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Trisha Keehn

Writer

Trisha Keehn is a creative writer fueled by a lifetime of faith. She is part of the Life.Church and YouVersion Bible App creative writing team, and uses her broadcast news background to help companies choose their words wisely. Trisha is a wife, mom, coffee connoisseur, lover of libraries, and a savvy traveler.

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Accepting Imperfection

For years I’ve struggled with perfectionism, and unfortunately that prevents some things from actually being “complete(d)”.

My desire for perfection is not wrong. We were made for it! Perfect bodies, perfect relationships, perfect minds… It’s like something deep inside me keeps trying to find the perfection my soul looks for.

It’s not wrong to long for it; just wrong to expect it on earth. It can’t be found here. There is truly something wrong with everything!

One day perfection will come again (AMEN!).

Until then, I’ve since fired my inner critic and am trying to accept the earthly imperfections; which takes the burden off me. I am accepting who I am instead of who I wish I was, while accepting others as they are and the world as it is, instead of striving to put a stamp of perfection on them. Much joy and freedom has been found in my heart as the chains of perfection have been released.

God, you see the deepest parts of my heart; how I’ve allowed perfectionism to penetrate into my work and relationships and crowd out my joy. Cleanse my mind, sanctify my soul… May I instead become a girl of grace, a woman who reflects your joy for others to see. I can’t do it on my own. God, go deep inside me and do your work. May my heart find contentment in this acceptance, looking only to you as the Perfect One, my Father, Author and Creator. Craft on me a renewed sense of joy! In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

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Love By Faith

The difficult part of praying for a life that mirrors Christ’s love, is that we are faced to love when we don’t want to, when we don’t feel like it, when we get nothing obvious in return, when they don’t deserve it, when they’re not worth it, when they don’t know it and even when it makes no difference. Yet, we live it out anyways.

For the last few months now, I have been convicted of Christ’s love as I pray to share more of it. There is someone who deeply and ruthlessly betrayed me over the course of three years. In wisdom, every counselor and mentor advised strict boundaries to stay away from the toxicity and ‘unsafe’ person. I forgave their actions and prayed for healing and restoration in their lives. A few months later, I moved states away. But the harassment and hurting continued until one day, this person also moved to my new city and stepped into my circle of friends. I became so distraught by the turmoil of pain and alone in my struggle. It seemed no matter how I tried to ‘brush off the dirt’ and walk away from the past, God’s love was pressing in deeper, asking me not to walk away from people. With nowhere else to turn, I began praying for a desire to deeply love them and God’s power to walk in it. I felt everything in me die as I invited Jesus to do the impossible; to help me love the ‘unlovable’.

As the weeks passed, I continued praying through the pain until that day came; when Jesus carried me in courage, strength and favor. The love of Christ consumed me as I sought out and embraced this person. And only in His power, my heart was able to walk out a love that desired to willingly serve. Instantly, I experienced insurmountable JOY and FREEDOM that I cannot adequately describe.

I think we find loving so painful because we try to love with our own emotions and our eyes fail us when love doesn’t bring about the exact results we want and asked for. But we are called to love by faith. Love our enemies by faith. Love our betrayers by faith. Love a bitter parent by faith… not a feeling. Living love is a daily commitment to throw off preferential affections. We live by faith. We love by faith. If we truly become a person who makes a lifestyle of believing God, we will become bolder in our love for others and what we’re willing to believe God for in their lives.

Walking in love doesn’t always feel warm fuzzy. Sometimes our only motivation is obedience to God. If no one else catches the love we sacrificially give, know that God will.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

Oh my Lord, the things you bring us through astounds my eyes. You are faithful to deliver us from the stronghold of bitterness and hatred, so that our hearts may experience the freedom and joy you authored in this life! May the fruit of Christ’s love within us surface in our words and walk today. We come yielded to your authority, may we be so filled by your Spirit, Lord. Guide us to those relationships we still harbor grief in. God, give us the strength to walk out your unfailing love. Help us to actively love others and pray those big prayers for them. You were faithful yesterday and you will be faithful today. We trust you for more faithfulness in our future. May we love by this same faith.

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End It

Each year, the world joins hands to take a stand against modern slavery with the End It Movement. When asked why I wore a red “x” on my hand, I explained there are currently women being held in prostitution rings and children being chained to labor but sadly, we thought the days of slaves was over. Truthfully though, we’ve turned a blind eye and just stopped looking.

It all got me thinking. You know, many of us, are slaves to sin. We choose the lure of lust, bitter behaviors, arrogant attitudes instead of love, peace and joy with others. We turn a blind eye to rated ‘R’ movies, a man on the corner with his hand out and gossip that fuels our sickness for satire. We get greedy with our money, label others by their sins and pronounce glory on ourselves in a prideful job well done. We are slaves to sin. We clash against the chains, struggling in a stronghold, fighting for freedom from this sin that enslaves our hearts.

In silence there is safety—safety from potential prosecution or pain from the backlash, safety from the danger of facing a difficult truth: that the quiet, close-knit Christian community could be cruel, cowardly, and lawless. And yet, despite our wishes, history is full of cruelty, cowardice, and lawlessness. Nowadays, though, we are not so much silent as talking loudly about anything that will help us avoid being the target. We suffer under a conspiracy of misdirection. Satan is sliding in through the backdoor and we miss the carpet being pulled from underneath our feet.

This isn’t about ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but about the Truth that as slaves to anything, we cannot be fully free. We war against the box of cookies that keeps showing up in the cupboard, the gym membership buried in our mind, the word ‘yes’ that slips out when everything in us is says ‘no’, the negative thoughts that materialize into words, the lack of generosity for others needs, the pride in ourselves that crushes compassion for others. The triumphalist rhetoric, instead, lets us—tells us to—look away.

May I encourage you in this day not to wait another second dismissing bondage under a cloak of grace. Release the beast, so that you can experience the fullness of His Spirit! I don’t want to be bound to the empty life this kind of slavery is destined for. My captivity to sin is a choice. Jesus came to set me free from the burden of this kind of slavery. No more laboring. No more pleasing. I am free. Heavenly Father, release the fullness of your Spirit on us. Strengthen our hearts and minds in the midst of any fear and press into our hearts, increasing our desire for even more freedom. I’m thanking you in advance Lord for what you’ve already done and what’s about to happen in us. Amen!

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Heart Surgery

The seconds feel like forever, so I have no words for these minutes, days and months. The beat has stopped, blood drained and my heart completely exposed. No anesthetic is administered for this operation. Folks in the waiting room should be alarmed at the length of time it’s taking, but I suppose that only reveals the severity of this sickness, the depth of my ‘disease’. Unfortunately, any complications prolonging this procedure are due to my own stubbornness. I’m clinging to the contaminated because it’s comfortable. It’s been with me for so long, we’re sadly inseparable.

My eyes are wide open during most of this, though I wish they didn’t have to be. My soul struggles with what I can see, coping with excruciating anxiety and looking for anything to pacify the pain. The sinking sharpness of His Spirit stings as the blade of His Word sinks a little deeper. I pray and the compassion in His presence calms every nerve, closing the lids over my eyes. And that’s when I feel the tenderness in His touch, sedating my senses in the surgery. Tides of tears fall in rhythm with the piercing pain yet, I will be living a dead life if this procedure doesn’t happen.

Not that my mind isn’t troubled in this turmoil and the pain isn’t plentiful, but I know the Great Physician is the only one equipped to operate in such a desolate, vile place. For the most part, I find rest and peace in knowing God’s specialty is raising dead things to life. I’m discovering His ministry in my misery as this heartbreak brings great healing in others. Passion runs from the roots of pain. My writing is only the overflow of His healing nectar in my brokenness.

I haven’t known a single person who bears the evidence of God’s presence and power in their lives, who hasn’t also been asked to walk in dramatically painful obedience. Though we’re changed on the inside, our minds take time to catch up. Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 4:22 You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds.

Lord, I want to see generations fall into your heart. No more lies, no more fears. Consume their hearts, open eyes and craft their character to see and be magnetized by the beauty of who you are that their feet will fall into the path that leads to righteous, holy living. Despite depression or despair due to my own decisions, you will always be my Daddy. Your word says you are the Defender of the weak and draw near to the brokenhearted. I’m inviting you to come deeper than before and let me drink from your well of life. I am securely yours with no shame. Drench me in your grace and peace and create a new thing in and through me as I willingly lay bare my weaknesses, so that your power, my King, may be made perfect. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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Breaking Out From A Rut and Planting New Roots

This has been a tough few weeks. I have felt deterred by the weight of devil’s cunning devices to distract my good intentions with mediocrity. I’ve been settling on things that are ‘acceptable’ and ‘honorable’ but not beneficial or considered wise concerning His plans for me.

My determined worship that discovers facets of His being have been disturbed and I utterly miss His secrets; about Himself, His plans, His desires for my life. All this busyness has been meaningless when you consider that I’ve made Jesus a ritual of religiosity, merely breathing through the motions of morning prayer. The roots of my relationship with Jesus go deeper than my most recent attempts to usher in His presence and that is why I so tenderly confess that my heart has been slowly breaking for a breakthrough.

I didn’t just wake up here. Some weeks ago, I allowed Satan to steal my joy through a circumstance that didn’t come out as I had hoped. A rather crushing blow. I let the devil demoralize my heart by preying on one of my greatest fears. I had failed… me. Days of seeking and studying ‘joy’ did not parade in a restored life of rejoicing. With every fiber in the fabric of my being, I have been so desperate for an intervention of deep communion with God. I’ve been crying out for Christ to intercede.

Joshua 1:5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”

Did you catch that? He will not fail us. We may fail, but God will not. And He is for us! Failure doesn’t always look like a grievous sin or mishap. Sometimes it’s a slow decline or decay that snatches up unsuspecting, sincere followers of Christ. God is the strong arm that picks us up when we struggle to stand on our own. Abba wipes away our tears, brushes off the bloodied scrapes on our knees and mends the wound in His warm embrace. When our Author’s plans for hope and a future seem out of reach, He reaches down to offer them up! At this time, it seems all I can do is cast myself entirely upon His ability. I’m blinded to any ambition but to please God. I’m grabbing onto the hem of His garment for healing and grace to go where He leads. As I walk in the shadow of the Almighty, He equips me to do the impossible. There I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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Grossly Blessed

Recently I’ve been convicted in my tithe efforts. First came a message from Rob Morris, who pastors Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. He stirred my heart when the great debate between tithing on gross or net was summed up in this statement: I’d rather be blessed based on the gross, rather than my net. I realized that I had been giving to God what was left over after the government and insurance had their say; my heart was saddened. Though my intentions were good, I didn’t act on this conviction.

A second message that gripped my conscience was by Craig Groeschel of Lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma City. He and his wife increase their giving each year by 1 percent, regardless of a pay raise or circumstance. Groeschel said they were in the habit of giving this way before any big increases came in their family or ministries.

Tithing doesn’t just increase God’s blessing in my life, it increases my faith in His provision. It stretches me wider and deeper, and I begin to experience an even more intimate relationship with my Abba. So I decided to take that step. I made a commitment to increase my level of giving each year from here on out by 1 percent. And I chose to start tithing on my gross income, throwing in the first increase that very day (which was last Sunday). I felt remarkably better knowing it was off my chest and in God’s hands.

Tough days followed and I forgot about my commitment in church, that is, until my accountant emailed the final summary. As a single adult, I always pay in, so I was not looking forward to filing, like most people I know. This time was different though, as it reflected the government was returning to me 10 times what I gave to God just a couple days before. It was in this moment that I knew my Provider was honoring that faith on Sunday and saying ‘well done, my good and faithful servant’.

I don’t always see the fruit of my faith honored/blessed/returned with rapid response, but when I do, I am eager to give God Almighty the glory by encouraging others with stories of His hand at work. Our God is real, alive and moving mightly today, just like yesterday and just like He will be tomorrow! May you find His hand of extravagant provision in your life, as you put Him first in your giving and in all you do.

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Healthy Doesn’t Mean Whole

I like the way I feel when I’m eating right and exercising. I feel so alive, I feel healthy! But have you ever considered that being healthy on the outside doesn’t mean you’re whole on the inside?

“Do you want to be made whole?” Jesus asked this very question to the the people at the Pool of Bethesda. Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked this question to a man who had suffered his affliction for thirty-eight years?

Perhaps the question was about more than just physical healing. I think what Jesus was actually asking was, “Do you want to be complete? Do you really know what wholeness will mean, and the responsibility it will bring?”

Yes, God is our Healer but His desire is for us to be whole – body, soul and spirit. Along with needing physical healing, many of us have emotional brokenness and spiritual issues that prevent us from living in the fullness of God’s blessing. As humans, we tend to focus on and react more to the things that are going on around us but pay little attention to what is going on inside us.

When something is broken, it doesn’t function properly and when you are broken on the inside, you are much more vulnerable. Wholeness comes when you are willing to take on the responsibility to change on the inside and deal with the attitudes and mindsets that can hold you back from living a blessed life.

“The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?” Proverbs 18:14

How is your spirit? Are you hiding brokenness that you are too ashamed or overwhelmed to deal with? Do you want to be made whole?

Father, there is no limit to the wholeness you bring. Help me find the courage of faith to trust You with the areas of my inner life that need renewing so I can live a life of wholeness.

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Encouraged In The Storms of Life

Over the last few months, I’ve been facing an increase in trials, and at the same time, receiving some divine appointments. Is it strange to same I’m encouraged in it? My pastor once said, “Don’t be scared when you face opposition or trials, be scared when you’re not.”   The devil wouldn’t be causing such a stir if we weren’t a threat to him. The closer we get to Christ, the hotter the devil turns up the heat.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  Romans 5:3-5
God allows these trials to strengthen our confidence in Him, as it provokes a walk in obedience to His word, so that, He can wean milk-drinkers off baby food and train them how to eat the meat of His word and be strengthened from the inside out by His Spirit.
I think sometimes when we find ourselves in a ‘situation’ and feel the heat, our natural inclination is to back out of it thinking we must have made a mistake, ‘for the favor of God doesn’t seem to be upon us’. But if we only understood the painful process Paul is referring to, I think we may press into the heat when everything of us wants to pull back. This is how God refines us by fire.
The confidence in what we cannot see should be a little uncomfortable at times; being stretched is how we grow. Following Christ is an unnatural transformation, from self-loving to sacrifice, from selfishness to serving others. Jesus tells us to ‘count the cost’ before deciding whether or not we want to follow Him.
What I’m experiencing is how to love God and love others with a drastically different, and unnatural, sacrificing love. It’s been a process. What I’m learning is how to ask God for hard things, expecting the hurricanes from hell to come wreaking havoc in what I claim as my life. However, the important part in these storms is this: that I’m not looking around for the quickest escape route. My trust is in God as we weather out the storms together.
God, never do I need you more than in the midst of these trials that toy with every emotion in me. My heart is deeply grieved, my joy saddened. This isn’t easy, sometimes seems not even fair. But I know you have something even deeper you’re working for your glory out of this. So I will choose to rejoice in this suffering, that your glory would triumph and be made known. You are victorious my King, and I claim your victory over any tribulation in my life. Amen.
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Love Actually

Love is a verb, an action, not a word. Love motivates us to do the ‘impossible’. Love operates in supernova strength; love can move mountains.

Love requires sacrifice. The value of something is determined by how much someone is willing to give up for it. The worth of a piece of wood is only as valuable as the sacrifice.

Love can be freely given, but is not cheap. The more we pay for it, the more we invest in greater care and protection over it.

Wherever you spend most of your time, thoughts, energy, is where your love is. Sometimes our love for something, someone is ‘unseen’ and we fool ourselves into determining its worth by what the world sees.

Love is death… to every will in our flesh. Love is crucifying everything else that tries to throne itself in the only place love should be. Love is concerning, it cares… about all the little things, not just the big stuff. Love actually, is Jesus, who didn’t care about appearances, or riches, or tomorrow. Love actually, is God who cares about even the hairs on your head. Love is His Truth, which testifies to the greatest commandment of all, love for Him. To love God is to know Him, trust Him, desire Him, follow Him, to want nothing more than Him. Love is higher than hope, peace or joy; it goes beyond the bad times and sees only His good. Love is steadfast, everlasting, ever present… never-ending, never escaping, never withering. Love actually, cares for the hearts of God’s people and presses in, it embraces when the circumstance hurts beyond what we can bear. Love is self-sacrificing and walks in complete abandonment to the world, it’s worries, it’s demands, it’s temptations to give up this sacrifice because ‘you can have what you need right now’ (Matthew 4).

My Jesus, you are the Love of my life… may I love how you love. My flesh fails miserably at grasping the fullness of your love, God. May you give me this desire of my heart, that your love radiate a portrait of your steadfast, sacrificing, never-ending love for you and for others. In my weakness to love, may your love prove to be all that I cannot. Amen.

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Awakened to the Love of Jesus Christ

I am lovesick. I sit here in the stillness of the morning and my heart is sustained by my Healer. He revives me in the dawn as His breath blows a fresh air into these lungs. The Spirit of God quickens my life, empowering and invigorating me to do in Jesus’ Name what cannot be done by human flesh and blood alone. I can taste His sweet Spirit in the gentle breezes.

When I’m weak and defeated, God infuses a strength wholly beyond me. He puts iron in a weary and worn out soul. The fire of Christ is in my bones. I ask Him to pour out His Spirit on me in ways that exceed what He’s done in the past and vastly glorify His Name. He is forever faithful to His Word and I desire nothing more than to bring glory to Christ, to be used by Him to extend the outreach of His powerful hand, and to serve in His merciful Name.

I deliberately enter into a fresh season and invite Jesus to do something brand new in me and thank Him in advance for what He has planned. His ways are always right. Always fitting. I am filled with a childlike enthusiasm. Without having a clue what is ahead, I can have unshakable confidence that God will be good to me. He holds me securely in the palm of His hand.