Holiness moves through the small things, grace for the moments, simple and short. Added together, holy moments change lives and steer destinies in God’s direction. But it all comes down to attitudes and choices made…one moment at a time. If I reach for the grace of holiness in this moment, what difference could it make? (From One Simple Thing).
[tweetthis]If we choose to breathe grace for the simple things each day, what will happen? [/tweetthis]
Can we learn to take life one step at a time, trusting God in the midst of the moment, no matter what that moment looks like? Or feels like?
The strength of simplicity begins internally with thoughts, attitudes, and choices as we remember that God is good in every moment. Not every moment is good, but God does not change in the face of our circumstances.
Oh yes, it is the goodness of God that gives grace for the moment, empowering “us to do what we could never do on our own.” (Richard Foster) This is His goodness at work, giving wholeness right in the middle of our brokenness. This is the practical power of holiness.
We are beginning to see it.
Grace to overcome worry.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:6-7, MSG).
Real simplicity comes through faith. It is the faith of a child that doesn’t demand explanations but knows that everything will be okay, simply because Daddy is there.
Isn’t it the worries and discontents, the complaints and the self-desires that drive us to complicated? Isn’t it the suspicion that God isn’t really trustworthy, that compels us to create our own solutions and lament our losses?
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies (Philippians 4:8-10, MSG).
These are the simple things—the good and holy within reach of our needy hands. Choosing the true and the best, trusting God to put it all together, we can do this.
Take hold of it and don’t let go.
Fill your thoughts with simple goodness–
- One true thing.
- One beautiful thing.
- One praiseworthy thing.
- One excellent thing.
Break the back of worry with something that makes you smile and reminds you to trust God. Let these choices become simple graces to overcome worry today.
One simple solution for every need. When the worries and the whimpers of our souls learn to rest in the simple strength of God, peace that surpasses every contrived fix of this world is ours.
Have we really believed this?
In this moment, we can live settled and whole. We can choose wholeness in the response of the moment, quieting the strife that spins in our heads. Let’s walk this path together into the moments of this day, step into the real now that is both a moment in time and endless space in eternity.
Tweetable:
- If we choose to breathe grace for the simple things each day, what will happen?
- Choosing the true and the best, trusting God to put it all together, we can do this!
What simple grace can help you overcome worry today?
I am sharing community with other bloggers at Testimony Tuesday , Intentional Tuesday, #RaRaLinkup, Coffee For Your Heart, and Three Word Wednesday.
So glad you're here. I help busy women—gals like you— build healthy habits for living well with biblical wisdom and practical steps to deepen your faith, increase your hope, and thrive in your purpose.
Simply beautiful and oh so powerful, Ginger. Thank you for sharing! My favorite line: “Break the back of worry with something that makes you smile and reminds you to trust God.”
Sometimes worry can become such a heavy burden. I’m so grateful that God has given us help to overcome the heaviness of worry. Blessings to you today. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
I read recently God doesn’t promise us protection but His presence. “This is His goodness at work, giving wholeness right in the middle of our brokenness.” – Love this. : ) #RaRaLinkup
Thanks so much for visiting today–it’s always joy to make a new friend. I’m so glad you found a blessing here today.
Thank you, Ginger, for linking up at Intentional Tuesday. I am so glad I found a new friend today. : )
Yes you too! Good luck in getting your link up established.
Grace is my 2015 word and my desire is to look for it in everyday life so you can imagine how interested I am in your post today! Thank you for stopping by my place. Your website is so interesting!
Blessings to you!
Mary
I bet you are having an adventure of grace as you look for tangible examples of grace each day. Thank you for visiting today, and may 2015 be a year of grace upon grace for you.
I love this. Richard Foster really helped me grow in a time of darkness. His chapter on the prayer and discipline of relinquishment was incredibly powerful and timely as we walked through infertility. Really loved this post today.
Hey there. I just visited your fun blog and here you are:) I’m so very glad that you found a blessing here today. Oh the challenge of relinquishment… Thanks for visiting!
Faith is the thread weaving through a lot of blog posts this week!
Don’t you love it when God does that. He recently has been weaving fasting through much of what I am reading. Blessings today and thanks for stopping by.
Those verses from Philippians are my very favorite, although they’re challenging too. Thanks for this post and for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.
Thank you for taking the time to visit. I’m honored that you would personally touch base with us link-ees (is that a word?). Thanks for hosting!
Ginger,
I love the reminder to trust and this quote: “Oh yes, it is the goodness of God that gives grace for the moment, empowering “us to do what we could never do on our own.” (Richard Foster)”…Thank you 🙂
This quote stood out to me in that Foster has expressed such depth in such a simple way. What a gift of clarity and insight. Great to have you visit today.
Great words to remind us to replace worry with God’s grace for whatever it is that has us tied in knots. Beautiful site Ginger.
What a great image, this being tied up in knots. I love that God wants to unravel our worry. Thank you for visiting today. Blessings.
One true thing: That it is not in God’s character to lie.
One beautiful thing: Me, because God calls me beautiful.
One praiseworthy thing: That God has brought me through one of my toughest weeks with struggling with my mental illness. I praise Him for it.
One excellent thing: The way my PWOC sisters loved on me and prayed for me today.
I love that you shared your answers in this, Angel. I am so glad that you can see God’s presence even in your toughest days. I continue to pray for you and your family, as God frequently brings you to mind. The blessing of sisters that encourage and pray is definitely a most excellent thing!
How well I relate. Worry and anxiety have been my biggest battles for some time. God is showing me, daily, how to walk in victory – but it’s a constant choice to follow Him there, to rest in His presence, to trust. Thank you for this post – so beautiful and a blessing to me.
Anne
Yes, worry can be one of our greatest battles. I love the way you worded this as a “constant choice” and I too am learning that moment by moment trust. Thanks so much for leaving a comment today.
God is good in every moment. I wish I remembered that always!
“The faith of a child doesn’t demand explanations..” such a good reminder that God wants that pure and simple faith of a child from us rather than our (okay, sometimes me…) asking for an explanation. Thanks for your encouragement today.
So often, we just want that explanation. I am learning that real trust truly rests in God’s answers held firm in the belief that He is always unswervingly good. Yet still, sometimes we just want to understand… Thanks so much for visiting today.
Yes, letting go of worry is definitely a faith thing. We have to trust as you so wisely explained, Ginger. Thank you for focusing my heart and shedding grace on what is a hard area for me. I cheer you from the #RaRalinkup; we are blessed by you.