by Lucy | Nov 30, 2014 | biblical counseling, identity in Christ
God’s real freedom for you:
Jesus,
your hope. . .
your life. . .
your love. . .
your all.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another,” Galations 5:13, ESV
This compelling 15-minute film may change your life forever. The whole message of the Bible is not about this God who wants to take from you. It’s about this God who wants to give to you.
Titled “Stop and Think” with Francis Chan on the most beautiful beach you’ll ever see shares the Good News of Jesus Christ in a “non religious” way.
Share this post with family, co-workers, teens, the hurting, and everyone who needs encouragement.
by Lucy | Mar 11, 2014 | emotions, identity in Christ |
. . .even when your dad hurts you.
May I introduce you to Karen Rabbitt? She wrote Trading Fathers: Forgiving Dad, Embracing God, a memoir of her journey from brokenness to wholeness. It reveals the sexual abuse she experienced at four years old at the hand of her father. The abuse, the mixed messages, messed with emotional security.
Has suffering brought you hurt and confusion?
Suffering is deeply personal. Quick fixes don’t last. They may compound the pain. Logical explanations may offend you. Bible verses fall flat. You need help with the emotional problem of hurt. You need someone to listen, not judge.
Do you know that the path to your heart comes through your mind?
Truth matters. God reveals truth about himself, you and me, the world, evil, suffering, and redemption in Scripture.
Karen found out truth matters the hard way.
Immediate Healing?
When Karen became a Christian as a young adult, she expected immediate healing. It didn’t happen. She felt hurt, again. She asked God, “Where were you when I was abused?” Have you asked God this question?
Karen continued to experience shame, depression, and emotional instability. Only when she allowed God’s truth to penetrate her mind and soul could she find comfort, understanding, and a compassion to help other hurting women.
God challenged her to do the seemingly impossible: forgive her father.
Forgive the Abuser?
You may have a story of abuse too. Or you may have experienced a different hurt. Rejection? Abandonment? Never being good enough?
As Karen sorted out the differences between her heavenly and earthly fathers — and discovered that truth matter and the heart can heal — so can you.
God is good.
He is just.
And powerful.
Loving.
Compassionate.
Forgiving.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Col. 3:13, NIV
Hope!
Do you know the true God? The heavenly Father who doesn’t just give advice. He gives himself!
God tells us that trials and suffering have a purpose. When you hurt you try to make sense out the the suffering. This is normal. We want relief.
The only path to real relief for your real hurt is this:
Choose to align your worldview with God’s timeless truth: Scripture. As you believe Scripture and act on your belief — loving God with all your mind, all your heart, and all your soul — you will find peace and contentment. You will know hope.
by Lucy | Feb 25, 2014 | identity in Christ, relationships |
When my husband and I adopted our first child as well as the two who followed, well-meaning folks often declared, “How blessed are your children to have you as parents!”
I replied, “Not them. Me. They are God’s blessings to me.” And I meant it.
He calls all who are in Christ — who embrace Jesus as Savior — blessed. It’s another aspect of your true identity in Christ.
Mary’s Story
Mary, the mother of Jesus, embraced this name. In the gospel of Luke, she humbly boasts, “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name” Luke 1:48,49, NIV.
Do you embrace your blessedness? The word “bless” means to speak well of someone. Mary’s song in Luke praises God’s choice to exalt the humble and to diminish the proud. It’s the great reversal. The strong shall be weak, and the weak become strong.
The apostle Paul confirms your blessedness.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3
God blesses believers. He has given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Every means every. . .even when you feel “less than.” You cannot get more blessing. You have it all. How does knowing you are blessed now change your attitude about yourself? about God?
Life Is a Battle
Financial struggles, tough emotions like fear, anger, and depression, illness, grief, confusion — these challenges wage war in our mind, body, and soul. Yet God’s blessings prepare us for success in battle with the forces of evil who also are part of the heavenly realms (that is, the unseen spiritual world).
So we need not feel “less than,” for God has armed us with every blessing we need to win. Among the fiercest battleground: the mind. The apostle Paul says,
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
Don’t Forget!
God knows we need to remember our blessedness when the Satan dupes us with lies, which may have a kernel of truth.
A while back, I stupidly locked my keys in my minivan. My self-talk turned toxic and tangled: “Stupid, stupid, stupid. Lucy, you are stupid.” Forgetful, yes. Stupid, nope. Yet Satan insisted I am and tried to get me to agree with him and spiral downward into a pit of pessimistic thinking.
Who should I believe? Satan or God? Who should you believe?
Get Your Hope On
The Lord wants you to know hope, to live hope. Listen to these amazing words of blessing for you.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life. (James 1:12(
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:21)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God. Matthew 5:6-8
photo credit: Leonard John Matthews via photopin cc
Sharing Hope with Your Heart,
by Lucy | Jan 23, 2014 | biblical counseling, emotions |
Flip on the Weather Channel and what do I see: forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, storm surges, bizzards, floods and my latest “favorite”: the polar vortex that froze Florida and kept my family and kitties snuggly at home for three straight days.
These natural disasters — or “acts of God” in insurance parlance — are in truth. . .crises. Faced with the forcefulness and unpredictability of a natural disaster, we feel helpless, confused, afraid. When it gets personal — your house burns, your car slides in a ditch, your town turns to toothpicks — you may wonder if God is out to get you. Do you relate to Job’s distress?
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” Job 1:18-21
How to Help
When a friend has questions God and natural disasters, gently remind her that the fallen nature of creation causes such disasters. If we still lived in Eden, there’d be to tornadoes or tsunamis or earthquakes.
“God isn’t causing a flood or fire or earthquake to get even with us or to punish our sinfulness,” says Timothy Thompson in Helping a Neighbor in Crisis. Real life is not a sixty-minute TV show depicting the disaster and cleanup and “We’re good.” Recovery from a natural disaster takes weeks, months, even years.
3 Ways to Help
1. Have realistic expectations and be patient.
2. Offer tangible help: medical care, clothes, housing, food, gift card for a movie. Yes, offer these in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and in months to come. Connect your friend with community resources.
3. Listen.
While the natural tendency is to give advice, don’t. . .unless she asks for it. She may need to share the sights and sounds and smells of the disaster. If you too have suffered in the disaster, a crisis counselor may be most helpful. Let expression emotion. She may speak of guilt and anger toward God, especially when the loss is great: the life of a loved one or a family home and photos.
3 Things to Avoid
1. Don’t expect her to be better in short order. Each of us has our own timeline of recovery. Hers may be slower than you like.
2. Don’t blame her for the disaster or her reaction to the disaster.
3. Don’t forget her. The aftermath of some disasters last months and years. Continue to encourage. Continue to listen. Continue to pray. Continue to show Jesus’ love in practical ways.
One simple thing: Deliver a note of encouragement and a favorite joy like home-baked cookies.
Are you facing a crisis — divorce, money problems, a serious illness, or abuse — and would like help and hope? I am a certified, seminary-trained Christian biblical counselor who counsels hope to the heart and who meets in person and by Skype. I’ve counseled women all over the U.S. as well as Canada, the U.K., Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
This is a link to my counseling page on my website. Please click the link and get help for you or a friend..
photo credit: ucumari via photopin cc
by Lucy | Nov 14, 2013 | biblical counseling |
Are Facebook friends real? Or do only in-real-life (IRL) friends count? Does it matter?
As our What Every Friend Needs series continues, this online friendship question is an important one. It also underscores
A scare-your-pants-off article in Newsweek hints that online friendships can harm you. Why? Spending time online — and thus sites like Facebook — may rewire your brain, resulting in loneliness, depression, even psychosis. Is this true?
Here is the view of another journalist who also looked at the scary research and takes a common-sense approach to spending time online.
What God Says
More important, what does God say about friendships? God says everyone needs a reliable friend who you can count on. Can you count on your Facebook friends? Some but not all? How do you know they’re reliable?
Here’s key advice.
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)
And more wisdom.
Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God —I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33,34)
In Real Life Matters
Nothing beats a hug from a reach-out-and-touch friend in when have real hurts and need real hope.
Meeting up with Christian girlfriends is encouraged. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24,25, NIV).
So are Facebook friends real? What do you think?
