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The Thin Place

Speaking Words That Create Life, Instead Of Destroying It

When my cousin was young, just starting to speak fluently, he ran into the house and gave my brother a hug and said in his usual chipper tone, “Hi! I’m going to kill you!”

He looked around in confusion at our eyes, filled with horror at the words that had just flowed over his lips so effortlessly. But the poor little guy had absolutely no idea what he was saying. He was simply repeating the phrase after hearing someone mutter, “I’m going to kill you!” in joking annoyance.

Thankfully, my sweet cousin quickly realized that this phrase was not expressing his excitement to see my brother and everyone who was old enough to use their words carefully walked away carrying, perhaps for the first time, the true gravity of the way we use our words.

You have probably already guessed that, as a writer, I am a lover of words. They are powerful, mighty pieces of Creation. In fact, God’s words are so powerful that that’s all He needed to create all things from the void of nothingness. Words have power.

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

I can only imagine the delight with which the Trinity expressed this. These words have marked each of us with a unique dignity bestowed on no other member of Creation. God opened His lips and breathed into us the breath of Life.

We carry in our beings the likeness of the Almighty God.

But words also have destructive power. They beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden and stole the innocence of Mankind. They fueled the pride at the Tower of Babel and then, the lack of common words tore the people apart into groups of us and thems that could no longer cooperate on their sinful project.

Words are not cheap weapons, they are powerful ones.

James wrote that our tongue is like the small spark that sets a forest ablaze. It is small. We might overlook it or see it as non-threatening, but it has the power to destroy everything around us.

There is a strong double nature in words but, no matter which side, it is clear that words are mighty. And they are desperately hard to control.

How often have I been in that situation? Mad because I thought, ten minutes too late, of the perfect snarky comeback that would have asserted my rightness? Or on the other end, awake in my bed long after my eyes should have turned off, trying to cope with words said hastily in anger?

Instead of using words that create life to heal, I use my words selfishly. Instead of extending grace, my words are often used to simply heap kindling on the fire of anger for the sake of my pride.

Words are not meant to be used to build ourselves up but for the encouragement of those around us.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,[encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5: 11-18, ESV

Encourage. Build-up. Admonish. Peace Patience. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks.

These are all words that direct us in how our speech should be used. There is a place for speaking the truth, but if we are not speaking the truth in love, if our words are not backed by the whole of Scripture’s instruction on how we should live and love God and our fellow man, then we’re missing the point.

We need to lace every bit of our speech with compassion, grace, and love.

Our words matter. Greatly. We need to use them as God did, to breathe life and hope into all of Creation. Our preachers, need to be encouraged, not criticized. Our friends need to be admonished, not gossiped about.

We need to pray, as Christ instructed in the Lord’s Prayer, that God’s Kingdom will come on Earth as it is in Heaven. And then, we need to put our money where our mouths are and start by changing the way we speak to those around us.

We cannot afford to throw our tongue around carelessly, without regard for the damage we may cause. Because that’s what we cause when we unleash our tongue, damage. We wound our brothers and sisters in the faith and we wound the God who made them in His image when we use our words to tear them down in order to exalt ourself. And when our words leak out the greater desire to be thought of as above the rest, we commit the sin of Babel, the sin of wanting to be like God.

As our days journey on, let us take account of each and every word that flows from our mouth. May we speak words that are sweet as honey and may we, even when we are jesting, use only words that give life to those who hear it.

For more on using your words in a manner becoming of followers of Christ, take some time to pray through these passages: Genesis 1, 11:1-9, James 3:1-12,  1 Thessalonians 5:1-18, Psalm 34:13, Ephesians 4:23-32, Psalm 141, Proverbs 17:27-28

If you liked this post, you’ll probably like, “Can I Stop Pretending to be a Good Person?” as well.

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The Comments

  • Nicole Kauffman
    February 26, 2018

    Words have SO much power. I’ve seen that especially in my own life. I’ve been torn down by words and built up. And so I want to strive to build up and encourage others with my words. Great reminder!

    Reply
  • Denise
    February 26, 2018

    Great read, I have been speaking many thungs in life throughout my.life but I am now more than ever determined to speak words that create in my child’s life, i believe that parents were given the power to bless and create great things in their lives. thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  • Angel penn
    February 27, 2018

    This is something that I try to instill in my boys also. I have three boys. I speak life to them and try to encourage them to speak life with each other. Sometimes they will repeat things that aren’t the most edifying and they we have to have a conversation as to why it isn’t appropriate. Sometimes it is time consuming but definitely worth it.

    Reply
  • Ishah
    February 27, 2018

    Lacing our words with compassion, grace and love. I love that. Im a huge advocate of speaking life and I try to teach my kids that as well. You just never know what people have going on and our words can make it break people and lives.

    Reply
  • Shannon
    February 27, 2018

    Yes! Words have incredible power…we must use them wisely!

    Reply
  • Ashley Welborn
    February 27, 2018

    There is so much truth in this! I love all of your points!

    Reply
  • Sarah
    February 27, 2018

    This is so SO important. Words of LIFE and AFFIRMATION are so powerful and can turn a heart. Thank you for writing this!!!

    Reply
  • Sheree
    February 27, 2018

    Sometimes I think I bite my tongue more than I speak. Life can be so busy that I just want to push people away and get things done. I am glad that I am able to bite my tongue or I would be barking at my family a lot. There are still many times I forgot to bite and regretted it later. I am working on encouraging more too. Thank you for your reminder of these things.

    Reply
  • Linda
    February 28, 2018

    Words. They can build up or break down. It is so difficult at times to extend grace and not let the moment take you. I work hard on this with my 11 year old son as we constantly talk about what Gods word says to help him with his relationships (especially as he grows into a man).

    Reply
  • Traci
    February 28, 2018

    Excellent points! Our pastor often mentions the fact that the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a big lie!

    Reply
  • Ally Gould
    February 28, 2018

    There’s so much truth in this! The people I know who are kind, loving, and encouraging with their words are the ones I see to be most like Jesus. When our hearts and minds are filled with him, our words will be sweet and life giving. ?

    Reply
  • Eva
    February 28, 2018

    Thanks for sharing. This is such confirmation of what I’m seeing all around me. I appreciate this post!

    Reply
  • Brittany
    February 28, 2018

    Words are so powerful. We have to be just as careful with the words that we speak to ourselves also. A wonderful reminder. #HisGracdBloggers

    Reply
    • Brittany
      Brittany
      February 28, 2018

      HisGraceBloggers

      Reply
  • ERin @ Her Heartland Soul
    March 1, 2018

    Isn’t it amazing how much intention matters?? Great post lady!

    Reply
  • Kelley Leaverton
    March 2, 2018

    I am glad for writing to let you understand what a cool discovery our child found reading through your webblog. She learned a wide variety of pieces, with the inclusion of what it’s like to have an awesome teaching spirit to get the rest just gain knowledge of specific problematic matters. You really did more than our expected results. Many thanks for showing those necessary, trustworthy, edifying not to mention easy tips about that topic to Emily.

    Reply
  • Marie
    March 4, 2018

    Thank you for posting this article. As I sit before the fireplace in my home in the high Sierras of California, snowed in, I ponder your message and take to heart it’s intent. I have had regret in words spoken hastily or in anger asking the Father to forgive me as I was convicted of this sin by the Holy Spirit. I need to be reminded through scripture and also through brothers and sisters in Christ to say what is uplifting in a world so desperate for hope. I encourage you to keep sharing what the Lord has placed in you heart to help all of us stay humble and strong. Peace to you.

    Reply
  • https://angel.co
    March 14, 2018

    I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no
    one else know such detailed about my difficulty.
    You are amazing! Thanks! https://angel.co/jim-griffin-10

    Reply
    • Bailey
      https://angel.co
      March 14, 2018

      I (Bailey) wrote this post but I’m so glad it spoke to you. God works in mysterious ways.

      Reply
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Hello, I’m Bailey
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Hello, I’m Bailey

The Thin Place was born out of a season of struggle. A season where I felt stretched thin and desperately longed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. The goodness of God showed up in unexpected ways. During that season, the spiritual disciplines laid out in Scripture, the traditions of the Church, and the reminders of His faithfulness seen in liturgial living and the feasts and seasons of the Church calendar all opened my eyes to the hope we have in Christ.

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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors.
While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. 
It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. 
For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” 
There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. 
Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. 
#bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
thethinplace
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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors. While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. #bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
21 hours ago
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1/5
Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained.
For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible.
But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible?
Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. 
Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine,  affirming some or all of these books as Scripture.
It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week!
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
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Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained. For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible. But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible? Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine, affirming some or all of these books as Scripture. It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week! #godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
2 days ago
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2/5
I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. But that answer never quite satisfied. 
I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about.
Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him.
There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord.
And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true.
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. But that answer never quite satisfied. 
I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about.
Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him.
There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord.
And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true.
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. But that answer never quite satisfied. 
I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about.
Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him.
There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord.
And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true.
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
thethinplace
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•
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I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. But that answer never quite satisfied. I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about. Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him. There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord. And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true. #godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
2 weeks ago
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3/5
I've been thinking a lot these last few months about the Prodigal Son, the in-between parts of the story that don't make the highlight reel.
Did he slip out wordlessly or was there fanfare as his leaving? Did his father cry or was he numb to the pain? 
We know the ending, we know the joyous celebration upon the son’s return, but how many moments in the in-between are we missing. The celebrations with one less seat at the table. Nights spend wondering if and where and how he was surviving.
There’s so much to unpack that we just tie up neatly with the “and he came home and all was well” bow at the end of the story. The end of the story is what endures, but the rest of the story is not insignificant. Without it, the end it confusing at best and meaningless at worst.
I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. 
But that answer never quite satisfied. 
I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about.
Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him.
There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord.
And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true.
#christianwoman  #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #Catholicconvert #chasingsacred #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #prodigalson
thethinplace
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I've been thinking a lot these last few months about the Prodigal Son, the in-between parts of the story that don't make the highlight reel. Did he slip out wordlessly or was there fanfare as his leaving? Did his father cry or was he numb to the pain? We know the ending, we know the joyous celebration upon the son’s return, but how many moments in the in-between are we missing. The celebrations with one less seat at the table. Nights spend wondering if and where and how he was surviving. There’s so much to unpack that we just tie up neatly with the “and he came home and all was well” bow at the end of the story. The end of the story is what endures, but the rest of the story is not insignificant. Without it, the end it confusing at best and meaningless at worst. I used to think that one day, the glory of the Lord, our relationship with Him in Heaven, would be so great that we wouldn’t care about the wretched pain that sin brought into our earthly lives. But that answer never quite satisfied. I realize now that God is not in the business of sweeping things under the rug. There isn’t going to be some cosmic brainwashing where we all wake up one day pretending the pain was never there. Redemption, transformation, and revival is what our God is about. Christ’s dead body lying in the grave and being raised to life, still bearing the wounds of His crucifixion, that is our hope. Not that the bad things will be ignored, but that even the most egregious acts we can commit, crucifying our God, can be turned into the means of our redemption. All that was meant for evil will be purposed to the good of the Lord, not ignored by Him. There is not going to be a cosmic gaslighting, the wounds that Thomas felt testify to this. There will be a cosmic resurrection where things that felt too awful to even think about will be redeemed and transformed by the glorious love and majesty of our Lord. And one day we will look and say, He has done great things. And will know in our bones that it is truly true. #christianwoman #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #Catholicconvert #chasingsacred #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #prodigalson
2 weeks ago
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4/5
This is a gut-check. A major gut-check. 
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:27
Is that how I live my faith?
No. I can say without any hesitation, that I am not known for widow or orphan care. Even when I advocate for the vulnerable and marginalized, it is in a vague, general way. 
Not in a specific way. For specific people. Like the God who loves specifically me and not just a vague idea of a person. 
Lord, have mercy. Convict us and move us to action. Make us more like You.
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
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This is a gut-check. A major gut-check. "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:27 Is that how I live my faith? No. I can say without any hesitation, that I am not known for widow or orphan care. Even when I advocate for the vulnerable and marginalized, it is in a vague, general way. Not in a specific way. For specific people. Like the God who loves specifically me and not just a vague idea of a person. Lord, have mercy. Convict us and move us to action. Make us more like You. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
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