Finding My Peace

We found this portrait, drawn on a paper towel by our daughter, and it immediately caught our attention with its pure, simple joy.  When her daddy asked her who it was, she responded without hesitation, "It's Jesus.  He's the Prince of Peace."

It's now my favorite piece of art.

Jesus.  Prince of Peace.

Yes, He is.  And how often I forget it.

When I'm tired.  When I'm cranky.  When my feelings are hurt.  When I feel unappreciated.  When I can't find my keys.

So many little foxes that I allow to spoil my vineyards.  (Song of Songs 2:15)

And still, He is.  The Prince of Peace.  The One who waits for me to realize I find my peace exactly how I find my lost keys.  By asking a simple question.

Where did I leave it?

And in returning to that place that I surrendered my peace, I find Him there, ready to embrace me, hungry to fill me again.

Jesus.  My Peace.

(in)courage Guest Blog: Hope For Marriages

I visited my eight-year widowed grandmother this weekend. It still shocks me to see her without my grandfather by her side. They were a matched pair, a perfect set, now waiting for the beautiful day they will be reunited. And she limps along with a smile, but with the gait of one who is missing half of herself.


I came home to wave at my one-week widowed neighbor. The grief is still too new, too raw to process. For how do you even decide alone what to eat for breakfast when you've been making decisions together for sixty-four years?


And then yesterday I heard the tale I've listened to so many times, told with tears running down the face and exhaustion in the eyes. The details change a little depending on the teller, but the stories are all pretty much the same. How the marriage started well, but has slowly died and is heading to the place beyond hope of resurrection. How wounds have been inflicted and trust has been broken. How love was taken for granted and priorities were shifted. How they wish it could change, but just don't see how.


And I can't help seeing those two women while I listen. Two women who would give anything to be held once more by the man whose socks once littered their bedroom floor. The same two women who will tonight go to bed alone instead of beside the snore that kept them awake for countless hours. The two women who now have only themselves to cook dinner for.


What would those women say in this moment?


To read more, log on to (in)courage, where the author of Treasure the Ordinary is a guest blogger today...

To read more on marriages, click the "Love Spark" label to the right for 14 days of encouragement on bringing life to your marriage.

Praise In The Midst

Today has been a blessing.  It's the day the virus left the house.  For the past three weeks, my children and I have one by one taken turns running fever.  Only Dad remained unscathed.  First the body aches, then the fever, and then the sore throat and cough.  It hasn't been fun.

But, even in the midst of the mess, there have been blessings.

Holding each one of my children in my lap, smoothing their hair back from their foreheads.

Having each precious pair of arms encircle my neck, seeking comfort.

The slower pace.

Snuggling on the couch watching movies together.

Seeing my second son's eyes light up when I tried to tempt his appetite by bringing home his favorite cookies.

Finding the blessings in the midst of the mess.

It's what Paul wrote about in I Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

He didn't say to give thanks for all circumstances.  Some things are simply not good and should not be in our lives.  But, he did say to give thanks in all circumstances.  Even in the midst of bad things happening, I can give thanks to the God who gives only good gifts and praise Him for the way He redeems any situation.

And when I do, the mess gets less messy.  Even if it's just the mess in me.

An Old Friend Is The Best Friend

One of the deepest joys of growing older is the ripening of old friendships.  When you make a friend in your youth, it is a sweet thing.  When that person remains your friend into your adulthood, it is sweeter still.  And when you still have that friend as you grow old, it is precious beyond measure.

For who but an old friend can laugh with you over the outrageous mistakes you made in your young days, cry with you at the loss of your deepest dream, and at the same time rejoice with you over the answers God sends after a lifetime of prayers?

To know someone's strengths and weaknesses for decades and still call them friend.  To have shared life together for season after season, both the good and the bad, and still enjoy one more meal gathered round the table.  To look upon what someone has overcome and accomplished in their lifetime and find a complete lack of jealousy in your heart towards them, but only gratefulness.

This is old friendship. 

Treasure it. 

Is there an old friend in your life you need to thank today for the way they have grown with you and helped shaped you into what you are at this moment?  Even old friends need to hear from your own lips how much you value who they are to you.  Pick up a pen.  Pick up the phone.  And let them know you'll be around for this season they are facing right now, and the next one, and the next...