peace Archives - Simply Gathering Grace

Living with depression…A LESSON IN WILDFLOWERS AND GRACE

May 15, 2017 By Mikki Jo 4 Comments

I saw a small clump of lavender and pink in a ditch line. A rusted barbed wire fence was their backdrop. They were framed by a drive-by beer can and a faded McDonald’s cup. That scene taught me something that day.

WILDFLOWERS AND GRACE, oh my.

Those wildflowers held so much beauty. So much so, that the ugly around them kind of slinked into the background and the wildflowers were all I saw. Brilliant colors that only God could paint, and intricate blooms that only God could create. They had burst out of the ground and bloomed even with all the yuck they were surrounded by.

Depression, it’s real. It can be a lonely place. That’s why we have to seek out the beauty. It’s those things that bring us peace. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things. (NKJV)

Depression no longer defines me but I do believe it’s the thorn in my side. Paul talks about the thorn in his side in 2 Corinthians. He’d asked three times for the Lord to take it from him. And Paul tells us what He said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NKJV)

I’ve learned that when I open my heart to Jesus and His grace I can easily coexist with the ugly stuff. He shows me the simple things that I used to take for granted. His grace leads me to a place of peace and He points out all the good stuff along the way. I can see a leaf floating down from the sky and my heart writes a poem before it reaches the ground. (rolling my eyes, because I can’t believe I just admitted that) Yes, I’m mushy like that. I love having coffee with Jesus and just listening to Him.

Go for a walk and enjoy a sunset. Learn a new hobbie. Help others in need. Seek out things of beauty in nature, God really does bring us peace through His creation.

Seek God in the midst of the heaviness. Some days are harder than others, but He gives us strength. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
Always remember we have hope! Romans 5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
It won’t last forever! Psalms 30:5b Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Always praise Him. Psalm 86:12-13 I will praise You, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. 13 For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.

Depression. It keeps me leaning on Jesus. And His grace is sufficient.

I want to be like a wildflower and keep growing even among the ugly, so I’ll glory in my infirmities, in my depression, my craziness, and my quirkiness. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Because His GRACE is sufficient.

BETTER THAN PASTEL SKIES AND APPLE PIE

October 22, 2015 By Mikki Jo 8 Comments

The last dish is put away and I join the rest of the family on the porch. There’s a slight chill in the air on this fall evening and the conversation is, “That apple pie was delicious!” And everyone is in agreement.

I smile.

Everyone has a full belly and just enjoying each others company. Family, food, love. Peace and contentment fills the atmosphere as we watch the lazy pastel sky. Cotton candy sky is what my sister Jenni calls it. A beautiful sunset, family, and apple pie. Ahhh, what could be better than this?

I wish I could take this sweet time of contentment and can it like apple pie filling and put it on a shelf, so I can pull it back down when I need it. Life can become so crazy and overwhelming. Chaos always seems to plop down right in the middle of my tenderest moments.

I don’t like chaos. I don’t like change. I don’t like surprises, sometimes I don’t even like good surprises.

I like unchanging, same, stable, settled.

I equate insecurity with change, fear with surprise, irritation with interruption.

As long as we live there will be seasons of change, and surprises. Life is as ever-changing as the pastel skies. God wants us to seek His plan during change. We tend to make plans and forget to consider His plans. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

We see interruptions as an inconvenience and sometimes even blame it on satan. (Yes the s in satan is supposed to be capitalized, but I have always refused to give him a capital s.) The truth is, the best of plans maybe edited by God for any number of reasons. It may be for our protection, for our spiritual growth or a need for ourselves or someone else.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. There’s that word TRUST again, I spoke of trust in the last devotion. Keep our mind upon Him and trust Him, and He will keep us in perfect peace. I love that! In the middle of the CHAOS that got plopped down in my lap I can have perfect peace? Yessss, that’s what I want! Perfect peace IS contentment.

Let a contented spirit be the contentment we seek. This world will never give us the contentment our heart hungers for. Jesus Christ is the only one who can fill that void. Prayer and daily reading of His word will help us to walk closer with Him. 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

We can remain content no matter our circumstances when we cling to the fact that Jesus never changes. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

How about you, don’t you want that? I think we all do. Let’s choose to trust Him with our life, our changes, our chaos and our fears. Lord keep our minds steadfast, that we may learn to trust you more and live in the perfect peace that you speak of. Perfect peace and contentment, nothing is better than that.