Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2015

Caught in the cross hairs of conflict

exodus, trishakeehn.com, sea ahead, army behind

Are you staring an obstacle in the face and wondering where you took a left turn when you should have stayed right?

The demands here and now have seized your time and you’ve abandoned your desires and dreams because the situation looks overwhelming.

Maybe in the midst of the struggle, you’re still sizing up the situation; is this high tide or low tide? Because if this is as bad as it gets, there could still be a chance to conquer the circulating currents in this conflict.

Whether this is the worst of it or not, you conclude that what lies ahead looks bleak and pretty impossible.

There is a sea ahead and an army behind.

The enemy is barreling down the slopes with speed and gaining ground on your hope.

You’re surrounded so you surrender not just your hands but your identity too, as the doubts close in. Defeat looks imminent.

Now you feel like you’ve failed God, you’ve failed yourself and you’re not who you thought you were.

What if the trouble you’re facing is the very wall God wants to drive you through?

Fear has an overwhelming tendency to increase in us but, praise God, so does courage.

Though the horizon looks hopeless, God has a miracle up His sleeve.

Our initial instinct is to stop everything at once. Yet, when we do that, we short sight the strong arm of God.

Give Him the opportunity to do what He says He’ll do. The Author and Creator cannot fail. This is the very nature of Almighty God.

In our trials, His power penetrates human wisdom to draw all eyes to the throne.

Stop staring at the surmounting surf and advance headlong into the swells of strife, my friend.

Do you feel adrift already, in an ominous ocean with no island in sight? Know that the waters are not beyond God’s reach.

If you’re treading in the deep end, I want to remind you the bedrock of Truth hasn’t been moved by the flood.

Take a deep breath from the bottom of your gut and exhale as you stretch your thinking. Let it lengthen your limbs a little further past their limit.

Now steady the stride of those flailing feet. There’s a Rock for you to stand on and it’s been there beneath the surface of your stress this entire time.

Trust it.

We’re all on a journey into the land God promised us.

Yours might be pursuing higher education, starting a business, selling an idea, or making a difference. Maybe it’s gaining some self-confidence, self-esteem, healing or extending forgiveness.

Stand with me here on the shoreline of your suffering as we scan over the story of Moses and the Israelites.

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. (Exodus 13:17-18)

I’m pretty sure whatever is in the way of your promised land, these guys felt the same futility as they stared at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army closing in. Their pilgrimage to the Promised Land looked hopeless being backed up against the wall of a massive inconvenience.

It’s senseless to sit here too long wondering why life has to be so hard. Hidden behind the Hollywood highlights of this story, there’s some deep truths that can help move the mountains standing in your way.

First, you should rest. Army or no army, you need rest. This isn’t sleeping through the storm. It’s a peace of mind in the eye of a hurricane kind of stillness. Find a spot to camp out in serenity while you bring to God the concerns anchoring your heart.

Second, use what you have to work with. The Almighty can take what you have and turn it into whatever it needs to be in order for you to accomplish what you’ve been called to. Sharpen the skill saw. Cast out a line to your connections.

Third, press on. Oceans of emotion toss with demands every day trying to prevent us from God’s plan.

When floods of fear feel like they’re going to level your life…

As the rolling tides of resistance wrestle with you all night…

Even If there’s nothing but crickets and crashing waves staring back at you…

Press on.

While you’re waist deep in the waves of doubt or your heart is trekking up and tumbling down the rocky terrain of pain…

Press on.

Wherever the enemy packs a punch and swipes a roundhouse kick that leaves you lying flat on your face…

Press on.

The clouds will come but let the helium in hope carry you higher into the heavens.

Honor God with your trust.

He is with you. He is for you. Do not be afraid.

Keep walking. Keep believing.

This storm is just a season that is about to blow over.

Your faith in His unfailing forgiveness and unconditional love is the way out, my friend.

Summon the Holy Spirit to silence the solicitations on your soul.

Sink down into your stance on the solid stone of Truth.

Wait in expectation and watch as the winds and waves obey His command.

Get ready for God’s big reveal.

Tuck that hope in your heart.

God, I release to You all that I am and everything that I have. I invite You to flood every part of my being and use me for Your glory. Thank You for using what is in my hand.

Posted on Thursday, June 4, 2015

Don’t wait for the storms to pass

learn to dance in the rain

Posted on Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Strength through the struggle

trishakeehn.com, be immovable, 1 Corinthians

Do you ever wake up in the morning and feel like you’re already surrounded by problems and pressures that are left over from the night before?

You may be overwhelmed with needs, uncertainty, hurt, burdens, to-do lists and regrets and you haven’t even thrown back the covers yet.

What if the strength you’re searching for is in you already and you just can’t see it yet?

As long as your focus stays fixated on the issues and obstacles, you’ll miss the opportunity to let courage control your thoughts.

The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, has already gone before every one of your battles and equipped you with armor you’ll need for the attacks coming.

And He’s bracing you from behind too. He’s got your back.

Your struggle is less about your own maturity and more about what you believe.

Your help is here. Your supply is here. Your strength is here.

Can you see it?

Though you’re tired by all the trouble, close your eyes and rub the seeds of doubt and disbelief from the corners of your mind. Now look again. Let your gaze fall upon the hills, where your help is mounted up and surrounding the very things that surround you.

It would be nice if God’s help was to keep us from hardships and prevent the problems from ever happening in the first place. But let’s be honest. As long as you strain hard enough, your success will point to your own efforts.

Pride tells us we have all the power and strength and there is no purpose for faith or trusting in a God we can’t see. Yet, the scriptures are stacked with stories rooted in human weakness, soaked in the supernatural strength of God.

Allow your problems to humble you, refine you, and use you more effectively. The places where we are pressed can most likely be where God wants us to plant hope. Compassion permeates from our pain.

You have a Defender who will deliver you with the very thing the devil meant to destroy you. When the enemy has a strategy to take you out, God always has a plan to keep you in and moving forward.

Let God pummel the enemy by bringing so much good from the bad that Satan will regret ever having taken you to that wilderness in the first place.

God wants to show you His faithfulness through your failures and strengthen you through the struggles.

But you may have to see it through your weakness.

So look again! There is potential in your problems and purpose through your pain. You can have confidence in the chaos and confusion. God downpours a great supply in the drought of your need.

You can’t control the circumstance but you can believe in a Father who loves you… still. In the darkest of hours, He is the supply of strength standing on a ground of grace.

Keep trusting. He’s already given you all you need.

It’s our faith that activates God’s power. If you’ve been standing and believing for a while, don’t give up! Press through. Keep praying. Keep asking. Keep seeking, and He’ll meet your faith with favor and His miraculous power.

Often times we’re surprised by our struggles. We can even be caught off guard when it’s the same stuff we’ve been wrestling with for so long. We give the enemy credit for being clever when he throws the same punch to our weak spots. Why?

What if we weren’t surprised?

What if we really did come to expect these kinds of ordeals, not as pessimists but as the prepared?

What if we did come to expect that life was going to push us with pressure?

What if we were ready in advance for things like temptation and oppression?

Plant your feet solid and bend your knees to brace your body for the impact, because I’m warning you from the Word, its coming. If you’re not prepared when the push comes, you will be shoved into a sinkhole of despair.

Let us not be prepared for only the pressures but also for the divine power.

Although we feel alone in our afflictions, I’m here to remind you we’re all in this together. As the persecutions mount and the pressures pound, remember God has already given us victory through Jesus. None of these struggles and trouble will be wasted. They will all work out for our good. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37). Our perseverance will be rewarded (Hebrews 10:35)

Therefore, my dear [friend], be… immovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

I pray that God opens your eyes so that you may see the strength that is already in you. Keep an open and humble heart so that His peace can help you press through to pain and find its purpose and His plan.

Posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Let It Go

So something new can grow

Last night, I sat silently on my porch steps pondering life. A slight breeze swept through the loose strands of a messy knot piled high on my head and a chorus from everything living sang with sweet lullabies to my soul.

The peace of it all captured my thoughts as I marveled at the breathtaking livelihood of life.

It is Spring and technically a time of new growth, yet there in the boughs of towering tree was a lifeless limb caught up in it’s spindly vines.

It’s likely a storm had severed this part. The tangled timber was more of a stick now… the color had drained from its bark, but the branches weren’t ready to let go.

Isn’t that just like life sometimes?

A storm sweeps through, devastating our status or symbol of life. The winds snap off a chapter, but our arms cling to the kindling because we fear letting go.

When a field stops producing fruit, we have to accept what has refused to come back to life; we have to let it go.

Disappointment. Divorce. Death.

With a very tender heart and deep compassion, I offer only a trail of my own tears when I whisper these words to you.

Our mind likes to circle a barren crop, hoping a seed will magically produce by staring at it long enough, when we need to cut it down, pile it up, and let it burn.

As tears sizzle over the embers.

True, God sometimes chooses to resurrect something that has died.

And other times He wants us to call it what it is – dead – and let it go, knowing that He is good. And He is for us.

We’re reminded in the book of John that God prunes branches that bear no fruit so that they will sprout more. And what does not yield produce over time is “thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.” – John 15:6

Life is about growth.

God is all about the fruit.

You can huff and puff, but trying to resuscitate what’s not coming back to life just leaves you out of breath.

Sift the seeds of your life through the threshing floor of Christ to separate the dead from the living.

Don’t overlook the wholesome hindrances that have overstayed their season; sometimes these are the hardest to let go of because they are easier to rationalize. They’re not wrong; they’re just not right, right now.

Perhaps our ego may need to be shown the exit door first.

What doesn’t reap a harvest, what fails to resurrect in the sunshine and showers, finally needs to go.

That doesn’t mean you forget.

Some things are too sensitive or significant to let slip from memory.

These words are woven with empathy when I say, if it is gone, let it go. If it is possible to move the reminder from your sight where it has become a monument to your sadness and loss, pile it up and carry it off.

His wings will shelter you in the shadows and keep your sacred heart safe in the storm. He does not leave a life empty.

He will either restore the sterile or plant something brand-new. Know with all your faith that a fresh seed will sprout soon. Hold on to your expectation that it will be more than you can imagine.

His promise is to fertilize a flourishing future for you. He nurtures and cultivates the soil with great care and comfort.

Give it space. Sunshine. Water it with your tears if you must. And you will surely live to see His faithfulness sprout out of the seasoned soil.

Our breaths are too brief to spend another inhale grieving what could have been. Release your fears. You are stronger than you think.

Stretch out your arms and don’t let the storms scare you from pain.

Let go of what is broken and trust, for it is to your Father’s glory that you bear much fruit.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3

Posted on Saturday, March 28, 2015

Keeping perspective on the purpose

Who says the first of the year is the only time we can begin new things? It’s Spring. A season of renewal and the perfect time to make a fresh start on those dream/goals most of us have abandoned since the first of the year.

I am right there with you.

So I blew off the dust on my crumpled up plan and renewed the vision by starting with one step. This new website. Then I took another step. A video blog.

It’s difficult to persevere in our discipline when progress is slow, distractions are mounting and the dream is yet too far out to see. Here’s an idea that may help you get back on track with your purpose.

Posted on Friday, March 6, 2015

The Dream Team

Accomplishing a dream isn’t just about how we spend each day but also with whom we’re spending it.

Everyone needs a dream team. A team of people you dream with; a core community who encourages dreams into reality.

I believe who we surround our life with reflects what we believe about our own heart. Who they are, is who we will also become.

“He who walks with wise men will be wise.” Proverbs 13:20

It is okay to be selfish and hang around people who will make you better.

Pruning off relationships that are not adding to your life is essential to pushing through the problems and pressing into the promise.

It’s easy for my days to become unfocused, distracted, and wasted. Yet, I have responsibility to use my time wisely. So I hand-selected wisdom as accountability, while I hustle out the details of my dream.

Together, we expect breakthroughs and snafu’s. We climb the mountains side by side, and scout new horizons ahead.

We’re the high-five waiting after a cleared hurdle and a strong hand reaching out through the struggle. We speak sunrises into the storms and cast vision and victory into perceived defeat.

Everybody is dealing with something. There will be things that frustrate you, things you don’t understand.

We can’t see God’s best if our team is weak. Evaluate your inner circle and who you’re investing in. Get the right people in your life. Those seeds you sow will create the harvest you need that will not only take you out of the valley—It will lead you to a new level.

You need a crew to help you navigate uncharted territory. You need aviators to co-pilot the rise out of ruins.

When you have a great team, no matter where you are in life, no matter what comes against you, you won’t be alone. You will not be forgotten. The star of the team, God, remembers you. He never forgets the dreams He’s put on the inside.

Stack the deck of your dream team and prepare to soar into your destiny.

Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2015

A Cookie Cutter Choice

God’s commands aren’t as vague and gray as we like to think they are in the moments of contemplating compromise.

Stepping up to the treadmill, my body is aching from the 3/4 quart of ice cream I binged on last night. I regret the lack of brilliance in that decision now, but the Academy Awards were on! My lack of self control around sweets is a story for another day. However, because of my addiction, it also didn’t phase me a few months ago when a cookie company was “erroneously” charging my credit card nearly every day for spoonfuls of sugar. Back to this story though…

Some of the best thinking I do happens when I’m running. And for this, I wish they made treadmills with voice command so I could work out of the mind as I work out the flesh.

Side note here: the other day I watched a man carry in a bowling bag with a tabletop fan, that he plugged into the treadmill outlet and bung-ied to the front of the machine interface… in. the. gym! For an hour he ran like this and it has me thinking possibilities of a laptop tied to the front of my machine could be a reality.

Today in mid-run, I began to daydream about the smoothie bar on the main level of the gym, which should be considered free with as much as some gym memberships cost (not naming names but just because it’s a nonprofit, doesn’t make it cheap, so I have learned).

Surely after that sweet potato pancake and eggs an hour earlier, I was not hungry for a smoothie. Yet, the thought was there and I could clearly see the hand-painted, wood plank sign hanging above the bar that read, “Christie’s”.

That name was resonating in my mind a bit because it sounded similar to that aforementioned cookie company I circled with over identity theft some weeks back. Seriously, I cannot believe someone was spending $5.60 daily on cookie calories! Sounds like a waste.

But in all fairness, I spend that much in smoothies almost daily, so I understand compulsive purchases.

Do you think…?

Nah, the likelihood of a cookie company owning a smoothie bar in a gym seems far stretched to me. But that is strange how the series of cookie charges showing on my statements were consistent with what I think I spend on smoothies.

Coincidence?

Then, it hit in the snap of a second. My face went from beat red running to a whiter shade of pale as I stopped stunned in my steps.

There are no coincidences.

I made a mistake! Oh no, I made a mistake!

Over weeks of conference calls and open investigations combing through evidence, the legal departments concluded someone swiped my card, but it wasn’t me. Nearly $100 was credited back to my account and the case was closed. I had won.

cookie cutter Winning in this life isn’t everything. In fact, compared to the paradoxical freedom in following God’s precepts, winning in this life is nothing.

Liberty is discovered through the will of God rather than our own desires. Sometimes we need to forfeit winnings here to gain earnings in heaven.

It is a cookie cutter choice to make. You’re either in the will of God or you’re not. You either trust Him or you don’t.

Trust me, the devil asked if I really wanted to go through the hassle of reopening a closed case. And he gave me four more chances to walk away with the money and my time in hand, as the bank, credit card, dispute department and fraud division all attempted to talk me out of the work unfolding from this decision.

There is nothing worth more than our love and desire to obey God.

Oh Lord, your reminders of how good you are just blow my mind and break my heart. You are so good to us. Help me to remember your goodness always and give me the strength to never trade it in for something less than the freedom You alone provide.

Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Breaking through and not breaking down

When God has a breakthrough for us, the devil brings a breakdown. The more faith you live with, the more fear the enemy stirs up.

Essentially, the enemy releases resistance to hold you back, but God uses that resistance to strengthen the heart muscle for an increase. When you are met with push back, this is the time to push through the burn and work that faith muscle to exhaustion.

Hold out your hope! Rest is around the corner.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Exercise doesn’t evoke excitement from many people. But we push through to build endurance. We burn out muscles til tiny tears break into the deeper fibers of our strength, and repair themselves when we rest. This is what produces results! Here’s where we see the increase.

Here’s another truth about breakthroughs: You can’t live out today on yesterday’s faith.

As your strength increases, so must the weight of resistance and level of endurance. As you stretch those muscles to reach new goals today, it will require heavier lifting and longer distances to see the benefit and growth tomorrow.

Yesterday’s routines won’t work on what’s required of you today.

You may need the edge of additional experience or education. Perhaps it’s an increase in peace or prayer. Maybe it’s more like-minded relationships or intentional living.

If you’re ready for the rise, it’s time to press into the pain and prepare for a gain.

Here’s a final story I want to share with you.

Last week, I woke up the morning of an important meeting that would circle the completion of a book I’m writing. Locking up my house before dawn even broke the horizon, I stood stunned in shock. It appeared as if a violent storm took place within the confines of my car. Opening the driver side door, I noticed a mess in my passenger seat; a scattering of invitations to church that once sat neatly in the console.

Is it strange my heart smiled with compassion at this?

It reminded me that God meets us all no matter where we’re at or how deep we’re in it. We could be making a mess of a situation and He’s there in it, reaching out to invite us back to Him.

Naturally, my hope is that one of these invitations to church made it into the burglar’s bag of my belongings and in this moment is nudging him/her from a nightstand. Not because I care about getting my stuff back (although the RayBans would be nice), but moreso that a hurting heart who felt there was nowhere else to turn that night would find Jesus is all he/she ever needed.

Maybe your heart is breaking over a lost dream or relationship… God is meeting you there. Maybe you are breaking through… He is on the other side waiting on you.

Lean into the resistance to see results. Whatever you’re facing, just remember a showdown with the devil is God’s opportunity to show off; He is the one and only, great I AM.

Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2015

90 days to love

Christmas could barely go on clearance before St. Valentine claimed every corner, clothing the shelves in his deep crimson and dark chocolates. My December decorations are still being dusted because I believe in buying lots of red and letting it roll over into February’s festivities. That’s efficiency!

This time of year gets me giddy. My cupid bow draws back and aims arrows at admiring, unsuspecting targets. I began praying for people to share God’s love with when my pastor challenged the church with a message that struck a string in my bow. He cited Acts 20:35, “it is more blessed to give than receive” and followed it up with an extreme example out of 2 Corinthians. Paul was trying to inspire the Corinthians to give to the Jerusalem church, so he shared a story about how the Christian Macedonians (a people group) lived in deep poverty and yet gave a massive gift.

In the midst of a severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. 2 Corinthians 8:2

Then my pastor pressed in with his question, When is the last time you gave as much as you were able?

Irrational generosity.

Setting aside fear of a financial repercussion, the next day I withdrew stacks of five dollar bills from my bank. Instead of offering “ones” every time someone had their hand out, I would round up and give them five.

Sometimes my heart does deceitful things, like wishing there wasn’t a homeless person in my path so I don’t have to dig for a dollar. I get wrapped up in my own inconvenience and lose sight of the blessing that is received when I give.

There’s one intersection I pass by every day where I can count on someone standing by with a cardboard sign or a bundle of newspapers trying to make a buck. With my mint mass of fives tucked deep in my purse, I offered a crisp bill to the man. His eyes stared intently as his words cut deep into my soul: Don’t think we don’t bless you ma’am, because we do. We bless you from the bottom of our hearts.

For hours my thoughts were disturbed. The Spirit was summoning me for more.

A dear friend mentioned he prepares bags of water and granola bars to hand out to the homeless versus cash. It’s a clever idea considering the cost savings to buy in bulk. While a box of granola bars may cost three dollars, for a coupon clipper and strategist like me, a variety bag of snacks and water wouldn’t be much more than four quarters.

Here’s the other thing though, I love how thoughtful this idea is. The time it takes to shop and prepare packages in advance to hand out means something to the heart. To me, it displays God’s love for us before we ever met. It moves my heart to know He was thinking of me before I laid eyes on Him. That’s the kind of love I want to pass on.

Irrational generosity.

During brunch on Saturday, I was sharing this idea with a girlfriend. She noted her own struggles with being generous and a desire to do something different. Before our plates were empty, we had upped the ante by placing a 90-day challenge on our generosity.

God, we are expecting you to show up in our lives even bigger than before during these next three months as we step out in faith to give like we’ve never given before.

Irrational generosity.

Valentine’s day is coming up, in case you needed another reminder. But it’s a perfect opportunity to share love with these unsuspecting homeless hands. So, we bought candy bars and sorted through stacks of valentine cards for inspiring words. Then we prayed for God’s message to write on the back.

To: A child chosen and loved, forgiven and set free by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through Him, you are victorious!

From: The Name above all Names. Your Peace, Provider, and Constant Companion who is still on the throne. I AM, the one who is for you!

Packed in bottles of water, granola bars, peanuts, crackers, and the valentine is also an invitation to church.

My girlfriend and I have decreed to purposely pursue one person a day to share God’s love with. For 90 days, we will pass out these packages with expectation! After the three months, at least 180 hearts will be impacted by our irrational love and generosity. 20150125_185754

Now that feels about right.

Irrational generosity.

I am journaling the journey and can’t wait to share with you!

Trisha Keehn

Living in the midst of gravity and grace. Biblical perspective for when life doesn't make sense.

Category Archives: Living the Christian Life

Caught in the cross hairs of conflict

Don’t wait for the storms to pass

learn to dance in the rain

Strength through the struggle

Let It Go

So something new can grow

Keeping perspective on the purpose

The Dream Team

Breaking through and not breaking down

90 days to love