So, I did some thinking over the weekend and it is hard to pick just one favorite verse. So I have three different ones.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3: 22-23
Lamentations 3 has a special place for me because I deal with and suffer from depression/anxiety. The whole first half of this chapter is sorrowful and you really feel the authors feelings of being beaten down, but the most awesome thing happens in the second half of the chapter…HOPE springs and that’s where these two verses come in to play for me.
God is always with us, He is always kind, He is always forgiving and compassionate. It says, EVERY MORNING His love is new…to me, this fills me with joy and helps me face the day no matter how I am feeling.
It amazes me that God can love us so much that no matter the argument the day before, He LOVES us like a brand new toy or car or the best thing we may have. Like the argument or whatever never happened. We are all so VERY blessed over and over every day, we just have to pause, be silent and be grateful to see it.
People look at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7
This verse is like a warm blanket to wrap around me. No matter how hard it is sometimes, especially for women with body shaming issues and self-esteem issues particularly when in the teen years, this verse helps me look at what really matters. Where our heart is, there is our destination. And God doesn’t care about imperfections because He made us and our imperfections are actually what makes us each beautiful and unique. God wants us to be focused on the daily practices of taking care of ourselves: prayerful meditation, exercise, good nutrition, good sleep, mindful of the “entertainment” we take in. This verse reminds me where my heart is, that is most important. Not our intentions, but our direction/practices determine our destination.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
Philippians 2:14
This one speaks to our household for sure! As a mother, teaching my son to do things he doesn’t want to do without grumbling, complaining, eyerolling, muttering under his breath……it is not easy, but it also makes me look at my behavior and try to have daddy look at his behavior because our children are our mirrors. So, they do what they see. And this verse helps me to remember, if I do things with a glad heart, then hopefully my son will learn to as well. That in doing things with a glad heart makes everything better. Learning how to do this is a daily practice, again learning to breathe, step back, think first act second. I am realizing every day the places where I need to do better so that Ryan can learn better and hopefully do better too.
God’s Peace,
Lisa Yanicke