Forgive Them, They don’t know any better…

July 13, 2022July 13, 2022 by madepiecebypiece ♥ 2 Comments

There will come a time when we all will be hurt by someone. When this time comes, you must learn to forgive them. Some people just don’t know any better.

But how can they not know better? Well, they don’t realize that they’ve hurt you, because they are too consumed with themselves and what it is that they want. They are full of pride.

The Bible tells us that pride is the evil way.

The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.” - Proverbs 8:13 AMP

Forgiveness is hard, but it will release you from emotional ties to the person and to the situation. Forgiveness is your healing. It shifts the focus off of them and onto yourself.

Staying focused on them and what they did to hurt or offend will keep you in torture. Despising them will only keep you from your healing.

Keep them at a distance. Guard your heart. Set boundaries and pray for them. Is it hard to pray for those who hurt you? Yes!! But through God’s strength, you can, because his power is made perfect in our weakness!! (Read 2nd Corinthians 12:9).

When someone dismisses your value, disrespects you, or makes you feel invisible, Forgive them!! Pray for God to reveal his truth to them and open their eyes. Pray that he will cause them to realize their mistake and repent. Pray that they would accept salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and choose to follow him.

Don’t dwell on the way they left you feeling. Trust that God has gone before you. He knew this would happen and he is redirecting you in order to protect you. The desires of our own hearts are generally not his best for us.

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4

Many people take this scripture (Psalm 37:4) out of context. I know that I have. There was a time when I read this and thought it meant, if I follow God he will give me the desires of my heart. But, as I grew in the Lord, I learned that my interpretation of this word was incorrect. It was not about what I wanted or desired. It was about God’s plans for me and what he wants for me.

When we “delight in the Lord” we have righteous desires. Delighting in the Lord means we are aligning ourselves with what God wants for us. And isn’t that far greater!? God is our protector and he knows what is best for us far more than we ever could imagine!

“Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.” He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases. He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you.”Psalm 91:1-4 GNTD

Father God, Thank you for loving us and protecting us. You are our refuge and we thank you for keeping us safe from the dangers that we do not see. Father you created us to love and fellowship with others, you created us for relationship. Father God, when we are left hurt or confused by others who cause us to feel unworthy, disrespected or just not enough, remind us that your plans are far greater than anything we could ever desire or imagine for ourselves. Help us to trust in you Lord. Change our hearts and our desires so that they are one in the same with what you want for us. Remove anything that is not from you from our lives and our paths. Lord, give us the strength to pray for those who hurt us, because we know that many times they are not aware of what they are doing. And in the times that they are aware, we know that they are far too weak to do the right thing. We thank you that our strength comes from you Lord. We know that we can do all things through your strength alone. Strengthen us so that we may always do that which is right, and that which is your will. Father, we thank you for your protection and for your redirection. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Growing with you, Sandy

Not all that is Broken can be Put Back Together

June 10, 2022June 10, 2022 by madepiecebypiece ♥ 2 Comments

One afternoon I was cleaning up my living room with my daughter who was two at the time. Her toys were everywhere and as we were cleaning I came across a broken toy. I told her that the toy had to get thrown out because it was broken. Hearing that really upset her and she began to cry.

As I tried explaining to my toddler that this particular toy could not be fixed, she repeatedly said to me, “Nooo, it’s still good”. She was so upset and I said to her, “But Mama, it is broken, it will no longer work.” She looked up at me with her eyes full of tears and said, “Yes! It can be fixed, it’s still good.” She wanted to keep this broken toy and did not want to accept that Mommy couldn’t fix it for her.

I tried to explain to her, some things can be fixed and some just can’t. But her little heart was broken and she couldn’t understand what I was trying to explain to her. She was frustrated and kept insisting to me that we could fix it and continuously asked me over and over to please try to fix it.

Once she calmed down I redirected her to all her other toys and played with her to remind her of all her other blessings. That time together restored her joy & she was reminded of all her other fun toys.

Sometimes we are so caught up on the one thing we no longer have, that we loose sight of all the other good things we do have and all the good that is to come.

Isn’t that the case in life? We hold onto things not realizing that they are actually broken and they can never be fixed. We treasure things that are of value to us, so even when they are falling apart we hold tightly onto them, and continue trying over and over to repair them. But sometimes, no matter how much or how hard you try, they remain broken.

After I got my daughter to sleep later that night, I laid next to her and began to imagine how God, our father, felt when we cry and plead to him asking him to fix our broken relationships, restore our broken families, or fix situations that cannot be fixed. Surely it must hurt him to hear his children crying out for something they don’t know isn’t his best for them.

God is all powerful and is a miracle worker, but imagine how hurt he must feel knowing that we want him to fix something that he simply cannot give back to us? As our Father, he does not want to see us in pain, just as we don’t want to see our babies hurting. But, he knows we must accept that he alone knows what is best, even when we can’t understand why.

Have you been in this place? Are you there now? Are you struggling to let go of something that is broken because you can’t understand why it can’t be fixed or restored even when you’ve done all you can? I was there too.

If you’re struggling in this place today, I pray that you would pray and ask the Lord to heal your heart. I pray you’d ask him to give you the strength to find acceptance and to trust that you can move forward without what is now broken.

To move forward and heal you must place your situation into God’s hands. Ask him for the strength to accept his will, even if it is not the outcome you are hoping for. Pray and ask for God to heal your heart and give you the obedience and patience to be able to wait for his plans to come to pass in your life.

God prepares us for our future blessings and he equips us to be ready for them.

Sometimes our hearts desires do not line up with his will or timing for our lives. God has seasons for everything, ask that he help you discern and accept the season he has you in. Rather than desperately trying to hold onto a season that is past and already gone, move forward with hope for the blessings to come.

May we seek to learn the lesson and trust God even when we do not get what we think we need.

God allows painful situations in order to teach us valuable life lessons and to change our hearts. He let me experience loss so that I could rely soley on him to experience what love was.

God Heals Our Pain, Jeremiah 33:6. Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.

God Comforts Us, 2 Corinthians 1:3–4. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

God has Purpose in all Things, Romans‬ ‭8:28-29. We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers.

God is Our Strength in Every Situation, Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Father God,
We thank you because we know that you are a loving God and that you desire to protect us from anything that would cause harm to us. Father, many of us have things in our lives that have broken and are irreparable, but we are hanging onto them hoping for restoration and hoping that things will be fixed. Father, humble those in this struggle so that they may turn to you and seek to be strengthened so that they may move forward. Father, your word says that there is a season for everything, help your children to accept when a season has ended and place that which is broken into your hands so that their hearts can be healed and restored. Situations and circumstances may be shattered beyond repair, but our hearts are not. Father, heal like only you can. Bring acceptance, strength and renew your children’s spirits. Father we know that you make all things new, reveal to your children that you have greater in store for their future and remind them of your unfailing love for them. Although what they have lost hurts deeply, remind them of your promises Oh God. Your plans are to give us peace not suffering and a hope and a future. We thank you oh Lord for your love & protection. And we trust you father.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Growing with you,

Sandy

Letting Go is Hard, but there is a Blessing in the Lesson

A mind that leads to Life and Peace

June 3, 2021March 8, 2022 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

Begin Anywhere

April 9, 2021April 15, 2021 by madepiecebypiece ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Change is hard. When life seems to be falling apart we either struggle to hold it all together or we just give up. When you feel defeated and as if pieces of your life or situation are all over the place, that is when it is time to take a break, slow down, pray and put things into perspective.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, give yourself time to feel and sort through the pieces.

I’ve never been one to love puzzles, I’ve always found it overwhelming to look at 500+ pieces all at once. But I do know that when you invest the time to just pick up one piece and slowly start to build, eventually you create an amazing picture. By taking the time to slowly focus, and take it piece by piece, with patience you can put together what seemed at first to be a very overwhelming project.

In real life, we face challenges of all kinds. You get through one hardship or obstacle only to be faced with another. When you feel overwhelmed don’t avoid the issue and don’t run from the situation. Instead, take time to rest and spend time with GOD.

There’s something about being in GOD’s presence, he brings peace that can come from no other.
{Look up Philippians 4:7}

Many of us are so focused on trying to take control of our circumstances or on running away from them, that we fail to invest time to find mental clarity. Once these important steps (rest, time with God, refocusing) are realized and completed, that is when it will be easier to actually pick up one piece and begin creating something new or begin to restore pieces which seem irreparable.

It doesn’t matter where you start, what matters is remembering that you will get no where if you don’t begin somewhere.

Nothing is perfect and not many things come easy or without struggle.

When I have a problem all I can think about is how the issue can be eliminated. I don’t want to struggle, be hurt or feel defeated. But sometimes GOD allows certain things to break because it just wasn’t what he had planned for us. If we seek his guidance through the uncertainty, and invest time, eventually all pieces come together as GOD planned for them to.

After completing a puzzle many are left with a feeling of accomplishment. Their final result is an awesome picture made by themselves (or family and friends who may have contributed). Life is very similar to puzzles. As we navigate through life, each challenge, situation, and hardship are strategic pieces that are needed to create a bigger picture – Your life story.

GOD blessed you with purpose, chase it!

When we are overwhelmed with what seems like a mess, we are incapable of seeing the masterpiece that God has created. So when we are overwhelmed, lets run to GOD rather than running away. Lets set on our minds towards focusing on each circumstance, moment by moment, step by step, building piece by piece. One day we will reflect back in awe and pride.

Don’t allow giving up to be an option. Make up your mind not to turn back. GOD is a finisher of all things. We are not battling relationships, family, friends, or problems. We are battling our minds which the enemy fights to gain control over. Do not allow him to make you feel defeated. Decide that you are not a quitter and begin picking up those pieces.

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) says this, “And I am certain that GOD, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Father GOD,
We thank you today for your love and mercy. Father you are good and have a perfect plan set out for each of us. Father when we feel defeated or overwhelmed, help us to call upon your name. May we never quit and never label ourselves as being incapable of accomplishing the work that you have called each of us to. Father, we know that in time all pieces are needed for a greater purpose. Please help us to never loose sight of that.

In Jesus name, Amen

Reflect: What situation or challenge are you currently being faced with? Are you feeling as if you just don’t know where to begin? Bring your pieces before the LORD and ask GOD to redirect you so that all things fall into their proper intended place.

Growing with you,

Sandy