God

Intentional Gratitude

/ Robin Glinka / Leave a comment
God’s Canvas

Lately the Lord has been speaking with me about being intentionally grateful in spite of what may be going on in my life personally or in the world itself. I struggle at times with focusing on the Lord and His promises when all in the world seems so chaotic and ugly. It takes intentionality to shift my mindset and focus on God and His promises and to see the daily blessings in the midst of the chaos. Does anyone else struggle with this?! There is so much beauty in the world. He’s helping me see and reminding me to be grateful for the little pleasantries in the daily mundane happenings of my life. Things like enjoying solitude and rest with Him, enjoying the beauty and sounds of nature, gratefulness for a word of encouragement from a stranger or friend, gratefulness for being able to physically do daily tasks, and so many more things that could go unnoticed in a hectic day. I find it challenging to be informed of what is going on in the world without allowing all the negativity and chaos in the world creep in and drown out His voice. I am grateful that He is gracious and patient in reminding me of His promises and that He is always walking with me through any trials I encounter. I am grateful for the journey He has me on, but the past year has been a bit daunting in so many ways-physically, emotionally and spiritually. Yet He has remained faithful and even in the midst of chaos, I do sense His presence and peace when I keep my eyes focused on Him. I’m grateful that I can pour my heart out to Him. He already knows my needs and desires and has been working on my behalf. I’m grateful for the growth, even though it is painful at times. He is always gracious to carry me when I need it. I do enjoy the new perspectives He shows me and the grace He gives when I fall short. He has been teaching me to love others and myself better and in all things to be more grateful and grace giving.

It truly does change my mindset and perspective as I go throughout the day purposefully looking for things to be grateful for and looking for ways to better love others. It’s helped me extend more grace to others and myself. It reminds me that we are all on this journey called life, individually and collectively, and we are all working through things good and bad. There is so much more peace and joy in extending kindness, encouragement, love and gratitude to others. It’s often easy to see the negative in situations and others which only seems to lead to more divisiveness. But, with intentionality, I can be a source of encouragement and hope, it is so much fun to spread positivity and speak life into people and situations. There is a treasure in every trial- some just are harder to see and take more intentionality.

My prayer is that each person reading this will be intentional in keeping their eyes on the Lord and His goodness in these crazy times. I also pray that each will be intentional in being positive and encouraging to one another. Be a light that shines and brings out the gold in someone else. Don’t allow the negativity and divisiveness of the enemy to be the main voice you hear.

Lord, thank you for continuing to walk with me and those reading this as we walk through this life. Help us keep our eyes on You and Your promises. Help us have a tender and loving heart just like your son Jesus. May each person You bring across our path be touched by Your presence. Thank you for helping me and each individual, navigate the challenges of life, knowing You are there and have even gone before us in all situations. Help us be intentional in seeking time with You and in bringing out the gold in others. Help us find the beauty and gratitude in the seemingly mundane daily tasks of life. Thank you for the beauty of nature, smell of fresh cut grass and singing of the birds. You truly are a God of detail! We love you Lord! Amen

Who will you encourage and uplift today!?

Reflections

Beloved

/ Robin Glinka / Leave a comment

Beloved-“greatly loved; dear to the heart” as defined by the dictionary app.

I’ve read this word many times, but have never really stopped to ponder what it means or to allow it to truly seep to the depths of my heart. The God of the universe calls me and you His “beloved”. God call Jesus His “beloved son” in Matthew 3:17-NKJV (after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist): “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Apostle John used ‘beloved’ in 1 John 3:21 when He was talking to believers- “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” Beloved is used in scripture to describe believers of Jesus Christ and seems to denote a very deep and intimate type of relationship.

When I think of how much God loved Jesus, I can only compare it to how much I love my children. They are my beloved and as a child of God, I am His beloved. Sometimes it’s hard for me to wrap my mind-intellect around that concept. Maybe it’s because it’s not physically tangible in the same sense we experience here in this world-like a big hug. When I step out of my intellect and open my eyes and ears, I can see God all around me- in nature- the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, the song of birds, the warmth of the sun and the lull of rainy days. I see Him in His word- a verse that speaks to me by “jumping” off the page, even though I may have read it many times before. I see Him in worship-the words or melody of a song, in prayer- the peace in His presence and through random acts of kindness that come just when needed- an encouraging word, a smile and a genuine hug.

To be His beloved is unchanging. It’s not based on circumstances, works or anything other than who He is-Love. First John 3:20-21 NKJV-“for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” Throughout life we strive to be loved and known by others, when God has already fulfilled that need. God knows everything about us and still loves us. God may not be happy with some of our behaviors and in a loving parental role with correct us, but He never stops loving us. The enemy whispers lies to us to keep us from truly receiving and trusting the Lord in this matter. The evil one wants me to not trust, to doubt, to cower away from the truth of God’s love, because when I do, I am not living in all that God has for me and wants to do through me. There is peace in truly accepting God’s love and allowing that to be the absolute truth above all else. We need to allow His love for us to be the catalyst for living a life solely for Him. It takes intentionality to stay focused on God’s truths and not allow the whispers of the enemy to enter our heart and to distract us from God’s truth.

My prayer for myself and all reading is-Lord, keep my ears, eyes and thoughts focused on You. Lord with your help I choose to trust the depths of Your love for me and I choose to trust You in all aspects of my life. Thank You for all you’ve already done, for all you will do and for always being with me. Amen

Faith and Works

/ Robin Glinka / Leave a comment
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James 2:22 (NKLV) “Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect?”

I recently read this scripture in James and it seemed to stir something in my heart. I love how scripture, no matter how many times you may have read it before can come alive when you read it. How it can renew something within or convict you in making a change. God is so good that way and He is forever speaking to our spirits through His word.

Our faith and what we believe is demonstrated in our works-what we speak, think and do. For those that are non-believers, a believer’s actions speak louder than their words. Our actions, as a proclaimed Christ follower, are watched and truly speak louder than words. Our actions are watched and held in comparison to what we say. It’s like with children. They listen to what you may say, but are much more inclined to mimic what you do. Truth be told, most of us do the same in assessing the truth and integrity of a person. If a person says one thing, but does another- what will you base your truth about their integrity upon? What they said? or What they did? It their words and actions are congruent, there is no conflict and it is easy to grow to trust what that person says because you have seen their words and actions line up. However, conflict in trust arises when a person says one thing and does another. Their words and actions are incongruent. Thankfully with the Lord there is always congruency in action and words. God is unchanging and trustworthy in all things and at all times.

The struggle for me comes when a person’s words and actions don’t line up. Does anyone else struggle with this? Whether it is an acquaintance, close friend, or family member, how do I know what to truly trust about that person when words and actions aren’t congruent? How do I set good boundaries and still extend the grace and love of the Lord to that individual? How do I keep offense or anger from taking a foothold? I by no means claim to be perfect or claim to live a life free of making mistakes, but there is a difference in realizing that a mistakes been made, taking ownership and asking forgiveness for the mistake and not repeating the mistake vs not acknowledging the mistake, blaming others for the mistake and repeatedly making the same “mistake”. Transparency and accountability help to build trust.

One thing the Lord has recently reminded me is that we are all a work in progress and God extends His grace and love to each of us as we journey through the process. It is often easier to extend grace to oneself, whereas it can be more difficult to do so to those around us. It takes an intentional effort at times to extend grace to those around us especially if we have been hurt in the process. It takes an intentional effort to remember that the Lord is also doing a work in those around us. God is continually faithful to extend grace and love to us when we hurt Him. In a sense, the ability to extend grace in the midst of disparities can be faith in action, a faith that God’s ultimately involved in every aspect of my life and the life of others. Showing love and grace is faith in action when everything in you may want to do otherwise.

Things I ponder- Are my thoughts, words and actions a good representation of who God is and how He loves every person? Am I walking out His love. Am I demonstrating my faith through seeking Him and trusting Him to guide my actions? That is my desire- to be the individual unique light He designed me to be, to reflect His love and grace no matter what. Lord, continue to grow me and transform me into Your likeness for the glory of Your kingdom. Lord, I pray that You bless each person reading this with a renewed or emboldened love for You that You will use to spread to the world around them. Amen

Choices

/ Robin Glinka / Leave a comment

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Life is all about making choices. Have you ever thought about how many times a day you make a choice and the impact of that choice on your life in the present as well as your future? Have you thought about how the choices you make not only impact your life, but also the lives of those in your sphere of influence? I’m not trying to overthink each choice, but it is good to be aware of the importance of each choice in shaping our lives and impacting the lives of others.

Even seemingly simple choices like, what should I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, what should I wear today, how should I respond verbally to this situation, or any other seemingly simple choice have present and future impacts in our lives. For example, choosing what to eat, over time it can impact your health for good or bad; what you choose to wear portrays to others a bit about your character and how you value yourself. Dressing in a sexy and provocative manner will draw lustful eyes, whereas dressing more conservative but elegant will call for more respect and value of your body. The sexy and provocative is something that one can enjoy and reserve for one’s spouse!

In responding to others, do I choose to speak life and encouragement, building them up, or do I choose to speak criticism and negativity into their life. One response is life giving, the other response tears others down. I do believe there are times when constructive criticism spoken in love is necessary and essential to reveal blindspots in our lives. We all have blindspots and even as painful as it can be in the moment, I am grateful to have trusted individuals, that love me, bring to light those areas to which I have been blind. It is through these difficult to hear, but necessary times that the Lord can do a work in growing and refining me into better and more Christlike person. I remember one such time when a friend ask me if I thought of myself as a judgemental person and I said no. I said that I try to treat everyone with equal love and kindness. She revealed a blindspot of judgement I had because of my own insecurities of being different and believing people didn’t like me. You see, I would tend to stay secluded and not initiate interaction with people in social settings because of my insecurity of being rejected. So in essence, I had formed a judgement of how they perceived me without giving them a chance. Ouch!! That stung a bit, but I’m so glad she enlightened me to that blindspot and the lie I was believing, because without her doing so, I may never have seen it.

So, back to choices. What do you do with bad choices you’ve made in the past? They can’t be changed. I have made many bad choices during my life. I’ve found the best thing is to look back and see what I can learn from each bad choice, so I don’t make it again. Next, I try to be intentional about making the “next” best choice. Don’t let choices of the past keep you locked in shame and regret. Instead, seek forgiveness from God and trust He has forgiven you. Then, you will be free to move forward in the journey He has for you.

I find I can’t focus too much on the future. Though it is important to have goals and take steps to be purposeful in working towards them, ultimately I need to stay in the present and focus on making the “next” best choice each time a one is presented. By staying in the present, I can enjoy what the Lord has given me each day and I can better stay tuned to what He’s asking me to do in the current moment. By being obedient to following the guidance of the Lord, He can shape and guide me along His path for my life. I’m amazed at times I have reflected back on my life and choices He asked me to make that made no sense at the time, but in retrospect, I can see the beautiful and sometimes difficult journey He has taken me through to get me to where I am now!! I’m so grateful that He never gives up on me and when I do make bad choices. He is patient and loving as He steers me back on track, and He will do the same for you!! Seek Him and open your heart to allowing Him full access to your life. He will not disappoint you. It won’t always be easy, trust me, but it will be an amazing journey.

I have found He will often ask you to make a choice that makes no logical sense, but deep in your spirit, you will know it’s what He’s calling you to do, just like he did of Abram (later called Abraham) in Genesis 12:1. God told Abram to go forth to a land he would show him. What?! Pack up and leave without telling Abram where he was to go before he left?! That’s craziness–at least for the one that likes to know the plan a head of time!

The Lord is helping me each day to make the “next” best choice as it is presented and to trust the incredible journey He is taking me on in this adventure called life! Will you choose to be intentional about making the “next” best choice each day? It can be challenging, but also an amazing blessing.

Lord I pray you guide each person reading this, and myself, in making the “next” best choice as each choice is presented, from the smallest to the biggest, knowing and trusting Your plan; knowing that You love us and have good planned for our lives as we grow in a deeper, more intimate relationship with You!! Thank you in advance for answering this prayer! Amen