Category: Growth

A mind that leads to Life and Peace

A mind that leads to Life and Peace

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’ve been battling frustration lately, over things I have no control over. When I am frustrated or upset, I talk out loud; this is one of my biggest flaws.

Have you ever done that? Talk to yourself out loud, complaining to your self? When I do this others can hear what I’m saying and often take offense to it.

Complaining out loud can make a situation worse, because even when you aren’t trying to offend others, it can and does happen.

Can anyone relate to this? Have you ever gotten so frustrated that you become blind to your own behavior and say things aloud that can offend another person? If so, you are not alone and neither am I. But let’s be mature enough not to justify our actions. For we should never meet evil with evil or bad with bad. We must be wiser and do better.

I disappoint myself when I allow my frustration to get the best of me and allow it to shift my mood into one which is cold. I’m human so people I care about disappoint me and frustrate me, that’s normal, but I know I need to learn to manage my frustration better. I don’t want to be an ugly person with an ugly attitude, that’s not who God called me to be.

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In Romans 8:6, God’s word says that to overcome reacting in our flesh, we must allow the Holy Spirit to to control our mind and lead us. Funny thing is, when we are angry we tend to forget that we should be relying on God to lead us. But when we do it without the Holy Spirit, just where does replying based off our emotions get us? No where better.

Tonight this is my prayer:

Father God, help me to be mindful enough to get alone in your presence when I feel myself becoming frustrated rather than letting that frustration consume my mind in the moment. Holy Spirit fill me and lead me so that I may be obedient to your will and your purpose for my life. Holy Spirit allow your peace to come upon me in those moments and redirect my actions. Help me to seek your lead rather then behaving like someone I don’t want to be. Father, I know I have no control over others. But by your spirit Lord, I can try to control my own actions. Help me to seek you and to grow and overcome. Strengthen me and cover me in your peace. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏

Growing with you,

Sandy

His Love Will Shine Through

His Love Will Shine Through

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When Jesus holds your heart, no matter what you do to hide, He will always shine through!!

There have been times I’ve tried to hide who I am and deny that God called me to share his heart. I’ve labeled myself unworthy, lost, sinful, not smart enough, not holy enough, and more. I’ve listened to people tell me I was fake and how hypocritical christians are. And I’ve felt useless in those moments.

I’ve come to realize that may be the opinion for some, but no matter how many times I ignore the Lord’s pull on my heart nor how many times I deem myself to be unworthy he continues to remind me that his call is simple:

No matter how many times you’re knocked down, keep choosing to get back up & draw closer to me, I your Lord, will do the rest.

For he is the light 💡 and the only one which can never be dimmed.

God isn’t asking us to be perfect. He knows that we will make mistakes and sin. But don’t label yourself what you are not. Do not be defined by opinions, mistakes, your bad days, or by the voices in your head telling you what you are not.

Let God’s love shine through and allow others to see that you are a work in progress. You’re set apart because you are called by him, to remind others of his sacrifice and undying love ❤️

Father God,

We thank you for your unconditional, undying love. We thank you that you are so amazing that you have chosen us and called us. Lord when we feel weak and unworthy, remind us who we are. Remind us that it is your light [YOUR LOVE] that will ultimately shine through. We know that mistakes will be made. But remind us to never loose sight of who we are in you. Thank you for being the light within.

Amen 🙏

Growing with you,

Sandy

Be Light 💡

Be Light 💡

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This world can seem so dark and many of us are living wounded in a daily struggle just trying get by. We all have internal & external battles taking place. So while my life does have dark moments, even when I am in my own storm, I still must consciously choose to help uplift others who reach out in need. Trust me, when in your own storm this is a very hard thing to do.

Sometimes I feel like I have nothing to give. But as I worshiped him this morning, God reminded me that I do: I have Jesus to give.

When others come to me and they are struggling with heavy hearts I can be a light by reminding them that Jesus is their anchor! I am to let them know that Jesus will sustain them through their storm. He has done it for me time and time again, and he will do the same for them.

When you feel unworthy to be a giver or unworthy to be an example to anyone due to the personal battle you may still be fighting, be reminded that even in your storm YOU STILL CAN BE LIGHT💡 and you can still help encourage others. Show them to Jesus. That is the very thing which he has called you to do! Make a choice to still serve others and in due time, you too will be blessed and overcome the battle you are in.

Lets Pray:

Father God we thank you. We thank you for loving us when we are too weak to love ourselves. We thank you for the gift of family, friends and sometimes even strangers which you strategically place in our lives to help lift our spirits and show us that there is still light. Father we know that there are dark days we will face in this world. Remind us that we are not alone. Lord Jesus, remind us that we can still be light even when we are fighting our own battles. Give us the strength to run to you when we don’t know the way to go. Lead us, fill us and direct us Lord. Remind us we are yours and that you are by our sides in every circumstance. May we never forget that you are here. Comfort those who feel unworthy, hurt, and incapable of being used. Strengthen us to look to you to fight our battles so that we can help our fellow brothers and sisters in need. Father move in our hearts and help us to walk in the purpose you set out for us. Bless all those just trying to find a way. Remind us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

In Jesus name, we give you all the Glory for the healing that will take place going forward. Amen.

~Growing with you! ❤️ Sandy

Be Your Own Brave

Be Your Own Brave

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 5 Comments

As children we role played and pretended to be superheros. Playing make-believe allowed us to pretend to be someone else; someone who was strong, fearless and powerful. Through imagination we were able activate the power within ourselves to conquer whatever obstacle stood in our way.

As adults, we all still want to be the brave one who faces battles head on with confidence knowing we will come out victorious. But many of us have to dig deep sometimes to find this inner courage.

As we experience life, we are faced with many challenges and struggles we never imagined would come our way. Sometimes we are faced with battles out of no where that we were never prepared to face or fight. No one is spared from coming face to face with betrayal, grief, tragedy, illness, addiction, racism, unemployment, demotion, hatred or even anger at one point or another.

When life happens and your face to face with the impossible, know that with time and God by your side you can and will be a victorious conqueror.

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Broken with Purpose

Broken with Purpose

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This has been a trying year for me. I have experienced anger, sadness and disappointment after having people test both my character and my faith.

I created this blog to be obedient to the calling on my heart and share experiences in order to encourage others and share with them God’s unconditional love for all. I knew that sharing personal experiences would mean having to be transparent, and frankly, this meant opening myself up to negative criticism.

When you share your faith with the world there will be individuals who will criticize or judge you because they either disagree with you, dislike you, or feel that you’re not good enough to offer encouragement due to your mistakes. Read more ›

Savoring the Crumb

Savoring the Crumb

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 6 Comments

pablo (2)Have you ever tasted something that was so good you enjoyed every piece of it and savored the very last crumb? The last crumb from a delicious dessert can be quite satisfying.

Have you every been so hungry that you would give anything to have a few crumbs just to hold you over? When you’re starving the idea of having crumbs to savor seems so satisfying.  But reality is crumbs can only hold you over, they are not enough to fill you.

Food is not the only thing we savor.

There are many people who are in a state of brokenness longing for the company of another. They struggle with emptiness and loneliness and would do anything to escape the feelings of abandonment or neglect.

When someone is neglected they crave every crumb of affection they can get. Just like a neglected puppy craves attention from anyone who will love him. Not only do we crave the crumbs but sometimes we feel like one. I recall a time when a relationship I treasured ended.  I couldn’t understand what I did wrong and that unknown made me feel like I held no value to the person.

While some savor the last crumb of their meal others throw away their crumbs. Crumbs can be satisfying to one person yet worthless to another.

If you’re facing any type of rejection know that you are not worthless.  It took me a little bit of time to realize that my value was not tied to the person that left me.  If you are in this place or in a place of loneliness or longing, I pray that you will know that you are treasured and loved.
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A Critical Spirit

A Critical Spirit

by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

via Daily Prompt: Critical

crit·i·cal
adjective
1. expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments.

When you are critical of someone or something you tend to be expressing your disapproval or judgement on something they did or said. When I go onto social media lately, it seems that critical comments and posts are the norm. I see battles and arguments over politics and religion daily now. It seems as though everyone is out to prove that someone else is wrong. What happened to respecting others? Does respect even exist anymore?

Many are being quick to speak and put others down and react out of emotion.  This is not always good or healthy.  As a mother, I do my best to teach my daughter to think before speaking or posting on social media. I believe that our words [and posts] are a reflection of our character. While I don’t live my life based on what others think of me, I live trying to be mindful of the way my words or comments make others feel. Of course I am human so I too have made the mistake of blurting something out that I have regretted after the fact, but I do my best to be cautious with my words and statements.

Words should be used to build other up, not break them down.

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