Be Still and Know

One of the treasured milestones that a mother looks forward to with her little girl is...getting a tattoo...right? OK, well maybe not all Moms. But, since I am a fan of tattoos, it really did warm my heart when Baby Girl asked if I would go with her to get her first tattoo on her 19th birthday.

With excitement, she shared with me what she wanted eternally printed on her body. It was two words, Be Still. I thought it was beautiful, but it was when she shared with me why she wanted it, that my heart became overwhelmed with joy.

Instead of trying to explain it, I am simply going to show you what she, in her own words, shared on her Instagram account with all her friends.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalms 46:10 

"Earlier this year I was sitting in the prayer chapel when I saw the words "be still" written on the wall. When I saw those words my mind was cleared from all the distractions going on in my life and it was just me and God. In that moment of stillness I was filled with this joy and peace that is hard for me to explain. It was then that I decided to fully give my life to Christ and let me tell ya, it's been the best decision that I have ever made❤️ "~ Miriam Koehne

Over that past few weeks God has used this verse to minister, to teach and to grow me in so many areas. It is in the stillness that we are able to hear. It is in the stillness that He fights for us. It is in the stillness that we are comforted and in the stillness that we wait. It is in the stillness that the storms cease.

I am overjoyed that she knows. I pray that you know His peace, His love and His strength. I pray you know that He is God.

Where do you need the stillness of God in your life today? 

Where do you need to know that without a doubt He is God? 

Know, that as you are still, He will be known.

I love you in the Lord, Mia

Work it out!

I love my time at the gym. Going in the morning really helps to start my day out right. Thanks to my husband, I have a detailed, focused and effective workout routine. Every few weeks the plan gets modified and my weights and reps increase. I can see and feel the effects of my workout.

I know that I am not suppose to judge people at my gym, but I can't help but notice that some of the members wander around aimlessly with no consistency, no focus and no real results. They don't have a plan. Some do more mirror time than actual lifting of weights.

The more time I spend in the gym, the more I see how it directly correlates with faith and life. Proverbs 29:18 says

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

When I lacked a plan at the gym (which I did for years) my results come up lacking. I didn't grow stronger, I didn't feel any more fit, I didn't feel physically complete.

Like the gym, but, oh so much more important, is my relationship with Christ. When I lack vision, a plan to be intentional about my faith, my joy shrivels. Those days when I am distracted by the silliest things, all things which conspire against me to keep me from my time with the Lord, days when I think I can fit in "one more thing" before I steel away with Him only to find the sun has set on my time and the pillow is my best friend....Those are the days when my joy is incomplete because my vision is lacking.

So where are you today? Do you have a plan, do you lack vision..do you feel like you are drowning or are you feeling the effects of working out your faith life?

If you are struggling, sometimes it starts with a simple acknowledgment that you need help, some encouragement, some direction and some spiritual discipline. If you are feeling strong in Him, spiritually fit, maybe this is the season where God can give you eyes to see those that are wandering and need someone to walk alongside them.

Yes, we stand in the "NO JUDGEMENT ZONE", but God has given us eyes to see, hearts to feel, a discerning mind to call out when we are drowning and the wisdom to know when to throw a life jacket to those around us.

One of my favorite  devotionals is Oswald Chambers ~ My Utmost For His Highest. It challenges me each day. If you feel it might be a blessing to you, follow the IMAGE BELOW and if you get it, write me back and let me know what you think. It's compact, short and filled with great thoughts on a particular Bible verse each day. Maybe that's a start for you.

God bless you & I love you in the Lord, Mia

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The Nature of Love

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." 2 Peter 1:5-7

Love....Love wraps it all up in the end. As I grow older, I have come to realize that the reason God says over and over in His Word that we are to love others and love Him is because He has to. He has to repeat it to us continually, because it may be the most difficult act (and the most important action) for us to do and live out. The stirring up of this understanding is vital in our Christian walk. Without it, we are just annoying screeching voices clanging in the wind, we are blind, we are cold.....without love, we are nothing and of no use to anyone.

As I meditate on these verses and walk through my daily devotion, it is clear to me that God loves us, not because we are worthy or easy to love, but because that is what He does, that is who He is. He calls us to that same character trait that He displays in overwhelming abundance to us.

My prayer today is this "God, let it be in my nature to love the unlovable the way you love me, simply because I can't help it. Amen."

A little prayer with a world changing impact. Pray that you will be able to love your neighbors to Jesus. Love as we have been loved, the way He first loved us. You know, He laid down his life for us and He is just asking us (He's asking me) to simply love a few more people that happen to cross our paths.

I love you in the Lord, Mia

(Again, this is one of those "I'm preaching to myself" kind of posts...can I get an AMEN!)