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If You Set An Empty Plate This Year

All The Things, Home Sweet Home, The Blog

If you set an empty plate this year, God sees you in your pain and your grief. He sees you going to all of the celebrations without the person you love and trying to keep it together, trying to maintain normal for your people. He sees the hole in your heart that you...

12 Days of Christmas

By Melissa Cheatham

Faith Matters, Family, The Blog

So not to alert anybody, but there are 12 days until Christmas. The main question I am asked this time of year is, "Are you ready for Christmas?" And my mind immediately goes to my unending to-do list of unwrapped gifts, Christmas cards not sent, groceries to be...

What To Do When God Gives You The Opposite of What You Ask For

By Kirstin Ricketts

Faith Matters, The Blog

God can be trusted, I know He can...yet sometimes I can’t believe what seems to be happening around me. So what can we do when it just doesn’t make sense or when we are just plain disappointed? Maybe even when we wonder if God got this one wrong. Tell Him the truth...

The Thrill of Hope

By Melissa Cheatham

Faith Matters, The Blog

I have seen the words "The Thrill of Hope" singled out on coffee mugs and home decor quite a bit this year, and the words have continued to resonate in my mind. The word “Hope” brings out different feelings in all of us, especially this time of year. Many of us have...

It’s Worth The Practice

By Kirstin Ricketts

Faith Matters, The Blog

It's worth the practice. I called my husband's grandmother to ask about her dinner rolls. After we spent some time getting her hearing aids adjusted, I rushed to write it down. I had never made bread before, so I rolled them out, making them too dense. Once, I forgot...

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Day One – Isaiah 9:6-7⠀
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"For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity."⠀
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Did you know that people were told about Jesus long before He was even born? It's true. God wanted His people to know that He was sending a savior to their weary world. And even though the wait was long, God was true to His promise, and He sent His son Jesus. Right now in Sunday school, my kids are learning that everything that God says is true. That sounds simple, but it's something I so want them to instill in their hearts. This verse today is from the old testament, and it's a perfect example of God's truth. What he says will be. What else right now in your life can you cling to because you know it's true? Maybe take time out today to thank God for his faithfulness and promises. ⠀
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HLLF - Melissa⠀
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#hllf #12daysofchristmas #truth #day1 #christmasverses #hllf #holdlooselylivefreely #kirstinricketts #melissacheatham

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If you set an empty plate this year, God sees you in your pain and your grief. He sees you going to all of the celebrations without the person you love and trying to keep it together, trying to maintain normal for your people. He sees the hole in your heart that you try to keep covered but always seems to be there.⠀
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In the pain of “it just shouldn’t be this way,” we may walk with a limp...we may walk with a limp for a long time. Let your limp lead you to the eyes of your Father.⠀
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When the world leaves you hurting, there is a place to go, and it is into the arms of your God. There is hope in the hands of the One who holds all things together. ⠀
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We can ask Him to fill the broken places. We can ask Him to show Himself to us, to fill us with joy we may not have felt for awhile. ⠀
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For those who stake their belief in the hope that is Jesus, there will be a day when there is no more pain, weeping, and sorrow, but as we live in the “not yet,” we can choose to place our faith in the unseen and our gaze on our God. In anxious anticipation we wait for what He promises for those of us who have put our faith in Him, because for us the best is yet to come.⠀
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HLLF, Kirstin

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So not to alert anybody, but there are only 13 days until Christmas. 😳⠀
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The main question I am asked this time of year is, “Are you ready for Christmas?” And my mind immediately goes to my unending to-do list of unwrapped gifts, Christmas cards not sent, groceries to be bought, laundry to be folded, and I am quickly overwhelmed.⠀
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When did “getting ready for Christmas” mean finishing a to-do list for me and not checking the state of my heart as the day of Christmas approaches? ⠀
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This time of year is busy. We have lots of purposeful planning to do. It’s a real thing, and we all get that. Maybe then we need to be extra purposeful in getting our hearts ready too. ⠀
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For the next 12 days, we will be sharing verses to help you get ready for the arrival of Christmas. You can follow along on Instagram or Facebook, or you can email us at hello@holdlooselylivefreely to get our free download of these advent verses. ⠀
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This season, let's be intentional and excited about the greatest gift of all - Jesus. ⠀
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HLLF - Melissa⠀
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#12daysofchristmas #advent #gifts #purposeful #countdownison #notready #hllf #holdlooselylivefreely #kirstinricketts #melissacheatham

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What do you do when it seems God allows the opposite of what you are asking for?⠀
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God can be trusted, I know He can...yet sometimes I can’t believe what seems to be happening around me. So what can we do when it just doesn’t make sense or when we are just plain disappointed? Maybe even when we wonder if God got this one wrong. ⠀
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Tell Him the truth about how you feel.⠀
I’m mad about it this. God, I feel betrayed. God, I feel forgotten. God, I feel like You allowed this. I’m scared. ⠀
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Ask God to remind you what is true. Wait for His response.⠀
I never leave. I am in control of the wind and the waves. I can tell them when and where to stop and I am more powerful than this too. Be still. Let Me take care of things. I will carry you. I will protect you. Keep your eyes on Me. Trust me. You can’t see all of the things, but I do and I work for the ultimate good. It’s not about you, it’s about Me.⠀
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Choose who you are going to believe. ⠀
Am I going to believe myself or am I going to believe my God? What am I going to stand on? Whose foundation am I going to rely on? God, I choose to believe you. I will stand on Your promises. ⠀
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Surrender.⠀
“God, I give You my everything: my pride, my feelings. I give You all the things.”⠀
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Say yes. ⠀
Yes, I will trust You even when it doesn’t make sense. Yes, I will trust You even when I don’t like what happened. I will trust Your ultimate good, because you are my ultimate God.⠀
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God can be trusted, I know He can. In the pit of despair, when our feelings are hurt or we just don’t understand how something could happen, how we respond can change our trajectory. We have to choose well, for ourselves and for the people we love, but most of all, because God is too good to let situations take our eyes off of Him, at least for too long. I refuse...and you can too. ⠀
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HLLF, Kirstin⠀
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