How to Begin to Find Peace

Lion's Lare Trail in Boulder, Colorado

I absolutely love hiking. My adrenaline is activated as I watch for bears, mountain lions, deer, and creepy, scary humans. As I walk along the trails, I inhale the clean air and take in the outrageously beautiful sights. I am amazed every single time that God created everything I encounter. When I am not chatting up my husband, I am talking with Jesus. I often revel in praise at His creation. However, there are times I pray for something that is heavy on my heart, be it a personal issue or an intercession for someone. 

I have been asked numerous times about my love of hiking. Aren't I afraid? What would I do if I encountered a curious creature? What's it like being so vulnerable? Have you ever been startled by another human? 

Notice that all of those questions focus on what could negatively happen. Not many people ask me to describe the most beautiful sights I have taken in. I have never been asked what it's like to be so immersed in God's creation.

My happy place is a mountain. Nature ignites my closeness with God and causes me to feel overwhelming peace. I can truly feel His presence among me, despite the dangers that are possibly lurking in the woods and around each bend. 

As I excitedly look forward to an upcoming trip to the mountains, I began to wonder why I am so peaceful and calm amongst possible dangers, yet I am often afraid by what if's in everyday life. God is the same. He's not different, I am. 

When I am hiking, I release my fears and put my total self in God's hands. I trust that He will protect me no matter what. I often cautiously scan my surroundings, but I do it with joy and peace.

As I scan my daily life and the worries I have tethered to my heart, I am left with anxiety, worry, and frustration. 

Why is it that I can't let go and fully trust when I am in regular life mode? 

Can you relate?

When I am on vacation, I tend to relax and rest in the moment. I bask in the beauty and refresh my body and soul. 

God calls us to do that every single day, no matter where we are physically and mentally. 

1 Peter 5:7 instructs us to "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you".

Matthew 6:27 tell us that worry cannot add a single hour to our life.

So let's just all stop worrying, fretting, and trying to control situations we really can't.

How dumb is that statement!? It's such an absurd command. I get so very irritated when I am stressed about something and people respond, "Just stop worrying." Oh duh! Why didn't I think of that! (Insert the biggest eye roll ever!)

Casting our cares and giving God the reigns we so desperately try to hang on to takes lots of practice. We must be patient and offer ourselves lots of grace. In truth, it's going to take a daily commitment to give God everything. We are going to slip up and worry so badly our bellies hurt many times. But God knows our intents. He knows when we truly try to give Him our concerns. 

As I am learning to do this more and more, I have found that uttering a simple prayer helps. When worry likes to set up camp in my overactive mind, I repeat over and over, "Jesus, I trust in You."  Prayer isn't meant to be long and drawn out. Prayer is talking to Jesus and sharing your heart. He doesn't give out prizes to the best speakers. He gives His overwhelming peace to those who truly seek and trust Him.

Many people know Jeremiah 29:11. We often cling to it when we are unsure of what is happening in our lives. Verses 12-13 aren't often quoted, however. I love these verses, as they instruct us to seek Him and assure us we will find Him. 

We've got this! We can imperfectly pray for trust and guidance. We can be assured that Jesus has us perfectly.  

Psalm 139:5 - You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand upon me.

Keep hiking up this mountain of life and rest in the truth that Jesus you regardless of your surroundings and circumstances.

With love,

Marci💗

Finding the Gold in Others Rather than the Dirt

Ever notice how quick we are to judge people and pick at their scabs?  We may smile on the outside, but often times we are searching for the dirt - the uglies.

I think we are all guilty of this at times.  

Recently, someone told me a story about some people.  The person was telling me some facts, but there were definite judgments attached.  For the next couple of days, I couldn't stop thinking about the story. The more I thought about it, the more my heart broke for the people involved.  

The more I pondered it, the more I wondered why it was so attached to my heart.  The Lord began to show me how often we {me included} see the dirt rather than finding the gold.  He began convicting my heart over situations and discussions I have been involved in.

We all have dirt because we are all human.  We are sinful creatures who can create quite the dirt piles.  We, more than anyone else, know how dirty we are and can become.  We are fully aware of the imperfections and sins that plaque us.  

Do we focus on other's dirt to avoid seeing our own sometimes?  Does focusing on other's dirt take the spotlight off of our own messiness?

Yep-I think that's it.  We focus on the dirt other's wear so our dirt doesn't appear to be so brown.

Aren't we suppose to be building each other up and encouraging one another to live life better?  We can't really do that if we are focusing on the messy, even if just in our minds.

Our family visited Colorado a few summers ago.  We decided we would go on an adventure and search for gold.  We grabbed our tin bowls and began sifting through the water in search of the sparkly stuff.  It didn't take long for our kids {and me} to get bored.  All we seemed to find were dirty rocks covered in mud.  After about 15 minutes we set our bowls aside and began running around in search of instant fun.  

We never found any gold - we didn't look long enough.

We can be that way in our interactions with people.  Sometimes we don't look long and hard enough for the sparkle.  We notice the dirt and quickly walk away.  

Everyone has sparkle inside of them.  We can find some people's fairly quickly.  But some people have hidden it so well that it takes quite a while to find it.  When there is a glimmer of sparkle in those people, however, it is the most beautiful shine.  Not only are you recognizing it, but the person may be too.  They may not even be aware that any kind of glimmer exists in their broken, messy hearts.  

What if we stopped looking at the dirt and searched for the gold?  

What if when we see even a hint of a glimmer, we focus on that rather than the mess?  

Can you imagine the shine that will sparkle when we do?  

Imagine showing someone their gold when they had no idea any existed.

Be the one who finds the gold, my friend.  Oh what we can do for God's Kingdom if we only look hard enough.

Loving you with a golden heart-

Marci

How To Pray Throughout the Day

Prayer is a game changer.  When done consistently, our hearts learn to lean towards Jesus in all areas of our lives.  The abundant life that He speaks of in John 10:10 becomes a reality.  This is not to say there will never be trials, heartache, tears, and anger.  These things are a given when living in a broken world.  However, cultivating an active prayer life will change the way we deal with these things and create an overall sense of peace and calmness amidst the storms.  Fears will still come, but they won't pull us under the roaring sea.  When prayer is part of your day and part of your life, your life truly will change.

Sounds great, right?  But how does one pray continually?  We have so much going on in life and so many things to think about, plan, and execute.  I remember on numerous mornings telling myself I was going to pray throughout the day only to crawl in my bed that night and realize I didn't utter one prayer.  I would get discouraged and frustrated with myself.

I began to really think about how I could pray continually throughout the day.  I realized (God probably actually smacked me with this reality!) that prayer is not a wordy, impersonal act.  Prayer is literally just talking to Jesus.  Prayer is our direct line to Him.

Think about it...we talk to ourselves all day long.  Instead of just speaking to ourselves, we can train our minds to speak to the Holy Spirit more than we speak to ourselves.  And that, my friend, is prayer!  Nothing fancy.  Nothing showy.  Just pure, honest talk.

So how do we train our minds?  With lots of practice.  Anytime we begin something new, it takes effort.  We create habits over a series of days and weeks, not minutes.  The practice of continual prayer is not meant to frustrate us, it is meant to encourage us and enrich our lives.

There are many ways to train our minds.  We are all different and, therefore, some things work for some while other things work for others.  I'm going to share how I was able to train my mind.  You can use it all, you can use bits and pieces, or you can throw it all out the window.  Do what works for you.

How I trained my mind to have an active and consistent prayer life:

1.  I begin my day with Jesus.  Before doing anything else, I grab my prayer journal and write out what I am thankful for, personal prayers, and prayers for others.  Prior to beginning, I ask Jesus to show me sins I need to confess and people I need to forgive.  This clears my heart and prepares me to focus on Jesus.  By waking and going to Jesus first thing, I center my thoughts around Him rather than around me.  It has made a HUGE difference in my life.

2.  I committed to reading Scripture daily.  This is often done mid morning or early afternoon.  I have found that this has helped me so much.  If my mind wanders away from the will of Jesus, reading Scripture always brings me back to Him.  This can be five minutes or thirty minutes.  It is dependent upon my day.  However, I generally always stick to it because it has made such a difference in my mindset and heart.

3.  I like to focus on a verse each day.  When I wake in the morning and have something on my heart, I will look for a verse during my prayer time that I know will help center me.  For example, if I am in what if mode, I will think upon Philippians 4:6-8.  If I do not have the verse committed to memory, I will write it down on a small index card and keep it with me.

These practices have been so helpful in training my mind to think upon Jesus throughout the day.  My prayers are short - often one to two sentences - but they are consistent.  For example, if I am outside with my puppy and hear a bird, I will tell Jesus what a beautiful sound He created and thank Him for allowing me to hear it.

Praying consistently has made such an impact on my life.  I feel so very connected to Jesus.  I recognize His presence so often and feel Him speaking to me.  There truly is a peace that surpasses all of my understanding and I know, without a doubt, that it comes from having an active prayer life.

My mom recently said something that was a golden nugget.  I grabbed it and tucked it away for safe keeping hoping to never forget it.  She said, "As I'm praying throughout the day, I don't say Amen.  I keep my heart open so that my prayers are flowing all day."  I love that!  Let your prayers flow all day and feel the transforming effects of a consistent and active prayer life.

Rooting for you and your prayer life,
Marci 💗

Don't Fall for It

 Proverbs 16:18

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

Good 'ol pride brought Satan down. Funny, he uses pride to bring us down, too. Satan whispers in our ear that our choices to honor our ourselves won't hurt anyone. In fact, if we are happy, the enemy tells us, then everyone around us will be happy too. We hear the "I am" statements and believe them.

I am unhappy with my husband, he's not fun anymore.

I am tired of pleasing everyone else. It's time to focus on me for a change.

I am important, therefore, I can do whatever makes me feel good.

I am overweight, so I choose to starve myself.

I am a good person, so it is okay to make this choice.

We must never forget that there is only one I AM and that is Jesus Christ. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that when we are prideful and arrogant, we will surely have destruction. Who on earth plans to fall?

We do when we allow pride and arrogance to enter our hearts. May we boast in our Lord and Savior and never in ourselves. May our eyes ever be on our Redeemer.

What causes pride to rear its ugly head in your heart? How do you usually respond to it?

Choose well,

Marci💗

The Desperate Plea of a Woman

Are we all tired yet? The fighting. The yelling. The disagreeing that boils down to pride, self promotion, and pure hate.  What really is being accomplished?

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken me to the core. This isn't because I was a die hard fan. It's due to the fact that we are now killing because we feel it is our right as humans to eliminate those we don't agree with. Extremism to its core. 

It is appalling to read all of the posts celebrating the killing of a human being. Celebrating! This is very disturbing, to say the least. Where has the moral compass gone? It has been replaced with a self centered belief that we are the god of ourselves. If it's not pleasing, it's not worth dealing with. People have decided that if someone disagrees with them, they are disposable. While not everyone is out taking the life of those they disagree with, they are certainly, and often, killing them. They kill reputations. They kill with slander and lies. It has become a disgusting war of words. People hide behind screens and blast out nasty insults for their own pleasure. Somehow we have lost basic human respect and kindness. 

What happened to good 'ol fashioned debating? It used to be okay, and actually quite well received, to have healthy debates. People of differing views were able to have civilized disagreements without ruining relationships, spewing hate, and ultimately celebrating their opponent's death. It made the debaters stronger. And sometimes minds were actually changed because people listened to one another and were able to rationally look at ideas critically without pride.

Very rarely is this seen in our country anymore. We have elected officials screaming at each other and verbally attacking one another while standing in positions our tax dollars actually pay them to stand in. It has become such a joke. 

If you are a conservative, you are labeled racist, intolerant, hateful, a fascist, a Nazi, etc. When conservatives call on God in prayer, we are told we are wasting our time. And there lies the problem. People have abandoned the Word of God for the word of the enemy. The story is as old as time. Think back to the serpent asking Eve, "Did God really say...". And the question continues to be posed every single day.

I know a woman whose son was offered an interview at Fox News. The young man refused the interview because he said he would be hung in the public forum if it came out that he was a conservative who loved God. What has happened to moral courage? That topic will be saved for another post, but definitely worth asking yourself and those around you. 

If you are a breathing human being, you should be appalled that a person was killed for his beliefs and words. This shouldn't be a party affiliation outrage. It should be an everybody outrage. If even for a moment you celebrated, you should check your heart. Find the evil that has crept in and do everything to remove it. Celebration for this is a sure sign that the enemy has his stake in you. This should scare you like nothing else. 

In 1991, Rodney King was severely and violently beaten by Los Angeles police officers. The beating was captured on video and released to a news station. It was absolutely horrifying! The officers were brought to trial and subsequentially acquitted. Riots broke out for 6 straight days. Businesses were burned. People lost their lives. It was pure terror for those caught up in the violence. 

Rodney King made a public statement concerning the riots. His remarks should be revisited by all Americans. 

I just want to say – you know – can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids? And ... I mean we've got enough smog in Los Angeles let alone to deal with setting these fires and things ... It's just not right. It's not right, and it's not going to change anything. We'll get our justice. They've won the battle, but they haven't won the war. We'll get our day in court, and that's all we want. And, just, uh, I love – I'm neutral. I love every – I love people of color. I'm not like they're making me out to be. We've got to quit. We've got to quit; I mean, after all, I could understand the first – upset for the first two hours after the verdict, but to go on, to keep going on like this and to see the security guard shot on the ground – it's just not right. It's just not right, because those people will never go home to their families again. And uh, I mean, please, we can, we can get along here. We all can get along. We just gotta. We gotta. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let's, you know, let's try to work it out. Let's try to beat it, you know. Let's try to work it out.

What is it going to take for our country to come together and respect one another? The last time I truly witnessed such a thing was after 9/11. Let's hope and pray it doesn't take such tragedy for people to lay aside their swords and find common ground and disagree respectfully.

Notice how the different flowers compliment each. What beauty can be had!

Marci

Steadfast Wins the Race

Let’s be honest, we live in a world where we are told that we should look out for number one. To be truly happy, we should be our top priority. We have been conditioned to believe that the purpose of living is to be happy, no matter the cost. 

Life is all about us, right? Wrong! In fact, if you take an inventory of your life, I bet you’ll discover that your happiest moments, most joyous times, are when you are not focused on yourself at all. A bit of upside down thinking in our world.

Jesus has called us to love others and to look at them as more important than ourselves. Our work on this earth is to glorify Him by loving Him best and pouring His love into others. This isn’t always easy. In fact, it sometimes feels downright impossible to love others. Let’s be clear, Jesus never calls us to be a doormat. We are never to condone abuse or bullying of ourselves. That is not love for ourselves or the other person. 

So how can we be steadfast and firm in doing the work of the Lord? We can hold our tongues rather than lashing out. We can be charitable with our time and talents. We can help a neighbor in need. We can put down our phones and have real conversations. We can forgive.

What is something you can do today for the Lord? Whatever it is, be steadfast and firm. Your heart will be glad.

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Go deeper with these corresponding verses:

Galatians 6:9 and Colossians 3:23-24

Not Your Ordinary Forgiveness Post

Ever been wronged?

Treated badly?

Gossiped about by a friend?

Been made to feel like a loser?

Rejected/abandoned?

Manipulated?

Gaslit?

Yep, same.  I raise my hand to all of those instances and more.  In truth, it makes me really angry sometimes to recall these.  In actuality, there are times these treatments occur and/or continue.

I have read countless articles, blog posts, and books about forgiveness.  Some have been super helpful, while some have made ME feel like the problem.  The latter infuriates me.  Nothing like victim blaming and shaming.

I'm just going to be transparent.  There's no use in hiding truths.  No one grows, learns, or can relate when we try and appear perfect, or dang near there.  I'm so over the facade of perfection.  I'm convinced that the people who try and make others think that their lives are perfect and they are perfect are the ones that are hurting the most.  If they can get others to think they are perfect, get some worship going, they may have a moment, or moments, where the pain subsides.

My earliest memories are of feelings of pain.  People talk about great childhood memories.  Not me.  I have some good memories.  Some that I may even be able to consider great.  However, my childhood was wrought with abandonment, rejection, manipulation, and abuse.  I was the caretaker physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I cannot remember a time when I was carefree.  I learned from a very young age that my words mattered.  To speak truth about my feelings was not allowed.  I was to always build the adults around me up.  It was my job and responsibility to take care of emotions.  To do otherwise resulted in the adult in charge becoming a raging victim.

I became a great actress.  I could have won an award type actress!  On occasion, I am still that little actress in a grown woman's body.  More than on occasion if I'm being honest.

As an adult, I continued in what I knew.  I knew how to excuse behaviors, cover up behaviors to protect the culprit, and blame myself.  Real healthy, I tell you!

There are still a few people in my life who are culprits.  Unfortunately, I cannot rid my life of them.  

I have learned how to take up for myself, bite back when needed, and consider the source (as my dad would say).

What used to cut me so low that I would allow myself to feel like the biggest loser and idiot now makes me angry.  It also makes me dislike the perpetrator(s).  

I used to struggle with this, as I am a Jesus loving girl.  I came to the realization that Jesus doesn't instruct us to put up with people's crap and poor treatment.  It's okay to dislike people.  We are called to ask for wisdom and discernment.  To be gifted with these means we are fully aware of behaviors and treatments that don't honor Jesus or look like Jesus.  

Jesus instructs us to love.  When we allow poor treatment, we aren't loving ourselves.  We also aren't truly loving the other person.  Plain and simple.

So forgiveness...

Nothing irks me more than a holier than thou person.  I am not going to feed you any of that.  I would likely throw up on myself while trying to type.

What I am going to tell you is that forgiveness for me and my sanity looks like realizing that no one gets to define me or treat me poorly.  When a person tries, I am going to take up for myself.  I am also going to walk away from a person or situation if possible.  

Biblically, forgiveness is giving it to God and not dwelling on it.  It's not excusing the person or ever allowing it.  

My advice to someone who is walking around feeling miserable because of someone's past or present treatment is to take up for yourself.  Sometimes this looks like not answering the person, not engaging in dialogue.  At times, it's walking away in the moment or for good.

I also have embraced boundaries.  I created specific boundaries for those in my life who harm me.  I stick to them too.  I refuse to share anything personal with those that I know will use the information against me at a later time.  I am not going to spend time with those who get their kicks off of kicking me to make themselves feel more important.  And a big one - I am not going to take care of other's emotions.  Ever.  

My definition of forgiveness goes something like this...

Forgiveness - the act of never allowing others to define you, rule you, or treat you poorly.  When someone behaves or speaks in an unkind or manipulative way, walk away and dust off the hurt.  Do not allow the pain to take up residence in your heart.  Consider the source!

I'm not going to lie, I have been known to say ugly things in my head as an ugly (on the inside!) person is trying to cut me down or treat me poorly.  It helps, just sayin'....

I hope this gives you hope, help, and a way out of the pain.

With great love,

Marci