Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 24, 2025

Lessons I Learned From The Shore

“Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small.”  Psalm 104:25 (NLT)

I have been cleaning the photos off my phone and realized I had not made our summer vacation book from this year. As I swiped through pictures, I was reminded of how much I love the shore. The shore, the beach, the ocean, whatever you call it, is the most glorious and peaceful place on our planet. At least that is my opinion. I absolutely love any chance I get to sit on the sandy shore and listen to the waves crash over and over and over. I am the person who can never get enough of being there and takes every chance I get to go back.

One thing can add to the glory of the ocean and that is to be at the ocean with our grandsons! This past summer, I had the privilege of snuggling under the beach umbrella with our newest grandson while he slept, which gave me a lot of thinking and praying time. As I gazed over the blue-green waters and studied the majesty and consistency of the waves rolling in, I realized the ocean had taught me quite a few things about God.

-The ocean rolls in and out day after day and is constant. It does this whether I am there or not-the ocean never leaves, just as God will never leave us.

-The waves roll up onto the shore as if always trying to reach me. They consistently try to catch me time after time. God will never give up on me.

-Just dipping my toes in the cool water is refreshing. Just as dipping into scripture refreshes my soul. I may not get the full benefit of studying, but His Word always changes me, even in little bits.

-There are a variety of people doing a variety of things-sitting under umbrellas, surfing, boogie boarding, swimming, walking, sunbathing, and snuggling babies! Such a picture of the beautiful people God created and sent His son to die for.

-So many are drawn to the shore, but some do not know what to do with it. Some fear it, some admire it, and some are in awe of it. So many feel this way about God. They may fear Him, admire Him, or even be in awe of Him, but it is our choice to embrace Him and jump in fully.

-The salt in the ocean is a healer. It can help our skin, sore throats, and heals wounds, just as Jesus is our Healer, internally and externally.

-The salt can also sting, taste bitter, and burn our eyes which is what conviction does to us. The thing is, after the sting we can swim again and we remember not to do the same thing to sting again!

-Some have had a bad experience at the beach, whether sunburn or stung by a jellyfish, but that does not change the fact that the ocean is constant and majestic. The ocean is still the ocean regardless of how we perceive it. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

-Lastly, and it is my favorite lesson learned, I cannot see where the ocean ends which reminds me of two incredible truths. Truth one is that my sin is so far removed from me that God will never remember it or bring it back to shame me. Truth two is that His love for me has no ending and will go on forever.

What an awesome God we serve. His creation is an amazing representation of Who He is!

“Father, thank you for reminding us of your kindness, goodness, and majesty through Your Creation.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson (Feel free to follow me @TerrieTollerson on instagram)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 23, 2025

Embrace Endurance

“Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.” This was the response Charlie Kirk gave to an interviewer when asked what he most wanted to be known for after he is gone. Ironically, he made this statement just five short months before he was martyred. I’d seen this interview clip numerous times over the past week, and it came to mind again while I was reading chapter 12 of Hebrews…and I had to stop to ask myself, “Is my faith in Jesus the most important thing in my life—so much so, that others think of me as being ‘courageous for my faith’?”

Actually, I imagine many of us Christ-followers have been asking ourselves this question lately. Thankfully, the Bible is chock full of encouragement and exhortations as to why and how we can be courageous—we’re on the winning team, for one thing! And I just love the way the Apostle Paul exhorts us throughout his epistles to stand firm (Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 5:1), be bold (Ephesians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Timothy 1:6-7), and finish well (2 Timothy 4:7; Philippians 3:14; Galatians 6:9).

At the beginning of Hebrews 12, the author cheers us on in our faith. He writes, “Let’s run with endurance the race set before us.” Endurance, beloved, is steady determination to keep going, not giving up or in, despite how the world, our flesh, or the enemy might whisper, distract, tempt. And this takes courage. But how are we able to maintain this steadfast endurance? Right in those same two verses, he gives us four things to do.

  1. “We have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” Not only do we have the example of Biblical heroes like Paul, John, James, the Apostles, the OT Prophets, etc., but we have 2000 years’ worth of steadfast men and women of faith and Christian martyrs. And we have our own experience with disciplers, faithful brothers and sisters, and pastors. These are our spiritual examples, mentors, cheerleaders.
  2. “Let us lay aside every encumbrance.” What is encumbering your Christian race? The unnecessary activities, time-suckers, obsessions that distract you and weigh you down? Social media? Work? Money? Religiosity? Lay them down! We can all run so much better holding fast only to the faith essentials—the gospel of grace and the Person of Jesus Christ.
  3. “(Let us lay aside) the sin which so easily entangles us.” Sin in our lives trips up our walk, causing us to stumble, fall, and sometimes quit altogether. We are all sinners and will be until the moment we’re in glory with the Lord. But from the point of our surrender, we are new creations in Christ, and we have the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to lay aside our sinful habits. Paul talks a lot about putting off our old ways and putting on the new (see Ephesians and Colossians, for example)…think of it as having fancy performance-improving running gear with high-tech material.
  4. “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Now, I’m no runner, but I imagine that in a race you’re highly aware of where your competitors are as you speed to the finish line. Not so in our race to glory. In fact, Paul makes it clear here: We are to fix our eyes on Jesus! He drew us to Him for salvation, and as we follow Him, He will bring our faith, holiness, and purpose to completion. No need at all to compare ourselves to someone else’s race. It’s just us and our Audience of One.

Friend, how is your Christian run at present? Perhaps it’s time for a refocus and a laying aside. Like Charlie Kirk, none of us is promised tomorrow. Today is the day to be bold and run with endurance. So, let’s be known for courage in our faith, to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, encouraging others to give their lives to Him as well.

“Lord, You are my Everything. Forgive me for any shame in me for speaking Truth in fear of mocking or repercussions. Make me bold for Jesus and sharing the gospel—every day. Let my sole desire be to “make heaven crowded.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 22, 2025

Growing Abundantly

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly..” II Thessalonians 1:3a (ESV)

If we think life is gonna stay the same then we are setting ourselves up for false expectations.  From the moment we breathed our first breath, we began to change and the evolving of us has never stopped. We crawled, walked, ran and leaped.  We spoke, read, wrote and sang.  And the cycle continues from sweet infant to beautiful woman.

So why do we resist glorious change?  Why do we welcome routineness and embrace familiar?  Don’t know about you but sameness offers ease for me.  I don’t have to navigate through or figure out anything, but no growth results from coasting. Sameness reeks of stagnant, still waters, unmoving to the rhythms of life.

We were created for transformation.  Despite our perceived joy often found in sameness, we truly long for the end result – radiating Jesus to our world – real beauty unfolding within us. Hugh steps outside the box of comfort invite the remaking of us.  Releasing undesirable traits unleashes the renewing of us. Quietness in God’s presence restructures us and deepens the well of new He so desires.  Challenges realign us and difficulties refine us.   All changes that birth incredible growth.

We can choose to relinquish change and remain the same, but we will never be fulfilled.  God’s growth plan looks different for every one of His children. He alone knows the best way to move us out of complacency to fruitfulness.  He orchestrates every growth spurt at the precise pivotal moment to maximize our potential.  Will it be uncomfortable?  Probably.  Will it stretch us?  I’m sure it will.  Will it be a learning experience?  Yes.  But we will never walk those paths alone.  God will be right by our side every step of the way.  He will instruct us, lead us, guide us, and cheer us on. And when the waves of fear overwhelm us, God will be our peace and calm.  He will be our reassuring presence.

Growing abundantly is where I want to be – clinging to His promises and obeying His word.  Won’t you join me on this journey?  I can promise you will never be disappointed with God’s transforming grace.

“Father, we settle too often for familiar – propel us out into the deep waves of change so that we can fulfill Your purposes.

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 19, 2025

The Best Option

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9

Ever find yourself consumed with an agenda before your knees even hit the floor? Yes, I’ve been there where I came up with all the workable solutions. I’ve told God exactly what He should do and how He should do it and when He should do it. Sounds outrageous really – our Father who desires our ultimate best has a perfect plan for those things which touch our lives. We know we can trust Him; His very name reminds us of His incomprehensible power. Yet for some reason, we feel the urge to just let Him know what He should be doing. Despite the stark reality of God’s sovereignty there’s something wired in us (our flesh) which seeks to move the plan along our way at our pace.

Prayer is one of those avenues where we feel inclined to give voice to our solutions and provide the perfect option. We will spend endless moments zeroed in on our idea of how God should work things out leaving no opportunity for Him to even speak. We’ve already zoned out what His will is versus ours. Sound familiar? Oh yes, we’ve been down this road too many times.

Fully aware of our tendencies, Jesus reminds us of the importance of praying, “Your will be done.” Giving up? Not quite how Jesus sees it. Surrender is more like yielding our free will to match the perfect will of God. Jesus not only prayed these words; He lived them. During the darkest moments of His life on this earth, the Son of God asked the very thing we often desire, “My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me.” He totally gets our cries for another option, a different chapter and an easier journey. But Jesus didn’t stop there like we often do. “Yet not as I will, but as You will,” echoed from His lips in the garden twice. The fulfillment of Jesus’ coming to our world and laying down His life culminated on the cross – God’s will birthing a glorious resurrection!

So sweet friends the next time we are tempted to dominate the conversation and leverage our agenda let’s choose to seek His will, verbally ask for His best and rest in His peace.

“Father, You see our world from a perspective unclouded by human emotion and preferences. We can trust You to fulfill Your purposes on earth and in heaven.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 18, 2025

Dressing For The Day

“They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:19, ESV)

For my friends in Virginia, we know that dressing for the day can be challenging.  We can start the morning out in the teens and by mid-afternoon, we could be enjoying temperatures in the seventies. Or vice versa.  I’m an open-toe girl (always pedicured and ready to shine), but if rain or extreme cold is in the forecast – a closed-toe shoe is donned. Not everyone listens to the news, but most everyone checks the weather regularly (and usually in the mornings). Even though the weather forecast isn’t one hundred percent accurate – people still regularly check it.   They want to know what to wear and if their outdoor plans are going to be safe.  They want to be prepared for the day.

There is a resource that we can go to that gives one hundred percent accuracy of how to dress for the day.  It’s the Bible.  Essential basics of dressing for the day include:

  1. Don’t be clothed in things that will weigh us down (Hebrews 12:1)
  2. Take off the old self – put on the new self (Colossians 3:9)
  3. Putting on the armor of God every morning (Ephesians 6:13-18)
  4. Be clothed in righteousness (Ephesians 4:25-5:2) (Isaiah 11:5)
  5. Put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and meekness as God’s chosen (Colossians 3:12)
  6. Always be sure to add peace to your day (Psalm 34:14)
  7. Put on love – which binds everything together (Colossians 3:14)

By taking the time to read the Bible in the morning, we are reminded of these essentials to “wear” throughout the day.  Thus, making us a more effective follower of Christ that day. Versus waiting until after your day is done and then reading it. That’s like leaving your umbrella at home on a rainy day.  You have an umbrella but it’s not being very effective at keeping you dry.

If we haven’t gone to the scriptures first to know what to put on and what to take off, then we’re basically “feeling” our way through the day.

Friends, I can’t stress enough, you will never find consistency in your life if you’re making your decisions throughout the day based on feelings alone. Just because your mind has a thought or a feeling, it doesn’t make it truthful or helpful to you. Equipping ourselves with the Word of God in the mornings gives us ammunition to battle those feelings.  Bringing them under the authority of God.

If you don’t have time in the mornings to sit and read, then consider having the Word read to you as you prepare for the day.  Listening to the Bible on an app or via a preacher on TV can be just as effective.

“Father teach us to dress for the day by always going to your Word first to be effective for the gospel.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes   (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 17, 2025

What’s On Your Playlist

“…You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”  Leviticus 19:2b (NLT)

I love Spotify! I love the convenience, the variety and the fact that we can share lists. It is such a great tool for so many reasons. Music truly can change your mood on a dime. Who does not feel like you can climb a mountain when listening to the Rocky theme song or like you can really dance when The Cupid Shuffle begins?!

The other day, I was looking through my lists and they were like a snapshot of my life. They show my moods, the season I was going through, or a collection of what someone else thought  might encourage me. It was like walking down memory lane to think about what each of these meant to me at a particular time and how they changed me.

I realized that each of these playlists had affected me and the way I thought. It made me stop and think-what is on my playlist now? Not just in my music, but the playlist of my life.

What about you? What is on your playlist? Maybe you have a Spotify list or maybe not, but what are we allowing to shape and influence us? When we look back at this season in a year, will we be better for it or worse for it? Not the circumstances we are living in, but the person we are becoming.

These are some hard and heavy questions. I have been sitting in them for a bit now, and I really do not care for it. The battle to live carefree and maybe a little reckless is always at odds with the understanding that this life and how we live it matters. It matters a lot. It not only matters to us, but to those we have the opportunity to influence. I am not talking about not having fun. Jesus drew the crowds to Himself. I imagine He had the best sense of humor, and He was so welcoming. I am referring to the things we allow to change us or reshape us.

As we pause and think about what is on our playlists in life,  it is important to pay attention to our emotions as well as our thoughts. Are we allowing the things we focus on to bring us closer to Jesus and His purposes for us or are they moving our focus off course, away from Him?

The great thing about Spotify is that you press one little button and it can delete any song from your list. We all know life changes take a bit more effort than that. It is a place to start, though. Sometimes we need to reevaluate choices we have made, people we have allowed into our lives, commitments we have chosen, and habits we have allowed to form us.  We do this by praying to God for wisdom and asking Him to show us clearly where we may be struggling in our walk with Him. If we want our playlists to honor Him, we may need to add, delete, or rearrange.

Let’s not ruin the vibe of His amazing playlist for us by allowing anything below His standards to influence us.

“Father, help us to take a step toward You today and be mindful of what is on our playlist. Give us the courage to take off anything that is not bringing us closer to You.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson (Follow me @TerrieTollerson on Instagram)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 16, 2025

Dealing With Dandelions

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13

I recently heard a great analogy from a pastor visiting our church. The overarching theme was for believers to truly live the John 10:10 abundant life by being crucified with Christ and dying to self (Galatians 2:20). The teaching wove together Old and New Testament truths and was chock-full of challenging nuggets and visual comparisons. It was one of his examples from nature—specifically regarding dandelions—that got my mind spinning to expand upon and share his brief reference.

Although we’re likely all familiar with this ubiquitous weed, I first had to dive into learning more about the properties of dandelions. Allow me to elaborate:

  1. The bright yellow flowering head looks attractive (and is).
  2. The stems are hollow.
  3. The taproots are long and hinder other plants from growing.
  4. They compete with and crowd out desired plants.
  5. They are not only fast-growing, but they’re relentless—pushing their way through even the tiniest sidewalk cracks.
  6. When the roots are superficially cut, they actually clone, so they quickly multiply.

Are bells and whistles going off for your spirit? Sounds an awful lot like sin, doesn’t it? Attractive on the surface, it’s only full of hollow promises for satisfaction. Fleshly activity competes for attention over the spiritual, hindering godly fruit from being realized. When a crack in our spiritual armor is found, sin pushes through oh so tenaciously. And just as overgrowth of dandelions can destroy a lawn, the final outgrowth of sin is death (James 1:15). (Each of these warrants its own devo!)

But let’s examine factoid #6: Managing dandelions is not an option. If you’ve got a yard where dandelions spring up, you know that the easiest way to get rid of them is to simply mow over them. The resulting lawn looks green and lush and healthy—from the observing eye. A day or so later, they pop back up. Often multiplied. See, dandelions must be uprooted or destroyed at the root level to really be rid of them.

Beloved, the same is true with the sin in our lives! This is where the pastor used dandelions as one of his many examples of dying to self. See, too often we clip away the outward activity or habits that sprout up from our old sin nature. We can even make ourselves look tidy and “weedless” to our family, friends, and church. But those entrenched sins will rear their ugly heads again unless we kill them. Although we’re made free—a new creation—in Christ, we will be sinning until we’re glorified, so we’ve got to be diligent in uprooting what once controlled us. But we don’t (cannot) do this in our own power. We must yield to the Holy Spirit living in us to be the sin slayer.

This growing freedom from sin comes only with our surrender—which requires our death to self, as we’re crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6-7). And every day is a day of death for us who follow Jesus (Luke 14:27)…because only then can the Holy Spirit serve as our personal spiritual pesticide, killing in us what’s intended to kill us.

“Lord, today may I die to self a little more, so that Christ in me can free me from any sin that still enslaves me.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Mercy, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 15, 2025

Untangling Messy Thoughts

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

One tiny little seed of thought planted in the furthest corner of our brain can shoot out deep roots within a matter of minutes. We’ve probably all experienced those moments when a thought rose up presumably out of nowhere and took us on a journey.  Some of those thought travels landed us happy, fulfilled  and bursting with hope. Others were definitely not so appealing.  Fear, bitterness, arrogance, regret, negativity – I think you get the picture.  Not all thoughts serve us well.

Whether we admit it or not, tangled up in our stream of thoughts is the overarching resulting words and deeds which characterize us.  Yes, those thoughts we allow to roam wild and run free can produce  devastating words.  In the heat of a battle, our lips spew what has been fertilized yet restrained in our mind.  Thoughts we just kept traveling down, focusing on and allowing to monopolize our every moment.  Words we would have never spoken.  Words we thought we had control over despite their familiarity.

And yes, sweet friends not only do those carefree thoughts produce verbiage we later regret, but they also multiply into actions (deeds) we take.  Reflecting back, we can’t comprehend what led us to such behavior – simply dismissing the words we spoke and the thoughts we fed.  Actions we truly thought were behind us resurface at the least likely moment.  Birthing pain, hurt and remorse.

Perhaps these are the reasons Paul was so adamant about the believers in Colossae doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.  You see when we focus on God’s word, His character and the example of Jesus’ life on earth, we are planting seeds which will flourish into godly words and deeds.  It simply starts with a thought which speaks a word resulting in deeds.

In Colossians 3, Paul challenges these believers to set their minds on things above not on this world.  He compels them to put to death earthly desires.  And then he reminds them to reflect the very character of their God.  Their greatest legacy would be the one they live out in front of others.

The same is true today sweet friends.  Our thoughts can take us down some not good paths.  Our words can be hope-filled or destructive.  Our deeds can foster unity and love or hate and division.  And all of these start from one seed planted.

Not sure what’s sprouting in your thoughts, but I love this reminder from Paul  whatever we do or say – all should be done to the glory of God.  Our thoughts carry weight – let’s make sure its heavy on the grace, love and truth of the gospel. Let’s saturate our minds daily with His words and praise Him for transforming and redeeming our minds.

“Father, we desperately need Your power and strength to capture our thoughts.  Help us to recognize the ungodly roots and extinguish them quickly.  Fill our minds with Your truth and empower us to bring glory to Your name in all we do.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 12, 2025

When Conversation Flows

“But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me.” Psalm 66:19-20 (Esv)

First conversations are ever hard for those of us who are not extroverts.  We’re usually not the ones to invite small talk with a total stranger.  We’re completely content to scroll through our phone during those moments of waiting or standing in line.  We just don’t know what to say.

Awkward is how we’d describe early conversations with a new friend.  We stumble through our words wondering if anything we’re saying is making sense. Bet we’ve all been there in the newness of a friendship when conversations were shallow and strained.  Yet something beautiful begins to unfold as we invest time into getting to know someone on a deeper level.  We relax and open up our hearts as trust evolves.  We laugh and celebrate our differences.  We value face to face encounters and prioritize connection. There’s nothing sweeter than watching us move from casual acquaintance to best friends where conversation flows effortlessly.

Our struggles with conversation sounds a lot like our apprehensions and intimidations with prayer doesn’t it?  Everyone else makes it seem so easy.  Their words make sense and convey power.  Yet when we try to utter a word it seems awkward, and we so fear messing it up.  We are intimidated to say the least and our repetitive words seem bland and boring even to our ears.

So glad sweet friends that prayer is not an attempt to impress our Heavenly Father.  If it was, I’d be in big trouble.  Instead, He invites us to come with genuine words from hearts desiring to know Him.  And the more time I spend getting to know our God in His word, the less intimidated I feel.  Glimpsing His grace, love and mercy sprinkled throughout the lives of men and women in scripture compels me to draw near rather than shrink back.  God’s compassion and   love for us eases my awkwardness and deepens my trust.  The conversation which once felt shallow, strained and difficult now flows effortlessly. No special words or repetitive phrases…just me and my God talking together.

Still feeling a little uneasy when it comes to prayer?  Rest assured dear one – we’ve all been there.  Praying through the Psalms is a great way to ease our uneasiness.  Praying God’s promises reminds us of His love and faithfulness. And for those days when we simply don’t know what to say….the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27).  God’s got it all covered.

“Father, through the death of Your Son we have full access to come boldly to Your throne….may we cherish the privilege of prayer and resist the temptation to quit when it seems hard.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 11, 2025

God’s Care Of His Children

“You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (MSG)

Mordecai raised his cousin when death befell her parents. Esther saved herself and her people for such a time. Syrus’ daughter, Mary, lavished her riches on sin and worldly pleasures but would encounter Jesus, be forgiven, delivered and shown how real wealth is splurged. And Naomi, a woman of bitterness, would be of royal lineage through Ruth, great-grandmother of David.

To every child of promise in the Bible is a person of significance. Often a parent, perhaps a close relative, but one who gave of self to raise forth the next generation. Dreams, preparation and concern were there. Countless hours teaching, listening and correcting. Sacrifice, love, support. All the ingredients of raising a child would amount to something. Their children would lead the world to God.

As a parent, my children are constantly teaching me something. The latest tech craze, music fad or edible treat. Parenthood struggles are common as are my wonderings as to whether I’m capable of successfully landing this assignment. In addition to behavioral challenges, life comes in and throws curve balls that affect parent and child alike. The path of broken dreams bids us to wallow in despair and discouragement.

But, those of us who are Christ followers know better. Often in our most desperate circumstances and darkest valleys of the night, we are pointed towards truths that sustain and provide promise that there is a purpose. A family crisis caused by us (the parents) affected our children’s schooling options. God provided in such a way that there was no doubt of His hand in the midst. Medical complications for our older son that we didn’t see coming. God provided, front and center, with shortened waiting intervals and the finest medical care. Through experiencing God’s provision, care and concern for my children, God has shown me how well He takes care of all His children, including me. Each and every detail.

So in those moments when I’m waiting for God to show up, when I wonder if He cares and when I vengefully ask how He could let this happen, let me not forget how He has shown Himself faithful, present and gracious through those I love the most: my children.

“You are my Father. May I run to Your love which is constant, enduring and strong. I stand rest assured that I am a child deeply loved by her Abba, Father.”

For His Glory

Kathryn Hayman
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

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