"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38 NIV)
Have you ever poured your heart out to someone only to be left drowning? Have you poured your life out in service to someone only to be washed away in the river of their selfishness? Have you poured yourself into your work, your children, your relationship, only to find yourself floating on a sea of despair? And after it all are you still able to pour? Or has the fountain of your heart grown dry, until now it is only a rivulet? We were made to give; to pour freely like a glorious waterfall. But in the pouring there is a price to pay. You see, giving, real giving, always holds within it a level of sacrifice. If I give you my time, my talent, my treasure, I am sacrificing the things that I am giving. I am laying those things down so that others will benefit from them. I pour out so that what and who I am may pour in, pour through, and pour over those around me. What happens when water is poured onto very dry ground? It is immediately absorbed beneath the surface in anticipation of more water. What happens when water is poured on already well saturated ground? It is not able to be absorbed, and remains on the surface threatening to drown everything in its path. What happens when water is poured onto normal ground? It does exactly what it was designed to do; it nourishes, replenishes, and gives life to all that it touches. Christ, the living water, came and poured Himself out in sacrifice upon the very dry ground of our very dry hearts...He poured and He poured and He poured until the ground of our hearts was over saturated and we drown in the depths of His love for us; and in the process we then became good ground that He flows freely in and through to nourish, replenish, and give life to not only us, but to everything and everyone we come into contact with. He paid the price of pouring out, ...with His life. So if you have poured out, if you have sacrificed and given and have received nothing in return...don't stop pouring, don't stop giving, don't close the fountain of your heart...you may not see it, but your pouring is not going unnoticed. He sees you. Let Him be the fountain of your strength, the waterfall of your walk, the river of your restoration. Give. Pour. Sacrifice. Surrender. Life is too short to not enjoy every beautiful, awful, scary, amazing, sorrowful, ecstatic, lovely, horrendous, crazy, wonderful second of it all.... It's a breath, this life, inhale all of the tender, loving, beauty this moment has to offer--even if this moment is hard and your breath seems shallow--you are still breathing. Pour. Written by Anne Marie Hawke July 2019 To subscribe to my blog, or to find out more about my writing, please visit hawkewriter.com
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"I will not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything (every circumstance and situation) by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, I will continue to make my requests known to God. And the peace of God (that peace that reassures my heart), which transcends all understanding, will stand guard over my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, AMP---personalization and paraphrasing added for emphasis). I say affirmations. Out loud. Every day. My mouth needs to speak what my heart and mind need to hear. " ...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Thoughts are not heard by the hearing of our ears. Thoughts are internal; they are in our head. Thoughts that are spoken by our mouth are heard, and what we hear often enough, we believe. And what we believe, we become. So, I say affirmations, like the verse from Philippians above, so that my heart and mind are hearing the truth, in order that I might believe the truth, through repetitive hearing. "Saying" the truth in my head will not bring about the most effective change; it's saying it out loud that causes my head and heart to most effectively believe it. For example, a child is told they are stupid from a very young age, whenever they do anything wrong, whenever they express their heart, whenever they are awkward or confused, they are repeatedly told they are stupid...over time they believe that they are stupid. As an adult they have no confidence, no esteem for themselves, they are shy and withdrawn, and they make no attempt to accomplish anything significant because they believe at the core of who they are that they are stupid. They believed what they heard repeatedly and acted accordingly. We live in a world where anxiety and worry run rampant. But the verse above says that we are not to be anxious or worried about anything! How is that possible? The answer is in the 'everything.' Everything is all-encompassing. Nothing was left out. That means that no matter what or who is causing your anxiety, God has made provision and peace for it all. We don't have to worry about anything because in everything we are covered. Through prayer, petition, thanksgiving, and requesting we can have peace. Peace that exceeds our understanding. Peace that guards our hearts and our minds from the anxiety and worry that would threaten our faith. Peace that floods our soul and our circumstances with the calm assurance that He is our everything, He knows our every situation and circumstance, and we can rest in Him moment by moment, day by day. Prayer: Acknowledging God as God and asking in faith. Petition: Earnestly pleading for something that I can't get or accomplish without God's help and believing that He is the only one who can make it happen. Thanksgiving: Grateful praise offered as if I already have what I have asked for. Requests: Specifics--- Asking with Ooomph! So what are you worried or anxious about today? What has your insides in knots? What is plaguing your mind? Your health? Your job? Your finances? That wayward child? The unanswered questions? The overwhelming responsibility? The diagnosis? Your past? Your future? All of the above, and more? There is an answer. You were not meant to live in constant anxiety. Say it with me and maybe for the first time, really hear it and believe it: "I will not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything, in every circumstance and situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, I will continue to make my requests known to God. And the peace of God, that peace which reassures my heart, which transcends all understanding, will stand guard over my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus." Written by Anne Marie Hawke July 2019 If you would like to know more about my writing, or to subscribe to my blog, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com "Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do." --Brian Tracy
"...I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance(to the full, till it overflows)." (John 10:10b AMP) Life. Springing through the dirt and darkness. Life. Have you ever noticed that it begins with struggle? Birth. A springtime garden. Growth of any kind. A new start. A new way of thinking. A new business. A new relationship. It's a struggle. Like a new sprout pushing through the dirt, life can be a bit messy, and wonderful all at the same time. Sometimes life can seem as if we will never break through the dirt. It can seem dark and cold--lifeless. But it is in the places where it seems most dark that we grow the necessary nutrients of faith. It is in the darkness that a seed grows roots; the tendrils of its foundation. It is in the darkness where a seed germinates and springs forth into all it was made to be. The darkness around you is not a grave; it is the dark soil of growth. You have not been buried, you have been planted. You have not been buried in your fear; you have been planted in His faithfulness. You have not been buried in your loss; you have been planted in His love. You have not been buried in your pain; you have been planted in His peace. You have not been buried in your depression; you have been planted in His deliverance. You have not been buried in your problems; you have been planted in His provision. You have not been buried in your sickness; you have been planted in His sustenance. In any of life's soil you may currently find yourself in, the purpose is growth. There is life even when it all feels like death. Do you see that speck of light? Reach for it, poke the tender sprout of your heart out of the dark soil. Seeds don't stay in the ground forever. Let the growth push you forward, out into the light. Live. Despite adversity. Live. Despite affliction. Live. Despite darkness. Live. Despite death. Live!!! Life is the antithesis of death; life is the antidote for death; life is the answer to death. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) Written by Anne Marie Hawke July 2019 To subscribe to my blog or for more information about my writing, please go to my website at hawkewriter.com |
qUIET IN CHAOSQuiet in Chaos is a blog about nothing, everything, and all things inbetween…it’s a space, an ellipsis, a deep pause. Life can be chaotic, and often needs more moments of quiet…So join me as I share and give through the written word, the place I find my Quiet in Chaos… Archives
February 2022
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