rest

  • First Friday Prayers: Prayer for the Caregiver

    ByLauren Christian, Dravet Syndrome, Grace & Truth Link Up, prayer, rest
    12 Comments

    Today is World Day of Prayer.  How appropriate for the first Friday of the month, when we alway pray together.  It’s also Caregiver Appreciation Day.  Caregiving can be rewarding, exhausting, heartbreaking and up lifting.  And those feelings can change on a dime.  I can’t think of a better prayer to offer today than a prayer for the caregiver. (It’s also National If Pets Had Thumbs Day, but I wouldn’t know where to begin praying for that!)

     

    The term caregiver covers a lot of ground.  It can be a family member or a paid helper who looks after a child, the sick, the elderly or disabled.  In just my close family we have foster parents, adults taking care of their elderly parents, adults taking care of their sick spouses and Chuck and I taking care of our disabled daughter.  I know for us personally, there are moments I’m not sure we can continue to do it, and moments we can’t imagine our lives any other way.  But caregiving is always a lot.

     

    If you fall into the caregiving category, seek out some social supports for yourself, if you don’t already have them.  Find ways to take breaks when at all possible, and look into counseling if you feel overwhelmed.  Caregiving can be isolating, so stay involved in church to the extent you can and ask for help!  And pray this scripture over yourself or others you know in this situation:

     

    “I remain confident of this:
        I will see the goodness of the Lord
        in the land of the living.
     Wait for the Lord;
        be strong and take heart
        and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

     

     

    If you are a caregiver, I see you.  I am you.  Know that you are not alone and I am praying for you.  If you have a specific prayer request or just need an ear to listen, please send me a message to [email protected]t.  It would be an honor.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word post, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

    Lauren

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    I don’t know if it’s because my baby is a senior in high school this year, but Lois Flower’s post The Unexpected Blessing of a Newly Surfaced Photo gave me all the nostalgic feels.  Thanks, Lois.

    The Link Up

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

  • Resting in the Prince of Peace

    ByLauren Bible reading, Christian, Christmas, Grace & Truth Link Up, Holy Spirit, Jesus, joy, prayer, rest
    10 Comments

    Prince of Peace“For to us a child is born,
        to us a son is given,
        and the government will be on his shoulders.
    And he will be called
        Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6 NIV

     

    This verse comes up often in the month of December.  Whether the world knows it or not, everyone turns their attention to the celebration of the Savior’s birth into His earthly body.  One He only occupied for a few years, but through which He became EVERYTHING to us.  The tiny baby in our nativity sets grew up to die in our place for our sins and resurrect on the third day!  That’s why we observe Christmas.  And why we call Him – among other things – the Prince of Peace.  Hallelujah.  What a Savior! 

     

    My journey with a Word of the Year began in 2021.  I focused on trust, and now rest, and next year joy.  It has all been a quest to learn how to live with peace in this broken, painful world.  So when reading the familiar passage above, my heart lingered on the name Prince of Peace.

     

    I heard someone on a podcast reference John 14:27 recently.

     

    “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

     

    In this passage, Jesus prepares His followers for His impending death.  And with it He prepares us for the long Advent until He comes again.  Although familiar to me, what the podcaster said about this verse fell fresh on me.  She said that Jesus already gave us peace.  It is as much a gift as anything wrapped under our trees.  Let me reiterate, we have peace now!

     

    The Message version of John 14:27 says,  “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you.”  New Living Translation? “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.”

     

    Those of us in Christ don’t need to search for peace or go through any rituals to obtain it.  But how can we feel it?  That’s the challenge, isn’t it.  If we presently possess peace – remember, the Prince of Peace didn’t say He would give it at a future time, but that He already did – why does it often feel so absent?

     

    How to Feel Peace

     

    Peace is a gift; however, God also includes it in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Therefore, a life lived walking with the triune God produces peace.  We must take the gift our Prince gave us and cultivate it.  Peace can cover us like a cozy blanket (we are talking about rest after all) when we keep a clear conscience with God.  Obedience, time spent reading and meditating on God’s Word and prayer which includes regular confession keep us in step with our Prince, our Father and the Holy Spirit.

     

    I can’t think of a better time to recommit ourselves to these disciplines.  There is magic (or maybe it’s just me) in spending time with our Savior by the Christmas tree and twinkle lights.  And as we still ourselves and slow down long enough, we can feel the peace He so freely gave.

     

    We can rest on that.  Shalom.

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    God has been putting the word “joy” in front of me, as I mentioned above.  And Barbara Lee Harper wrote about a book that sounds like just the ticket in Joy:  A Godly Woman’s Adornment.

    The Link Up

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.