The world needs your determination. Don’t give up now.
Trisha Keehn
Writer
Peace for the Holidays
In the quiet, in the stillness, in the chaos, in confusion… In the moment of my weakness, I know that you are God.
Soaking up the Tennessee sun, I’ve spent the last few days in pure peace hiking in the hills and reflecting over the year. My soul is tender as I laugh out loud recalling some stories. Tears aren’t too far behind as my memory reaches the hard paragraphs too.
I recount the beautiful feet that have crossed my path since last Thanksgiving. No amount of verbs are suffice for how grateful I am to share even a sentence in some of their stories.
In this place of peace, there are no ‘to-do’ lists or tracking time; only grace, greater peace and love from the divine. The Spirit speaks in a language exclusive to the desires of the soul. My mind is at rest, waiting is my pleasure, listening has been my joy.
In the secret of His presence, I am restored.
Gratitude Gives More
People who value what they have, get twice as much out of something than a person who lacks gratitude.
They get more out of a job, a marriage, and family. This soul multiplies in the chaos and in the silence.
‘Luck’ doesn’t set them up or put them down. No drought can dry up the hope here. It’s thankfulness you can see with your eyes, not just the words you may hear.
The Choice Is Yours
Many of you will be surrounded with family in a few days. There may be dread over a repeat of last Thanksgiving’s debacle. Or perhaps you’ll be alone this year and even that has you anxious. And sad.
We all hold the power of choice. I pray the choice in your words and actions this year reflect the hopes you have for your family and the dreams you have for yourself.
Faith Requires Feet
Did you know despite its gift of leaping high and long – the impala can easily be contained in a zoo behind a three-foot-high wall?
Across the African reservations, impalas run freely, jumping farther than thirty feet and clearing over ten feet high. So how does a short wall stop the impala from taking the leap?
Because the impala won’t make the jump into what it cannot see. The animal remains trapped in self-imposed limitations simply because of its inability to take a leap of faith.
Faith is kinda like that. Because we lack faith, we stay stuck behind walls of fear, doubt, insecurity, and self-preservation. Faith isn’t functional until it’s an action. It involves your feet, not your feelings.
Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. We run, jump and freefall when we hear His word without having to see it first to know it is true.
Making Friends With Fear
Do you live as afraid as I do?
Fearful of this memo pad with a mountain of to do’s and the daily snowfall of demands for my time. I’m terrified of telling friends I can’t meet for coffee or commit to dinner or even a phone call. The guilt and judgment that comes with letting people down scares the heck out of me. Staring at the mess of my past, I’m even frightened for the mate who is stuck with this backpack of struggles I carry around.
There’s remnants of a people-pleasing problem laced in the pain of my anxieties. Even as I write this, there’s a stream of sadness warping the sheets of paper because I want to be free from all of it. The fear of what others think. The shame that comes when I can’t keep up with the crowd. And here’s an underlying truth: it is hard to love people well if you do not show love to yourself.
For the last couple of months, I’ve experimented with different methods. There’s a mound of library books about anxiety toppling over the corner of my desk. Self-help podcasts sit on my desktop waiting to be played. I’ve tossed out thoughts with a therapist and swallowed vitamin supplements to relax. None of these are lasting solutions.
One of the great paradoxes of living life as a believer is gaining control over our thoughts while also surrendering them to Jesus?
In Scripture (Philippians 4:7), Jesus tells us that when we’ve given our anxiety and our prayers to the Lord, we will receive the gift of peace: “and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
We receive the Lord’s peace when we pray. Literally, God’s peace descends upon us and takes action! It guards our hearts and our minds. Live in prayer and you will live in peace! There will be quietness and confidence in our lives because instead of getting “worked up” over life’s problems we are choosing to “pray them down.”
Prayer not only gives us peace but it arms us with a conquering spirit, an overcoming spirit. We begin to believe again. We believe to trust the promises of God again. We begin to stand in the strength that is our God when we pray.
We’re never more anxious to receive from God than He is willing to provide. Once we accept the sting of death is real and can happen, we drop this daily fear of living bravely. This is when we really leap into a life worth living.
We are all busy people doing important stuff. There’s a lot to do and not enough time. Life isn’t waiting on our schedule to catch up. In all of this strategizing and planning to be effective with what we have, let us not neglect the one thing that brings clarity to everything else: regular time with our heavenly Father.
Fear doesn’t have to be an enemy if we learn to put it to work. Healthy fear forces you to tune-in and pay close attention to what’s standing between you and living a free life.
Fear alerts you when to be cautious and when you to be bold with your choices. When you learn to master fearful emotions they become the most powerful wisdom teachers directing your decisions.
When you give fear the irrational power to paralyze you, it will stifle your progress. Fear is an opportunity to drive change in your life. For this reason, always remind yourself everything you want stands on the other side of fear.
Let go of the fear holding your mind hostage and start making friends with it.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
When the epicenter of love, our beloved Paris, was shaken last week, the core of every heart questioned our own security. We were brushed with the brevity of life, sharing with neighbors we’ve never noticed.
Still trying to understand the reality breaking into regular scheduled Friday nights, we switched between broadcasts and social media. Those who escaped went ‘live’ on webcams sharing their story. Hearing the horror from the mouths of our Parisian friends brought us to the streets of accepting that the City of Lights is a little smaller now.
Many of us haven’t stopped tuning in since. We want to know, ‘where do we go from here.’ Last night, I needed a break from the questions. Switching over to NBC’s singing 
competition ‘The Voice’, I carried on through the house cleaning up a days mess while cooking dinner and listening from afar.
The rice had just finished steaming as the timer told me chicken in the oven was also done. Setting dinner to the side to cool, contestant Jordan Smith started to share about his journey through singing, being different and sharing his gift on the show. He summed up his song choice, ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’, with this statement:
“This is about the faithfulness of God. None of this would be possible in your own strength. God is going to provide because He is faithful. God says, ‘I’m going to do everything for you. All you have to do is wake up every morning and be who you are.'”
I wasn’t looking for an answer tonight, but God held His hand out and provided one anyway. There is hope because He is one faithful God.
Courage could be being present
This past week, I wrapped up a CASA case on eight of nine kids I’ve celebrated holidays and shared a shoulder with. It was an assignment the court passed down more than a year ago.
What began as one abused child, DCS investigations revealed was more of a family ordeal.
Would you be willing to accept all nine? The Judge wanted to know. Do you have the volunteer time?
How can one deliberate over what we can do, when the need is right there staring back at you? These little ones ranged in age, from 15 to two and their curious little minds wanted to know, ‘would you leave us too’?
The children had been whisked away from school in these wrinkled up clothes and tattered shoes. No one could question if neglect was happening; these allegations appeared uncomfortably true.
I caught a glimpse of the eighteen little eyes, peanut butter smeared on their chins. My heart couldn’t say ‘no’, instead I asked, ‘where do we begin’?
This is a proud moment, indeed, and yet I also struggle with questions of my own neglect to the neighbors around me. Sometimes it’s easier to serve ‘there’ instead of right ‘here’. It’s more fun to fly away or be where my friends are, than it is to stare out of the window-framed picture on my wall and see a neighborhood in need. I have more questions than answers, like ‘where in the world begin’?
And then I sit with the steam coming off my coffee cup and peer into the sweet soul of such kind hearts. Sometimes they remain more comfortable staying at the surface of their story when the moment is still too tender to unearth the truth. And that’s okay, as long as I am present to hear the beginning and see the end.
Sometimes we fail to serve ‘here’ because we want to be ‘there’. Yet, if you truly believe the Almighty God put your hands and heart ‘here’, on the block you call home, in your cubicle where most of a day is spent, and with this specific circle of friends for His glory to be revealed, then you have no use looking over ‘there’. That’s what I’m learning.
Embracing The Season
It was 34 degrees last night. Grrr… and Brrr! Winter is trying to get an edge on Fall already. I head straight to the kitchen. ‘How can I get more pumpkin in me before this glorious season ends?’ Eyeing a jar of pumpkin spice on the shelf, a crispy slice of cinnamon raisin bread springs from the toaster. Well, that sounds like a start. Mixing up some pumpkin spice sprinkles, I decide to lace every meal in it. A dash here, a pinch there, heck, lets do a dusting in my drink as well.
Fall is a Neverland. People regain a childlike exuberance for life here. It’s a place that doesn’t make sense really. Though ‘life’, the trees and flowers, are dying around us, in this same moment, we come alive.
Nevertheless, this is my toast… to surrendering in the season, snuggling up to the hand life has given, and stretching to hold on to the joy right here.
Winter will come. It is a season of life. And when it does, though the welcome mat won’t be on my doorstep to greet this guest, may I remain ready with an open heart because the power in my pulse comes from Everlasting Joy. Cheers!
Don’t Open The Door
The Dream
Under the covers, there I was sleeping peacefully when a knock came at the door. One knock turned into incessant knocking. With pillows now smooshing my face into the sheets, it was evident I had been turning over in an attempt to sleep off the obnoxious noise.
But now the neighborly knocks shifted into disturbing shouts. A husky voice behind the door hollered, “Open up this door. Let me in, now”.
Half asleep, my mind was drawing a half circle conclusion that the urgency behind this voice wasn’t because someone was in need of help.
My mind was at rest. Reaching for the phone on my nightstand, the only plan I had was to type out a text to a friend about how annoying this was.
The fist behind fast knocking flipped into aggressive pounding.
This doesn’t seem right, I thought. If there’s so much strength trying to scare me from behind that door, then why don’t they just break a window or shoot the lock open and enter the place? Weird.
The pounding now echoing through stillness of my house, I sat up. There was no panic in my mind; only peace. And yet, I felt it would be wise to climb into the closet and call someone. So I moseyed out of bed and dialed 9-1-1.
The Door (in the dream)
It’s been months since that morning I woke up with that image of a door and the devil in my dream.
Why not just break a window, I thought.
The Lord said, he can’t come inside unless you open that door.
The devil can’t break into your ‘house’, your temple, your mind, unless you invite him in. With all the tools in his toolbox, and every huff and puff of terror building up on the outside, the devil can’t pry open the door.
It is impossible.
Sure, he may stir up some fear, but the enemy can’t crack even the weakest walls when it’s built with a strong foundation.
“The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you.” (Deuteronomy 1:30) That’s His promise to you. Let the Lord do your heavy lifting. How? By calling out to Jesus. I find that I need to physically get into a position of surrender on my knees to tap into the power of peace.
When you open the door and let peace out, you let confusion in.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).
Satan is standing outside your door, and he’s knocking to come in.
The doors are different for each of us. What does yours look like?
Mine is anxiety… dwelling on concerns, worries and self-imposed deadlines. Yours might be depression. It could be distractions. Maybe the door is an ‘opportunity’ you shouldn’t draw near to.
The enemy is a prince of persuasion. In his hand are some empty promises, wrapped up as a few of your weaknesses; alcohol, romantic relationships, money, your own influence with people.
The devil’s knock may be under the disguise of helping you when you’re down. He needs you to open the door and let him into your life in order to destroy you.
“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7)
God is Peace. God is your Peace.
Peace is evidence of the presence of God and it’s for your benefit to pursue peace in all areas of your life, even when the noise at your door gets louder.
Peace is not determined by your circumstances. Peace is the presence of God. It is present to guard your heart and mind.
And I want you to know, when the enemy comes in the night to stir up your peace, grace is laced in the blood of Christ dripping from your doorpost as the angel of death grips the knob.
One last note. If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Peace in your life, it may be His voice calling out to you on the other side of that door.
In Revelation, Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
So how do you know the difference? Pray. When you call out to Him in prayer, in Jesus’ name, He comes like a mighty rushing wind into your heart. He may be the one at the door asking you to open up to Him.
Let Peace inside and it will never leave you.