Tag: peace

Speak Truth and Be Set Free

- dannalundstrom

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I can waste so much emotional and physical energy second guessing decisions or hitching myself to what should be instead of finding peace in what is.   I recently read two sentences that have been a great antidote for that.   I speak these two truths to myself many times a day when I get stuck.

They are little proclamations that set me free of myself.   1.) Realize that God means for you to be where you are. 2.) Do not put a question mark where God has already put a period.   May you find peace here today friends.

One God, One People

- dannalundstrom

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I am a color,  but my color does not define me.

I am born of a race,  but I become who I choose to be.

God created me equal to all man so please respectfully acknowledge me.

I have a heart that beats just like yours.  It sins and loves no matter what my ethnicity.

History holds a wealth of bondage from scars inflicted by ancestors,  you and me.

The future does not have to reflect our wounds.  The choice is for God’s people, no matter color, race, religion or gender to spread and live in harmony.

There are good and bad of every kind.  Exclusive to no one;  not yours or mine.

My birth branded me with many labels,  but please don’t use them to judge me.  I only wish to be known as the person who desires to reflect God in how I live,  love and chose to be.

Kindness knows no boundaries in available hearts.  It is immune to the prejudice or color, race or gender.  It respects all, the receiver, and the lender.

We are all one.  May our eyes be blind to any differences and our hearts be open to every kind.  For it is in seeing, knowing and loving,  many treasures we find.

Embracing Change

- dannalundstrom

When our familiar becomes foreign, normal becomes new and usual becomes unknown; it feels as if a piece of our life is gone forever, and it is. Lost. It will never be as it was again. It is the dying of a part of us that is so deeply rooted and known that it is painful to imagine how life will look moving forward. It is a challenge to gently and fondly hold, and remember what was so that we may courageously embrace what is.

Overcoming the sting of circumstances we do not wish, nor would we choose does not mean we are happy. It does not mean we are complete, unbroken or perfect. It means we are at peace.

God tends to script our lives in such a way that eventually brings peace to our pain.

Peace does not evolve by chance. One must be available to the works of the Spirit to reap Its fruit. Looking when we do not see, believing when we do not understand, listening when we do not hear, and fighting for it all when we are weary. In the midst of staying faithful, little fountains of gratitude are born in the middle of all our grief. The light of gratitude ultimately overcomes the darkness of grief.

One secret to mastering this mystery is found in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 26:3~You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.

Embracing every big and little re-direction is part of life. Some are happy, and some are sad. One glorious day, though, everything we knew, and everything we lost will be familiar again. Nothing eternal is lost forever. If you are facing a new normal, God is extending His hand. Don’t lose hope friends!

For all my family, I love you all so much!

Living in a Foreign Land

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment


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We were purposed for peace but not permanence in this life.  I don’t know about you, but often I feel like I was not made for this world. 1 Peter 1:1 speaks to that very feeling.  Peter refers to God’s people as chosen and living in a foreign land.  If life is uncomfortable, take heart.  It is as it should be.  We were not created to always feel comfortable on this journey; just confident of our final destination.

Parent’s Prayer

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

 

As the beginning of a new month and week dawns, bless all of us moms and dads, Father.  This parenting gig is hard, but you already know that.  You know every battle, grief, and gratitude of each parent.  Remind us these are not our children, but yours, God.  It is easy to beat ourselves up over their vices and puff ourselves up with their victories.  Give us wisdom to understand that while we play a role in every aspect of their lives; ultimately we cannot take responsibility anymore for their feats than their failures.  As it is with us, their struggles and their successes are yours, Father.  Us moms and dads, though, we bear them, too.  Performance becomes a heavy cross that burdens our hearts and blurs our gaze.  You often use the unexpected to change the expected.  We are prone to forget we are not in control, being quick to angst and slow to assurance.  Parenting is fertile ground for insidious places of unbelief to gain a foothold in our loving hearts.  Wrongly, “certainty” allures us into comfort and uncertainty into chaos.  May we remember we are our children’s earthly shepherds, not their eternal Saviors.  We play a part in the objective but do not direct the outcome.  In our limited insight, defeats can seem doom, and accomplishments are assuring.  These are the things that we use to misshape our peace and righteousness, Father.  Assist us in quick recognition and repentance of the deceptively, filthy rags we dress in.  Continue whispering in our ears; it is not about the accomplishments but You-The Author.  It is not about defeated paths but divine pictures.  We lose sight of this when it is all up to us, God.  That is just it.  We forget it is less about us and our “stellar” parenting and more about You and Your sovereign plan.  Allow us to love each child as you made them, not as we imagined them.  As try out season, course card decisions,  college and career selections, and so much more are all occupying our minds, God unburden our hearts with the weight of determined desires.  Allow our freedom from the obligation of expectations, and gift us with rest in Your destination.  Amen.

Which One Will You Choose

- dannalundstrom

 

The world says be successful.  God says be still.

The world subsidizes an exhausting race.  God supplies eternal rest.

The world says climb up the ladder.  God says climb under my yoke.

The evil in our world produces panic.  God promises peace.

The world shames us with standards.  God shelters us with sufficiency.

Through the world, we seek approval.  Through God, we are shielded by acceptance.

The world whines we are entitled.  God whispers He is enough.

In this world, we will experience pain.  It is only through God that our pain will encounter purpose.

In this life, there will always be laughter, and there will always be tears.  We will struggle through hours of hardship and savor times of triumph.  In the end, all that matters is, did we choose the lies of the world or the love of God.

May we never forget, God created the world.   We must never let the world create God.

The Sights and Sounds of Rest

- dannalundstrom

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I open my eyes and it’s 8:00 AM. I squint a little harder, surely I must not see right? I walk out onto the balcony, life giving reading material and breakfast in hand. As I sit trying to read, nature keeps stealing my attention. There is a gentle, but commanding breeze that is stirring up a chorus among the trees. Their leaves swish and sway in a harmony that beacons a deep exhale.There is a lizard with a bright blue tail gingerly exploring the deck. The water is calm and flowing like silk. The air is cool and feels fresh and crisp as it dances around me. There are birds chirping, signaling the start of a new day. They chirp and pause, chirp and pause as if they are in deep, connected conversation.

These are the sights and sounds of rest. These are the sights and sounds of peace, telling me it’s time to unplug and step off of the treadmill of the daily grind, and rest. It seems like such an easy invitation, so why is it so hard? It feels so natural yet so incongruent. It’s inviting and it’s awkward at the same time. It’s seemingly effortless but it takes focused intention.

Why? Why is that four letter, little word, rest, so hard? For me, I don’t live in that place near as much as I would like to, yet it is what we were created for. Rest in our minds; rest in our hearts and rest in our realities. Some realities are hard to rest in, and in those spaces I find myself fighting, fighting to make life work. Fighting to see the expectations I have created come to be, rather than be shattered before my eyes. Fighting to understand the realities of those that don’t seem fair and surely don’t make sense. It’s here I have to remind myself that expectations are the thieves of souls, as much as trying to understand HE who I am only called to know and trust, not comprehend.

So as the trees are singing a song of rest, and the harmony and chorus of nature is beckoning me, I hear a faint summons in my soul, asking me to lay it down. Lay it all down, and rest. As I listen to that calming voice, I am reminded of one of my favorite verses that always provokes a deep breath and a sense of calm within me: For now we see only a reflection in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.~1 Corinthians 13:12. I am fully known, and I am fully loved-that is rest!

It is Character Not Color

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”~Martin Luther King Jr.

I am a color, but my color does not define me.

I am born of a race, but I become who I choose to be.

God created me equal to all man so, please respectfully acknowledge me.

I have a heart that beats just like yours. It sins and loves no matter what my ethnicity.

History holds a wealth of bondage from scars inflicted by ancestors, you and me.

The future does not have to reflect our wounds. The choice is for God’s people, no matter color, race, religion or gender to spread and live in harmony.

There are good and bad of every kind; exclusive to no one-not yours or mine.

My birth branded me with many labels, but please do not use them to judge me. I only wish to be known as a person who desires to reflect God’s character and equality.

Kindness knows no boundaries in available hearts. It is immune to the prejudice of color, race or gender. It respects all; the receiver and the lender.

We are all one. May our eyes be blind to any differences, and our hearts be open to every kind. For it is in seeing, knowing and loving, many treasures we find.~D’Anna

May we all be the light that extinguishes the darkness, friends! Thank you Martin Luther King Jr. for you valuable contribution to this world. It was not the quantity of your life, but the quality that made all the difference!

Still a Child

- dannalundstrom

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I have to be honest; there are days I find myself wishing I was not an adult.   Today is the perfect example.   I have a meeting that I am not looking forward to handling.   It is a continuously challenging situation that chides and chisels away at the depth of my joy if I am not attentive to it.

Like many days, I am fighting to choose the beauty of perspective.   Perspective is a priceless art.   It tells me that if this is the most difficult thing I encounter today, it will still be a pretty good day.

The reality of life is that some days responsibilities are heavy, and difficult situations arise that we have to navigate.   I catch myself thinking, how wonderful to be the child again and have an adult handle all the arduous assignments.   This morning God tenderly reminded me that I am still the child-His child.

As a believer, we never enter strenuous situations alone, and I am not called to figure it all out, just to rest and receive.   Whew is that hard! It seems illogical that rest should be so illusive, but we all know it to be, friends.   Maybe like me, you find resolving much easier than resting.

I am very forgetful to remember that I, like you, have a faithful and loving Father, who goes before and with us.   He enters into those anxious and scary places as the adult, and we like the child if we allow ourselves to abide in his authority.

I am so thankful for the truth in Exodus 33:14 this morning~ The Lord replies, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”   When I can not just read this, but also reap it, my day becomes so much lighter.   I shrivel to think where I would be without the soul stabilizers of God’s promises.

Whatever is confronting you today, tomorrow or next week, may you find the grace to concede as a child of God and find peace in His assured provisions.

A Prayer for Taming the Tongue

- dannalundstrom

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I have been reading James the last few mornings, and pondering the power of the tongue. It is the strongest muscle we possess, capable of delivering life or death in a matter of moments.
My prayer today:
Father, divorcing love from truth is to engage cruelty. Divorcing truth from love is to enable a charade. Your word teaches love and truth are meant to be united, always. This is the only way to speak to the core of truth without wounding the core of a person. When days get busy, to-do lists get long and chaos ensues, Father I have a tendency to not be a good steward of my tongue. When I hold in frustration too long or don’t address matters promptly, the pressure builds just waiting for the prime moment to explode, leaving words of hot, burning ash to fall on someone I love. Never do I want this, Father. Give me the wisdom and patience to hold my tongue until my heart and soul are settled not seething. Jesus, give me the grace to tame my tongue, always using it to build people up, never to break them down. Then in the moments when I fail, and you already know this of me, I will, prick my heart towards prompt repentance that is the precursor for grace lending rest. Amen.