You Don't Need External Validation.

    Last week I was struggling with the fact that 90% of the women I see online have their hair down. But I prefer mine up. I have to wear it up for work and prefer it up 90% of the time at home as well. I like the idea of it down, long and flowy, but in reality, I prefer it tied back and out of the way.

    I also know that Instagram is not real life. It's a highlight reel. One morning last week I was feeling the need for some validation. I thought I would find some women on the various platforms I use to find ones that wear their hair back as well. As soon as I finished the thought, Holy Spirit said, 'You don't need validation." It was like a soothing balm for my soul. I didn't need and still don't need to see other women wearing their hair up to know that I can.

    

    In His great mercy and grace, He then blessed me anyway with seeing a couple of women with their hair up, and it blessed and encouraged me.

So often we feel the need to get others' approval to do something or to like something. But the truth is, we don't need it. Oh sure, a second opinion is nice sometimes, but it doesn't take away from the validity of our own opinion.

    So, whatever it is that you think you need validation on from your friends, family, social media or the world around you, you probably don't. You don't need someone to tell you that it's okay to like a particular snack, or a style of sweater or whatever it may be. You can simply like the item or do the activity and enjoy it for yourself. And if you're a little different from the rest of the world because of it, good. God created us to be unique, different from the rest of the world. If He didn’t want us to be different, He would have just copied and pasted the human race so that we all look and act the same.

    Plus, by doing something a little different then those around you, it might encourage someone else to be who God has made them to be and like what they like, and I think that is a blessing.

Also, people can tell when you enjoy something vs. doing something because you are following someone's else's idea. Which is fine, infact its flattering if you ae doing it because you actually like the thing. But if you are doing it so that you fit in, you likely don't, because it doesn't look natural.

    So, don’t worry about what other people are or are not doing. Check with God first, but do what you want to do.

I pray that this blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Blessed to be a Housewife.

    Last week, I enjoyed the privilege of being a housewife. I’ve been a housewife since the day hubby and I got married, but I’ve also been a working wife for most of those years. Let me explain.

    A few months ago, I booked off last Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate my birthday. Tuesday for prep, and Wednesday to enjoy my day with a clean home and food cooked. Then we booked hubby’s final appointment with the surgeon for his collarbone for Monday. I was blessed to book that day off too with vacation time. A few days after realizing that I had 3 out of 5 days booked off that week, I decided to finish the puzzle and book Thursday and Friday off. So I did.

    I was excited. Outside of hubby’s appointment, we had no plans for the week. I was going to enjoy a “staycation” and enjoy not going to work for a week. My first holiday since last Christmas. It was long overdue.

    On Monday, we went to hubby’s appointment and received the wonderful news that God said we would receive. A clean bill of health for his collarbone. No more sling. Time to get back to life. That morning I looked at hubby and said, “I get to be a housewife for a whole week.” I was so excited. We went out for a dinner date to celebrate. It was a wonderful start to my vacation. I also got a head start on the cleaning that I had originally scheduled for Tuesday.

    On Tuesday, I did some baking. I had a whole list of things to make. I stated on Saturday and was well on my way to getting everything I wanted to make made. Along with a lasagna for supper Wednesday night. On Monday and Tuesday morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, I prayed that I would enjoy each day as it came and that the week wouldn’t fly by. The Lord blessed me, and I got to enjoy every hour of every day that week.

    Wednesday came, and it was time to celebrate my birthday. Hubby also returned to work that day. I teased him and told him it was a great birthday present. After being off for so long and not yet at full strength, he is doing a gradual return to work. So, he was home a few hours later. My plan for Wednesday was to sew a new dress. It occurred to me this past summer that I didn’t have a pink maxi dress. So, a full-length pink dress. Well, that would not do. I had a pattern in mind, and when hubby and I headed north for my brother's wedding in September, Mom and I made a quick run to Fabricland, where she treated me to some beautiful pink fabric. Perfect for a summer dress. Thank you, Mom. So, after hubby left for work, I started cutting out my pattern and started sewing my new dress. I also recently inherited my late grandmother’s sewing machine. It has a lot of bells and whistles that mine does not. I grew out of my machine a little while ago and have been patiently waiting to receive the machine. I brought it home in September, did a few alteration jobs for hubby and decided that on my birthday I would start my first personal project on Grandma’s machine. It has been an exciting learning curve. When I first brought the machine home, I figured I would learn all the things it could do in one shot. I quickly decided that instead of overwhelming myself, I would learn each feature and add to my skill set one project at a time. Whether that be making it do what I knew it could do or figuring out if it could do something. I have learned a handful of its features over the last few days, and I am thrilled. There is a particular feature that my machine does not have that my mom’s machine has, and at first I didn’t think that Grandma’s machine had. Well, Praise the Lord, I accidentally found the feature. I was trying to make it do something else and stumbled on this particular feature. When I was offered the machine a year or so ago, I was hoping that it would take me to the next level of sewing, and I am pleased to say that it will.

    I ran into a roadblock with my dress, though. I didn’t have enough fabric to make the design I wanted, and I was now out of elastic thread. I needed the elastic thread for the shirred bodice. I got 2/3rds through the shirring and ran out of elastic. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out what to do with the skirt portion of the dress. Finally, right before bed, I figured out what to do with it. So, Thursday morning I went to walmart when hubby left for work in search of elastic thread; no luck unfortunatly. Tried to order it online and spent the day waiting for it to arrive, only to get a phone call from a poor Walmart associate who had to break the bad news to me that they did not have the thread. I felt worse for them than I did for myself. Yes, I was disappointed and had to start searching again, but I felt worse for that poor teenager who had to call me and tell me. Anyways, I turned my focus to the skirt and got back on track with its assembly.

    Friday morning arrived, and I was still enjoying every minute of my time off. I was feeling rather tired. I started feeling bad for feeling tired. Mid-morning, I biked over to Walmart and Dollar Tree to get a few things before meeting up with hubby after his shift ended. As I was biking to Dollar Tree, I was thinking about all the things that I had accomplished this week. Lots of baking, cooking, cleaning and 3/4 sewing a dress. I realized the enemy was trying to lie to me and tell me that because I didn’t go to work that week, I didn’t deserve to be tired. Once I realized it was the enemy, I got my thoughts in line. Once we got home, I told hubby about my feelings and rebuked them. Just becasue I did not go to work that week does not mean I didn’t “earn” the right to be tired. And just because I did not earn a paycheck that week, I used the vacation pay that I had saved up. So I was and am justified in being tired. Hubby is good at recognizing the enemy attacking him in his life, and I am now getting better at recognizing it in my life.

    I started writing this post in my head on Tuesday morning from the perspective of Friday. I knew I wanted to share in the joy this week has been for me. But I quickly rebuked myself because I didn’t want to think about Friday on Tuesday. I wanted to enjoy each day as it came. And I did. I finished up the last blog post that week and started typing up this post Friday afternoon.

    It has been the desire of both of our hearts that one day hubby will bring in enough income so that I do not have to work. Like any good man, he wants to be the sole provider for his family. We believe God will make that happen in time. I also want to run my own in-home business when the time is right as well. I was raised to believe that even if you are a stay-at-home mom or wife, you should still contribute to your family's income. I am a firm believer in that as well and looking forward to the day that our life looks more like what we want and what we believe God wants for us.

    In the meantime, that week was a blessing and reminded me just how much I look forward to being more at home one day and being all that I wish to be as a housewife.

    The narrative I’m seeing these days on line is that women are encouraged to chose what they want in life, so long as it involves the working world. But the second we say we want to be at home, raising our families, we are being manipulated and controlled and all that. I follow a handful of women on Social Media who are doing their part in changing the narrative and sharing how much they love being at home and that their respective families are thriving because of it. So, I’m here to add to the conversation and say that being a stay-at-home housewife or mom is a blessing and not a burden.

I pray this blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

This flower makes me think of the two main "roles" I currently play in my life and they they work together. Housewife and Working wife.

The Power of our Words.

    I was recently reminded of just how powerful words are. From what we say to ourselves and those around us. The number of words we use and our word choice itself also have a great impact.

    How we speak to ourselves matters.

    Matthew 12:33 NKJV “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”

    Personally, I usually think of this passage as one about our actions, but it can also reflect our heart. Our words reflect our heart. If we want to speak life into our lives and the lives of those around us, we need to be filled with God’s love. We cannot speak life into anyone else if we do not first speak it to ourselves. We need to continually renew our minds and hearts with the truth of God’s Word. We need to take our thoughts captive, and bring the negative ones to the foot of the cross and ask God to give us good thoughts rather than the bad ones that just popped into our minds. We cannot love others if we do not first love ourselves. Trust me, I have tried. It might work for a day or two, but not long-term. We can try to filter ourselves all we want, but in the heat of the moment, we sometimes say the wrong thing. God and I are working on this right now.

    Words are so powerful that they create our realities. Our words determind whether we are going to be victims or victors. Not only is it important to keep our thoughts in line with the Word of God, but our words also need to line up with the Word of God. Are there promises that God has told you about that are coming your way? Start speaking them into reality. The words we speak over ourselves are just as important as the ones that other people speak over us. So speak life over yourself.

    So, make sure you are getting filled up first before you try to fill someone else up. It's much easier to fill someone else’s cup if you have a reservoir to pour from.

    Speaking to others.

    Proverbs 18:21 NKJV: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.”

    Words are like seeds. We will reap what we sow. Our words can either bless us and those around us or come back to bite us. It is also important to carefully weigh our words before we speak them. And determine if they will help or hinder. Also, if we have to correct someone, are we doing it with love and gentleness? Or are we hitting the person over the head?

    Our word choice itself. Are we speaking with respect and kindness or swearing?

    Ephesians 4:29 NKJV “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary ^[a^]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

    We need to see words more like tools to be used properly rather than toys to be played with. This verse fits nicely with Matthew 12:33 from earlier. If the tree is good, then there is very little chance you are going to swear. It also reminds us of the importance of renewing our minds with the Word of God and thinking about good and godly things. Rather than the things of this world and the enemy.

    We ought to be careful what words and what tone we use with those around us. Words have great power and we need to be careful not to hurt others with our words. We also need to speak with grace, love and truth. Do your best to corect in love when needed and use your words to build eachother up.

    Speaking about other people. Not just to their faces, but also behind their back.

    James 4:11  NKJV “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”

    Proverbs 16:28 NKJV “A perverse man sows strife,

And a whisperer separates the best of friends.”

    Proverbs 26:20 NKJV “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;

And where there is no ^[a^]talebearer, strife ceases”

    Leviticus 19:16 NKJV “ You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.”

    Matthew 12:36 NKJV “ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

    Our words can be used to build relationships and trust up overtime or break them down in an instant. God challenged and convicted me while reading these verses because earlier this year He convicted me of gossiping, complaining, and slandering. I had been doing well for a while, but recently gossiped about someone. Holy Spirit used this chunk of the Bible study to convict me, and then told me to go and appologize to the person. I spent a day wrestling with it. But in the end I did go and apologize, and I felt better.

    The amount of words we use. Some of us are naturally talkers, and that's fine. That’s how God created you. But not everything has to be shared.

    James 1:26 NKJV “ If anyone ^[a^]among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

    Oof, that preaches. Bridling my tongue is something I definitely struggle with. I need to practice a lot more self-control in this area.

    Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,

    But he who restrains his lips is wise.”

    It is not a sin to be a talkative person. God created some people to be more talkative than others. But, it is also wise to restrain yourself and not share everything with everyone. I have become a quieter person over the last few months, and it has brought me such peace. Yes, I do share a lot through my blog, but there are still lots of things that I do not share.

    Psalm 141:3 NKJV “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

    Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

    Our words matter. The sentiment of “the more the merrier” does not apply here. Less is more when it comes to our words. We also need to keep a close eye on our tongue. We need to stop and think before speaking.

I pray this encourages, challenges, teaches and blesses you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Pride and Self-Esteem Part 2.

 Day 4

1 Peter 5:6 NKJV. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time

Philippians 2:1-30 NKJV. “Therefore if there is any ^[a^]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[b^]robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but ^[c^]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Light Bearers

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things without ^[d^]complaining and disputing,^[e^{] 15} that you may become blameless and ^[f^]harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

¹⁷ Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy Commended

¹⁹ But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your ^[g^]state. ²⁰ For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. ²¹ For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. ²² But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. ²³ Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. ²⁴ But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.

Epaphroditus Praised

²⁵ Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; ²⁶ since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. ²⁷ For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. ²⁹ Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; ³⁰ because for the work of Christ he came close to death, ^[h^]not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.”

I have never understood what it means to boast in Christ. The Bible says not to boast in ourselves, but in Christ. Well, while I was doing laundry yesterday, Holy Spirit revealed to me what He meant. A) it means don't brag about what you can do. Let someone else brag about that. But it also means we are to brag about what God has done. Holy Spirit reminded me that it's the same as bragging about what hubby has accomplished. And being the humble man he is, he is never going to say that he did it on his own. But to brag on God means to say, 'Look what God did for me.' to some, this might sound obvious, but for me, it hadn't quite clocked in yet. Now it has.

Pride doesn't just show up in big attitudes. It shows up in people who think they know everything. It shows in how they walk and the energy they bring when they walk into a room. When you want to be the first in line for something or need to be the first person to buy something.

In your day-to-day life- how can you show humility? By admitting when you are wrong, listening, being teachable.

We can also deal with pride by asking Holy Spirit for help and by laying it down at the foot of the cross.

Day5
Matt 20:28 NKJV. The son of man came to serve, not to be served.
One of the truest ways to see humility is to see someone quietly serving. Serving at church, serving at work or at home.  No one who walks in pride is truly willing to serve.
Are you serving when no one is watching? I think so.

Day 6
2 Cor 5:17 NKJV. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
New creation
1 Peter 5:6 NKJV. ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Humble yourself before God and He will lift you up.
Christian self-esteem. We can't allow our self-esteem to be rooted in our own actions. Otherwise, we can become puffed up. On the flip side, if we are having a bad day and our self-esteem is rooted in ourselves, it can be detrimental. Because we will start to feel bad that we can't do something. I have fallen into that trap many times. I will start thinking that I am not worth it. Hubby will try to remind me of what Christ did for me and what He says about me, but at that point I'm too far gone, so to speak, and those Biblical truths no longer matter, so to speak. I will likely spend a few hours feeling bad about myself. It often happened on Sunday afternoons.
Add in my Saturday morning struggle with comparison along with expectations vs reality for all I can/want to accomplish on a Saturday morning, and you have the making of a great weekend (so much sarcasm in that sentence). Praise God, He has done a lot of work in me, and now weekends are no longer getting the better of me.

If we build our self-esteem on Christ and what He has done for us. We need to continue surrendering to Him and spend more time with Him. Get to know Him and your self as an extension of that.

Day 7
2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as ^[a^]by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Romans 12:2 NKJV. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Renew your mind. Something I have been asking God to do for me recently. I have allowed the bad habit of swearing to creep in, and I have been asking God to help renew my mind.

John 1:12 NKJV.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[a^]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

Avoid comparison.

When we start comparing ourselves to others, we take our eyes off Jesus.  It also leads us to feel bad because that person you are comparing yourself to either has done more or better than you on a particular thing.  Or we do it the other way, and think more highly of ourselves. When we look to Jesus, we are changed from glory to glory. But when we compare ourselves to others, we either feel puffed up or feel bad about ourselves.

At the end of the day, we need to rewire our brains via the Word of God and the help of Holy Spirit to teach us to view our self-esteem through His eyes and not the world’s eyes. Plus, God never changes, and therefore what we wants from us and for us never changes. The world wants something new and different from us each day.

I pray this challenges, blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Pride and Self-Esteem Part 1

 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Galatians 2:20 NKJV. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

John 15:5 NKJV. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

    We can't bear fruit apart from Him. We also tend to confuse humility with pride and Self-esteem with vanity. Pride and humility can also look like each other. Having self-esteem is about knowing who Chris is and what He has done in you. Self-esteem that is rooted in what you have done leads to pride. Self-esteem that is based on what Christ has done for us will lead us to true humility. The author of this devotional suggested, and I agree with him, that we tend to act out our perceived identity rather than our true identity. Do you know who you are according to what Christ has done for you or just by what you have done? When you think about who you are or when someone asks you about yourself, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The fact that Christ died for you or something that you are good at or enjoy doing? Personally, one of the first things that comes to mind for me is that I’m a hard worker.

    Father God, I'm a little lost on this one. I want to see myself through your eyes, but I don't fully understand what that looks like or how to do it. Please help me, Lord.

    There is also a difference between our perceived identity and our true identity. Basically, the difference between who you think you are and who you really are. Our perceived identity is what we have done, rather than our true identity, what Christ has done in us and what Jesus did for us on the cross.

    I think that if we say that Jesus died on the cross for us with our chest puffed up, then that is pride, but if we say it gently and as a matter of fact, and with a grateful heart, then we are saying it with humility.

Father, please use this study to transform my heart and mind.

Day 2

Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV. ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[a^]robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but ^[b^]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Proverbs 16:18 NKJV. Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before ^[a^]a fall

John 15:5 NKJV “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Father, continue to build in me a clean heart and a servant’s heart. Amen.

    Pride hardens our hearts and distances us from God. Humility is revealed in love, service and how we see ourselves through Christ. Humility is also knowing who we are but not boasting about it. It's also dangerous to walk in our own self-esteem. Because we will look at the list of things we have done on our own and think that we are impressive, which might be very impressive, but we may not be very approachable because we are puffed up and arrogant. That being said, not everyone who has a long list of accomplishments is puffed up and prideful. They may be a very quiet person when it comes to their accomplishments. They may simply be a quieter person or because their self-esteem is rooted in Christ and therefore don’t feel the need to talk about the list.

    Is my self-confidence rooted in what I have done in my life or in what Christ has done in me?

At the beginning of this study, I would say that it was about 60/40. 60% what I had done and 40% what Christ has done. It was also rooted in fear and self-defence. Now it's working in moving closer to just what God has done in me. I have also found myself becoming a quieter person as a whole and telling people less and less about the things in my life. I don’t feel the need or desire to share as much with as many people. I’m finding it to be rather peaceful.

    Father God, I struggle with confidence. I am a very defensive person and am regularly on edge. I feel the need to regularly defend myself and puff myself up a little. Help me not to be afraid, Father. Help me to remember who I am in you and not worry about the rest of the world. Continue to help me walk in your will and not compare myself to others.

Since writing out this prayer and several others through this study in my journal a few weeks ago, He has answered them. Praise the Lord.

Day 3

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus giving others value.

Luke 19:1-10 NKJV. Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. ² Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³ And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up ^[a^]and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, ^[b^]make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ So he ^[c^]made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. ⁷ But when they saw it, they all ^[d^]complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; ¹⁰ for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

John 8:1-11 NKJV. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Now ^[a^]early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. ³ Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, ^[b^]this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now ^[c^]Moses, in the law, commanded us ^[d^]that such should be stoned. But what do You ^[e^]say?” ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, ^[f^]as though He did not hear. ⁷ So when they continued asking Him, He ^[g^]raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ Then those who heard it, being^[h^] convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. ¹⁰ When Jesus had raised Himself up ^[i^]and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers ^[j^]of yours? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go ^[k^]and sin no more.”

    When your self-esteem is rooted in achievements, you place pressure on yourself and likely start comparing yourself to others. It will also cause us to be judgemental. I think that when our self-esteem is rooted in Christ and what He has done for us, it starts to quiet our spirits, and we no longer feel the need to be defensive or show off our list of accomplishments. Pride lifts us above others; humility allows us to love like Jesus.

I pray this blesses, encourages and challenges you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

There is Beauty in Every Season.

    As summer comes to a close and cool fall weather approaches, I’m excited for cozy outfits. Fashion scarves, tights, high-heeled boots and sweaters. I love summer and sundresses, but fall is so pretty and cozy. Comparing the two seasons' clothing choices made me think about the beauty of each one.

    Springtime is for renewal and the beginning of life. The flowers are blooming, and the weather starts warming. You get to watch the snow melt and jump in mud puddles. Nature comes alive, and all the animals who were hibernating come out to enjoy the warm weather. It's also a great time to buy your dog a rain/shush suit. Seriously. Full coverage, minus her crotch, tail and feet. She also has shoes. No more wet dog for this dog mama. Plus, she looks so cute.

    

    Then comes summer. Sundresses, warm weather for paddle boarding, swimming, biking, hiking, camping (not my cup of tea personally, but still), campfires. Basically all the outdoor activities that require warm weather. We can relax on the beach and work on our sun tans. You can enjoy picnics and food trucks. Driving with the windows down and the wind in your hair. Personally, I don't want the wind in my hair, but some do.

    Then we get to enjoy the leaves changing colour. The crisp, chilled air. Going for a walk with a hot chocolate. Yes, you can enjoy those in all seasons, but there is something special about enjoying them in the fall. Cozy outfits. I know I already said that, but I'm very excited for them. With fall, snuggling is also easier because no one is overheating. Plus, since hubby lost all the weight, he now wears hoodies and sweaters more often because he gets cold. The first winter after his weight loss, he looked at me and said, 'Now I understand why you always have a sweater with you.' I live in sweaters. You will seldom see me without a sweater or some sort of extra layer. I may not be wearing it in that particular moment, but I have it with me. Anyway, with him wearing sweaters more often, I can now enjoy 'hoodie hugs' more often. There is nothing cozier than receiving a bear hug while you are both wearing sweaters. He also wears long-sleeve shirts in the fall and winter, and I think they look really good on him. The cooler weather is also convenient because it means that my head won't sweat while I wear my silk bandanas. Plus, I find the one downside to wearing fashion scarves is that my hair gets all messed up, but now that it's always up and usually under a silk bandana, no more rat's nest at the back of my neck.

    Winter is also exciting. Yes, it's cold, the days are shorter, and the snow makes driving challenging at times. But there is still lots to do. One of my favourite things is ice skating. Preferably outdoors on a lake so Blessing can run alongside me. One winter we were up north visiting my parents. We went skating on the lake one day. Blessing thought it was great fun running alongside me and would bark whenever I stopped for a minute. She isn't traditionally a vocal dog, so it was funny. Winter is also fun for downhill skiing and snowboarding. Around Christmas time, it's fun to get a hot chocolate from Tim Hortons and go drive around and look at Christmas lights. Blessing also enjoys jumping through the snow like a rabbit and loves catching snowballs.

    You see, every season has its beauty. They all have their own special features that we get to enjoy. We may not like every season; we may even have a favourite, but they all have beauty in their own ways. Just like in life, not every season is full of joy and peace. Some are hard, with difficult lessons, but there is beauty in every season. Sometimes we just have to look for it. For example, my hubby has been in a sling since the beginning of summer. He fell off his bike and broke his collarbone. It has been a difficult season for us in many ways, but God has also used this season to grow and stretch us. Both individually and as a couple. And by the grace of God, we are relationally stronger than we ever have been. And for that, we are thankful. Could do without that darn sling, though. ;)

    So, instead of complaining about the heat of summer, or the snow in winter, let's simply enjoy every season for what it offers. Because there is beauty in every season.

I pray this encourages and blesses you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Overcoming Comparison Part 2.

    Day three. Did God really say?

    Romans 4:19-22. ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” NKJV
    Comparison takes our eyes off what God has given us and turns our eyes onto what was never meant for us. When we start looking at someone else's life, we forget what God is doing in our life. Comparison shows the final work in someone else's life while looking at the incomplete work in your life. It's a joy and peace stealer, which shouldn't be a surprise because that's what the enemy's all about. John 10:10 (NKJV: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

    In the Romans passage, Abraham chose to look to God and the promises he had given him, and not to his present circumstances that didn't align with God's plan. Both he and Sarah were old and, on a human level, unable to have a child of their own. But then, God came and told them they would have a child of their own and that he would be a father to many nations. The enemy's one and only tactic is to get you to question if God really said what he said. We already have everything we need in the season we are in. Whether it looks like it or not from the human perspective. And if we know that in his timing and by his will, he will give us the desires of our heart. Then why do we need to compare our life to the other guy? Simply put, we don't. But that’s easier said than done sometimes.

    Day four. The Carrier of the Blessing
    Genesis 13:9-11. NJKV. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. ¹¹ Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV. ^“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

    Abraham lovingly gave Lot the first choice of land when they parted ways. I look at it like Abraham was putting Lot first. The author of the study suggests that it's because Abraham knew that God was with him and that the blessing was on him wherever he went because he was the carrier of the blessing. I don't fully understand that yet, but the author suggests that because we are children of God, we carry the blessing wherever we go. This is the freedom that breaks the power of comparison.
When you know God's hand is on your life, there is no need for comparison. You were not built to do what the other guy can do. You were built to do what God has designed you to do.

    Day five. Am I in the will of God?
    Proverbs 3:5 - 6 NKJV. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall ^[a^]direct your paths.”
Am I in the will of God? A simple, and yet profound and important question. As the author says, and I agree, it cuts through the noise of comparison. Today is the final devotional. Beautifully closes out this Bible study. The author suggests that your current circumstances may not look like you had hoped, but someday they might. My circumstances don't look exactly like I would like them to right now either. But that's okay because I know God's got it. They also encouraged us readers to ask ourselves whether we are obeying God right now. Did you do the last thing He told you to do? And are you doing what He's currently telling you to do? Then you were on the right track. I found this to be very encouraging as I thought about my life. Because even though I wish a few things were different, I'm in the Father's will. God has been saying no to a dream of mine. I don't believe it's a hard no. I believe it's a not yet. The other day I prayed about it again, and he said no again. But then I asked why, and he explained. Not that he needs to explain it. Of course He's God. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He doesn’t owe us any explanation. But he did, and it gave me peace and hope because I believe that one day it will be a yes.

    God has used this study to break off the chains of comparison, and I'm so thankful for it. That being said, the enemy did sneak in today and get me to start comparing myself again to somebody. But I'm not going to let myself be defeated by it. I'm going to pray and ask the Lord what I should do with that, whether I should be using that person as motivation or if I should walk away from it and put it at the foot of the cross.
But it's okay if you get tripped up. That's where his grace and mercy come in. And now it's time to enjoy the weekend and not worry about the rest of the world. God bless, friend.

    I pray this blesses, encourages, and challenges, you in whatever way you need today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah