Candidly Christian

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Faith

Faith

Life is Hard, But God is Still Good

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“Both our van and our stove broke down this weekend, but God is still good.
My head hurts, but God is still good.
I spent the day in the emergency room, but God is still good.
I can’t breathe, but God is still good.“

As I write this on Sunday, Heather Hart has been in the hospital with covid for eighteen days. It’s been a rough time, full of joyful ups and terrifying downs, especially for Heather, but also for everyone who knows and loves her.

We thought she was getting better; we thought she’d be home in a few days, but Saturday night, the doctors said she has bacterial pneumonia. Breathing continues to be increasingly difficult and painful.

We don’t know what lies ahead, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Heather since I found Candidly Christian in 2017 it’s this:

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Look Up

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He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

John 20:15-16 ESV

I remember one dark morning when I sat on the floor in our basement, surrounded by a pile of tissues again. I held my head in my hands, trying to catch my breath when the most unlikely of songs began playing in my head.

Look Up

It was Lauren Daigle singing “Look up child, eh hey.” I ignored her and blew my nose again to drown her out, but she just wouldn’t be quiet. It was then that I realized it was God speaking to me through music as He often does. So I lifted my head, looked up at the ceiling panels and whispered, “Jesus, help me.”

My favorite part of the Easter story is when Mary is too busy crying at the empty tomb to realize Jesus is standing right in front of her. Mary gets me. But the most incredible part is that a hot mess of a woman like me was the first to see the risen Lord. Jesus didn’t choose royalty or a calm Bible scholar to appear to first. He chose a woman who came running to find Him.

What I’ve learned from Mary (and Lauren Daigle) is that Jesus is always with us. All we have to do is look up. 

All we have to do is look up.
All we have to do is look up… Click To Tweet

Jesus, thank you for loving me just where I am. Thank you for being there for me at any hour, whether I’m seeking you or ignoring you. Please help me remember to always keep my eyes on You, especially when all I want to do is hang my head. In Your Holy name I pray, Amen.

Waiting on God

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Do you ever have one of those days where you need to lay it all out with God?

I was filled to the brim with frustration, sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, and a whole other ton of emotions. I was like a dam ready to burst, and anything in my way was about to get destroyed. I threw my hands up in the air to yell at God for my displeasure about the situation. All God said to me was, “I hear you.”

I stopped and said out loud, “You hear me?”   

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Do You Fear God?

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I didn’t realize how much “fear of God” there is in the world. And I don’t mean “the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge” type of fear. No, I’m talking about being afraid of God. The type of fear doesn’t lead to knowledge. When you fear God in a way that makes you run away from Him, not to Him.

I remember being scared of God.

I grew up in the church, I went through confirmation class at the age of 13, got confirmed, and attended church camp. I did not want to go to church camp. I thought it was going to be boring, and I definitely didn’t want to spend all day reading the Bible for a week.

I knew about Jesus. I probably passed confirmation class with flying colors, and that was enough for me.

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Our Only Hope to Avoid Hell is Jesus

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I was crying over a Facebook comment on a post I didn’t post, about an article I didn’t write.

Romans 12:18 says we should do our best to live at peace with those around us so far as it depends on us. Thus, I generally try to avoid social media arguments.

Now, I’m far from perfect. I definitely read, write, and delete more than my fair share of social media commentary. However, you won’t often find me getting on a soapbox or ranting about pet peeves. It’s one of those areas where I try to catch myself before it’s too late.

Anyway, this was one of those times.

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3 Reasons You Can Fully Trust God No Matter What Life Throws Your Way

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Trust.

That is a word we are all re-evaluating in this season. If not in our lives, we are looking at trust with a fresh set of eyes in our society and families. Our lives, for the better part of 2020, have come to look very different than when the calendar rolled around to January of this year.  

Our trust in a bunch of things has changed. Our trust in the government, our bodies, our friends, our local surroundings, each other, groups, church…

All changed.  

We have never felt more shaky and unstable than we do now.

But there’s one thing that remains unchanged.

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Faith: How Do You Get It When You Don’t Have It?

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Years ago, I had thought about what the most important thing was when it came to Christianity. And, while there are too many to count, grace is vital, but the other thing that stuck out in my mind was faith.

“Without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that His is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)

When we were children, we trusted our parents to protect us and keep us safe. It’s a natural born instinct to trust our parents and authority (unless they’ve proven untrustworthy) because it is the way we’ve been created.

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Hurting Hearts Need Jesus… We All Do

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As we look around at the state of affairs of our great country, we see violence, protests, strife and unrest, but if we look past these outward actions, it is my desire that we can see that these things are only the symptoms of a hurting heart and inward strife—broken lives who have lost hope.

And it makes no difference in our skin color because a heart is a heart, and what comes forth from our hearts is either love or hate.

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Redefine Your Self Worth By Renewing Your Mind in Jesus

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“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

The thin mesh veil couldn’t mask my hot tears of shame. The wedding march ricocheted in my chest like a funeral dirge as Dad walked me down the aisle towards my happily ever after. As I approached my future husband, I searched his eyes for any hint of hesitation. I took his hand. Dad sat down. We turned to face the pastor ready to pledge our lives to each other in front of hundreds of people.

I didn’t believe my future husband wanted to marry me.

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