Peace

"Peace" is a very common word in English, that means different things to different people. It's also a very important word in the Bible that refers not only to the absence of conflict but also to the presence of something else.

Nothing to Prove

We all want to live lives where we experience freedom, joy, peace and contentment on a daily basis, but instead many of us live lives marked by fear, worry and anxiety. Why? Humans have always lived in communities, and our communities are defined by culture. Our culture brings us joyful experiences like theatre, movies, music etc. but our culture also pushes us toward a set mold that we need to fit ourselves into. Our culture always tries to tell us what is wrong versus right. We are told how to dress, look, work, shop, do relationships, parenting etc. by culture. Culture tells us how to live, and we conform to it.


Most of us are fully aware of the pressures that our culture puts on us to look a certain way, to have a certain type of house, car, smartphone, career, relationship, clothing style etc. It's exhausting to try to measure up to all the different types of pressures and expectations that our culture puts on us. As we live our lives trying to measure up and please other people in our culture we lose our joy, contentment and freedom.


God never intended for us to live in this way, weighed down by the pressures and expectations of this world. When we choose to live for God's glory instead of our own glory we are suddenly free. We get to enjoy this life and experience gratitude for every new day we are given, instead of being weighed down by fear, worry, anxiety and pressure.

When God shows off in your life

God is funny, you realize that when you get to know him. So many times in my life I've decided to pray a small prayer and God shows up and gives me everything I asked for and ten times more. Other times I don't even pray, I just think about something and God answers my little wish just to show me that he cares. He is so good.

A couple of days ago I was thinking to myself:"I wonder when we'll get some snow in Toronto because so far we've only had the first snow." Yesterday evening I decided to do some Christmas shopping and just as I was leaving the house it started snowing. I was so happy because Christmas shopping becomes more fun when it looks like winter outside. It kept snowing all night.

This morning I was super excited about our first snow storm in Toronto and took a lot of pictures of the snow. I thought to myself: "The only problem is that the pictures don't really show how beautiful this day is because it's cloudy." Two hours later the snow storm suddenly ended and the sun started shining brighter and brighter. I said to God: "Wow God, you are really showing off today aren't you?" He is funny.

"Who cares?" you might think, it's just snow! Now this example is just a funny little one about my own excitement about snow, but I have noticed that the more you stop to notice what God is doing in your life, every little thing, the more you will get to see him move big mountains in your life. We were built for awe and wonder but we can easily miss what God is doing in our lives when we get too busy or too focused on what's next. I find that the more I stop and notice beautiful little things that God is doing in my everyday life, the more he starts to move big things. And when he starts to move big things in your life you get really excited, and you wonder why you ever chose to live without him during the earlier part of your life.

I wish I had gotten to know God when I was even younger than 23, but the best thing about living my life without God for 23 years is that I know the difference. People who grew up in church don't fully understand what it feels like to live your life without any connection to God. I lived the first two decades of my life without God. I know what it feels like to have a black hole inside your heart that nothing can satisfy. A space inside my heart that was built for God and that would continue to make me restless no matter how many goals and dreams I would accomplish. I know what it feels like to carry around an emptiness on the inside even when your life looks great on paper. Nothing but God himself can fill that black hole.  I would never ever want to go back to living my life separated from God.

The funny thing is that I had a good life before God, my childhood was perfect. I've always had loving friends and family around me and I've never experienced any abuse or trauma in my life but still nothing compares to living life with God. The human soul can conquer and overcome a lot of things when we walk through life with God, but if we find ourselves separated from God even the smaller problems in life can become big obstacles. Obstacles that keep us separated from joy, peace and fulfillment in life.

Okay I better stop now because I could keep writing this text until it's 100 pages long. Happy Tuesday everyone! Enjoy this glorious day!

Set Free

“We strive to be seen, to be known, to matter. We’re desperate to believe we are doing a good job at whatever has been entrusted to us. But we are not enough. We are not God. We don’t have all the answers, all the wisdom, all the strength, all the energy. We are finite, sinful beings. And that is okay.

In fact, it is the confession that unleashes the freedom we are aching for.”

Jennie Allen, in her book “Nothing to Prove”

We all long to live our lives free but we walk through life weighed down by burdens. These burdens can be shame, fears, pressures and different types of difficulties. Here’s an example of what our thoughts can look like when we carry around burdens:

“I’m not worthy.

I’m a fraud.

I can’t measure up.

I’m too weak.

I can’t do this.

I don’t know what I should do.

I feel helpless.

I’m going to fail.

People will get mad.

I won’t be liked.”

Fear, pressure, shame, we carry them around year after year and they drain us of energy and steal our joy and peace. We worry that we aren’t enough and here’s the scary and beautiful truth: It’s true, we are not enough, but God is. We don’t get very far when we try different strategies to help ourselves get better self-esteem or more confidence, because deep on the inside we know that we are not enough. Our failures and inadequacies don’t come as a surprise to God. God could have chosen to make us perfect but instead he made us human. Why? Because we were created to function not on our own, but in a relationship with God. We were never meant to live this life alone so when we insist on leaving God out of the picture we end up burdened down by fears, pressures, shame and difficulties that overwhelm us.

There will be no freedom for us until we are willing to say this out loud to God: “I am not enough.” Freedom is only possible after we have named and confessed our failures, fears, pressures and our shame to God. God’s forgiveness becomes available to us immediately once we confess our failures, but until we do that they won’t go away, they will continue to weigh us down. God wants to set us free from the need to measure up, free from all our burdens and free from the pain of never being enough. It starts with our confession. Once we name and confess our burdens we receive God’s beautiful grace.

When we come to God and let him give us His forgiveness, grace and love we become free, empowered and filled with his joy and peace. We can now finally see ourselves the way God sees us, and it makes us completely free. God’s love takes away all our pressures and the need for striving. When we come to God with our failures we receive His forgiveness and the freedom that follows. When we come to God with our fear we receive the courage we need. When we come to God with our difficulties in life we receive the strength we need for each battle. It’s always an exchange, a relationship between us and God.

The fact that every single one of us carry around a feeling of not being enough isn’t a sign that we’re worthless, it’s a sign that we need God. But the pride inside our hearts keep pushing God away. We don’t want to need God. Here’s another truth: every single one of us knows that God is real, we know this deep inside our souls. But we don’t want God, we suppress the knowledge of God. We push God out of our hearts and out of our minds. 

Each one of us wants to be “the God of our own lives” and we understand that if we were to acknowledge God it would change everything about how we live our lives. We don’t want that. We want the throne, so we keep pushing God off the throne, but that doesn’t change the fact that God is still God. I can choose to deny God, but I can’t make God go away. But once you have tasted and felt His love you never want to live separated from Him again. There’s nothing else on Earth like God’s love, nothing else even comes close to being as amazing. God’s love is what sets my soul free.

Let Go and Enjoy Today

Early mornings and Quiet Time has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I like to get up a little earlier than usual, light a candle in the darkness and read my Bible and pray for half an hour each morning. It's easy to underestimate the power of having a daily Quiet Time each morning. My friend told me she never used to do it regularly before she had three kids and she became desperate for God's peace and strength in her life.

My Quiet Time always gives me joy, peace and strength for what lays a head that day. Spending time in God's presence each morning changes my approach and attitude toward everything I will face that day. I go through each day with a different type of awareness, it becomes easier to see the lesson God is teaching me in every blessing and every struggle that I face. Once you know God you quickly realize that there is no such thing as random events, every situation that comes my way can teach me something. Every blessing and every difficulty is an opportunity for me to grow in character and holiness. I'm fully aware that there are a lot of areas in my soul where I still need to grow. That's what life is for, growth.

This morning I was reading Numbers 32 during my Quiet Time. What stood out to me in this passage was how important courage is in life. I could use some more courage in my life. I have a highly sensitive personality which is a gift in many ways. The downside is that my personality also causes me to get easily overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed and fearful in life all I want to do is flee. It takes courage to stay and fight when all I want to do is run away.

Numbers 32 talks about how when God called the Israelites to finally enter their promised land they got fearful and didn’t want to do what God was calling them to do. They were fearful and started to discourage each other which led to everyone choosing to disobey God. Among all the fearful Israelites were two young men who had courage; Caleb and Joshua. Caleb and Joshua were ready to follow God’s plan for their lives wholeheartedly. Fear and discouragement can keep us from so many good things in our lives.

The only way I can do what God calls me to do is if I choose to encourage myself. My courage will quickly run out if I start to discourage myself. The Israelites discouraged each other and quickly everyone became afraid. Courage doesn’t always appear by itself, I must stir it up inside my soul through encouragement. When I end up discouraging myself I usually tell myself lines like these: “This will never work, I know I’m going to fail, I might as well not even try. It’s safer that way. I don’t want to take any risks.” 

Everything changes when I start to fight my fear rather than follow my fear. When I choose to fight against my fear I encourage myself with lines like these: “It makes sense that you are afraid, but don’t let the enemy keep you from your calling in life. You might fail, but God never fails. God will redeem all the mistakes you will end up making during the process. Follow God and He will take care of the rest, His plans for you are good. This won’t work without God, you’re right about that, but with God anything is possible.”

Another fact that encourages me to follow God’s call on my life is knowing that there is no other way. The Israelites choice wasn’t between doing life their own way or doing life God’s way. God was the one in charge, and sooner or later they would have to bow to His leadership. The choice that the Israelites had was between obeying God or disobeying and walking in the wilderness for the rest of their lives. That might sound like very few choices, but it’s often what’s needed for us to finally make the right decision in life.

When there’s something in my life that I don’t want to do I usually try all other options first, before I finally decide to do the right thing. Obedience isn’t comfortable, which is why it makes sense that we often avoid it. When I was 17-years old my parents told me I needed to go to driving school. I didn’t want to do it and told them I didn’t really need a driver’s license that much. My parents told me I didn’t have that choice, I was going to driving school whether I liked the idea or not. Driving school was very uncomfortable, scary and at times overwhelming for me but I did it! Today I have my driver’s license and I know that unless my Mom&Dad had done their job as parents I would not have my license today. We don’t always like what our parents tell us to do but loving parents have the child’s best interest at heart. I’m so grateful for everything my wonderful parents have taught me about life, their love is what made me who I am today.

I will not always like what God calls me to do in life, but I can trust that he has my best interest at heart. Young kids can never understand why their parents want them to do certain things, but there is always a reason. Sometimes we have to wait until we are older to understand why our loving parents did what they did. I find that it’s the same way with God. I won’t always understand why God says “No” to certain things I want and “Yes” to other things that I don’t want, but there is always a reason. 

Seven years ago I was passionate about finding a job in Vancouver but God kept saying “No”. I was very frustrated with all the doors that God kept closing in front of me. God gave me a job in Toronto instead and one month after I arrived in Toronto I met the love of my life. I won’t always understand what God is up to in my life, but I can trust that He is working in all things for my good. God’s plan is always better than my plans. It’s freeing to let go and trust God. The more I get to know God, the easier it becomes to trust Him. The more I trust Him, the less I worry. I can let go and enjoy today, because I know that God holds my tomorrow.

Peace

Peace may feel far away, but it doesn’t have to. Discover three things that may be disturbing your peace.

Leaders and Followers

There will come a time in life when we need to step up and be a leader, and there will be other times when we need to follow. I wasn’t designed to live this life following other people, but I often do just that. It starts in Elementary school when we learn what types of music we should listen to, what clothes we need to wear and how we should think and feel. As an adult, I’m fully aware of how I should dress, talk, think, work, play etc. Humans live in communities, which means our lives will always be influenced by how other people live. This isn’t necessarily all bad, but we need to understand what makes us unique so we don’t end up living exactly like our friends or co-workers just because that’s what’s expected of us.

I watched a video last Christmas from when I was two years old. I can’t believe how eye-opening it was to watch that video as an adult. I looked at this little girl in the video who clearly wasn’t comfortable in big crowds but who flourished when she got to spend time with her own family. That little girl is me, and guess how I have treated her? Over the years I have forced myself to spend a lot of time in crowded environments, although my whole being prefers calm and quiet. I have tried to live the way I’m expected to live based on all the current ideals my culture holds dear, but many of those ideals don’t fit me. I have thought to myself: “I should be more like this, and less like that.”

The truth is this: God didn’t make a mistake when he created me, I am who he made me to be. I need to stop trying to fit the culture around me and start being myself. I will always have areas where I need to develop self-control, strength and character, but I don’t need to change who I am. My lack of self-control is a problem, my personality is not. When it comes to the relationship between me and other people I need to learn to be a leader and stop being a follower. It doesn’t matter what other people think I should do, I need to be the leader in my own life and stop following other people’s opinions.

My relationship with God is the complete opposite to my relationship with other people. I tend to bow to other people’s opinions when I should take on the responsibility of being the leader in my own life. When it comes to my relationship with God I need to learn o be a follower, but I tend to leave God out of all the important decisions I make. A few years ago, I was still “a baby-Christian” and I honestly used to think that it was unnecessary to read the Bible every week and pray to God before making any big decisions. Fast forward a few years later and it has become crystal clear to me why I need to seek God’s counsel. I could have spared myself from a lot of unnecessary pain and complications if I had taken the time to seek God’s counsel before making my big decisions. Nowadays I try to practice asking God for what I should do before I make big decisions. It’s fascinating how well things work out when I include God in the decision-making process, even when it looks like things won’t work out God literally shows up to move mountains so that things work out after all.

I’m a perfectionist and a control-freak so to let God lead in my life hasn’t been an easy transition, mainly because it’s all about letting go and learning to trust God. The great news is that the more I have learned to depend on God and trust Him the less worried I have become. I used to be very worried about many things a few years ago, today I’m hardly ever worried. Every time I feel worries starting to creep in I pray to God and ask him to intervene in whatever circumstance I’m worried about. When I know that God has it all in His hands I can let go.

Fear is another thing that wants to creep in and hinder us from depending on God and trusting Him. My greatest weapons against fear is prayer and worship. When I’m afraid I pray to God and ask him to bless me with His peace and joy, because I badly need it. If I’m very afraid I turn to worship next and sing a few worship songs to God. As I worship God I can feel the fear lifting off me and peace comes over me. When I’m worshipping God, I’m giving Him control of my situation and at the same time I’m reminding myself of his love for me, his strength and his power. Here’s three of my favorite worship songs that I like to sing to God when I’m afraid:

“You Never Let Go” by Bryan&Katie Torwalt

“Call Upon The Lord” by Elevation Worship

“The War” by Leeland

Why does God want me to be a follower? It’s not because he’s a control-freak or some strict military sergeant. The Bible describes God as “our Heavenly Father”. God wants me to follow him because he loves me and wants what’s best for me. God will not always call me to do things that are fun or easy, but He knows what I need. One year God might ask me to forgive someone when all I want to do is stay bitter. God might ask me to give up some comfort in my life to be able to help someone else. Over the years God has asked me to do both things I just mentioned and countless other things that I did not feel like doing. Sometimes what God is calling me to do will be fun and exciting, other times it will be the last thing I want to do. Did you want to do all the things your loving parents told you to do growing up? Probably not. Are you grateful today that your loving parents taught you many great lessons that developed good character in you? Yes. Following God will not always be easy, but God knows exactly what he is doing, He always has our best interest at heart.

Today I can look back at the last 15 years of my life and see how God used many difficult situations to form me, teach me and grow good character in me. I made some bad mistakes along the way that caused me (and others) pain, but now I know better. The more I learn to follow God and His plan for my life the more joy, peace, meaning and contentment I get to experience in my life every year. Every year I think to myself: “Life doesn’t get better than this” and then it does! The following year I get to experience even more peace, meaning and joy. God truly is the giver of good gifts, when you think life can’t get any better he surprises you with even more blessings!

Why Am I Anxious?

Ever wonder why you’re so anxious? Wish you could experience more peace and less anxiety? The answer to your problems may not be found in what’s happening to you, but in how you’re thinking about it. Discover seven reasons for why you might be anxious.

Living a Life of Meaning and Connection

Twelve years ago I was 20-years old and realized that I had no idea what life was about, and neither did anyone around me. It seemed like everyone were busy living their lives in the way they felt obligated to live. I was studying towards a Master's degree in Education, having my own appartment, dating many different guys while I was looking for Mr. Right etc. I was doing all the normal stuff, all the things my own culture was telling me was the right way to live.


At 25-years old I had just graduated from university and moved abroad. It was a very exciting time in life and at the same time a confusing time. Living abroad opens up your perspective on life. I soon realized that many of the goals I was pursuing in life were goals my own culture had taught me to pursue. It was exciting to be exposed to many different cultures in Toronto which meant many different ways to live. The only problem with more options in life is that it makes everything even more confusing. "Who am I and what do I really want to focus on in life?" Questions like these we all ask ourselves during our twenties.


I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. On the other hand, I knew how I didn't want to live. I didn't want to get married one day and have my marriage fall apart like 50% of all marriages do today. I didn't want to jump on the wheel of normal big city life and become too busy and overbooked. I wanted to have enough time in my life to spend with my future husband, kids, friends and other family members. I knew I wanted to build a meaningful, healthy and balanced life for myself, but I had no idea what that could look like. It turned out I wasn't the only one in our society who was confused about how to create a life that leads to flourishing.


This year I'm turning 32-years old and I'm happier than I have ever been before in my life. I feel much more content and free today than I did a decade ago. My life is far from perfect and not all of my dreams have come true yet, but I still have a peace and joy in my life now that I longed for ten years ago. I'm no longer confused about my own identity and I know what my purpose is. I'm excited to spend the next 50 years or so living out my purpose. Every year I'm learning new things about myself, about other people and about God. I try new things, I succeed, fail and grow. The journey will continue through all the days of my life.


Another woman who has been on her own journey toward peace, purpose and balance in life is Shauna Niequist. Shauna's new book "Present Over Perfect" is one of the best books I've read this year! Here's a couple of quotes from Shauna's journey in the book Present Over Perfect:

"There we were, women in our thirties. Educated, married, mothers, women who have careers, who manage homes and oversee companies. And there we were, utterly resigned to lives that feel overly busy and pressurized, disconnected and exhausted.
But that's shifting the blame, right? Who's the boss, if not us? Who's forcing us to live this way? Or, possibly, do we not want to face the answer to that question, preferring to believe we can't possibly be held responsible for what we've done?"

"Some of being an adult, though, is about protecting and preserving what we discover to be the best parts of ourselves, and here's a hint: they're almost always the parts we've struggled against for years."

"I'm committed to a particular, limited amount of things in this season, and if what's being asked of me isn't one of those, then it stands in the way. That's why knowing your purpose and priorities for a given season is so valuable-because those commitments become the litmus test for all the decisions you face."

How to Be Content and Joyful

How can we be content and joyful in life when our dreams still haven't come true? It's easy to assume that when our dreams come true, then we will be happy and satisfied with life. We look at other people and think to ourselves: "She's got everything I dream of, she must be very happy and content with life." The grass is always greener on the other side, even the person who we think has everything doesn't have a life free of struggles.

It's good to have big dreams but problems arise when we become convinced that we can't be happy before our dreams come true, this kind of thinking sets us up for disappointment. If we think that we will finally be happy when our dreams come true we will most likely be disappointed when they do. There are many stories of people from history who have searched the whole world for happiness and come to the conclusion that nothing in this world can truly satisfy the human heart.

It's wonderful to see a dream come true in life but it's not going to keep us satisfied forever, in a little while we will be craving something more again. When we come to know God and develop a personal relationship with Jesus everything changes. The closer we get to God the more we start to experience his peace, joy and contentment. It doesn't make any sense to people looking on, because even if nothing else changes in a person's life but she finds God it changes everything. There are women in this world who have everything: the dream job, money, status, possessions, kids and a wonderful husband, but they are still unhappy. There are people in this world who live in prison or in poverty and still have joy, peace and contentment in their lives. That doesn't make any sense to someone who doesn't know God. When we turn to God and let Him fill that hole in our hearts we can walk through life with joy, peace and contentment every day, no matter what our circumstances look like.

Annie's Story

Annie Lobert's life story gives me tears in my eyes as I listen to it. Annie grew up feeling unlovable and was desperate for love and attention. She graduated high school heartbroken and with a resentment towards men that made her long for revenge. As a young adult Annie became convinced that money was the answer to all her problems and she was willing to cross many of her own boundaries to get it. After years of pain and sorrow Annie ended up having a near death experience, she nearly died of a cocaine overdose, this experience became the turning point in her life. Today Annie has found the peace, freedom, acceptance and love she always longed for in her life.

A Life Filled with Joy & Peace

Pastor Craig Groeschel preaches a funny but sobering sermon about our thought-life. Craig does a good job at showing us how much our thoughts will impact our well-being in life. Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. I can't let my mind be controlled by negativity, fear and worry and expect my life to still be full of peace. My thoughts matter and what I choose to dwell on will determine in what direction my life will be moving. The outcome of a difficult situation that I'm faced with will be entirely different depending on what my thinking looks like. My own inner dialog matters.

My actions will always be based on my thoughts. First we think, then we act, therefore what we think about will impact our lives in a great way. If we don't learn to take control of our thought-life our minds will be prisoners to negative, hopeless, dark thoughts that will drain us of energy and leave us with no peace. When we give our thoughts over to being led by the Holy Spirit our minds will no longer be filled with fear, hopelessness, worry, anxiety and despair. The more we are filled with and led by the Holy Spirit the more light our thoughts will become. Our minds will be filled with peace, life and joy in both good times and difficult times.

It's easy to assume that to have a life filled with joy we need a life free of difficulty but that is not the case. God offers us a peace and joy that will not leave us, a peace and joy so deep that even when our circumstances are not great we can still have joy and be at peace on the inside. I love this quote by Craig Groeschel from the sermon: "So much of life isn't about what happens to you but how you think about what happens to you."

Love in Action

On this beautiful sunny Thursday morning I started my day with a huge cup of coffee and by reading three chapters in the book of Romans. I wanted to share one of my favorite passages in chapter 12 called "Love in Action".

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." 
Romans 12: 9-18 (NIV)

These are beautiful words to live by, and every time I read this passage I become aware of how none of these things come naturally for me. I naturally want to hate those who persecute me, I don't want to bless them. When someone does something evil to me I naturally want to repay them with evil. "Live in harmony with each other", isn't that what we all say we want? We say we want peace on Earth but I don't think we rally mean what we say, because we don't want to honor other people above ourselves and give up "the right" to repay evil with evil. I think we all want peace on Earth, but do we ever think about what that really means?

I think most of us want others to do what is right, while we ourselves get to pick and choose and mix it up by doing a few things right and a few things wrong. I don't know about you but if I'm totally honest I do not want peace on Earth most days of my life. I like the idea of "peace on Earth", but I don't like what that will require out of me. A couple of weeks ago somebody hurt me deeply, do you think I wanted to forgive this person? The answer would be NO! What I wanted to do was kick this person in the stomach, and if I was 4-years-old that's probably what I would have done, but I knew the right thing to do was to forgive and move on. I've worked with kids for many years and we all know what happens when one child hits the other, the child will hit back. What happens next is that the fight continues until an adult gets involved. The question is: Do we ever really grow out of this behavior? We might stop hitting each other with our fists but we continue to act the same way with our words.

As a new Christian I had this idea that Jesus obviously had many wise things to say but that there was no need for me to follow everything that The Bible teaches. I liked the idea of picking out the parts that I liked and leaving the rest, like a nice buffet. I think most new Christians will start out like this, but what I realized over time was that the only way my life was going to flourish was if I applied the whole teaching to my life. Picking to follow only the parts of The Bible that I personally preferred ended up not producing much change in my life. I hear many pastors say: "Knowing The Bible won't change your life, the change comes when you apply it to your life." 

It would be awesome if we could continue to repay evil with evil and then get peace on Earth as a result of that, think about how much easier it would be to live like that! The truth is that peace requires us to give up what produces the opposite of peace, here's a few of those things: trying to get your own way all the time, cutthroat competition, all consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants, a brutal temper, an impotence to love or be loved, the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival etc. I love how the book of Galatians describes what happens when we choose to live life according to God's way instead:

"But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."
Galatians 5:22-23 (The Message)

As I read Galatians 5:22-23 all I can think is "I want to live like that!" We don't have to teach our children to hit each other, they will do it naturally. I don't have to teach myself to be selfish, to hate or envy, these things come naturally, but I can choose another way to live. I want to choose the life of the Spirit.

"Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original."
Galatians 5:25-26 (The Message)

The Word

The Word of God gives me peace and wisdom, it anchors my soul on days when I feel stressed, confused, insecure or worried. Here are three of my favorite passages from my Bible readings this week:

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.

Psalm 31:19-20 NLT

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

Psalm 32:8 NLT

Greg's Story

I find it interesting to listen to people's stories about how they found God. Every story is unique because every person has had a unique experience in life. Greg is a doctor who had everything he thought he needed to be happy. He had a successful career, an expensive car and nice clothes. He had also achieved success in sports like running and triathlon, but he still felt empty inside and wasn't content. Greg was an arrogant person and an atheist so his Christian neighbors really irritated him. Greg decided that he would read through the Bible so that he could prove to his neighbors that they were hypocrites.


As Greg studied the Bible he was blown away by the fact that Jesus claimed to be God in human form. He had never heard that before. As time went on Greg wanted to change in a few areas of his life where he knew he wasn't a good person, but he couldn't change himself. One day he decided to get down on his knees and ask God to forgive him for his sins and change him as a person. Greg felt a peace from that day on that he had never felt before and it became evident to Greg's wife that her husband was a changed man. Greg had started caring about other people in a way that he had never done before.


Greg explains that the difference between Christianity and other world religions is that all other religions are about people trying to reach God, while Christianity is about God himself coming down to reach people. Greg says that when you invite Jesus into your heart your life will never be the same, and the ultimate proof of Jesus being God is the change he creates in each person who has encountered him.

Deny Yourself

We are all selfish by nature so to follow in Jesus' footsteps and deny ourselves isn't something that comes naturally. Lisa Chan talks about how she herself has struggled to do the will of God when she rather wants to choose to be selfish and comfortable. God will always call us outside of our comfort zone because that is where he can transform our hearts and watch us grow.

As Christians we are aware that our lives are not only about us, it's about something greater, but this doesn't mean that we won't struggle to do the will of God. When God asks us to forgive we rather want to stay bitter. When God asks us to be generous we rather want to hold on to our money. When God asks us to trust him we rather want to listen to our fears. The battle is always won (or lost) in the mind.

When we choose to do life God's way we always gain, we grow and we experience greater joy and peace in life. We often miss out on a lot of the joy and fulfillment that God has for us in life because we are so stubborn and we just won't follow his ways, we resist him and try to hold on to our selfishness. Jesus said: "If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." (Luke 17:33 NLT)

Fix The Flow

God says in scripture that He will meet all our needs, but for many of us that's hard to believe. If He is a great giver with unlimited supply, why do we still feel empty? What is standing between us and the flow of God's favor in our lives?

Your Promises

When we are worried about the future it's easy to get stuck in fear, and fear can really weigh us down. One of my favorite songs to listen to on days when I'm really worried is "Your Promises" by Elevation Worship. The song reminds me of who's in control and helps me trust God. God is the one who provided everything I needed in the past and He will continue to provide in the future. He might not always give me what I want, but he knows what's best for me. I can trust him. I hold on to his promises when the storms come in life. These are some of His promises:


God's promise when you are depressed:

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Deuteronomy 31:8



God's promise when you are anxious:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7



God's promise when you are confused:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."
Psalm 32:8



One of my personal favorites:

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Island life

I wasn´t planning on taking a trip back home to Scandinavia this summer but then it became a spontaneous trip after all. Sometimes things change quickly in life.

I have arrived in Finland and at our family cottage and the weather couln´t be any better. I enjoy getting to spend alot of time outdoors and by the water every day. It´s so relaxing to sit on the docks reading a book with the wind in my hair.

We have a large garden at the cottage which is fenced off to keep all the deers and other animals away. I love having the forest near by and being able to just walk out the door and take a hike every morning before breakfast.

I also love eating dinner outside when the weather allows it and enjoying fresh vegetables and berries from the garden.

At the cottage I don´t need a perfume, instead I use this organic body lotion that smells like a tropical vacation.

 

Although I usually try to stick to organic treats that rule does not apply when I´m back home in Finland. I want to enjoy all the treats that I only have available once a year, all the cookies and desserts that are finnish and remind me of my carefree childhood.

Our family cottage is more than 100 hundred years old and there is so many happy memories in this place. It´s the number one place in the world where I feel relaxed, peaceful and at home. It´s my oasis where I can always find opportunities for rest.

You were not created to live your life in fear

Our fears are fueled by worry. But what is really at the bottom of our worst fears? And is there any way to shift our fear to faith?

Steven Furtick gives us a great sermon on the topic of fear. We were not meant to live our lives in constant fear and worry. God wants us to be free from fear and live a life of joy and peace. Steven Furtick teaches us three things that we can do to get free from our fear, worries and anxiety.