Author Archives: Amanda Manney

About Amanda Manney

Hi friend, thanks for stopping by! I'm Amanda. I am a pastor's wife and a homeschooling mom who has a passion to encourage women to faithfully step every day into what God has for them.

Have You Ever Tried a Sabbath Day?

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photo credit: Luca Bravo

Why Did We Start Having a Sabbath Day?

Our Sabbath day is my most favorite day of the week! Well, maybe it is tied with Sunday– because I do love an awesome day at church, followed by a yummy meal and good company to share it with. Anyway, about a year ago, our schedule was so crazy and Matt and I were constantly worn out and frustrated with each other and with the kids. We decided to start making Monday a Sabbath day for us, just for a few weeks to see if we liked it. Well, we loved it! So we have kept it ever since.

What is a Sabbath Day?

Our Sabbath day is simply a day of rest, and it is based on a principle from the Bible. God, the Creator, Who never is weary, took the seventh day of Creation to model rest to us. He must have really thought it was important!

A day of rest is different for everybody. There are so many ways to incorporate it. A lot of people do a day of rest on Sunday, but our Sundays are too full. Because Matt is a pastor, our Sundays are busy from the Sunday morning service, the fellowship afterwards, and the company and lunch at our house in the afternoon. Sundays are awesome, but not restful. So we do a rest day on Monday. We keep it pretty simple. Here is what it looks like for us:

The kids have the day off. I home school, so we have this flexibility. They do school on Saturday instead of Monday. So on Mondays, they are allowed to play all day, play games on a tablet, or watch something.
Matt doesn’t do any church work. He has extra time to read, watch something, take a nap, etc.
I can’t take the day totally off because I need to cook and keep the house running. But I try to do minimal housework and cooking if possible. I try to read, take a nap, and just relax. Sometimes I do extra cooking, but simply for enjoyment.

Mondays have become a favorite day for our family, but we have to work at it. We try not to schedule anything on Mondays. We have to be intentional to force ourselves to take the time to rest, read, and rejuvenate.

What are the Benefits of a Sabbath Day?

Having a Sabbath day on Monday totally transforms our week. Matt and I actually get more accomplished in our week when we totally take off Monday. It sounds so counterproductive, but it really works. We also are so much more at peace. And on the weeks that are really busy, and we are just trying to push through, we encourage ourselves with the fact that Monday is coming! We can push today, because we can rest on Monday.

There are so many benefits to a Sabbath day.

It slows you down. It’s a break from the rush of every other day.
It’s a chance for extra rest.
You get a chance to spend time doing whatever hobby you choose, without feeling gulity.
It brings peace to the rest of the week.

What Does a Sabbath Day Look Like?

Here is what a recent Sabbath day looked like for us. Matt and I both slept in. When the kids got up, they just grabbed a tablet quietly. We got up refreshed and relaxed, lit our favorite apple pumpkin candle, opened all the windows to let the fresh fall breeze in, and grabbed our Bibles (and I grabbed my journal), and we sat and read our Bibles and prayed quietly at the dining room table.

After we finished, we moved into the kitchen to do some food prep for the week. Matt came in and helped, and we worked together and just talked. We cut and peeled apples for homemade applesauce from the apples we picked at a farm. I put some pork in the crock pot for dinner, and made a brunch of banana bread, kielbasa, and eggs for everybody. After everybody ate and cleaned up, the kids went back to playing. I grabbed a book and read for a while. Then it was naptime for everybody.

After a good nap, I got up, prepped dinner, and made some paleo brownies for dessert. Everybody got up from their naps, helped get ready for dinner, and then sat down to eat. After dinner and clean up, I had time to read again for a little bit. Soon it was time for bed for the kiddos. We got all four kids in jammies, teeth brushed, and in bed and read to them for a little while. After that, I worked on my lesson plans for school for the week, and made my meal plan and grocery list for the week. I finished off the night with a little bit more reading time.

I told Matt that night, it had been the perfect fall Sabbath day. Now every Monday is not that perfect, but we are trying.

What Could a Sabbath Day Look Like for You?

So many people do their day of rest differently. Here a few ideas to get you thinking.

Maybe Sunday works best for you. You go to church, grab lunch out (so you don’t have to cook), come home, get a nap, and read. Sunday evening is church, or small group, or family time at home.
Some ladies do a half day one day and a half day the next day. For example, maybe Friday afternoon into Saturday morning is your Sabbath day. Friday afternoons are a time of rest and free time. Dinner is pizza delivery so you don’t have to cook. You watch a family movie together and get to bed at a good time. Saturday morning is a chance for more free time and an easy brunch, or everybody takes care of their own food. Then once noon hits, the schedule picks back up; but you don’t schedule anything on Friday nights or Saturday mornings.
Or maybe your Sabbath day is during the week. Maybe it’s Tuesdays. After you get the kids off to school, you take the remaining hours until school is done to rest, and do something that rejuvenates you. Maybe you grab a cup of coffee and do your Bible reading and prayer for the day. You fit in a nap and a chance to watch that movie you have been wanting to. When the kids come home, you are rested and relaxed and ready to jump back into “Mom” mode.
Note: Don’t underestimate the need for a Sabbath even if you don’t have kids or are single. You still need scheduled time for rest, doing something that you enjoy, and a break from your crazy schedule.

Is it Worth It?

It takes time and creativity to make a day of rest work with your schedule, but the payoff is so worth it. Start small. If you can’t take a whole day off, pick an afternoon or an evening. Try it for just three weeks and see if you don’t notice a huge difference, like we did!

Letting Jesus Carry Me Through Today

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My Attitude Stinks

Yesterday, my attitude stank. I was cranky, despondent, discouraged, and frustrated. I was frustrated with some circumstances in my life, I didn’t feel like eating right, I didn’t feel like being nice to my kids, I felt like I deserved a break.

Matt talked to me and tried to encourage me, but I was in a foul mood. It was just a bad day. I decided to go to bed early and get some good sleep. Amazingly this morning, I woke up encouraged, filled with hope, and ready to face the day.

What Was the Difference between Yesterday and Today?

So what was the difference between yesterday and today? Both days I spent time with God in prayer and Bible reading. None of my circumstances changed from yesterday to today. The only thing that changed was my attitude and a good night’s sleep. I woke up this morning to a fresh new day. I was reminded of one of my favorite Bible verses.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is they faithfulness.”

I often hear people misquote this verse. They say that the Lord’s faithfulness is new every morning. While it is true that God is always faithful, that is not exactly what the verse is saying. This verse says that God’s compassions are new every morning.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines compassion as “a suffering with another; pity; commiseration; a mixed passion compounded of love and sorrow.” If we put this definition back into the verse, it says that God suffers through our day with us in pity and commiseration mixed with love. Why does God do this? Because He knows and understands we live in a sinful world full of grief, heartache, problems, and pain. He simply chooses to walk with us through the pain each and every day.

So if you feel like you can’t make it through today, remember that Jesus is hurting with you. Lean on Him and let Him carry you through today. Tomorrow will come, and just as sure as the sun will rise, Jesus will be there again to walk beside you.

I Have Nothing To Prove

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(Note: The link in this post is an affiliate link, and I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking on my link. Please read my disclosure policy here.)

Trying to Prove My Worth

I just finished reading the book Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard by Jennie Allen. It was such a great book! The title alone says it all!

I have spent so many years of my life trying to prove my worth, trying to measure up to the next person, trying to find my value in what I do. After years of trying and failing, I have finally come to realize– It’s not going to happen. I am never going to measure up to somebody else because I am not them. I am me, and I am learning to be okay with that.

There is so much peace to be found when we finally realize and live like we have nothing to prove. In her book, Jennie says,

So many of our problems come when imperfect people try to act as if they have it all together…We hide behind images we create of happy, clean, impressive lives. We are exhausted. Because if you create an image to hide behind, you’ll have to spend all your energy holding it up.

It is the simple things that will change the world… You do the simple work of loving God and loving people. It is messy, hard, not too glamorous. And that sounds like Jesus.

If you are tired of trying to measure up and live up to everybody else’s standards, then I highly recommend this book. It’s an invitation to look at life from a completely new point of view– one that realizes you can stop trying so hard because you have absolutely nothing to prove!

When You Can’t See God Working in Your Life

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When You Can’t See God

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: (Job 23:8-9)

These verses written by Job thousands of years ago, accurately describe many people’s lives today. Have you ever felt like Job– that no matter which way you turn, you can’t see God working in your life? I have. Sometimes life gets so complicated. We try our best to do all the “right” things. We go to church, we read our Bible, we love our family and care for them, we are kind to others… we do everything we are supposed to do. Yet, we don’t feel His presence, we can’t see Him working in our life, and we sense that His hand of blessing and favor is not on us.

What do you do when you hit a dry spell like this?

God Sees Me

Job was facing deep discouragement when he wrote these verses. He had just lost all of his wealth and possessions and his children. During this time of tragedy, he looked for God but couldn’t find Him anywhere. He knew God’s hand of blessing had been taken off his life, but he didn’t know why. Job questions God’s presence during this difficult time, but he moves on rather quickly in the next verse.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

During this season of life when he couldn’t see God, Job chose to believe that God was still actively involved in His life. He trusted that God was watching over him and taking notice of what Job was doing.

It is during times of discouragement and uncertainty that I have to choose to believe that God is actively present and watching over me. Questioning God during this time doesn’t help. I have to trust that He sees me, even though I may not be able to see Him right now.

Photo credit: Geran de Klerk

Questioning God Doesn’t Help

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Questioning God sounds so horribly wrong, yet most of us do it the moment a trial comes into our life or things don’t go as we had planned.

I have been reading the book of Job as a part of my morning time. Job has so many amazing hidden gems in it. If you have been around church for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the story of Job. Job’s ten children died on the same day that he lost all his livestock and servants. Soon after that, Job lost his health. Job went from being incredibly wealthy and a well-known man of means, to a nobody who lost everything.

Where Is God?

Job 23 finds Job in the midst of his suffering. He is desperately trying to understand what is going on in his life and where God is during this time.

Oh that I knew where I might find him (God)! that I might come even to his seat! (verse 3)

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. (verse 4)

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. (verse 5)

As you read these words, can you feel Job’s desperation? His greatest desire in the midst of his trial is to find God. He wants to argue his case before God. He wants to ask the questions that we all desire to ask of God when we are in a trial. Why God? Why me? What have I done wrong? Where are You? Do you see my pain? Do you care?

Will God Answer?

Job wants to ask God these questions; then He wants to hear God’s answers. What would God say? Job wants to know and be able to understand God’s answers. The next few words out of Job’s mouth give a really good picture of the wisdom that Job has. Job says in the first part of verse 6:

Will he plead against me with his great power? No… (verse 6)

The word plead here means “to grapple, to contend, to debate.” Job ponders– “If I was able to plead my case directly with God Himself and ask Him all my questions, would He debate with me?” Don’t miss Job’s answer. He answers for God– no. Deep in his heart, Job knows that even if he had a chance to talk to God about his pain and hurt that God would not use His great power to force Job to see things God’s way.

God Doesn’t Give an Explanation

Job recognized that God doesn’t owe us an explanation. Even if He did give us an explanation, our finite minds couldn’t even understand it. God is not going to fight with us to prove His point or debate with us. That is not how our loving Heavenly Father works.

Notice the next few words from Job:

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. (verse 6)

Job understood that God was not going to debate with him to answer his questions. Instead, Job understood that God would simply fill him with strength to endure his trial.

We Won’t Get the Answers Now

As much as we want answers, I don’t know that it would change anything. I don’t even know if I would want to know. It could be painful. What if God told me right now why our church plant won’t take off– would I want to know? If God were to tell my mom why she has had a debilitating disease most of her life– would it make it any easier? If God told my dear friend why her precious grandson got cancer and passed away just weeks before his 20th birthday– would the pain be any easier to bear?

As much as we want answers, even demand them, God knows we probably couldn’t handle them. So until we get to Heaven, God just gives us the strength to handle what comes our way.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. (Psalm 18:30, 32)

Photo credit: Jordan Whitt

The Best Part of a Beach Vacation

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Matt with our crazies at the beach

Summertime at the Beach

It’s summertime! For us, that means it’s time to pack up and head to the beach for a few days. There are a few reasons I love going to the beach for a week. First of all, it’s a change of pace. I get to take a break from schedules, to-do-lists, and pressures. I get to spend more time playing with my kids and talking with my husband and extended family. Second, it’s a change of place. Because I am not at home, I don’t have as many responsibilities to tend to. I get extra time to read and relax.

My Favorite Thing to Do at the Beach

But my most favorite reason for spending a week at the beach is the chance to get closer to God. My favorite thing to do is to get up early in the morning, make a cup of coffee, grab my Bible and my journal and head outside to the patio. Outside I feel the cool breeze and hear the lull of the waves. I soak in the peace and quiet and beauty of the early morning and begin the best part of my day.

I open my journal and write down my praises, my sins to confess, and my prayer requests for the day. Next, I pray through those; then I usually spend a few extra minutes just talking to God and telling Him what’s on my heart. After that, I take a few minutes to be quiet and still. Finally, I open my Bible and read.

The peace that I feel when I have finished my morning time with God is amazing. It is always good to spend time with God, but there is something extra special about it at the beach! I always feel closer to God when I am at the beach. I love that feeling of closeness.

Getting Closer to God

One morning while I was at the beach, I read James chapter 4 and came across a familiar verse.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

I love this verse, and I spent a few minutes thinking about it. This verse is so simple, yet so profound. Sometimes I come to a point where I feel so far away from God. I feel like He doesn’t hear me, like He isn’t there for me. During these times, I need to remember that God hasn’t gone anywhere; He is still right where He was. It’s me that’s moved. Maybe I have gotten too busy to hear His voice in the rush of things, maybe I haven’t spent as much time as I need to in my morning time with Him, or maybe sin has separated me from feeling His presence. Whatever the case, this verse is a reminder to draw close to God once again. I need to stop the craziness, grab my Bible and journal, and spend some quality time talking to God, listening to Him, and reading His Word.

The beach is my favorite place to get closer to God, but I don’t have to be at the beach for that to happen. I simply have to choose to take the time and effort to draw close to God, and He in turn will draw close to me.

The Only Difference Between Winners and Losers

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Desiring to Win

We all want to be winners in life, don’t we? We want to win in our finances, our jobs, our homes, our marriages, our kids, and so much more. I do too; so I read books, listen to podcasts, subscribe to blogs, take classes, and continue to learn and grow. Yet I feel so often like I am not making progress. The goals I had last year are the same goals I have for this year. The dreams I have are just that–they are still dreams. I want to do amazing things and accomplish great goals, yet I feel like I am stuck.

Spinning My Wheels

Sometimes I feel like I am just spinning my wheels; I feel like I am never going to accomplish what I want to accomplish. I take a few steps forward and then everything comes crashing down. We start getting out of debt; then unexpected circumstances and bills put us behind. I start making progress getting my house organized and cleaned; then I get sick and the whole house turns into a disaster zone. Our small church starts to gain a little momentum and grow; then we lose two families. I feel like I’m making progress in being a more loving mom to my kids; then something happens and I totally lose it and yell at my kids.

Getting Back Up Again

I was listening to preaching the other day and heard this quote that caught my attention:

“Everybody wins, and everybody loses. The difference between winners and losers is that winners get back up again.” (Rick Warren, Saddleback Church)

Hearing him say that was such an encouragement, because I fail so often! The Bible has something to say about this concept in the book of Proverbs.

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:1

The only difference between winners and losers is that winners choose to get back up again. They don’t give up. They choose to stand back up after failure, brush themselves off, and go at it again.

Trolls Song

My kids love watching the movie Trolls that came out a few months ago. In the movie, Poppy, the main character, sings a song called Get Back Up Again. I love the lyrics! It goes right in line with this thought.

Hey!
I’m not giving up today
There’s nothing getting in my way
And if you knock-knock me over
I will get back up again
Oh!
If something goes a little wrong
Well you can go ahead and bring it on
‘Cause if you knock-knock me over, I will get back up again

Do you have any dreams that you have given up on? What failures have knocked you down? Choose today to stand up, brush yourself off and go at it again. You got this!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Spontaneous Summer Fun

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Pool Fun– my kids and my sister’s kids (minus one of her kids that wasn’t around for this pic)

I am a very planned-out person. I love making plans, schedules, to-do lists, etc. I am not one of those spur-of-the moment types of people. Some people call that boring; I call it productive. Anyway, it is something I am trying to work on. I want to be a more fun person to be around, especially for my kids! Well, this week I got my chance to work on it.

On Sunday night around 11pm, just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone rang. I picked it up and looked at it. It was my sister. I answered, and she told me that she and her husband and four kids were headed on family vacation the next day. They were going to be stopping just about an hour away from our house, and she wanted to know if we wanted to meet up with them. We only get to see them once or twice a year, so this was really exciting news. I hesitated for just a split second, thinking about how I would make all the details work. I stopped myself before I could talk myself out of it and said, “Yes. We would love to!” We finished talking and hung up.

I realized as I hung up that I didn’t really know any of the details, or how this was all going to work. I looked at my husband and said, “So, we are going to meet up with my sister and her kiddos tomorrow. Is that OK?” He graciously said yes, and we went to bed.

The next morning was a flurry of activity, getting our kids up and ready for the day. They were ecstatic when we told them they were going to spend the day with their cousins. My sister asked the manager at the hotel they were staying at if it would be OK for us to come swim with them.The manager said it was fine. So we grabbed swimsuits, towels, goggles, pool noodles, and packed the van and hit the road.

We met them for a fun lunch at Sonic. Then we headed back to their hotel to get ready to swim. Sometime during the craziness of getting seven kids ages eight and under ready to go swimming in one small hotel room, my husband came and told me that he was going to book us a room for the night. My initial “planner” personality kicked in… We didn’t plan that into our budget. What about clothes? What about cosmetics? But I decided in that moment to put all that aside and just roll with it– definitely something I am not good at doing.

two little girls sitting on edge of pool having fun

Our two little girls– cousins

We ended up having an amazing time! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time! We had so much fun swimming together. That night we all went to Friday’s for dinner. You should have seen the hostess’s face when we asked for a table for 12! We got endless appetizers and yummy meals and enjoyed talking and laughing some more. After dinner, we went back to the pool and let the kids go swimming again. I ran to Dollar Tree and got a few cosmetics and then hit Target to grab t-shirts for our family for the next day.

It all worked out. It was a crazy but amazing 24 hours. I can’t think of how much I would have missed if I had said no. It’s summer! It’s the time for crazy plans, pool parties, and family fun. I am so glad I just said yes and went with it!

What is something you have done that was crazy and last minute but turned out awesome? I would love to hear about it! Leave me a message in the comments section!

Five of the eight cousins waiting for a table at Friday’s

A Book Every Christian Should Read

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Imagine Heaven Book Review

(Note: The link in this post is an affiliate link, and I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking on my link. Please read my disclosure policy here.)

A Skeptic

I just finished reading Imagine Heaven by John Burke. Matt bought this book to read as preparation for a sermon series on Heaven. At first, I was really skeptical about the book. I have always been skeptical of near death experiences and people who claim to have gone to Heaven and seen Jesus, but Matt started telling me about the first chapter and I was hooked. I decided to read it, and I am so glad I did! It changed my thinking on a very deep level about Heaven and how we see Jesus and much more. I read a lot of books, but this book has just moved to the top of my list of books I recommend.

The Controversy

I do realize that this is a very controversial topic and book. There are good leaders and pastors on both sides of the issue. I think it is definitely worth the read no matter which side you are on. The simple fact is that people are curious about Heaven. They’re reading books and watching movies about Heaven. Whatever your preconceived ideas are, put them away and read the book with an open mind. It will challenge the way you think about Heaven, life here on earth, Jesus, what is to come, God’s love, and so much more!

When God Doesn’t Meet My Need

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The Struggle

It seems that no matter how long we have been married, how much we have learned and grown, finances still seem to get the best of us. We just always seem to have trials based on money. I don’t know why. It must be our Achilles heel. Well, this year has been no exception. We had dentist appointments in March. Dentist appointments for our whole family are expensive! Add to that, one of our children always needs extra work done– which is always costly. So we were already behind financially when we found out from our accountant (nine days before taxes were due) that our payroll company had messed up our taxes last year. We now owed a nice chunk of money to the IRS. We had some other minor bills that added to the stress of all this until it felt like it was just too much.

I get into these kinds of situations and panic. I know God is going to take care of us, and I know we are going to be fine. But the “planner” side of me starts to panic, especially when it doesn’t work out on paper. For weeks, I prayed and prayed, asked our kids to pray, and asked Matt to pray that God would miraculously provide all the money we needed. God didn’t answer that prayer; He didn’t provide extra money to help us out. Frankly, it didn’t feel like He was listening. When the time came for each of the bills to be paid, we were able to scrape together money, take money from our savings account, moved money from one place to another, and barely pay our bills.

I don’t know why God sometimes provides for these kinds of needs and doesn’t at other times. We have had other times that an unexpected bill came or some other financial need, and God miraculously provided for it. Someone will send us a check in the mail, or somebody will give us money at church. Not this time. This time God seemed to be silent, almost like He was leaving it up to us to figure out.

Learning to Suffer Need

There are some interesting verses that caught my attention when I was wrestling in my mind and prayer life with all of this. These verses, written by Paul, are found in the book of Philippians. I read these verses in my devotions one morning, and they were such an encouragement to me.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Philippians 4:12

I love how these verses are written, because I feel like they are a description of my life! There have been times in my life when I feel like God has opened the windows of Heaven and poured out His blessings financially into our lives. When we first started the work of getting ready to plant a church, I felt like this happened. God blessed and blessed us financially. We had so much money given to us and to the church. Soon after we started the church, though, it felt as if God turned the flow of blessings off. We have had many times of need since then. I feel just like Paul– I know both how to abound and how to suffer need.

Encouragement from Paul

What I find so interesting is the verse that comes next. The next verse is so familiar to me, but I don’t think I have ever put it into context before.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Paul says he knows both how to abound and how to suffer need, and then he writes that He can do all things through Christ. I love this! Paul’s philosophy was this: “Whether abundance comes my way or great need, God will strengthen me to be able to handle it.” What an encouragement! God allows everything into my life for a reason, and He will give me the strength to be able to handle it.

I so needed this encouragement that God was not ignoring our needs. He did know and did care. Maybe He was allowing us to go through this time of need, just like Paul, so that through it we could say, “We made it through because Christ strengthened us.” God could so easily provide the money, but perhaps this was about so much more than money. Maybe He wanted to work on my heart instead, the part that has to trust Him completely. We have trusted God through financial difficulties before when He provided the money, but could we trust Him this time, even if He didn’t provide the money?

Are you are going through a season of need right now? Maybe it’s hospital bills, maybe it’s a mountain of debt, maybe it’s unemployment, maybe it’s a paycheck that just never seems to be enough to meet your family’s needs… Whatever it is, God sees your need, and He is allowing you to suffer that need right now. I don’t know why or how it is all going to work out, but I know Jesus will strengthen you to be able to handle it. You can make it through and be able to say, like Paul, “Whether abundance comes my way or great need, God will strengthen me to be able to handle it.”