Tag Archives: encouragement

Shocking the World with Generosity, by Dineen Miller

Today we have a guest post from award-winning author Dineen Miller. Read on to be encouraged and challenged. Dineen has graciously offered a copy of the new book she co-authored with Lynn Donovan, Not Alone, to one of our readers in Canada or the US. To enter, please leave us a comment. Draw closes midnight, Nov. 29.

Shocking the World with Generosity

by Dineen Miller

I stood on the knoll of a grassy field, watching my youngest daughter, Leslie, then only five years old, as she kicked off her shoes at the starting line. No shoes? How would her little feet grip the grass and propel her forward? Several of the other children in her age group had done the same thing, so I resisted the urge to run over and make her put her shoes back on.

We’d moved to Switzerland in the spring and had spent the summer adjusting to our new surroundings before school started, thus immersing my girls into a culture and language they’d just barely begun to grasp. Today’s event was a big part of kicking off the new school year. I watched Leslie stand there, looking around at the other children so eager to start and win this race. The prize? A round ornately stitched patch declaring the bearer winner of the race for their age group.

Did she even stand a chance?

The starter shouted the Swiss version of “get set, ready, go!” and off went this group of five and six year olds, sprinting down a grassy field. Little legs pumped madly and arms swung back and forth. Seemed like minutes instead of seconds passed as the fastest runners pulled away, and to my amazement my daughter was one of them.

I think my mouth about fell open as my daughter took the lead and won!

Full of pride for my girl, I waited until she’d followed protocol to receive her award and came running toward me. One of her new friends trailed behind her and as my daughter hugged me, I could see her friend was struggling not to cry.

Leslie had noticed too and turned to face her. She held out her new prize to her friend, whose eyes grew almost as big as the patch Leslie held. The little girl looked at me as if to ask, is this okay? My same question—I’d watched Leslie work so hard for this prize, yet there she stood, ready to give it way.

So I asked Leslie, “Are you sure you want to part with that?” I think I was the one struggling with parting with it, not her.

“Yes, mommy. I want her to have it.”

Her friend took the patch and threw her arms around Leslie. The two skipped off together to play. My pride in my daughter grew even larger.

I think at times our children know how to be more generous than we do. I’ve watched my daughter grow into a generous teenager who was always quick to give away what she had and spend her allowance on her sister or her friends before buying herself anything. My biggest challenge as her mother—to let her. To support her in her generosity, even when she gave away a Visa gift card she’d received for her birthday to a homeless person. As I had asked at that race so many years ago, I asked again, “Are you sure?” She said the joy of giving the card away was better than anything she could have bought.

Some kids just get this, others need to be taught. Either way, we as parents have a wonderful opportunity to help our children grow into generous teenagers and adults who shock the world with their generosity. Just as Jesus came into this world and continues to shock us with His.

Along with Jesus, my daughter has become my teacher and inspiration to give more of my resources, my love and my time. I love watching her shock the world with her generosity.

In Not Alone, you’ll find encouragement and inspiration from Scripture and true-life stories from other spiritually mismatched moms. Plus, find practical tips for capturing teachable moments with eternity in mind, and discovery questions to help you grow as a parent.

This is a parenting book, but it’s much more. It’s a love letter to all mothers—a message that changes our homes, our kids and our lives. It’s about the Father’s love that impacts those around us and changes ordinary moms into women of extraordinary grace, beauty and wisdom.

You may sometimes feel you’re on your own when it comes to godly parenting, but Jesus promised to be with you always. You’re not alone!

Dineen Miller is passionate about God’s Word and truth. She’s been featured on the Moody Radio Network, Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson’s FamilyTalk and FamilyLife Today. Dineen lives in the Bay Area with her family and is the coauthor of the award winning book, Winning Him Without Words and author of the ACFW Carol Award winning book, The Soul Saver. Visit Dineen online at MismatchedandThriving.com.

5 Links for Peace of Mind

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Worried? Tired? Overwhelmed? Sometimes life is just too much. Here are some posts that blessed me this week, and I hope they’ll encourage you.

He leads us by quiet waters (Psalm 23)

Margaret Feinberg writes: “When you’re at the end of your rope, wherever that may be, will you remember these powerful truths?” (Read 10 Things to Remember When You’re Having a Dirty Dog Bad Day — complete with photos and quotes.)

Carolyn Watts reassures us about the one thing we need to hold onto. (Read When You Worry: The One Thing You Really Need to Know)

Mary Waind reminds us to stick close to the Father and not be distracted by wondering how He’ll work out the details. (Read Forget About the Donkeys)

Violet Nesdoly highlights the importance of guarding our thoughts. (Read The Fruit of Our Thoughts)

And Carolyn Arends shares some thoughts on awareness and gratitude. (Read Worship Con Queso)

[photo credit: Janet Sketchley]

Tenacity: 5 links and a photo

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It seems I’m not the only one thinking about tenacity lately (Wednesday’s post was The Tenacity of God). Here are five links worth following:

Mary Waind writes “If a tiny creature refuses to give up when he’s all but done for, Father, help me to seize the thing that’s come against me and fight in faith.” (Beech Croft Tales: Never Give Up)

Author Dan Walsh describes how we gain strength in the “wonderful exchange that happens whenever God’s children turn to Him in times of trouble, instead of turning to other things.” (Dan Walsh Books: The God Who is There)

Reba J. Hoffman reminds us that “Sometimes I won’t see His plan but when I can’t see His hand, I can trust His heart.” (Magellan Life Coaching: When You Can’t See His Hand, Trust His Heart)

Jenny Svetec looks at some of the hardships we face and gives us this encouragement: “Cheer Up, Jesus says. I have overcome and so will you.” ( Jael’s Peg: Look Again)

And Marcia Lee Laycock shares some ideas to strengthen the perseverance of those of us who write. (Writer-lee: Of Muse Jars and Other Essential Things)

What better example of tenacity than a turtle?

Joy and Strength

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This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!
Nehemiah 8:10b, NLT*

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

This is another verse I’ve relied on over the years. But if you look at the context for this verse, it doesn’t match how we often use it.

After some of the exiled Israelites returned to rebuild the Temple, Nehemiah was sent by God to oversee rebuilding the protective wall around Jerusalem. By this chapter, the Temple and wall are both standing, and the people have done some cleaning up of their lives, too.

All the way through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah I see cues of God’s work in the people’s hearts: motivating them to return to their homeland, to give financially to the Temple’s reconstruction, to work on the wall. For those who’d stepped away, to give up their foreign (idol-worshipping) wives and stop charging interest on loans to their struggling countrymen.

Now in chapter 8, the people assemble and ask Ezra the scribe to read to them from the Law. God is drawing them – they want to know how to live in good relationship with Him.

I think that’s why Nehemiah encourages them to stop weeping and start celebrating.

Repentance means seeing what’s wrong in our lives, agreeing with God – and changing our direction and behaviour to line up with what He says. It’s one of those words that can make us cringe at the thought of fiery preachers or John the Baptist shouting at people and condemning their actions.

But here, the people have already repented. They’ve listened to God’s life-rules and they see where they’ve gone a different way. They’ve seen perfection and their own imperfection. They’re sorry for what they’ve done wrong. Maybe scared, too. God hauled the entire nation off to Babylon for 70 years because of repeated sin, and here they are, newly back in the land and already messing up. Will He send them away again? Or worse?

I wonder if they were also discouraged. How could they ever live up to God’s expectations in the Law? Maybe that’s why Nehemiah told them “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

His words have always struck me as encouraging, a promise of where our help comes from. Nehemiah says it here to a people weeping for their moral and spiritual weakness, and I think it’s to show that God’s strength is for more than rebuilding Temples and walls – it’s for rebuilding human lives. (Tweet this.)

Creator God, You are holy and just. We can’t stand in Your presence except through Jesus’ blood. We can’t please You on our own, but how grateful we are that the joy of You can be our strength, and Christ in us is our hope of glory. Draw us to live ever closer to You, in the light of Your love.

∞

Brian Doerksen’s song “Welcome to the Place of Level Ground” celebrates God’s ultimate plan for salvation. Let it encourage you today.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Perseverance: 6 Links and a Silly Song

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Usually when responsibilities pile up and I feel overwhelmed, I burst into a plaintive quote from Dr. Seuss:

This mess is so big and so deep and so tall, I cannot clean it up, there is no way at all! (from The Cat in the Hat)

Last Saturday morning a couple of large household projects were weighing on my mind, and I tried to cheer myself up by turning it into a song:

Sumo, on my shoulders: I’m not happy.
Sumo, on my shoulders, makes me frown.
Sumo, on my shoulders, is so heavy,
Sumo, almost always, brings me down.

Sumo on my shoulders With many apologies to the memory of John Denver, you can sing these words to the tune of “Sunshine on My Shoulder”. Indeed, that’s a much better song to sing, so go ahead. And no, I’m not embarking on a new career as an artist or a lyricist.

It’s true, though: things pile up in our minds and they do bring us down. And that’s not the way God wants us to live. I’ve been struggling with this lately, trying to be more faithful in my responsibilities without burning myself out. “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13, NLT*)” but I need to focus on one thing at a time and do that thing in His strength instead of on my own.

I believe God gives us enough hours in the day to do the things He intends us to do in that day. Sometimes I need to remind myself of that, to talk that Sumo off my shoulders. Lately I’ve found a lot of freedom in the Bible’s promise of wisdom for those who ask (see James 1:5 and my post “Is Your Loyalty Divided?“). God, I need wisdom to see what to do when, and to not think about the other stuff.

Here are six links I’ve found in the past few days that are helping me learn the lesson even better:

PERSEVERANCE (janiscox.com)
A Life Plan When You’re Overwhelmed with printable poster (aholyexperience.com)
Advancing from Darkness to Light (marywaindbeechcrofttales.blogspot.ca)
Deadly Distractions (rogertharpe.wordpress.com)
Staying the Course (lynndove.com)
Nine Steps to an Unbalanced Life (maranathanews.com)

[Linking with Janis Cox’s Wednesday’s Word: Perseverance]

Wonder: 4 links + an assignment

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It was almost a year ago at Write! Canada that God challenged me to open my eyes and see with wonder–a lesson I too quickly forgot! He’s been reminding me again, and it’s finally time to read my copy of Margaret Feinberg’s Wonderstruck that’s been waiting since Christmas. Part of the reminder came through some blog posts that I encourage you to read if you’re at all in need of a wonder-attitude-enthusiasm infusion.

At Hello God, Welcome to My Classroom, Linden Barrick muses on how rarely we encounter something special that brightens our spirits, when there are special touches in every day. [Read Where is My Enthusiasm]

Jon Rouse encourages us to learn to live each day aware of God’s presence and of the good things around us. [Read Life So Aware]

At Magellan Life Coaching, Reba J. Hoffman looks beyond the “glass half-empty or half-full” and urges us to enjoy the water. [Read Drink What’s There]

And author Grace Fox calls us to see again with childlike wonder. [Read Rediscovering the Wonder of Creation]

Those were the four links. Here’s the assignment:

Take a minute, or two, or three… what do you see in this photo? Really see? Yes, there’s a dandelion, and weed or no, it’s kind of pretty. See the delicate white blossoms on what’s probably another weed? Take a look at the grass (and weed leaves!) How many different types of leaves are there? How many different shades of green?

There is wonder all around us, my friends. The universe is practically dripping with it. Wonder and the glory of God. May He open our eyes to see and our hearts to receive. Have a wonder-full day!

4 Links to Get us Motivated

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Can we make a difference? Sometimes the task looks too big. Here are four posts I’ve found really helpful:

When the requirements look like more than we can possibly meet, Bobbi Junior reminds us that God doesn’t ask for perfection–He asks for obedience. Read Obedience versus Excellence.

At Chatting at the Sky, Emily Freeman identifies one thing we’re waiting for (and why it’s time to stop). Follow the link to see what’s holding us back.

At Hearing the Heartbeat, Carolyn Watts writes: “Most things that matter are way too big for little me. But it’s not my job to make them happen.” What is our job? Read the full post: When it’s Hard to Get Going.

Sometimes it’s not that task is so huge, it’s the number of things calling for our attention. For those times, Mary Waind at Beech Croft Tales has some good words on Focus.

Celebrating Encouragement

Piercing the Gloom

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After an evening struggling with discouragement, I woke the next morning from a dream about outnumbered soldiers in a battle where miracles were the only thing keeping them safe, where the final defenses were nearly breached but where victory may have happened at the end. And where the stakes were higher than the soldiers’ lives—where God had a higher purpose.

Lying in bed, thinking about my dream, I got a song: the Newsboys’ “Never Surrender, Never Say Die.”

Then my morning reading included this verse:

As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
Psalm 138:3, NLT*

Wow… I’d been praying for help, for focus and encouragement. I’d been doing my feeble best to keep my thoughts God-centered in the gloom.

This verse tells me God heard. And He answered as soon as I prayed. Not that I experienced the answer then, but I wonder how much easier the night would have been if I’d counted the prayer answered as soon as I prayed it—if I’d begun to thank Him for what He was in the process of doing, instead of waiting until I saw for myself.

Encouraged? Yes. Challenged? Yes. Thank You, God, and please help me be ready for next time.

∞

Need Some Comfort?

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Some days we just need a bit of comfort. Here are some posts I’ve read lately that can help:

At Hearing the Heartbeat, Carolyn Watts offers us perspective for those times When You Forget that God is For You.

They Will Be Comforted at (in)Courage

At Morning Glory, Nan Trammell Jones affirms the certainty of God’s care in our lives.

Mary DeMuth’s prayer that will change your life may be anything but comforting, but it will put your spirit into a better position to receive long-term comfort.