Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
You Can’t Tap a Dry Well
Wise Snap Decisions
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
Vanity Unfair
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Some Morsels are Not Good for the Soul
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Timing is Everything
Psalm 31:15
My Times are in your hands.
Andrew Murray was a South African pastor who visited England in 1895. While there, an old back injury flared up causing him to go on bed rest. The lady of the house he was staying at came to him one day because of a friend of hers was in bad shape. She asked Murray if he had any words of encouragement for her friend. He quickly handed her a piece of paper he had been writing on with words of encouragement for himself. It said,
“In times of trouble say:
First- God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that, I will rest.
Next-He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.
Then-He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.
Last-In his good time He can bring me out again-how and when he knows.
I am here-By God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.”
In this age of microwaves, drive-thrus, and instant pots, we want everything NOW! We would do good to remember that everything is in God’s hands and God’s timing. He knows where we are at and what we are going through. He knew we would be there long before we did. He will be there through it all and with us all the time. His love and grace will see us through, even in our darkest pit.
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
Is the Sun Really the Center of our Universe?
Numbers 14:9 The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.
You know the commercials that say, “9 out of 10 dentists prefer this toothbrush over this one”? Have you ever wondered if that one dentist that disagreed was right? Maybe, just maybe he knew something the other nine dentists didn’t. Should you still trust the other nine dentists more because they agreed on the other toothbrush? Is the majority, always right? If you believe that then you must also believe the Earth is the center of the universe because Galileo was about the only astronomer to say otherwise…lol!
In the bible, there were twelve men who left out on an adventure to explore a new place for the Israelites to inhabit (Numbers 14). Ten of these men came back with very frightening details about how the people were much stronger than the Israelites. They even spread scary rumors among the people of how they would all be devoured by these people (Numbers 13:32 & 33).
On the other hand, there were two men, Caleb, and Joshua, who came back talking about the milk and honey that flowed everywhere, and large amounts of fruits! Yes, the city is well fortified, and the people are powerful, but we can take them. Who would you trust, the ten, or the two?
Well, let me tell you, there was one guy in charge at the time, Mosses, and he knew something the others didn’t. He knew God had said he would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites. He declared, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). However, the majority won out. The people chose to believe the majority. They were too afraid and refused to go in and take over Canaan. So, God basically cursed them for not following his directions and said none of them would ever see thepromise land. They lost out on a wonderful gift all because they chose to follow the majority.
Sometimes, in our lives, we need to stand up and not follow the majority. We need to let our voices be heard. When we follow God’s direction, we can be sure we are doing the right thing no matter how wrong it looks to the majority. Sometimes we need to be that one dentist and say, “Nope, I recommend this one over here because it is best for my patients!”
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
Holding Things Together
Colossians 1:17
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
He is before all things and in him all things hold together
I wonder around from thing to thing
Place to place
Person to person.
Nothing makes sense
My mind is disjointed
Scattered
Twisted
I feel overwhelmed
My surroundings are blurred
People are talking to me
My brain rejects all stimuli
It can’t compute
Not one more thing
I am going to explode
I am melting down
My breathing quickens
I want to scream
I can’t convey the message
Between my voice and my brain
All is lost
I fall apart
Too Much! Too Much
TOO MUCH!
I shake my head
I clamp my hands over my ears
I close my eyes
NO MORE!
My voice finally cries out.
I AM DONE!
TIME OUT!
GO AWAY!
LEAVE ME BE!
TOO MUCH!
NO MORE!
IT IS OVER!
Deep breath
Sit down
Let the world go on
Without me
Like a commuter train
Whizzing by
Destinations yet to be seen
Jesus is before
All things
And
In Him
All things
Are held together
Even Me
Jesus will hold
This pile of shattered pieces
Nothing will be lost
I can let go for a moment
And let the world go past
It is OK
He is holding on
I don’t have to anymore
I will be fine
The sun will
Shine again
And my brain will
Let it in.
I will survive.
Apathy Gets You Nowhere
Matthew 28:18-20 English Standard Version (ESV)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Apathy has never gotten anyone, anywhere! Just sitting there feeling all alone and doing nothing about your current situation only keeps you stuck right where you are right now. It doesn’t bring peace. It doesn’t solve problems. It doesn’t find help. Apathy is the enemy.
Apathy is different than rest. Rest is meant. Rest is planned. Rest is needed. Rest brings peace, clarity, refreshment. Rest is needed. Apathy is not.
When apathy sneaks up on you, and it always sneaks, reach out. Let your voice be heard. Cry out for help. There is always someone somewhere to help. You are always a phone call away from someone. You are always a few keystrokes away from someone.
Don’t let apathy tell you that you are all alone in your journey. You are not. I am here and so are lots of other people. We are a team and we are here to help. Most importantly, God is with us all, all of the time. He is leading us.
There is a bible story of a demon named Legion who tries to be all big bad and scary because he has an army of demons with him. Let’s fight back right now. Join with me. We stand and say No! WE are Legion. Together we will stand against apathy. We will fight!
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
I Bear the Light! What is Your Superpower?
Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG): 1Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
I read the above verses from Matthew this week and jumped for joy! I found a way I can serve God, by serving others. He has created me to be a light in this world filled with darkness. Created to bear light with the power to dispel the darkness wherever I go.
Do you realize what this means? You, my friend, are a superhero! However, this is much more powerful any superhero power! My light is the word of my testimony. It is my past and all of its good and ugly experiences. My voice is my light. It will show the pathway to survive anxiety, depression, and PTSD by leading people to the one true Light of this World.
God did not create us to sit in pews on Sunday morning and the occasional holiday. He did not create us to read and pray, then do nothing about it. He created us to be a light to this world. We come to bear the light of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to open our mouths and share with people, love people, hold people and take them to the one who can heal them and prepare them to be more light in this world.
Whatever experiences you have dealt with in your life, these are your passions. These are the stepping stones to lay out for others who travel the same road. Let your voice be heard. Let your light shine. Tell people they are not alone. You have been there and done that. Wear your superhero cape with pride! You are no longer Clark Kent. You are SUPERMAN!
Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
The Weary Will Prevail
Key Verse: Proverbs 30:1 I am weary, God, but I can prevail. (NIV)
How many times has someone asked you how you are doing and you reply, “Fine” when you want to say, “Awful”? I have often referred to this as being a Pollyanna. Pollyanna is the main character in the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter and the Disney movie about a girl who always played the glad game. Her father, a missionary, taught her the game one Christmas when instead of getting a doll, she received a pair of crutches from a missionary box. He said you must always look at things and find the good in them. For me, to be a Pollyanna means always pretending everything is okay.
I am not saying we should not look for the good in things. However, as one of my favorite authors, Sheila Walsh, points out, “It is Okay to not be Okay.”
In Proverbs 30, Agur, the author has a great response, I am weary God, but I can prevail (30:1). What he meant is how we often feel as Christians. Yeah, I am not so great today but I am going to keep moving on. By faith and hope, I will look to a better day. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
Proverbs 3:17 says God’s wisdom will take us to pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. I am fond of saying, this doesn’t mean a life filled with unicorns and rainbows. This means assurance in those times of weariness that you will prevail.
The peace God offers is beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is a peace that is propped up by faith and hope. It is a peace that says, “Today I am weary God but I will prevail.”
Copyright © 2018 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.