Tag: Jeremiah 29:11

Little Miss #3

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

This scripture has been used in many writings and in prayers. Today I use it in regard for my Little Miss.

She has a heart after God. She is always ready to pray and go to church and even discuss with you what she believes. Which is an interesting thing for a seven year old.

She has never ceased to amaze me. Born early and so small, preemie clothes were big on her. She may have started out small, but nothing has challenged her. She meets challenges head on and smiles when she has passed them.

I know her future is going to be an incredible one. Unlike most little girls who want to be a princess when they grow, or a dancer or any of the little girl dreams, this one wants to be an entomologist. She loves bugs!

I didn’t even know what an entomologist was until I was an adult. Plus, the study of bugs? No, not me. Bugs need to be stomped on, smashed and thrown away. I often wonder why they were created, but I know they have a purpose.

Little Miss loves her bugs. She knows which are beneficial and which aren’t. She will retrieve bugs from the swimming pool, grabbing a net, pulling them out, talking to them and placing them where they will be okay.

She is saddened by those she hasn’t recovered. She intrigues me with her knowledge and love for all things.

Our God gave each of us an innate ability and gift. This child can be all girl, frills, and shoes and jewelry, what you think of with a little girl, but residing deep in her is a respect for God’s creatures. The little ones. The ones we step on without a thought.

I have often been scolded, “Oh, Grammy, you just killed a bug”. I think nothing of it and yet she is thinking of the bug’s family.

Lord, may she grow continually noticing what You have created. Keep her heart pure and open. Let her serve You with a power and might. Use her mightily for Your kingdom. Amen

Be Anxious for Nothing

Published on by marycatherinethomas2 Comments

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

I remember when my girls were little. There would be times in their lives where they would come to me worried about something. We would talk it through, I would pray with them and it would seem to be settled. This scene would be repeated until the event they were worried about would pass.

How often do we do this as adults? We fret and stew over things. My husband always says to me, “worry is like an ugly dog, it looks worse when it is coming than when it goes”. He is so right. Worry has a way of contorting everything.

Worry and anxiety are pretty close together when it comes to words. The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing. It seems like a simple thing, doesn’t it?

Once more, today, I am anxious for this season of my life to be past. I am tired of not being able to do everything I normally do. I found myself yelling at Dale for a very simple thing today. I allowed myself to be anxious. He, as usual, met my ire with calm. How he does that, I don’t know. But, this I do know, Dale reflected Jesus to me. In my anxiety and worry over things, I received a calm and peaceful answer.

I know the Lord would do the same thing. It’s okay, there is a time and purpose for this all. Lord, for my anxiousness and for those who are reading who are anxious, fill us with Your calm, with Your peace and let it sink in that nothing escapes Your attention or care.

” For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

A Case of the What If’s

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I watched Little Shop of Horrors once. All I can remember is the plant singing for Seymour to feed him. I recall Rick Moranis’ character dreading going near the plant knowing there would be a demand for a feeding. He knew he would do something he would not want to do

Similarly waiting in a dentist’s office, hearing the drill going in the next room, knowing you are next. It will be your turn to sit in that chair. Your turn to hear that drill start up. It’s not a pleasant feeling.

Today I sat in a waiting room. It was for that appointment women dread. Their turn with the torture machine. It is in that waiting room where cases of the “What if’s” are birthed. The room was not filled, and it truly is a pleasant room to sit in. Comfortable chairs and couches fill the room. A waterfall peacefully spills down a wall. Music from my youth is now chosen as the ‘elevator’ music that quietly plays in the background.

I always think of the 23rd Psalm while sitting there. Verses 2 and 3 somehow come to mind whenever I see a waterfall. “He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.”(NLT) Although looking around the room I see faces strained with worry and fear. Fear and anxiety in these circumstances can be contagious, it is the nature of the beast.

I do tend to not enjoy these times, but I know well that the Lord heals in these circumstances. I have experienced such healing. I sit in those rooms reminding myself of the healing and thanking God that He is in control of all areas of my life.

I remind myself of the what if’s. What if they find something? They find something, nothing you can do to change that. What if they need to do further testing? Would I rather know than wonder? What if it is cancer? Well, the last I recall the C in Christ is more powerful than the C in cancer.

What if’s can infiltrate your mind, causing unrest and panic. We do not serve a God of panic. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NKJV)

If the God who created us knows the number of hairs on our head, He knows what the ‘what if’s’ in your life are. He does not sit on His throne of Grace wringing His hands wondering what to do next. No, He knows the plans for our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

I choose to give my what if’s to my Lord. He can deal with them better than I can.