been able to come up with anything BIG enough.
But last night after a conversation with a friend I realized it's not the big things that make the biggest impact. It's all the small, seemingly unimportant things that add up to change a life from focusing on self to focusing on the Great Amazing Love of God.
Sure, big moments make impacts and direct focus on God but big moments aren't constant.
It's in the whisper of the song bird... the bright flash across the night sky... the giggle of a child... the dirty laundry scattered across the floor... the blown tire... and the many more small moments of life that when we stop to reflect on who blessed us with those moments - good & bad - we realize how blessed we are.
God is constant! He never changes! He never leaves! His love is always faithful!
And for that I am thankful. Thankful for the many ways He shows His love for me each and everyday. Even in the moments I don't think are so good when I stop to thank Him for them my attitude changes, my heart softens and the focus is taken off of me and placed on Him.
So, thank you God! Thank you for the good, the bad & the in between. Thank you for the big & the small. Thank you for every perfect gift you give me each day. May I seek you and all the moments you give me and continue this counting of gifts in 2013.
Continuing the Joy Dare #995 - #1013
But last night after a conversation with a friend I realized it's not the big things that make the biggest impact. It's all the small, seemingly unimportant things that add up to change a life from focusing on self to focusing on the Great Amazing Love of God.
Sure, big moments make impacts and direct focus on God but big moments aren't constant.
It's in the whisper of the song bird... the bright flash across the night sky... the giggle of a child... the dirty laundry scattered across the floor... the blown tire... and the many more small moments of life that when we stop to reflect on who blessed us with those moments - good & bad - we realize how blessed we are.
God is constant! He never changes! He never leaves! His love is always faithful!
And for that I am thankful. Thankful for the many ways He shows His love for me each and everyday. Even in the moments I don't think are so good when I stop to thank Him for them my attitude changes, my heart softens and the focus is taken off of me and placed on Him.
So, thank you God! Thank you for the good, the bad & the in between. Thank you for the big & the small. Thank you for every perfect gift you give me each day. May I seek you and all the moments you give me and continue this counting of gifts in 2013.
Continuing the Joy Dare #995 - #1013
- "stolen" moments with my husband
- meteor shower on a cold, clear night in the mountains
- sunrise in the mountains
- laughter with friends
- picking my kids up from school after a night away
- my son running off the bus to give me one more kiss & hug goodbye
- excitement on my daughter's face when she finds out she's going to The Nutcracker
- 2 "fur balls" jumping & barking with excitement
- new dress
- new shoes
- picture with the Sugar Plum Fairy
- special dinner with Mommy & Daddy
- mounds of laundry after a weekend away
- visiting with Santa & Mrs Claus
- voices of children singing Christmas carols for their parents
- Christmas parties at school & dance
- candy canes galore
- children singing Christmas carols at a Nursing Home
- address Christmas cards
In His Calm,
Mary
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Thankful Thursday ~ Trusting God fully
-->
Counting the Joy Dare #987 - #994:
The Angel went to her and said,
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is
with you." Luke 1:28
Can you
imagine it, you, as a young girl being visited by an Angel?
You're going
about your daily activities
- getting dressed for school
- thinking about the test that you have coming up
- wondering what you and your friends are going to do over the weekend
and an Angel
of the Lord appears to you. How might you feel? Afraid? Awestruck? Excited?
Mary was
afraid, not knowing what was going on and what was going to happen.
"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary,
you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will
never end." Luke 1:30-33
As a young
girl how would you respond to the Angel?
- Are you kidding me? I'm just a girl who is enjoying her youth. I'm not responsible enough to have a baby.
- What will my friends think of me? What will my parents say? Oh no my Dad is going to kill me.
Mary had
concerns of her own. After all, she was a virgin who was engaged to be married.
"'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am
a virgin?'" Luke 1:34
Being an unwed
mother Mary faced countless consequences
- being ridiculed by her friends
- deserted by her fiancé
- if her family turned their backs on her she could be forced out onto the street.
But despite
the potential ramifications Mary was obedient to the call of God.
"'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered, 'May it be
to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her." Luke 1:38
Mary had faith
that God would take care of her. She knew that God was calling her onto a path
that was going to be the most difficult she had ever faced but, in faith, she
answered YES to that call. She trusted that no matter
- how hard the road became
- how many people turned their backs on her
- or how bad the gossip became
she was going
to follow God.
Mary knew God
had a marvelous plan. She knew that He could see the big picture.
And as a lowly
girl she was humbled to be called to such a task.
Do you feel
unworthy for the task God has called you to?
Are you afraid
of what following Him will cost you?
Will you be
like Mary and trust that God will protect you and guide you down the path He
has called you to?
- decorating for Christmas
- great family time while looking for a tree
- twinkling lights
- the smell of evergreen filling the house
- protection as I ran a red light
- a quiet house
- the pride I feel while watching my kids step out of their comfort zones
- lunch with my sister
In His Calm,
Mary
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
