Beautiful Diamonds

Lord,

I don't think I'm smart or very pretty.

I'm not shaped the way I would like to be.

I've made mistakes and broken promises.

I don't measure up to others' expectations.

My beloved child,

I love you just as you are.

You are one of My diamonds

That dazzles and sparkles.

My precious diamonds come

In many colors, shapes, and sizes.

They are all beautifully different

And wonderfully unique.

You were created out of love.

I cut and shape every diamond.

The process is often long and arduous,

I use a sharp blade to get just the right shape.

I press each one against the grinding wheel to smooth off the rough edges. I polish each one until I see a perfect reflection of love looking back at Me.

I submerge each diamond in water

And bring it up new.

Color and size don't matter, child,

It's the reflection and sparkle that's in view.

You are beautifully different and perfectly unique. So never doubt your worth,

For you are worth everything to Me.

Amen.

A Promise

You felt defeated

You felt unneeded

Unsure of where to turn

Or where to go

You doubted

You stomped your feet

And shut the door

Oh so stubborn

Refusing to get on board

Then you slowly opened the door

Only an inch or two at first

Your toe peeked out

As if testing the waters

You looked up

A sweet little smile crossed your face

Then you took My hand

A new life

Waiting just for you

Different than before

I made you a promise

To give you hope and a future

Welcome to your new life

Our next adventure

A Pebble

A pebble tumbles through a river,

Falling and colliding with other stones.

Sharp edges are lost

As it battles many storms.

After years of surviving turbulent waters,

It finally finds peace and rest,

When it lays in the soft river bed.

When the pebble emerges,

It is perfectly polished,

Shaped and molded,

Beautifully transformed

To reflect God’s love and grace.

We are Called

God calls us His Beloved,

Children of the Most High.

He offers us freedom,

He offers forgiveness,

He offers us salvation.

He asks us to step forward

And claim His gift of salvation.

When God parted the Red Sea,

The Israelites had to step out in faith

And walk between the parted seas.

We, too, are called to step out in faith

And receive everlasting life.

His invitation still stands.

What will our answer be?

Go ahead, take a step,

And then another,

Claim this wonderful gift,

Receive everlasting life,

Be His child.

A Prayer for the Storms

Lord, I pray to You in the morning,

I pray again most every night.

I thought I was in a good place

And getting most things right.

But before I knew it,

I was drawn into an argument,

Which quickly turned into war.

Hurtful words were spoken,

Tears of pain ran down my face.

They cut right through me,

Then my heart began to break.

I fought my way through it,

Thinking I could fix this,

I could do this on my own.

Then the lightening cracked

And the thunder roared,

Things went horribly wrong.

What I needed was Your guidance,

Your light shining through.

I needed Your help in the darkness,

Showing me a way to get back to You.

We needed Your love in our hearts,

Words of kindness

Needed to be spoken

So healing could begin.

Although I pray to You

In the morning,

And again most every night,

Now I realize I need

To seek You Throughout my day and night.

When the battle lines are drawn

And the storms are pouring down,

I need You more than ever,

I need to hear what You have to say.

God, please guide us

To Your love and grace,

Help us find Your peace today.

Amen.

 

 

 

Turn the Page

 

You hoped for a different outcome.

The pain still lingers.

Your life will never be the same.

You're trying to adjust, but it's a struggle.

You were happy in the past.

Jesus will restore your life,

Happy times will again.

I know you're scared.

You can do it.

Turn the page in your story and

Discover the next chapter.

Yes, it will be different.

Jesus knows you're scared,

But He is right there with you.

Take His hand, He knows the way.

He will help you turn the page.

Discover the future with Him.

It holds new joys and blessings,

So many, there will be plenty to spare.

 

 

Heaven

Sometimes I wonder,

What will heaven be like.

What will I see, what will I feel,

When I hear You call my name.

In that moment when pain and fear

Forever fade away.

You have been with me each and every day.

You have helped me climb mountains,

Then we danced when we reached the top.

You walked beside me,

Even when I doubted Your love.

You took my hand, gave me wisdom,

And helped me understand.

You carried me in the valleys,

And helped me find my way

When I was lost.

You held me close in my sorrows

And healed the holes in my heart.

We shared tears of joy and tears of pain.

When I fell You helped me up

And gave me strength,

You restored my soul.

You filled me with peace on cloudy days,

As we rested in sunlit meadows,

Filled with Your grace.

When I wonder what heaven will be like,

I realize You have been showing

Me all along.

God's Love

Lord,

Your love is patient,

Your love is kind.

You forgive the sin and darkness

I sometimes hide.

Lord, You see right through me,

You see it all,

Yet You love me just the same.

Your love is greater than my regrets,

Brighter than my darkness,

You are greater than all.

Please fill my heart with

Your love and grace.

Help me help others who are in pain.

May my joys and my sorrows,

My wounds and my scars,

Become healing music

In Your magnificent hands.

Amen.

Your Love is the Best of All

 

 

Of all the gifts ever given to me,

Of all the blessings I've ever known,

Lord, Your love is the best of all.

Of all the sunsets I've ever seen,

Of all the flowers

That have ever bloomed,

Lord, Your love is the best of all.

Of all the loves I've ever known,

Of all the friendships I've ever had,

Lord, Your love is the best of all.

Of all the races I've ever won,

Of all the success I've ever found,

Lord, Your love is the best of all.

Of all the starlit nights I've ever seen,

Of all the people I could have been,

Lord, being Your child

Is the best of all.

 

 

 

What Does the Future Hold?

The loss was more than I could take.

The future I knew is now gone.

I am afraid and feel alone.

I know You are here, Lord,

Standing beside me,

Crying with me.

You would never abandon me.

Though I cannot see You,

Or feel You near,

I know You are here.

Lord, what will my future be?

Where shall I go?

What shall I do?

In my heart I heard You say,

"Take My hand

And walk with Me.

Let go of tomorrow,

Spend today with Me.

Tomorrow,

We can bring light where there is darkness,

Hope where there is hopelessness,

Healing where there is pain."

Though, my future has changed,

Though I am unsure and a little afraid,

I know You will guide me

And give me strength.

So I won't worry about tomorrow,

For it is safely in Your hands.

Today, I will spend with You.

 

 

 

 

It Only Takes a Spark

 

God puts a spark down in our souls.

Though it might not realize it,

Though it may seem small at first,

This spark holds the birth of our faith.

It awakens us from within,

And opens our eyes to truly see,

Our ears to truly hear,

And our hearts to truly love.

Our sparks can grow into a flame,

Shining light into the darkness.

It transforms us from within,

It can change those we meet.

When we step out in faith

And give your spark a chance,

We will see our spark become a flame.

It will radiate love,

Spread hope and joy,

More sparks will awaken

And set the world aglow.

 

 

 

 

There is a Mountain I Cannot Climb on My Own

The cross was used for

Sin and shame.

It was an awful,

Sight to see.

Then You came, Lord,

And made it beautiful for me.

Your cross tells a story,

One of redemption,

Because You died for me.

I am forgiven,

Your light lives in me,

You are mine Lord,

Lord of all.

My chains are broken,

Because came to set me free.

There is a mountain,

I cannot climb.

Without Your strength, Lord,

Without Your love,

I am too weak to climb.

You gave Your life, Lord,

You washed me white.

You are with me,

So I can climb.

To the top Lord,

Together we will climb.

At the top, Lord,

I'll shout Your Name,

For You, Lord,

Are my living hope.

Jesus Christ,

Is my living hope.

 

 

Prayer for Love and Light

Lord,

Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.

Sometimes my faith is strong,

Other times it is not.

Sometimes I feel the warmth of Your love.

Other times I feel only cold from above.

You tell me You are always with me

And the warmth of Your love is always near.

But pain sometimes sows seeds of doubt,

I fear I might have lost Your goodness and grace.

I know You do not cause illness or tragedy,

I know You heal my brokenness from within,

And bring new blessings and hope.

In You I find forgiveness and strength.

Please pour out Your mercy

And shine Your love light down from above.

Amen.

 

 

Sing a Sweet Melody

Lord,

You put a song in my heart,

One I hold dear.

It's a sweet melody,

Full love, light, and good cheer.

I want to sing Your melody loud,

So they can hear of Your love

And know You are near.

I sing with joy because I am free.

You broke the chains that bound me

And helped me see.

In my heart I hear You say,

Reach out, My child, reach out.

Take your neighbor's hand

And shine your light for all to see,

This is the way,

This is how you become free.

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise.

(Psalm 101:1)

My Story, His Glory

 

Lord,

Might I have been given a different story,

An easier one, a quieter life,

One filled with more love and less pain?

But that wasn't my story, was it Lord,

You had a different plan for me.

You used my choices

And those of the people around me

To draw me closer to You.

My life had a different purpose,

One that taught me to walk with You.

I fell to my knees again and again,

Though I had trouble coping with my life,

I learned something important along the way.

I learned to look up.

I learned to lift my eyes

And seek You in all things,

My pain wasn't in vain.

My life taught me the most important thing,

I learned what it meant to be Your child.

I felt the amazing love that lives within Your heart.

I felt Your passion and devotion for me.

I learned that I had a true friend who was always with me.

I found my voice so I could share my story with the world

And give You all the glory.

I tell of the wonderful and miraculous things You have done for me

And purpose can be found in the hardest of times,

Because they drove me to pursue You.

You broke through the walls of anger and pain,

The hopelessness that I felt.

You reached down and held me close

And caught my every tear.

Day after day we walked together,

You gave me wisdom

And helped me understand.

You opened my eyes so I could truly see You.

I learned to praise You in the storms.

You let me taste a bit of heaven.

I've soared high into the clouds and seen Your beauty.

I have felt Your mercy and Your grace.

I have learned what it means to be Your child.

My story is part of Your story

And I want it to be for Your glory.

Thank You for making me part of Your story.

Thank You for loving me.

Thank You for walking next to me.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Upside Down

 

When your world has been turned upside down,

Your skies are dark and the rain is crashing down,

Look Up!

Look above the dark clouds overhead.

Look higher than the storm.

Look to the One who sees you and loves you.

Reach up, take His hand.

He will lift you above the storm,

Above the chaos that surrounds you.

He offers peace, even in the storm.

Though it may be hard to fathom, it is true.

When you seek His Presence above all else,

Unfathomable peace will flow into you.

You won't just survive this storm,

You will grow and thrive.

Take a walk with Jesus.

Live next to Him and find true joy and peace.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)

Listen to the Sound

Listen to the sound.

God is in the birth of new life.

Hear Him in the innocent laughter of a child.

He is in every sunrise warming the earth

With rays of love shining throughout the world.

God is in the notes we sing,

And the love we share.

His voice can be heard in the dark,

When we lose our way and

Whispers to us, This is the way.

He cries with us when our tears flow.

His heart breaks with ours.

God is in the death of a loved one.

He takes our loved one home

To live forever in His Love and Light.

With Him, death is a new beginning

Of a new life in heaven's splendor.

Listen, the angels sing we arrive home.

 

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

Loved by God

 

There are so many different roads I could travel. So many ways I could go. I stand at the crossroads, unsure whether to turn left or right, go forward or turn around.

     While I stand and contemplate the choices, I sense something going on inside of me. My heart stirs. I think I need to listen to the voice in my soul.  I want to make the right choice. I don't want darkness. I don't want shades of gray. I want pure light, so I listen. Soon, I hear these seven words, this is the way, walk in it. I feel drawn toward a particular road. It seems brighter than all the rest. I feel calm. I feel at peace. The Lord takes my hand and says, let's walk this way.

     As we begin our journey, I realize life feels different. I feel different. Jesus is changing me on the inside. We came across a park bench and stopped to rest. I looked into His eyes and suddenly felt like I was diving into eternity. His eyes seemed to go on forever.  I saw infinite love, infinite possibilities, and a glorious life.

     This is the road that offers this deep connection with God. On this road, I am fully known and Jesus invites me to know Him fully. Mistakes, regrets, and sin no longer matter because forgiveness, grace, and mercy are offered here. The love on this road is so very strong. It is so pure, that it becomes light, and it radiates all around. I looked at Jesus, smiled, and took His hand. I am loved by God, one of His children. I am held in His arms. He gives me strength. He gives me shelter. He is my friend, my companion, my Savior.

Sailing the Seas of Life with God

          

Many years ago, my husband and I were sailing our boat in the Mediterranean Sea. We set off from Morocco and headed to Gibraltar.

We had three sails up, the main, the jib, and the mizzen. Morocco has a large mountainous area on its north shore. When we cleared the mountain, we were at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. There was a tremendous wind force coming off the ocean. We had far too much sail up to keep control the boat.

I steered the boat into wind so my husband could take down the large jib sail. The wind was so violent that it ripped the cleat off the boat. This cleat kept the corner of jib attached to the boat. The jib had a large metal ring held by the cleat. Now that it was loose, the sail whipped around and hit my husband in the head. With blood running down his face, he turned to hand me his glasses. He told me to run the boat in circles so he could untangle the sail and get it stowed below. Using the boat's engine, we went round and round over large waves. Needless to say, this made us both quite ill. My husband finally got the sail down. He trimmed the main sail, making it smaller, so we could maintain control of the boat using the engine. The engine died. The wind took over and blew us further into the Mediterranean.

My husband spent many hours working on the engine. At three thirty in the morning, the engine finally worked. Gibraltar was now out of reach, so we headed to the nearest country, which was Spain.

Were we praying on our boat, you bet! We wanted to be rescued. We wanted to be safe. Our prayers were answered. My husband and I survived the storm and the rocky boat.

In life, storms rage on, touching all of us. They shake us to our core. Trouble and evil find us. We often feel like we are out in the ocean, tossed around by terrifying waves. Our boat no longer feels secure. We fear the storms and the violet seas of life. Just like the disciples feared when they were in a boat in the midst of a storm. Our fears rise up when the ocean waves roar. We wonder if we will capsize and be swept out to sea.

The good news is that God lives at our core. He thrives at our core. He has the strength to defeat all enemies. He has the strength to bring us back to life. He is our shelter. He is our Creator and the origin of all love. He brings miracles where there is hopelessness. He is our life, our breath, our everything.

When we lift our eyes, above the waves, above the turbulence, we find the One who can save us. He reaches down and pulls from the deep. He asks, "You are trembling with fear. Why do you doubt? Where is your confidence? Do you still not believe that I AM Almighty God? If you take my hand and stay close to My side, you will learn how to walk on water, instead of drowning in your troubles. Do you believe? Will you trust Me? Will you put your life in My hands? Only in My arms, can you experience unfathomable peace. I am the Living water, and I am essential for abundant life. Please come walk with Me."

Prayer - I'm Grateful!

Lord God,

I am so grateful for Your Presence in my life,

Every word spoken to me,

Every blessing and miracle given to me,

And every time You helped my blind eyes see.

You help me up when I fall,

Heal the brokenness I hold inside,

Bring me joy, and give me hope.

Though I deserve none of this,

You have given me all of this and so much more.

I give You my thanks and my never ending love.

Amen.

The Light

The Light of the world,

Given to us.

Love without bounds,

Given to us.

God's Glory here,

Living with us,

Reaching through darkness,

Holding us in our pain,

Shining love into the world.

God's Son is the Light.

He breaks the chains that bind us,

That try to hold us down.

The Light of the world is here to set us free.

Free to soar into the heavens,

Sing with the angels,

And find glorious joy.

The Light of the world is here

For you and me.

Leave your door open,

Let His Light shine through.

In Him is pure love.

In Him is pure light.

Lift your voice and sing praises

To our King, our Messiah,

Our Savior, the Lord of Light.