January 2, 2008

Peace in Trusting Him

If I ever needed confirmation from the Lord that I'm to pursue peace & simplicity, I've gotten it - in spades!

~On Monday, a friend and I went to this cute country store in her town and I found a sign that says "Peace". It was with the Christmas decorations (50% off!), and I just had to scoop it up. I'll be displaying it prominently in our family room.

~This morning, I felt Him nudging me toward the book of John for our next study (didn't finish Proverbs, but it was time for a change). The book introductions in my Bible have a "what to look for" section. For John, the author wrote "profound simplicity".

~I started reading Simplify Your Time: Create Order and Reduce Stress by Marcia Ramsland. She correlates a simple and organized space with tranquility (thus, peace). She even uses a CALM approach (C = Create a Plan; A = Approach by sections; L = Lighten up & let go; and M = Manage it simply). I feel great about my plans for our home.

~My blogging friend, Rachel Anne, has started a year of Sanctuary in the Small Things. It's not too late to join. I highly recommend subscribing to her blog feed. You'll be glad you did!

As you can see, I'm surrounded by messages of peace and simplicity. I'm all tingly just thinking about what God's going to do! I'm looking at a very long project list for this month (see my sidebar), but I'm trusting Him. He will speak peace to His people, and He sweetly reminded me today that this promise applies to me because I am His daughter.

But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name.
~John 1:12 (AMP)

Can you believe that the Almighty God grants us the unspeakable privilege of being His children?! When we receive Him and welcome Him into our lives, He gives us that right. Even better, we have all the privileges that come along with being a child of a king (except He's THE KING). We are royalty. We have authority in His Name.

I've found myself in the midst of some pretty intimidating circumstances lately. When I reached the point of absolutely not being able to handle it on my own, I heard Him ask, "Melissa, do you trust Me?"

Well, I want to, Lord. But I can't see my way out of this mess.

"Then can you trust Me for just one more day?"

Just one day? I can do that. In fact, it's pretty easy!

I've been trusting Him for just one more day for several weeks now and what do you know...He's been faithful! Today, right now, this moment, I'm trusting Him to speak peace over my life. I'm relying on His Name and His power. Realizing that I can't do this on my own, but knowing that my Abba Father has given me authority over my circumstances.

Dear friends, I can't even begin to tell you how much peace that thought alone brings.

The journey continues...

5 comments:

Lisa Bolling said...

Wow - that's quite a "to-do" list you have going there. It looks much like my own. I'm just not brave enough to post it. Actually, it's a bit overwhelming just to write it down on a piece of paper.
Your post is very inspirational to me. I would love to have some peace and tranquility in our lives.
Blessings,
Lisa

Tiffany said...

I'm so glad we're company girls together! I look forward to getting to know you better and sharing all that the Lord has, as we encourage and uplift each other! Blessings-Tiffany

Deidre said...

I did the same thing, Melissa. Last Christmas I bought a 'peace' sign to display in our home all year. I love it. It sums up what I'm trying to create (or pursue) in our home.

I love this list. And, I love the book of John. I'm teaching in John 1 this Sunday.

Happy New Year!

Chris @ Come to the Table said...

I have a "Peace" sign on my fireplace mantel now that I put up for Christmas. It's tempting to leave there all year. He is the Prince of Peace.

Mary@notbefore7 said...

I love that...can you trust me one more day...I can do that too!