1.12.2011

don't lose heart

what you will wear cropped
"therefore i tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear.
is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
are you not much more valuable than they?
can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

and why do you worry about clothes?
see how the flowers of the field grow. they do not labor or spin.
yet i tell you that not even solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
if that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
so do not worry, saying,

'what shall we eat?'
or
'what shall we drink?'
or
'what shall we wear?'

for the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
each day has enough trouble of its own."

~matthew 6:25-34


wow... what a long day! i had meant to get to this post much earlier. i feel like i am falling behind in my workshops and blogging. but i had some things that i had committed to that had to get done today... wrapping up a wedding invitation design for a friend, and two blog banner designs for two blog friends {one old and one new!}

everything went swimmingly, i got it all done, and i was proud of how it all turned out! like i said, long day... but good day! and i think it was a good thing i was busy. after yesterday, i need to keep busy and not have time to worry. not that the day didn't start out with some worrying.

and worrying is so very needless {see verses above}. it's just not helpful to anyone! especially me and baby-b. so, i sort of needed a little sermon. and i got it, too. from none other than my sweet mama. sometimes it's the last thing we want to hear... a "sermon" from our mother. but today, i really needed her words of admonition and encouragement... even reprimanding {for worrying when i should not be adding stress on baby-b}.

we got off the phone, and minutes later, she called again to have me turn on the radio and listen to this message by nancy leigh demoss from her don't lose heart series. this one was called renew your perspective

if you are feeling worried and burnt out, i VERY HIGHLY recommend you listen to it! it was so very good. it was as if every single word of her message specifically addressed every single thing my mom and i talked about this morning... all the things i have talked about here recently. and i REALLY needed that encouragement today!

well, before this post gets too long, i just wanted to say, today was much better. i renewed my perspective and chose not to lose hope. and my mind kept going back to the verses that b. called me into his "man cave" to read to me when he was doing his daily bible reading a few days ago... the verses i quoted above. i've heard them a million times. but each time, they are just as wonderfully fresh and helpful as ever before. for some strange reason, i have to constantly be reminded of these truths.

and my mind has also been going back to another verse... one of my favorites:

"you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you." ~isaiah 26:3

that's good, no? i find it to be true when i put it to the test. when i am focused on God and intently trusting him, i find i have such indescribable peace. it's when i get my eyes off of him and back onto my problems, that i start to get all worried and hysterical {*wink*} again.

well... to make a long story short, i am sort of flip-flopping yesterday's and today's picture winter themes. today's theme was "signs of life". i found it very appropriate to submit one of my photos from yesterday's post for the prompt today {for obvious reasons}.

and very ironically, yesterday's theme of "warm your heart" went very well with what i have felt is the theme of my day, today... "don't lose heart". i was sort of run-down yesterday, so i chose to submit an old photo for the workshop. but i'm making up for it today with my group of heart-themed photos here:

what you will eat
God has provided through caring people. we have food on our table {thanks to countless people too many to list}...



what you will drink
and juice in our fridge {thanks to those same people}...



what you will wear
and lots of borrowed or gifted maternity clothes. {thanks to jill and and angela!} we shall not want.


i have much more to say about the connections i have recently made through my blogs and these workshops at another time. but quickly, i wanted to say a special thank you to a new blog/workshop friend, who sent me an e-card today with some hopeful words. it quoted a bible verse that said,

"let him have all your worries and cares,
for HE is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."
~1st peter 5:7 {tlb}

i needed to read that. "he is ALWAYS thinking about you."

from "hi" to heart
couldn't resist adding this at the end. remember b's "hi" message for me? i turned it into a heart.

i hope you have read this all today and found some hope and encouragement, too.

12 comments:

almadr said...

Thanks Giorgia for your sweet comment and linking me up.
Great to hear you're feeling better and more positive.
have a blessed day
hugs
a.

Jenny said...

Peace to you, Georgia. Pregnancy is a time of heightened emotions. Perspective isn't always easy. Hot camomille tea is good, too. xxoo Jnny

chasity said...

what wonderful verses to live by...

Anonymous said...

georgia - you are truly amazing. inspirational, honest and true. i was truly uplifted by your post today. actually, everyday lately. you have a gift and your gift is your blog and the hearts you reach through your words and pictures.
thank you for blessing my day today by reminding me of god's infinite love.

Anonymous said...

Hey, stop looking cuter with a baby bump than I do without a b-bump. ;) What's a girl gotta do, get pregnant?

Cute sweater. Hope you'll take pics of the other tops, too.

Thanks for the encouragement. Needed that today. Feeling out in the middle of an island in the middle of a deep, wide ocean. Not really wanting for food, drink and clothes right now, but wanting for love, joy and peace. :( Hope you'll keep me in those prayers.

Love you.

-A

georgia b. said...

i am keeping you in my prayers, miss A! and will do so especially today... that you feel God's presence in the "boat" with you.

thanks, everyone!

{oh, and dear anonymous... i'd LOVE to know who you are. you speak to me as if you know me.}

Lisa said...

Great message! It's always good to be reminded that worrying gets us no where and is in fact one of the worst things we can do! I'm so happy you were able to find encouragement and the strength to change your perspective, which can sometimes be so hard! Beautiful photos, as always. Love the heart shaped matches. :P

stacey said...

Oh I am such a worry wort so this is such a good reminder for me!

Thinking of you during this time. Wish I lived closer so I could cook you a meal, or bring over some coffee, or let you borrow my maternity clothes, or just give you a hug. So for now this will have to do ((((((hug))))))! :-)

georgia b. said...

thanks, stacey. i'd love to have coffee with you! thanks for the hugs... can feel them all these miles away.

thanks, miss lisa!

stacey said...

PS....I totally forgot to mention that this verse about worrying was what I read last night for my SOAP reading! Except mine was in Luke 12! Crazy, 'huh??

georgia b. said...

no way... totally not a coincidence, stacey! that's awesome!

penandview said...

oh gosh, I feel like I'm stalking you. Stacey M linked me to you so I thoroughly enjoyed walking through your flickr photos. Then I came over here and read this post.
My husband is without a full time job (used to be a pastor for the last 15 years) and brings in half of what we need to live on. Our landlords are selling our house and the church we were going to closed down (another long story). We are barely making it and every day is a struggle. I quit my daily blogging last Oct bc it was so much and I couldn't pick up my camera bc I had no desire to.
Through it all I am learning that God has written my name upon his hands. I am ever present in his thoughts and mind. His supreme goal in my life is to make me like him by educating my faith so that I am utterly dependent upon him. Peace comes when we realize that nothing in this life matters except knowing Him more. Nothing can satisfy. Nothing can supply. Nothing is everlasting. He is my beginning and my end and everything in between. Sending a quick prayer up for you that you may know Him more and more as your rest in his goodness towards you.
You are fiercely loved.
T