by Barb Roose | Jan 1, 2018 | Women's Topics
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! -Isaiah 30:18
Every new year, we say out with the old in with the new. But, what do you do when the old problems or struggles follow you into New Year?
I’m spending New Year’s in El Paso Texas with my oldest daughter. If you’ve been following me on social media, my daughter and I made two 1600 #roadtrips with her two puppies in the backseat before and after Christmas. We survived.
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Yesterday, my daughter had a 24-hour shift at work, so I’ve been on puppy duty. As I walked the dogs toward a neighborhood park, I talked to God about the last 365 days of my life. I gave thanks for so many things: a loving family, supportive friends, good health, financial provision and many wonderful ministry opportunities. And I also plead with God about getting rid of an old unresolved heartache that I didn’t want to follow me into the new year. God, I’ve dealt with this for so long. Do I have to deal with this next year? Any chance you can make this go away by midnight?
What old situation has followed you into a new year?
While this isn’t the place for me to go into details, perhaps you can relate to how I describe the pain. It feels like a 1000-pound weight sits on your heart and cracks it all little each day. On bad days, I feel my heartbeat thumping in my chest and it hurts. This is the pain of being human and living in a fallen world. At this stage in my life, I can only bear to share this pain with the most trustworthy of friends and gratefully, an understanding Christian counselor.
God, my heart hurts…
This morning, God showed me that He heard my prayer on yesterday’s walk. One of the verses in my Bible study today was Isaiah 30:18: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
God used this verse today to remind me of His heart toward me. The first day of this new year is a part of God’s gracefulness to me and you. Every time we say goodbye to a loved one, we are reminded of the preciousness of life. You’ve made it into the new year! No matter how much you don’t like what’s carried over from the old year, you’ve made it into the new one – and not everyone can say that!
Every day from God is a gift that we don’t deserve. Additionally, God longs to pour His graciousness into every deep crack in our heart and fill in those broken fissures with Himself. That’s actually the visual that I use when I’m praying through difficult days: God, my heart is broken right now. Please come and fill in those broken places with Yourself.” Just like the Kintsugi artists use liquid gold to fuse together broken pottery, God’s grace is that He infuses Himself into our heartache.
The last part of that verse say “Blessed are all who wait for him.” What does it mean to wait for God? Before my daughter takes her puppies outside, she makes them sit before snapping on their leashes. Then she says the word, “wait.” Both puppies must to sit until she gives them the command to move forward. While they are waiting, the dogs’ eyes are fixed on her face. Now, when I told them that it was time to sit, the results were pretty spotty. Those puppies love my daughter. I’m just the random lady who took them on a few walks.
The word wait in Isaiah 30:18 means to long for. When the puppies hear the word “wait,” they fix their focus on my daughter and sit until she tells them to move. For us, waiting is focus on an unknown period of time, but spiritually, our waiting should be a fixating on a Person.
Why is this important? When we’re waiting on something that isn’t happening, our hearts get weighed down and discouraged (Proverbs 13:12). But, when we’re fixated on God, we actually get stronger and can accomplish more (Isaiah 40:31)
Are you currently weighted down by the old situation that has followed you into the new year OR are you waiting on God and enjoying the blessing of His grace and compassion?
Might I offer two next steps if you’re dealing with an old situation in this new year?
First, start with talking to God and surrender the heavy weight of your old situation over to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to give all of our worries and cares to God because He cares about us. One of my favorite movie lines is “Get off the cross, honey. Somebody needs the wood.”
“God, it’s a new year, but I don’t want to carry the pain around of this situation anymore. If it isn’t your timing to remove this hardship from my life, then God, I’m asking you to renew my heart and filling in the broken places with yourself.”
Second, increase your longing for God to keeping your eyes focused on him. Corrie ten Boom once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”
One suggestion is to sign-up for resources like ReFocus App, My First 5, YouVersion or livingitout.tv that will deliver a devotional or verse of the day directly to you. But, don’t just sign up and think something will change. Set aside 15 minutes per day to read and reflect. The more you fix your heart and mind on God, the more you’ll focus on Him – and the more blessed you will be.
That’s what happened to me today. As I spent time in my Bible study and writing this post, God has truly blessed me today. Even as my old situation follows me into a new year, I’m going to be like my daughter’s puppies and keep my eyes focused on God as I wait on Him.
SHARE WITH US: Is there an old situation that you are dealing with in the new year? How has reading this post and Isaiah 30:18 encouraged you? Leave your comments below.
by Barb Roose | Nov 26, 2017 | Christian Living/Discipleship
At midnight on the day after Thanksgiving, my oldest daughter sailed down the stairs with her iPod on full blast with Christmas music. “It’s finally time!” she proclaimed.
In my house, all Christmas music is banned until the day after Thanksgiving. I don’t have anything against Christmas music, but I can only hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” so many times before I feel a little Grinchy inside.
Now it’s Christmas season.
This year, I’m grappling with a few tensions that most of you understand: First, how do I celebrate the holiday without making myself crazy?
Next, I’m dealing with the recent loss of my father, so I’m still adjusting to that new normal in my life. How do I balance the time that I need to grieve with desire to spend time celebrating one of the wonderful times of the year with friends and family?
For the past few years, I’ve worked on actually planning how I want to experience the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years’. This planning isn’t about what I want to do, but who do I want to be during this amped up, non-stop season.
Here are a few goals that I try to hold onto each Christmas season. Perhaps, one or two of these might inspire you:
1. Let Christmas begin IN you.
People talk about letting Christmas begin WITH them, like taking the first step. But, what if you and I decided that our Christmas was already complete because of Christ? If our Christmas was already complete, then we can reject the pressure of to-lists, unrealistic expectations, and the materialistic allure of more, more, more. Letting Christmas begin IN me is the attitude that Jesus came to fill in my deepest longings and each day I will celebrate that over everything else.
2. Be JoyFULL.
The perfect Christmas family photo will look great on Facebook, but it won’t fill your heart. Planning the perfect Christmas dinner might make you happy in the moment, but what about after the meal is over?
Gratitude will fill the empty place in your heart, even if the kids can’t make it home this year or there’s less on the tree. Gratitude keeps you from chasing the crazy of Christmas.
Start filling up with joy by listing 25 blessings each day, like enjoying a hot cup of coffee or a well-timed hug from a friend. Making a list of 25 causes you to dig deep and really pay attention to what God is doing all around you that you’ve likely missed.
3. Be PeaceFULL
Be filled with calm that comes from knowing that you are only in control of one thing this Christmas season: you.
We get all crazy during the holidays because we think everything needs to be done. Everything doesn’t need to be done and we don’t need to do it.
If you want to do something, then do it. If you have to do something, that’s another thing. But, we don’t need to be Christmas martyrs. If someone at school doesn’t sign up to bring cookies and you don’t like to bake them, don’t sign up. The kids won’t die without the cookies. Same for the office or family gathering.
For all you self-proclaimed martyrs out there, here’s one of my favorite movie lines every from Dolly Parton’s character in the movie Straight Talk: “Get off the cross, honey. Somebody needs the wood.”
4. Be HopeFULL
Even as our world feels crazy and out-of-control, the people in Jesus’ time felt the same about Roman rule. Yet, hope was born in manager and most of the world never knew it. The same applies today. We have hope and the world doesn’t yet know the same hope that we have. When you live with hope, those around you take notice. One of the greatest gifts that you can give this Christmas season is to share Jesus’ hope with those around you.
I’d love to hear from you! Post a comment below and share: Are you dealing with difficult circumstances this year? Which one of the four suggestions above is most helpful for you to focus on this year?
Pssst…looking for a gift idea for your daughter, niece, granddaughter or friend. Click here for a special gift offer!
by Barb Roose | Oct 16, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
Did you know that a girl’s confidence peaks at the age of nine?
Statistics report that 7 out of every 10 girls don’t feel like they measure up.
Moms, how can we raise our daughters with the confidence to pursue courageous and fearless lives?
Today’s Better Together podcast guest, author and Proverbs 31 Ministry speaker, Lynn Cowell, tells us about her journey to discover what it means to be brave and courageous in her life. As women of all ages fight to find that same confidence, Lynn wants to equip our young tweens so that they can find confidence sooner in life. She is the author of the new book, Brave Beauty: Finding the Fearless, a companion guide written for girls between the ages of 8-12 years old.
I loved so many things about our conversation! As the seventh of eight children, Lynn grew up in a community where everyone followed the beaten path. Yet, Lynn made a bold move in her early years that put her a path toward God’s unique purpose for her life.
One of the most powerful observations was when Lynn explained how culture drives our girls to build their confidence on three shaky foundations:
1. Someone (like a relationship with someone);
2. Some Place (career/status); or
3. Something (beauty, education).
But, all of those things can be lost or taken because much of life is out of our control. So, to help our daughters, let’s journey along with them to help them to build unshakeable confidence on an unshakeable God because they can’t lose God!
What if your confidence has been shaken? Lynn has something for you, too!
Lynn has a new Bible study for women titled Make Your Move: Finding Unshakeable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures. There are a lot of strong, confident women in the Bible! Lynn has created a Bible study so that you can learn from these women, some of them you might not know, but they will inspire to reach for God’s best!
Mom, if you have a daughter in elementary school or junior high, would you do me a favor and check out Lynn’s website. Our world is coming hard after young girls, but we can equip them to stand strong and confident in Jesus’ name.
RESOURCES
Lynn’s website – including free resources!
Brave Beauty: Finding the Fearless You
Make Your Move: Finding Unshakeable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures
Lynn’s books can be found at Proverbs 31 or at your favorite Christian Retailers.
ABOUT LYNN COWELL
Lynn Cowell is a Proverbs 31 Ministries author and speaker who helps moms become wise women so they can raise wiser daughters.
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by Barb Roose | Sep 25, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
What frustrates you about clothes and fashion?
On this episode of the Better Together podcast, my friend and fabulous fashion expert, Shari Braendel is back! Recently, Shari asked her audience about their top fashion dilemmas. Over 1000 women responded to Shari’s survey and here were the top three questions:
1. How do I dress for my body?
2. How do I pick the right style for my hair?
3. How do I put together an entire look?
In this episode of the Better Together podcast, Shari answers those three questions with fabulous fashion tips and suggestions that you can begin using today! If you’ve been struggling to figure out a new hairstyle, you’ll love her practical tips. I learned so much!
Here’s what I just love about Shari – she believes that every woman is a VIP. You might beat yourself up every day, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Shari has just launched – like last week – a new site to help women learn how to dress for their body shape, organize their closet and put their look together. There’s a link below and Shari will tell you all about it!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE ACTION STEPS!
- Text the word “fashion” to 44222 and get a free bundle of goodies from Shari! (No strings attached!)
- Click here to check out VIP Membership site
- Fashion Meets Faith Website
by Barb Roose | Sep 10, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
In the newest episode of the Better Together podcast, I sharing four bridges that will help you build connection with your teen and adult daughters:
1. Kind Words – How do you speak to your daughter? What we say is most often a reflection of our heart, not our daughter’s actions. Our kind words can actually heal the emotional and physical pain that our daughters experience in life.
2. Discover Her Love Language – Do you know your daughter’s love language? Both of you can take the free test at the fivelovelanguages.com. When you invest 10-15 minutes per day in “speaking” her love language, you build resiliency into her life and she’ll have the reserve to dig deep and tackle the problems that she’s facing.
3. Ask Before You Accuse – How many of us jump to conclusions when a negative situation happens? We can build a connection instead of creating conflict when we calmly and kindly ask, “Can you tell me what happened?” and listen to what she has to say.
4. “Open the Door” – Getting our daughter to talk can be tricky because she has a lot on her mind. I share a tip to open up communication with your daughter. Listen to the podcast to find out more!
RESOURCES
The Parenting Teens Summit
An online experience designed to help you thrive as a parent of a teenager. Over 40 different Christian authors and thoughts leaders are ready to share their unique insight with you. Featured speakers include Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Juli Slattery, Dr. Paul David Tripp, Craig Gross, Kimm Carr, Craig Groeschel, and Dr. Kathy Koch, among others.
Parenting Teen Summit starts September 11-27! Click here to find out more and register!
FREE eBook
Mom, is your young daughter comparing herself to her friends? Has she made comments about how she looks or shows signs of low self-esteem? Download a free copy of my ebook, 10 Beauty Essentials to Teach Your Daughter. Reach her now with God’s beautiful truth so that she can learn how to push back against our culture’s impossible beauty standards. It’s not too early to help your daughter avoid an ugly struggle with beauty. Click here to download.
