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Being Grateful and Content

“Be still, and know that I am God; …”

[Psalm 46:10a NIV]

B. Michelle writes:

I’m here alone with my thoughts. Some thoughts can cause me to lose sleep, but tonight, in the stillness, my thoughts have come to take me to a place called freedom. I hear God saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” Sometimes, past midnight, clarity comes.

My heart ached. The pain that makes me feel like giving up and giving in to doing things my way. I complain to God because I should have what I want. I can learn more about God and myself with surrender, trust and waiting.

I wondered silently, how does God do what God does? It’s love, unconditional, unrestrained, and unencumbered.

God listens to me complain about my life and what’s bad about it. My heart hurts from the pain of being let down again and again.

Somewhere in the midst of my let downs are the great and mighty arms of God opening up for me to crawl in and surrender. As I became quiet within, God spoke and I listened.

Somewhere in my life, I turned my happiness over to others. If they just did what I wanted, acted right, did right by me, etc., I would be happy. Maybe we weren’t born to be happy.

Maybe we were born to learn how to be content and how to be whole within our spirit and connection with God.

Just maybe we were born to learn that true love is when we accept what God allows, and be thankful for the closed doors and broken places.

God loves us no matter what. I let God down today, was selfish today and yet God still loves me. God still loves us because God’s love is deep, perfect and holy.

God’s love does not depend on what I will do or won’t do. God’s love oozes out without delay, denial and dependence on anything or anyone else.

While I was alone (not really) past midnight, it became clear that if I yet love like God, I will be authentic, happy, whole, blessed, free, and content.

Freedom comes when I forgive and release people into the hands and heart of God. Stop complaining and live with gratitude. Gratefulness opens life up to a profound level.

Trust God past midnight and with the dawn of each new day. Feel the love that is yours and live.

Story posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 and is filed under Hope, God's Love, Your Stories, Verses, Most Popular Stories. | 10 Comments »

My New Purpose in Life

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

[Acts 14:22 NIV]

Corinne R. writes:

I am the mom of Olivia Corinne Hoff, who passed away April 22, 2004. Olivia was only 14 years old. She died of a heart condition we knew nothing about, LQTS Elongated QT Syndrome, known as the silent killer of young adults.

I didn’t know how I would survive and live without my daughter. I highlighted this verse (Acts 14:22) because my daughter’s death is the most painful hardship I would ever have to endure in my life. I did think of committing suicide and going home to be with Olivia, but I knew this was not my purpose.

What was my purpose? How can there be a purpose for my life? How, with all my pain, my confusion, the huge hole in my heart, my lack of desire to go on, how can there be a purpose for my life?

Well, it has now been three years since the death of my only daughter, and here I am today sharing how God has rescued me and is revealing his purpose to me daily.

I now know that God is getting ready to put me on a journey I never thought I would go on — a journey of sharing my testimony and reaching out to other parents who have lost a child.

I believe with all of my heart that the Lord directs me every day of my life, he is in control of my life, he will show me how to honor my daughter’s memory. I just have to wait and listen.

“The best things in life are the result of being wounded. Wheat must be crushed before becoming bread, and incense must be burned by fire before its fragrance is set free. The earth must be broken with a sharp plow before being ready to receive the seed. And it is a broken heart that pleases God. Yes, the sweetest joys of life are the fruits of sorrow.”

Story posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 and is filed under Praise, Hope, Sadness, Death, Loneliness, Your Stories, God's Sovereignty, Struggles, Verses, Suicide, Most Popular Stories. | 12 Comments »

Seeking God With All My Heart

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

[Jeremiah 29:13 NIV]

Marleny writes:

This is one of my all time favorite verses. This is one of those gems that sort of hopped into my lap when I opened up my Bible one day - and it spoke to me as if it was straight from the mouth of God.

I was feeling far from the Lord and going through some tough times, and God showed me that I was far from Him because I was not seeking Him wholeheartedly and passionately. He told me that if I seek Him with all of my heart I will find Him because that is a PROMISE found in His Word. It is a GUARANTEE.

The condition is “with all of your heart,” with your whole being, with everything inside you, seek God and He will reveal Himself to you.

From this verse I started looking up where in the Bible it says “with all your heart,” and I was amazed at how many times it came up. I love Deuteronomy 30, and it comes up again in Psalm 119.

God doesn’t want us doing anything for Him halfway - He wants us to be passionate about praising Him and passionate about seeking Him, passionate about prayer.

Story posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 and is filed under Bible, Hope, Your Stories, Verses, Life Verse, Struggles, Most Popular Stories. | 4 Comments »

Favorite Verse About Love?

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ …

[Ephesians 3:17-18 NIV]

I’d love to get a glimpse of your love life! I invite you to spend a few moments thinking about the questions below; and I invite you to share with me and the community your answers. I’m sure we’ll all be blessed by your thoughts and experiences.

• What’s your favorite verse about love, and why?
• What verse helps you experience God’s love, and why?
• Who in your life has taught you a lot about love, and what verse describes the love of this person?

To answer any of these questions or to make a comment, use the comment box below. Also, to read what others have written, scroll down to the comments below.

May you experience more and more of God’s love,

Andy Padjen
community host, Share Your Story Now

Story posted on Monday, February 4th, 2008 and is filed under God's Love, Bible, Your Stories, Verses, Most Popular Stories. | 10 Comments »

Reading My Bible in Public

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

[Romans 8:28 Good News Translation]

Davis B. writes:

I’m a criminal trial attorney in the inner city courts of Boston. Several months ago a court officer asked me what I was reading, and I showed him my Bible (I can’t remember which translation it was). He nodded and continued on his way. He wanted more information about Christianity, and I gave it to him, but he wanted to argue several points so I referred him to a few sources.

I heard nothing from him for a few months. Then recently in court he saw me reading the Bible again, but this time it was the Good News New Testament, the one with the line drawings and the plain English. He saw a line drawing, and it captured his interest.

He thumbed through it and looked at several more line drawings and said, “May I borrow this? I need some spirituality.”

I told him no, you cannot borrow it, you can HAVE it.

Once he saw that it was in plain everyday English and had the interesting line drawings (which I also find very interesting to look at), he was “captured” and wanted to know more.

Thank you, Lord, for calling this young man to You, and thank you to the folks who published the Good News NT edition.

Story posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 and is filed under Praise, Your Stories, Evangelization, Most Popular Stories. | 6 Comments »

BarlowGirl: Stop Blaming God! [2:19]

BarlowGirl talk about how people blame God for the problems in this world. They share how incredible the promises of God and answers in the Bible are.

Story posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 and is filed under Barlow Girl, Video Stories, Struggles, God's Sovereignty, Most Popular Stories. | 4 Comments »

Dial 911 for God’s Protection [0:48]

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

[Psalm 91:1]

Enid Almanzar, Program Manager for La Biblia Es Mi Guia at American Bible Society, shares how Psalm 91:1 is like dialing 911 for God’s protection.

Story posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 and is filed under God's Love, Your Videos, Bible, ABS Stories, God's Sovereignty, Struggles, Most Popular Stories. | 3 Comments »

Jason Gray: Modern Day Moses (3:24)

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

[Exodus 4:10 NIV]

Jason Gray meets people all the time who feel that their weaknesses and handicaps keep them from doing great things. But Jason encourages them that God’s grace and power flow strong through our brokenness and weakness. In this video he shares some fascinating insight into the story of Moses.

Story posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Bible, Jason Gray, Video Stories, Struggles, Grace, Most Popular Stories. | 3 Comments »

God’s Word Sanctifies [0:48]

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

[Romans 12:12 NIV]

Soraya Ruiz, Administrative Assistant at American Bible Society, shares how the Bible has impacted her life. She shares how God’s Word sanctifies her and how it has completely changed her life - she’s not the same person she was six years ago.

Story posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Your Videos, Bible, ABS Stories, Conversions, Most Popular Stories. | 2 Comments »

What's Your Bible Verse for 2008?

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

[Philippians 3:12 NIV]

Do you sense that God is inviting you to engage the Bible in 2008? If so, I’d love to hear (and I’m sure others would love to hear) your answers to any of the following questions:

• How do you plan on engaging the Bible in 2008? (For example, do you plan to meditate on Scripture, pray Scripture, study Scripture, read it from cover to cover, etc.?)
• What’s your Bible verse for 2008? (For example, do you have a particular verse you plan to cling to or implement in your daily walk in 2008?)
• What do you hope to get out of your engagement of the Bible in 2008?

To answer any of these questions, or to make a comment, use the comment box below. Also, to read what others have written (including what I’ve written), scroll down to the comments below.

I look forward to reading your thoughts, hopes, desires!

Andy Padjen
community host, Share Your Story Now

Story posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Bible, Hope, Your Stories, Prayer, Verses, Most Popular Stories. | 5 Comments »