The Lord God is with me.  He is mighty to save. 

He will quiet me with His love. 

And rejoice over me with singing.  Zeph 3:17

This morning, I ran into an acquaintance who I hadn't seen since early December.  She was standing with a group of other women so I approached her and asked how her Christmas had been? 

Fine, she replied tersely, looked away and then immediately resumed her conversation with the woman standing beside her.

Ouch.

Left standing awkwardly, I managed to tell her to "take care" before I started walking away.

Seconds later I felt the hurt seep in.

What had I done?  Why does she sometimes treat me like this?  Why did I even try- with her I never know if the reception I get will be warm or icy cold.

Ultimately I know I shouldn't let people get to me so much.

But I do.

I always seem to wear my heart on my sleeve.  Which can be an enormous source of blessing in my life.  But it can also cause me a lot of pain.

How comforting it was then to spend some time meditating on today's beautiful (and thank you Lord- perfectly timed) verse!

God is with me -even if others are not

He is mighty to save -and comfort me

He will quiet -my anxious thoughts and heart- with His love

He will rejoice over me with singing - and heal my hurt

I don't know what my acquaintance is going through.  I don't know all the issues she has in her life.  But God does.

And so I will pray this verse for her today as well and trust that even at this very moment God will be drawing her close to Him and meeting her every need.



A new year. A new me?

A new year always brings out the hope in people. All around me I hear people hoping to have a better year. Goals are set. Objectives clear. 2012 is going to be the year that some things change.
Unfortunately for most of us , the goals we set in the time frame we give ourselves , are not easy to achieve. Frustration sets in. Old patterns creep back. And by mid January we have all but given up on this brand new year.
Hmmmm maybe what we all need right now is just a little bit of inspiration.
I came across a list on a blog called the change.
I love lists, especially ones that inspire me to be someone better. This list does exactly that. It's called 10 principles for personal development. And coming right on the heels of the list; 10 ways to love that I posted the other week, it's given me even more to think about and work towards.
Here it is.  I hope it just might inspire you too!


In 2012 I will:

• Be loving toward all I meet
• Forgive all who harm me
• Become what I think therefore I will only think great things
• Look for ways to strengthen those around me
• Seek the truth
• Be honest
• Never waste what I have been given
• Appreciate what I have
• Cultivate a spirit of optimism
• Deepen my faith in God

By the way, the picture at the top of this post is from the summit at Sugarloaf.  Amazing and completely inspiring in itself!

We are off to ski for a few days. So while I will be of taking a break from exploring the theme of trust, packing up the van with four kids to go skiing requires some measure of that, right??

There is something so soothing about a still, wintery day. The earth appears to be resting under a soft covering of snow.

Traveling today the landscape could hardly be described as anything other than bleak. Gray mixed with brown, a hint of green, all sprinkled with snow.
And yet despite staring at this for hours from my passenger window, I felt peace. Not boredom but contentment. Interrupted every few moments by the giggles and yells from the backseat!