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Busy, Forgetful Girl: You Can Memorize Large Portions of Scripture

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“Dear 25 year old self,

Today is your 20th Birthday. I don’t know if you will still be on earth for your 25th birthday.

But assuming you are still in the trenches, here are some hopes, dreams and prayers from your 20 year old self. ”

It’s become a tradition of mine to take time to remember the goodness of God and plan for the future every New Year’s and every birthday. Last summer on my 20th I did this in the form of a letter to my future-self.

One particular set of hopeful words buried in that letter have provided more motivation than I could have ever imagined when they dripped from my pen.

Exposing the Inner Beauty Lie

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I smiled inwardly as the door shut behind the last guest and silence flooded my house. It had been a good evening. My mind replayed the events while my hands quickly loaded a stack of coffee mugs and crummy plates into the dishwasher. Encouraging conversations, laughter and deeper friendships left me with much to praise God for. 

With the kitchen cleaned up I made my way downstairs to get ready for bed. Before removing my contacts I took a quick glance in the mirror and my happy heart instantly began to waver on the brink of insecurity and depression . . .

Desiderio Domini – I Dearly Long for My Lord

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After the ascension of Christ, it was often noted by the saints that the Apostle Peter would cry. When a cock would crow, it would often move the apostle to tears. But, there were other times, too, when, for no apparent reason, the big framed fisherman would sob. One day, a young believer dared to approach the mighty man of God and ask the question that was on everyone’s heart. Peter, why do you cry? The Apostle looked at the young man and said, “Desiderio Domini.” Peter’s actual words were not latin, but this is how history has preserved his famed utterance – this is the grief-strained words that have passed down through Christian history and have moved so many that have read them. For, in English, the phrase Desiderio Domini means, “because, I dearly long for my Lord.” . . .

To the Girl Who Struggles with Reading the Bible – Part 1

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“I struggle with reading the Bible, I have my whole life. After over 60 years of being a Christian I thought I would be better at it.”

I listened in astonishment as this seasoned Christian woman shared her struggle of reading God’s word consistently with our discussion group of about a dozen women. And when our group leader proceeded to ask if anyone else struggled with reading the Bible I was completely taken off guard by the response. Every single woman raised her hand. Some found it difficult to be consistent, others were frustrated that they don’t get more out of Bible reading.

Obviously this is a big struggle for a lot of you. […]

katie@girlofjoy.org

 

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