Lord, You are my Shepherd. You are my Keeper, my Defender, my Guardian—my Protector. When I am living under the umbrella of Your care, when I am following You, there is nothing that I lack. There is nothing that I lack. When the world pulls me in so many directions, I look to You. I … Continue reading Walking with the Shepherd: A Journey through Psalm 23
We've all had trials in our lives, tough times where a lot of us have probably asked...why me? Why is this happening to me?? Or, why is this happening to the person that I love? I know I have asked that of God many times in my life. We tend, as humans, to focus on the trial alone and wonder why. Why me?
I know that our fires were not the same But I’ve survived one too. The flames touched us both in different ways But I was burned like you. Maybe you ran as far as you could. Maybe you fought it with all that you had. Maybe you froze, paralyzed. Maybe you sobbed, watching flames consume… … Continue reading I’ve Been Through The Fire, Too.
I sit and watch as beautiful pastel colors seep and blend into the canvas of the dark morning sky, like watercolors spilling onto a blank piece of paper, and I think about the blank canvas of this new day. And I wonder what the Master Artist envisions for me today. For my children, for the … Continue reading The Blank Canvas of a New Day
One thing I know about the human condition...every one of us wants to be seen. Heard. Fully known. And sometimes, maybe we don't feel those things. We feel unseen. We feel like no one understands us or wants to hear what's really going on in our heart of hearts. It's a longing that we have, and sometimes we go to great lengths to try to be seen, heard & known by others.
The verse "Be still and know that I am God" encourages us to release our worries, anxieties, and control, and to embrace stillness in God's presence. By experiencing and recognizing Him, leaning into His plan, and trusting His character, we find peace, healing, joy, protection, and rest. This trust allows our minds to rest freely in Him.
On the hard hills, it's a struggle to look up...in life and in running. I find myself not wanting to actually look at the hill...all I can manage to do is look down and see is one foot moving in front of the other. The hills are hard. Exhausting. Sometimes you want to sit...or quit...or turn around and go the other direction because it's easier. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. **Breathe.**
Sometimes...we're on this life-path...it's all safe and paved and predictable. Comfortable. All of a sudden, life halts our perfectly paved and planned-out journey and takes us for an unexpected turn down a rocky, rough, difficult, unpredictable path. We look at the path that we've been on...we look at the destination that we were headed for...and … Continue reading Unknown Paths
I've been forgetting to look up lately. This morning on my run, listening to a song about God's faithfulness, I looked up and the sky was stunning. I had to stop and take a picture...even though pictures never do the real thing justice. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims … Continue reading Look Up
The negative thoughts take laps around my head... Each one racing to take first place... Consuming my brain space. Anxiety growing, Agitation growing. Round and round they go and go and go... Then, an intrusive, quiet whisper asks- "What is it that you are meditating on?" Thoughts stop mid-lap. I realize that I'm doing it … Continue reading Racing Thoughts, the Intrusive Whisper and Painful Obedience
Nicole Dotson 