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Has Your Love Grown Cold?

January 8, 2021

One of my favorite coffee cups is the red cup. It has the word “love” on it, written in a heart. It also has a gold handle. Anyway, this morning, as I sat thinking and praying for the Breakthrough Retreat (details at at the bottom of the email), I noticed that this very-red cup now had a faint gold handle, where it once had been bright.

Not only that, but my coffee inside of it had gone cold too.

Has my heart felt more cold lately? Has my love been fading out? It is something worth considering…

Jesus tells us that there will come a point that, “because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (Mt. 24:10)

It’s a scary thought, but I think many of us, in many ways, can already see this happening.

Is it happening with you? Is it happening with me?

I have noticed, I’ve felt increasingly annoyed at some people online. Impatient with others. On edge around my kids. Hard on myself.

Yet, we all are learning and growing. We are not perfect; we are becoming. We are the light of Christ. We know and reflect the King of all glory. We are all needing healing in different areas of our lives. Do we live this way? Do we give others room to discover God and life this way?

Do we extend patience towards ourself? Receive grace that helps us recover?

Most of all, are we connected to the vital vine of Jesus? Are we so filled with His love that we ooze it everywhere?

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jo. 4:19)

We are kind to ourselves because He is kind to us. We are full of love towards our husband, because He is full of love towards us. We extend grace, because we have received it.

Seeking God is our highest pursuit pursuit. We do not want our love to grow cold, nor our ability to receive the abundance of His grace to be hindered.

Which is why I created the Breakthrough Retreat. It offers us the space and the grace to heal, to be together, to be encouraged.

I want to get to know you — and I want you to get to know other Purposeful Faith readers, as we all get to know God. Tomorrow (Sat. Jan. 9), we will kick off the first retreat from 10 AM ET – 1 PM ET.

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

You can attend live or watch the recorded version. I would love to connect with you, pray for you and help you to walk into 2021 with renewed passion for God and for others. I pray that you might consider joining. I believe this will be a life-transforming event. I expect renewed faith and hope for all of us. I can’t wait to see your face.

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will there be a recorded version?

If you are unable to attend, but you would like to be a part of the event on your own time, my plan is to create a recorded version. Simply buy a ticket for the retreat and let me know via email that you will be “watching at home”. I will send you the file after it is complete. For more information or if you have questions contact kelly@purposefulfaith.com

2. How will we have the meeting?
The event will be hosted on Zoom. Please check your Zoom account for updates prior to the event. Lines will be muted.

3. How often will you be having retreats?
I would like to have these retreats quarterly or every other month. My dream is that we can know each other. I would also like to place people into small groups that they can regularly meet with and form relationships. My dream is that we become even more of a tight-knit community. I will love to pray for the small groups at times and I hope this is something that can continue for a long time.

4. How can I continue to connect and build accountability?
I will be creating a dedicated page for your small group to meet, talk, encourage and support each other. I am looking for alternate locations to Facebook. Stay tuned. I hope to announce this during the retreat so that you can continue to meet with a small band of women. Additionally if I can set it up (depending on the retreat group size), I may even have you meet your small group during the event.

5. Is there more I can do with you?

On the retreat, I will share some more ways we can go deeper and grow in intimacy with God. Stay tuned.

6. Will I stay with my small group?
Yes, I hope to form a small group at the first event and to keep you connecting at future retreats. Let’s do life together!

7. Can I invite my friends to join this or is it only for Purposeful Faith readers?

Everyone is welcome!

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

When it’s Hard to Receive

January 5, 2021

purposefulfaith

awe, faith, hope

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I don’t deserve this. That’s what I thought when I drove away.

Before I left the property, a man with a long white beard, loaded up not one, but two bikes into the back of my car. One was hot-red. The other was pastel, a beach cruiser for my daughter for Christmas.

He wanted NO money. So, I paid him nothing and drove off with what seemed like everything packed into the back of my SUV.

I wanted to cry. I don’t deserve this.

It felt all wrong — to receive… To take… And, to give — nothing. I’ll have to find a bike and bring it to him. I’ll have to pay him back.

Yet, as I drove home, God essentially reminded me, “Kelly, this is what it is all about… You gave nothing, and Christ gave you everything. And, He still does…”

I wanted to cry.

Jesus gave me everything. Jesus paid my price. Jesus loaded up the back of my car with gifts, learnings, help, freedom and hope; I just take it all home with me, time-and-time again. My life is radically different because of Him. I have eternal life now. I have joy instead of depression. Hope instead of sadness. Go-power instead of complacency.

Yet, I can’t help but note — just as it was hard to take those bikes home without paying — it’s often hard for me to receive good things from God, for myself. It can be hard to accept care from others when I feel like I should be the one giving. It can be hard to spend time with God, when I feel I should be cleaning the house. It can be hard to make goals for myself, when I don’t feel like I count that much. It can be hard to take me-time when there doesn’t appear to be enough time.

It’s too luxurious. Too self-centered. Too much to think about me.

What about you? Do you ever feel this way?

Have you pushed “receiving” off because there is always someone or something else that needs attention?

Many times, I believe, we don’t receive God’s care and help because we don’t make room for it. We don’t accept it. In other words, we don’t want it.

But, Jesus whispers, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mk. 6:31)

Will we? Will we come away with Jesus this year? Will we make the space to join hearts and hands with Him?

This is the very reason why I created the “Breakthrough Retreat”. It is so we can get some “me-time” with God. So we can hear His heart for our year. So we can receive His love. So we can connect to His heart. So we find hope, faith and love revived this year. I want this retreat-place to be a connecting-point to the heart of God.

We will worship, pray, read scripture, unite together, forge new friendships and receive God’s love, together. I will be praying together with each person by name. I want you to be there.

The morning retreat cost is $29 (to cover costs, technology, logistics and more…)

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

Register today (via the button below) for the Breakthrough Retreat on January 9, 2021 from 10 AM ET to 1 PM ET. You are worth it.

Testimonials

“Kelly is a great encourager! Her greatest desire is that you should know who the Lord created you to be and who you are as a daughter.” – M.R.

“Kelly brought light into my very dark world by demonstrating what the true love of Jesus looks like!” – D.P.

“Kelly’s “realness”, no matter the cost has helped liberate me from all the masks I carried. Christ uses her to powerfully deliver freedom in every conversation.” – S.A.

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will there be a recorded version?

If you are unable to attend, but you would like to be a part of the event on your own time, my plan is to create a recorded version. Simply buy a ticket for the retreat and let me know via email that you will be “watching at home”. I will send you the file after it is complete. For more information or if you have questions contact kelly@purposefulfaith.com

2. How will we have the meeting?
The event will be hosted on Zoom. Please check your Zoom account for updates prior to the event. Lines will be muted.

3. How often will you be having retreats?
I would like to have these retreats quarterly or every other month. My dream is that we can know each other. I would also like to place people into small groups that they can regularly meet with and form relationships. My dream is that we become even more of a tight-knit community. I will love to pray for the small groups at times and I hope this is something that can continue for a long time.

4. How can I continue to connect and build accountability?
I will be creating a dedicated page for your small group to meet, talk, encourage and support each other. I am looking for alternate locations to Facebook. Stay tuned. I hope to announce this during the retreat so that you can continue to meet with a small band of women. Additionally if I can set it up (depending on the retreat group size), I may even have you meet your small group during the event.

5. Is there more I can do with you?

On the retreat, I will share some more ways we can go deeper and grow in intimacy with God. Stay tuned.

6. Will I stay with my small group?
Yes, I hope to form a small group at the first event and to keep you connecting at future retreats. Let’s do life together!

7. Can I invite my friends to join this or is it only for Purposeful Faith readers?

Everyone is welcome!

Breakthrough Retreat 1/27

Make space to encounter God. Gain new strength for this year.

January 9, 2020 from 10 AM ET - 1 PM ET via Zoom.

$29.00

My Sideways Christmas Tree

December 23, 2020

purposefulfaith

attack, awe, blessings, Contentment

2 Comments

My Christmas tree is sideways. Kind of. Well, not really…but it’s seriously slanted.

After my son and husband spent all that time hooking the thing up to the top of the car and carrying it in the house, paying special attention to my request that they bring it through the back door and not the front so that pine needles would not get everywhere…I did not have the heart to tell them to straighten it.

So now it is slanted.

It is slanted when I glance at it from the kitchen.
It is slanted when I walk past it in the living room.
It is slanted when people knock on my front door and they walk in my house.
It is slanted when I adjust the presents just-right under it.

Part of me wants to hate the slant. It’s not perfect. The other part of me sees the slant for what it is: a reminder that Christmas imperfections are to be expected.

There will likely be moments when: People get upset. I feel overwhelmed. I go to my closet for my own time-out. I get annoyed. Family does something I don’t like.

Slants in Christmas don’t mean the whole holiday is wrecked, they just remind me that I have and need a Savior. They remind me — I’m human. They invite me to pray and to breathe deep.

Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway? Imperfect people desperately in need of a perfect Savior. This is what Jesus came for.

With this sort of mentality, I can remember slants are only moments. They come and they go, but God’s love for me endures forever. I am not defined by a passing moment, I am defined wholly and completely by Jesus’ love. With this, imperfect happenings, traditions, and inflated expectations cannot take me down.

There is a Savior and He came for me — and changed everything.

I see slants, I pray, and then I carry on. I feel offense, I remember how much Jesus forgave me and I move on. I deal with hard people, I throw my hands up and say, “I surrender” to God and I entrust them in His hands.

How can you brush off slanted moments and carry on in His love and grace, both to others and yourself?

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

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When Dealing with Repeated Mistakes

December 1, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, faith, hope, Love & Health

1 Comment

“Mom, you have to come!”

The face on my 7 year-old, with her head jutting through my bedroom door, said it all… There was an issue.

Oh no…what happened?

Once I got to the living room, I knew: Bright red lipstick was striped all down the arm of my living room chair.

She looked up at me, “Mom, it is not just on that one chair, but it is on the other one too.”

At this point, she apologized profusely. But, my insides boiling and turning within me… I was angry! These weren’t just any chairs, but expensive chairs. If I hadn’t told her once, I’d told her 500 times not to sit on those chairs with food and not to put on my lipstick without asking. But, there she was — caught red-handed…

Grr…

Yet, after a bit, I forgave her. Why? Because if I’ve learned anything from ministry it is that to hold unforgiveness — is to hold yourself in bondage. But, to let go — is to let go of bitter pain targeted to hit your hearth in the future.

I forgive you, Madison.

“Mom,” she said. “I’ll pay for those chairs.”

“You can’t afford them, Madison. The price I paid for them is far too high.”

The second these words came out of my mouth, the second it felt like Jesus’ sacrifice was talking straight to my heart….

The price I paid for you, Kelly…
You could never afford it.
The price I paid was far too high for you to pay.
But, I paid it on your behalf and I still forgive you…for it all.

It was as if…just as I wiped Madison’s art-chair clean…Jesus was reminding me how He wiped my slate clean too. I deserved so much punishment… I still make mistakes — yet, Jesus. Jesus paid the complete (and expensive) price to wipe me clean. To make me whole. To mark me holy. To see me as righteous.

I am off-the-hook because Jesus hung on the cross.

He “bought (me) with a price…” (1 Cor. 7:23)

A price I could never pay on my own.

And, the price He paid still covers me. When I make a mistake… When I talk in a way that I shouldn’t… When I think that thought… When I don’t do what I want to do… Still, His grace and His love cover…my many I’m sorrys.

I spent a good amount of time washing those lipstick chairs. When I look at them now, I keep noticing the way they are matted-down, imperfect. But, you know what? I’m like those chairs, imperfect. And, Jesus loves me anyway. He still wants me too.

Despite my flaws, Jesus marks me more than enough, more than helped, and more than equipped, even though… Those imperfect chairs stand as reminders that His perfect price was more than enough to make imperfect me — white as snow!

Jesus’ love continually wipes the marks right off me. Now, I am clean, accepted and loved, always.

Glory to the King!

Prayer: Oh, how I thank you, Jesus, for the price you paid. Oh, how I praise you for how you wipe me clean again and again. You free me — not once, but all the time. You save me, not just for eternity, but for today. I cannot thank you enough Jesus. I cannot praise you enough. I receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need. You are faithful. You love me and see me as righteous, holy and pure…all because of your blood, Jesus. Thank you. Amen.

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Wait for It

November 24, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, faith, grace, Holy Spirit, hope

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This morning my husband laughed when he looked in his coffee cup. I had no idea why…

A little before the laughing, I had asked him, “Do you want cream?”

He said, “Yes.” So, while he was looking away, I poured the cream in. Then, I handed him the coffee, basically saying — here you go… But, when he looked down — he didn’t see anything, so he started laughing.

He pronounced, “Where’s my cream?” We stood there looking at the coffee.

And after a few seconds, the cream rose up to the top. Only then could my husband see what he couldn’t see before — the cream that was already there. He just had to wait for it.

Some of us — are nearly there. We just have to wait for it…just a little more.

There is something rising to the top.

Think of Jesus. Things looked dark in the tomb, but then he rose up to new light.
And Lazarus. Everything was dim when he was dead, but then there was life.
Or, David. He hid out in caves, only to later reign as King.
Even the Israelites were enslaved and, after a time, set free to head off to their Promised Land.

The best things — take time. Just as honey isn’t done before the bees have done their work, likewise — the sweetest things take time to make…

So, don’t give up hope on day 6 when God is coming on day 7. Don’t start cursing God when He is working together a greater glory for your life. Don’t think He won’t show up…when He is working things out.

Jesus told his disciples and friends to wait for a word, at one point. He said, ““And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” (Lu. 12:12)

Jesus knew — at the proper time, they’d get proper words. But, they had to wait for him to show up. He’d give them what they need — at just the right time.

Do you trust God to give you what you need — at just the right time?

God’s timing is always right on time, no matter how you feel in the meantime. Keep hope and keep looking up. He loves you.

Prayer: God, give me the power to — wait well, to hope in you continually, and to trust you endlessly. Please bring breakthrough in my life. I don’t have the best way, but you do. In this, I surrender afresh. I die to my ways and agree with yours. I trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Need more rest? Consider my newest book, “Rest Now: 7 Ways to Say No, Set Boundaries and Seize Joy.”

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Things are Not What They Seem.

November 12, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, doubt, envy, faith, hope

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Things are not what they seem. It’s like walking at night. You think you see a person, but it is only a shadow. In the light, you can see how the darkness fooled you.

There is more than meets the eye.

I love the story in 2 Kings 6:15-17 that illustrates this point…

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.”

He was surrounded; it looked like there was no way out, no way to win and no hope. Maybe you’re in a place like that today…

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

“And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Just because it looks like defeat, does not mean you’re defeated. Just because you feel all alone, doesn’t mean that you are. Just because you can’t see all that God is doing for you, doesn’t mean He isn’t doing anything.

Things are not always what they seem.

Darkness can easily trick us into seeing things or believing things… But, in God’s light, there is always more of Him and His forces with us, than against us.

Can you even imagine what you might see if God opened your eyes up the way He did Elisha’s? How might He be defending you, protecting you or fighting your battle?

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Pursued with Love

October 22, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, birth, Contentment, peace

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When I was a little girl I loved the story of Cinderella. She was the most unlikely candidate, yet chosen. She was raised from a low-standing to a royal position. She was pursued by one and she found love.

Stories like this capture us, don’t they? We love to see the one who is down and out, lifted up. The unlovable, loved. The unlikely, redeemed.

I wonder if you feel like Cinderella before she went to the palace? If you feel unloved? Down and out? Unseen? Unwanted? Perhaps, your marriage feels dead and you feel left behind.

May I encourage you for a moment? The Cinderella story is yours…

“By the purpose and choice of God”, (Eph. 1:1 AMPC) you are wanted.
By Jesus you have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. (see Eph. 1:3)
By His love, He chose you.

He “[actually picked you out for Himself as His own] in Christ, before the foundation of the world.” Now you are “holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love” (Eph. 1:4 AMPC)

Radiant.

Because of Jesus, you are fully seen and fully wanted. In fact, He “[desinted, planned in love (for you)] to be adopted (revealed) as His own…” (Eph. 1:5 AMPC)

God is not ashamed to reveal you. Just like the prince revealed Cinderella as his own, with proudness…Ephesians 1:5 says, “it pleased (God) and was His kind intent”— to reveal you.

You are His, radiant daughter of the High King. And, God is yours too. He wants you, has adopted you and He freely bestows this love on (you), His beloved. (Eph. 1:6)

Let this all soak in. You are a princess. The daughter of the Most High King. Can you be any more wanted than that?

Prayer: May the truth of this love overwhelm you today. May the fullness of His desire for you — be made known to you. May the beauty of the work of His hands (which is: who He created you to be) be appreciated, as you think of how much He loves you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do you want to learn to rest more in the love of God? Consider my new book: “Rest Now: 7 Ways to Say No, Set Boundaries and Seize Joy.”

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What You’re Going Through

October 6, 2020

purposefulfaith

attack, awe, Contentment, faith

4 Comments

Does it feel like you are going through some things? That you might not come out the other side in one piece?

I remember years ago, I didn’t think I was going to make it… It was the physical pain of what I was going through that was excruciating. If I judged the agony 1-10, I would yelled I was at a level: 100.

I thought I was going to die. The pain was that excruciating.

In my case, it was an extreme and super fast birthing-a-baby moment, with increased side-effects. As we drove down the street furiously, I remember thinking that my husband couldn’t help me escape my body. Nor, would he drive on the sidewalks like I was instructing him to. I remember coming to the stark realization that the only one who could really help me — was God. I thought — if this is a glimpse of hell — I want nothing to do with it.

Only Jesus could save me.
Only Jesus was there for me.

I was in the inferno alone. For many of us, it may feel that we are in the fire or storm alone.

But, we are not — alone. Another is there with us — Jesus. He is always in the storm.

Remember, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples when the storm hit. He was there when Jesus walked on water. Not only that, but He was in the fire when Daniel went in. He was also at the tomb when the women came, likely, sad and weary from the crucifixion.

Be it an angel sent by Jesus or Jesus himself, He was in the storm and the fire.

Jesus is in your storm. He is in your boat. He is in your fire. He awaits outside every circumstance you may see that looks like a tomb. He knows how to rise above that. I truly thought I was going to die, yet Jesus helped keep me alive. I birthed a beautiful baby girl. Jesus was with me. He was in my trial.

And, Jesus, himself — is there, with you. He, himself, is ready to help you.

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.” 2 Thess. 2:16-17

If the Rescuer, Redeemer, Restorer, Healer and Helper goes with you, what does this mean for you?

About “Rest Now”
Rest Now offers permission to breathe. It exposes the lies that distract, tire, and bully us, so we don’t strive for rest but love from it, like Jesus did. Learn how to

– create boundaries that allow you to overflow with love
– say no so you don’t hate yourself later
– ditch passive-aggressive behaviors in favor of healthy conversations
– embrace permission-giving thoughts to create mental space for God

Get it.

Subscribe for all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

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Breakthrough is For Today

September 29, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, blessings, Contentment, faith, hope

9 Comments

Do you all remember those MasterCard advertisements?

New dress: $100
Lipstick: $35
New handbag: $90

The look on your ex-boyfriends face when he sees you: priceless.

It is easy to accumulate things to accumulate worth. I remember when I got my first car. I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t have enough money for that beautiful sports car. But, still, I looked at my dad and said, “Can I?”

He said, “Sure.”

So we put a whole chunk of debt down and I worked forever… to pay that baby off. In the moment, it was all thrills. I kept looking to see who was looking at me when I stopped at lights.

Then, the pleasure wore off.

Many of us are searching for this pleasure of a greater measure.

What others think…$100

If we look good…$200
If we do well…$250
If we are better than she is…$99
If we are seen…$800
What we wear…$300
How much bible we know…$400
Our position, our power or our placement in this world… $400
How much money, how many vacations or what social media influence we carry… $1000

Yet, the irony of pleasure-seeking is that it always leaves us wanting: more. We can’t climb high enough. Or, go far enough. Fashions change. There’s a naysayer. There’s that nagging feeling that we’re not enough. We fear exposure.

I remember this hamster-wheel; I lived on it for the longest time…until, I got off.

Until I found a treasure of greater measure:
Knowing Jesus. Priceless.

Just to be clear, the difference from then and now — was more than just accepting Jesus into my heart. It was about choosing to know and dwell with Jesus. You know, we can know about Jesus in our head, yet miss Him in our heart?

This can be one of the greatest tragedies of the Christian faith as I see it…

What about you? Do you know Jesus — in a way where HIs love frees you, where His peace holds you, and His trust overwhelms you?

My hope is “[that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” (Eph. 3:18-19 AMP)

Dear friends, I want you to experience this love and wholeness. I want you to find soul-rest that shields you from the sweaty pursuit of lesser crud. I want you to have an experiential knowing of a Good Father’s love. I want you to leave worry and anxiety in the dust as you come to know hope and peace like no other. Jesus is my treasure of greatest measure and He is the Prince of Peace in my life.

If this speaks to you at all today, consider getting my new book, Rest Now: 7 Ways to Say No, Set Boundaries, and Seize Joy. t releases today! Your support means everything!!! Through it, I believe God will radically transform your life. He will liberate you in light of His love and care.

“Rest Now” will not only will bless me but, undoubtedly, I believe it will richly bless you in knowing God and His radical, unconventional peace. My belief is that you will truly find what is: priceless.

About Rest Now
Rest Now offers permission to breathe. It exposes the lies that distract, tire, and bully us, so we don’t strive for rest but love from it, like Jesus did. Learn how to

– create boundaries that allow you to overflow with love
– say no so you don’t hate yourself later
– ditch passive-aggressive behaviors in favor of healthy conversations
– embrace permission-giving thoughts to create mental space for God

Get it.

Subscribe for all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.

Join me or share posts from Facebook or Instagram.

Good Father

September 10, 2020

purposefulfaith

awe, Contentment, faith, hope

3 Comments

I stood looking over a box filled with cash. Should I give her two dollars or should I give her five?

Earlier in the day, my daughter said, “Mommy, mommy, please give me a five-dollar bill tonight — for the tooth under my pillow.”

I replied, “Madison, this is your third tooth you’ve lost. For the first tooth, you get a lot but for ones after, you get a little less. Don’t expect a five-dollar bill, you’ll maybe get a couple dollars.”

She asked me again for the $5 bill and then I shuffled her off to do other things…

Yet, when night came, and I stood looking over the cash box…I realized how badly I — wanted — to give her more. I wanted to delight her. I wanted my daughter to have the very best. I just love her so much.

I grabbed the $5 bill, snuck up to her room, and tucked it under her pillow, with joy.

“If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.” (Mt. 11:7 AMP)

If I love to give what is good, how much more does my Father in heaven want to give good, to me? If I want what is advantageous for my little one — and I’m not even nearly half as amazing as God is — how much more does God give what is advantageous?

Sometimes I long to do the most amazing things for my kids… I desire so deeply that hard situations change… I want, absolutely, their best…

This makes me see, the enemy has been telling me lies. Namely that: God doesn’t give me good things, God doesn’t want to give, and that He won’t help me. He might be busy with other people. I’m last on the list.

What lies have you been hearing?

The truth is that God has a heart to give: He gave His son. He gave us eternal life. He gave us the flowers, the birds, and the stars out of kindness.

He gave everything for us. He loves us, incredibly, absolutely, and eternally.

Believing we have a Father who gives is important.

If we don’t believe God is good and that He gives, we will keep our head down and miss all the goodness He has set before us. We may even develop a victim-mindset. I think I’ve missed God’s good gifts before. I’ve likely walked right by them, but I am determined on lifting my head and seeing what He has for me now!

What about you?

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