Sometimes Life is Full of Mountains to be Climbed
Sometimes life is full of mountains to be climbed. Life in the year 2020 seems to have more mountains than usual.
Sometimes Life is Full of Mountains to Be Climbed
2MefromHim Devotionals
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5, 6
Sometimes life is full of mountains to be climbed. Life in the year 2020 seems to have more mountains than usual.
Whatever mountains you’re facing, the answer is the same, take it to the Lord. You’ll probably still have to climb the mountain but the Good Shepherd, who is sure of foot and knows all the pathways will be there to climb it with you.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5, 6 #trust #hope #guidance Share on XSometimes Life Looks Great From the Top of the Mountain
In 2003, we had just completed homeschooling our son. He would head off to college in the fall. Our daughter, the starting goalkeeper for her high school soccer team, looked forward to her senior year. She already knew she would continue her career at a small, Division II university. I had accepted the opportunity to begin the first weekly women’s Bible studies at our small church. It was thrilling to have the opportunity to put 14 years of Bible Study Fellowship training into practice and develop my own leadership team for both morning and evening Bible studies. Everything in life was good.
Sometimes life is full of mountains to be climbed. #life #trials #challenges Share on XSometimes Life Reveals a New Mountain Beyond the One Just Conquered
During a routine physical, my primary care doctor discovered a small nodule on my thyroid gland. Since I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada during the above-ground nuclear testing of the 1950s, I knew immediately that it would be cancer. My aunt, who lived in Nevada at the time I was born, had experienced thyroid cancer twice. Having just completed treatment for another ongoing medical condition, I was hoping for freedom from doctors for a while. Fear of the cancer wasn’t a concern. I knew that thyroid cancer was very treatable. However, the timing of the surgery interfered with the start dates for the Bible study and my ability to attend all of our daughter’s soccer games, both in and out of town. It was a mountain I didn’t want to climb.
As I prayed the next morning, the Lord graciously gave me a poem to put the events of my life into perspective. Whenever I read it, I remember how God brought me through a tough year and buoyed me with hope through many challenges. During that period of my life, as in the year 2020, God’s design was to cause me to look to Him for strength, seek His will, and give me His perspective.
I’m tired and weary, and I need a rest, but, dear Lord, I know that You always know best. #COVID #Godislove #victory Share on XOne More Mountain
I’m tired and weary, and I need a rest,
But, dear Lord, I know that You always know best.
When I’m battle-weary and feel alone,
When I beg for bread but it seems like a stone.
I know there is something You are working in me—
There is something new You have to show me.
There is something I haven’t become just yet,
There is some other challenge I’ve not ever met.
You’ve carried me through so many before—
Lord, help me now to face one more.
When I look in the mirror, I want to see
A reflection of You looking back at me.
So once more, Lord, pick me up and let’s go—
So, I never forget how I need you so.
And I have the feeling that when this one is through,
I’ll see, just beyond, there is something else new.
So, thank You, Lord, for not forgetting me,
For never letting me rest till it’s You that I see.
Sometimes Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan
Sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan. The older I get, the more I realize that is the norm. We all face mountains but we don’t have to face them alone.
Whatever mountain you face, there is hope and help. Seek God with all your heart. Don’t trust your understanding of the situation but seek God’s way to the top of the mountain. He will make your paths straight and make you sure-footed. He will not allow you to stumble and fall. He will lead you through the trials and bring you to the summit with new blessings and an improved perspective on life in this crazy world.
God will lead you through the trials and bring you to the summit with new blessings and an improved perspective on life. #life #Godisgood #perspective Share on XPoem, Copyright Norma Gail Holtman August 15, 2003
Copyright, Norma Gail Holtman, July 29, 2020
Read MoreWhen Trust Overwhelms Fear -A 2MefromHim Devotional
Trust overwhelms fear when faith in God drowns out the voice of doubt. A failure to believe God is in control allows the voice of fear to inundate trust with a deluge of doubt.
When Trust Overwhelms Fear
2MefromHim Devotionals
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 1 Timothy 1:7
Trust overwhelms fear when faith in God drowns out the voice of doubt. A failure to believe God is in control allows the voice of fear to inundate trust with a deluge of doubt.
Fear threatens everything I know is true when I allow it to control my mind and heart. I can’t think clearly, can’t sleep, can’t eat, and act irrationally.
Trust is the opposite of fear, a deep, unshakeable confidence that everything will be fine, sometimes despite all reason.
Trust overwhelms fear when faith in God drowns out the voice of doubt. #trust #faith #peace Share on X
Trust Overwhelms Fear by God’s Grace
In 2003, I left a routine physical knowing that, in all likelihood, I had cancer. There was a nodule on my thyroid gland. Two members of my family had already experienced cancer. It was my turn. But no tears came.
Thyroid cancer is one of the most curable. However, any cancer diagnosis is uncertain. A supernatural peace filled my heart and trust infiltrated my thoughts.
As I moved through doctor’s appointments, surgery, and a radioactive iodine ablation, trust carried me. It’s not that I have extraordinary faith. I worry and become afraid, sometimes to the extreme. However, I read the Bible and kept my prayer time every day. God’s goodness and grace buoyed my heart with confident trust that never wavered.
Sixteen and a half years later, I revisited the nuclear medicine department for a scan. Once again, I was overwhelmed at the memory of God’s grace through the months of having no thyroid hormone in my body and fatigue so immense I can’t even describe it. Trust overcomes fear when I lean on God’s grace because I lack strength.
Trust overcomes fear when I lean on God’s grace because I lack strength. #grace #God #coronavirus Share on X
Trust Overwhelms Fear When I Believe Who God Says He Is
Psalm 46:10 AMPC says, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.” When fear threatens, I must determine to be still and think about who God says he is and what he has done in the past. Jesus calmed the storm with the words, “Peace, be still.” How can I doubt the Son of God who holds power over the waves and wind?
If I truly believe God is who he says he is, I must trust his will. When I struggle, he offers strength if I lean on him. He will never leave or forsake me. The Lord walks beside me, indwells me by his Holy Spirit, and leads me through the Bible and prayer. Choose to act from faith, not fear.
Choose to act from faith, not fear. #courage #trust #coronavirus Share on X
Trust Overwhelms Fear When We Listen to the Voice of God
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” I must take time to sit in silence and listen for his voice.
Much lesser trials have created far greater fear. God wants me to always experience the level of confidence that I knew during my episode with cancer. When fear threatens to overcome trust, I can remember how he helped me in the past. Power to overcome fear with trust depends on my knowledge of who God is and what he says. The outcome won’t always be according to my desires but it will be in line with his character of goodness and grace.
Trust overcomes fear when I listen to the voice of God more than any other voice that vies for my attention. When I feel fear, I can still choose to act as if I trust and real trust will follow.
When I feel fear, I can still choose to act as if I trust. #trust #fear #pandemic #faith Share on X
Trust Overwhelms Fear When Faith Drowns Out the Voice of Doubt
No matter what plagues us with fear and doubt, God is still on the throne. From the beginning of time, he knew every trial I would face. God knew. God reigns. God enables me to overcome fear if I place my trust in him.
The Great Physician
I know the Great Physician,
He loves me tenderly.
My health and gracious healing
Are His priority.
He gave to me The Comforter,
Who always knows my need.
When all is fear and chaos,
He calms and cares for me.
I need not fear the battle,
No harm can touch my heart.
For Jesus, my Great Healer,
Will always take my part.
And if my body fails me,
He surely will be there.
My Lord will not forsake me,
For heaven awaits His heir.
While here on earth we struggle,
When others think all is lost,
I have peace and hope to offer
For Jesus paid the cost.
What peace His Presence lends me.
What hope I can impart
With others who are struggling,
I share the peacekeeper of my heart.
When Trust Overwhelms Fear -A 2MefromHim Devotional Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, March 14, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.
Reconciliation and Healing from the Inside Out
Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily bring reconciliation. When angry words and actions lead to broken relationships, trust is destroyed. Trust is not easily regained.
Reconciliation—Healing from the Inside Out
2MefromHim Devotionals
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Amos 3:3
Reconciliation appeared impossible. The gaping wound awakened me again. I flicked on the light and curled into my recliner, hurting, unable to sleep, and wracked with tears. A tornado of conflict and disagreement whirled through my brain, flinging splintered bits and pieces of my life and relationships through my mind. Everything I knew was changed, distorted, and destroyed. My heart was so wounded I saw no way I would ever be whole again.
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Amos 3:3 #reconciliation #relationships Share on XI stared out the window into the night, watching as clouds scudded across the sky, covering the almost-full moon. The house shook in the howling wind, battered by powerful gusts, which echoed the storm in my heart. “Lord, I chose to forgive. I acted as you said, but nothing changed. Instead, much of my life appears to be based on lies. Where do I go from here?”
Forgiveness
As an illustration, hospitals isolate patients with infected wounds. Their sores are left open and cleaned frequently to rid them of contagion so healing occurs from the inside out. In the same way, forgiveness begins in the heart and eventually reaches the place where it can be offered to the offending person. However, forgiveness doesn’t necessarily bring reconciliation.
Forgiveness takes place between the person wronged and God, apart from the offender. Once I forgave, a sense of peace began to flood my life. I paid the price of forgiving those who injured me in pride, something I could well afford to pay. However, the relationships remained unreconciled because those who hurt me failed to take responsibility.
Forgiveness takes place between the person wronged and God... #forgiveness #Godislove #healing Share on X
God says reconciliation comes first
Before I chose to forgive, I was infected with bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 says: “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” A teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship brought in a tree root wrapped around a sprinkler pipe so tight that water could no longer flow through. Much as Cain grew to hate Abel, anger festers into bitterness, cutting off the flow of love toward the object of our resentment. Notice the last part of the verse, “and defile many.” My anger and resentment overflows to the people around me and defiles them. They choose sides, get involved, and thus become victims of the corruption, which spreads like a plague.
Bitterness defiles and spreads like a plague. #bitterness #plague #relationships Share on XAfter I offered forgiveness to those who hurt me and asked forgiveness for my part in the disagreements, some of the hurt began to heal. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Reconciliation requires atonement
Reconciliation requires atonement, a price paid for the offense. Angry words and actions that lead to broken relationships destroy trust. And trust is not easily regained. It requires time and evidence of change, often some type of reparation must be made.
A relationship can’t be restored if the offender refuses to seek forgiveness or acknowledge the wrong done. Speaking of Christ’s atonement for our sin, Hebrews 9:22 says, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” When I hurt someone there is a price to pay to regain trust and enable healing. The offender must accept responsibility, or continuing the relationship will result in more hurt. God never expects us to accept abuse.
What hurts do I need to forgive? What must I offer in order to heal a damaged relationship? Am I willing to humble myself that I might be reconciled to God and those I have injured?
When I hurt someone there is a price to pay to regain trust... #reconciliation #trust #healing Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, March 9, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.
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Choose Kindness & Compassion – A 2MefromHim Devotional
To choose kindness and compassion, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts. It’s what Jesus would do.
Choose Kindness and Compassion
A 2MefromHim Devotional
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
Always choose kindness and compassion. What we remember most about others is how they treat us. The best friend is one who goes out of their way to show love. Yet how easy it is to find an excuse to do the opposite.
Choose Kindness
Not long ago, I sat at the bedside of my dying aunt. As a former nurse, sitting beside a deathbed wasn’t uncomfortable, however, a friend’s visit cheered my heart. When she realized the imminence of death, she remained. We sang hymns, read scripture, and prayed. Sacrificing her own plans for the day, she sat with my uncle and me and remained until after my aunt’s passing. Her thoughtfulness and generosity will never be forgotten.
Likewise, there is a stark contrast between a display of kindness and those who are either neglectful or mean-spirited. Henry Drummond said, “The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be kind to some of his other children.”
Kindness Heals
I came across a quote recently from Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Occasionally, family members treat each other with less courtesy and kindness than they do acquaintances or even strangers.” I think this even applies to our family of fellow Christians and the greater family of mankind. Nothing should cause us to deny someone’s need when it is within our power to be kind. Even relationships broken by mistrust, lack of understanding, and hostility can begin to mend through a single act of self-sacrifice and care. It matters little if we understand completely, only that we help within our ability.
Broken relationships can begin to mend through a single act of self-sacrifice and care. #healing #relationships #hope Share on X
Lack of Compassion Hurts
In contrast, a confrontation with someone lacking kindness reminds me of the screams my husband and I heard coming from beside some railroad tracks near a sightseeing spot. We ran in that direction, only to discover a deer taken down by a pack of wild dogs. Though we chased them away, they returned. Similarly, to be treated with a lack of compassion and understanding leaves deep emotional wounds. Self-preservation makes us avoid people who hurt rather than help.
To be treated with a lack of compassion and understanding leaves deep emotional wounds. #compassion #depression #pain Share on XThe Cost of being Kind
My father is remembered for his kindness. After he died, a dear friend related how he showed up at their door one year with money to buy Christmas gifts for their boys. Their savings were stolen from his wife’s purse, and though our family wasn’t well off, my father somehow found the means to help.
As a child of God, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts in order to treat someone with kindness. It’s what Jesus would do. It dishonors Christ to ignore someone’s plea when I possess the power to help. Yes, it costs us to be kind. We pay in time, humility, and sometimes money. However, the reward is everlasting.
Who do you know that needs to be shown some kindness? Will you honor Christ and make the sacrifice necessary to help?
Treating someone with kindness costs us something but pleases Jesus. #kindness #healing #Jesus Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, February 22, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.
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Love God’s Way – A 2MefromHim Devotional
Love God’s way. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Can I give it? I would love to hear your thoughts!
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