"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
Romans 12:12 ESV
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Sometimes I have periods of times that I feel not just physically weak, but emotionally weak. If I've had a stressful period of time and I'm tired, my system needs rest from all the distractions that are around me, and I want to retreat to my bedroom and be quiet for the entire weekend. This is how I felt last weekend, and I needed strength. For me, my resource of strength is my Friend, Jesus. I have a continual converstaion going on with Him, and just that in itself is helpful for me. He is the One friend that I am always able to be completely raw with all the time, right in the moment. I don't have to filter my words with Him inside my head, He hears me, He knows me. He sees my heart. What I love about Jesus is that He values me. When I feel valued, I feel strengthened. Do you know what I mean? It's pretty rough in times of weakness, I think, to find value with some people. In weakness, both physically or emotionally I am in pain. I am needed. I need. I need someone to listen to me, or bring me tea, or leave me alone. I may not have a lot to offer that is visible. Yet, Jesus still sees my heart in those times and still values me, and this brings me strength. In Isaiah 40:28-31 I am assured of this: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV Bethany Looyenga- Guest BloggerMy name is Bethany. I am a friend and devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I love spending time with him and sharing the stories he tells me with others. I’ve been married for over 36 years and have four sons and one daughter, three daughter in-laws, and seven beautiful grandchildren. God has blessed me with a ministry, Agape Celebration, we focus on celebrating God through art and bringing woman to a place of understanding their identity through Jesus. I love to write and speak about life experiences and the hope of Jesus.
Bethany Looyenga Founder/President Agape Celebration Rooted in Mercy 208-297-2480 www.AgapeCelebration.com, www.Rootedinmercy.com “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7 KJV Have you ever noticed that people are more likely to express admiration of your art and tell you good things about it than they are to give out constructive criticism that would help you improve? That’s certainly been my experience. It’s far more likely for me to get compliments on my art than it is to be told how to make it better. Sure, I’ve had teachers show me different things but a lot of times my artistic deficiencies have been slow to get noticed by me.
"Wisdom opens your heart to receive wise counsel, but pride closes your ears to advice and gives birth to only quarrels and strife."
Proverbs 13:11 TPT This verse is such a great reminder of what we need to be walking in, daily. In fact, recently the Lord got my attention too, as I was walking in pride. It's funny how we choose to view our decisions at times, and see them as good, or even have great explanations for them.
I've also come to realize there are times that the Lord is speaking to me, and I may not even notice. That makes my heart sad to think I haven't always noticed when God is speaking, but even more sad when I realize that not only do I sometimes not realize it's God speaking to my heart, I argue with Him. Have you ever had a thought to do or try something and you came back with a really good reason to not do that idea. Yeah, me too. "I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man."
Ecclesiastes 3:10-13 I was so sure that the Lord allowed me to leave my current job.
I had been praying for this since last year. When the Lord called Abram to depart his country as He instructed (Genesis 12:4), I took this as a go signal. Prior to the interview for my target new job, my quiet time was about the story of Eleizer. He was asking the Lord success for his mission in getting wife for his master's son, Isaac. The prayer of Eliezer was exactly my prayer! (Genesis 24:12). I passed the initial interview and was scheduled for final. The day of my final interview came and the Lord encouraged me through the story of Ruth thanking Boaz so much for the favor she is receiving from him (Ruth 2:10). So I was confident since "favor" is the exact word in my prayer. Waiting time came and I kept holding on to His words. There are lot of verses and bible stories in my quiet time that continued to encouraged me like Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 9:29. "When I told my story, you responded; train me well in your deep wisdom. Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder your miracle-wonders."
Psalm 119:26-27 MSG We live in a world that defines wisdom by how much knowledge we acquire and how we use it, as the Body of Christ, we have sometimes adopted this definition as well, but I would like to challenge that. The wisdom of God goes much deeper to the heart and spirit allowing us to express the creative side of God within us which brings practical solutions to questions and concerns we encounter on a day to day basis.
I have found this to be true for my life. When I tell my story, to GOD, He responds, and he begins this amazing thing, he trains me in the knowledge of what deep wisdom actually is and as time moves I begin to understand not only myself, but the miraculous wonder of transformation. "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!"
Psalm 126:5 ESV I wish I had a better way to describe what 2018 looked like for me other than The Year of Tears. Let me also quickly tell you that it was THE MOST beautiful year + I would gladly shed every one of those tears again + again. This blessed year was all about being remolded, remade + renewed in the most divine ways + that evolution created tears, lots of them! They have been the most soul-nourishing tears I have ever shed!
It’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly when this transformational period really took root. Initially it started in the summer of 2017 with my oldest son, Nate, telling us he didn’t want to miss church anymore. You see, we were just casual church-goers, well intended but non-committal as all get out! Later that fall, after attending weekly as a family, my emotions really began to stir during worship + I was increasingly moved by the carefully crafted message my pastor delivered each week. I was changing, it was slow change but, an opening was being created. Then, one night in October, I ended up at a church event that changed my heart + life forever. "Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness."
Proverbs 4:25-27 TPT As a creative, and having such a visual and open display of your gifts can be a very vulnerable place. Most creatives I know have had to learn to share their artwork, to be okay with pricing their artwork and even be open to questions or critiquing of their artwork. I know from personal experience, that when you feel deeply about what you have put together with your hands, there is a huge space that can be filled with the opposite to who God created us to be. It can be filled with fear, dread, fear of failure, fear of succeeding, fear of man, etc.
I heard something recently that brought all this to mind really strongly and have had to address some things I didn't even realize were there. Do you think about what someone might not like about your work, or your style or whether or not it will even sell? These are huge reasons that have stopped many creatives in their tracks and can cause us to procrastinate into our calling, into prospering with the very gift that God has given us. "Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting."
James 4:8 TPT Have you ever felt lonely? I don’t mean the type of loneliness where you literally feel alone. I am talking about the type of lonely where you’re surrounded by supportive family, encouraging friends, and an incredibly loving church family, yet you still feel like something is missing and you want “something more.”
I know the feeling very well. I was a 4th grade teacher for three years, and for three years I had that feeling of longing for something more. I loved my students and felt that what I was doing was making a difference, but I still found myself coming home every day stressed, unhappy, and feeling unfulfilled. At the time I thought it was because I didn’t love my job and wasn’t doing something that I loved doing. So, I decided to make a career change and start my own business doing something that I knew I loved, designing and making faith encouraging t-shirts. I was going to be happy now, I just knew it! "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5 AMPC Artwork credit to @fran_letters Are we not so trained to depend on our own understanding? What we know, what we’ve learned, what we’ve experienced. Often, that is of so much value for us in our daily decisions.
. There’s nothing wrong with decision making based on our understanding. However, our own understanding is very limited. And sometimes, we might find ourselves in situations where minding our own understanding doesn’t help us. . |
AuthorsHere you will find a mix of encouraging and inspirational articles written from members within the Community of Christian Creatives. Archives
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