finding the answer Archives - Journeying Outside My Box

Now to the King Eternal

September 21, 2024 By Rebekah 0

Today is the final post in my Autumn Inspiration Week series. This may be my favorite verse of the 6 we’ve looked at this week:

N: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,
be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. -I Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal

This verse always reminds me of the majesty of God. Eternal. Immortal. Invisible. The only God. No one else can be described this way - not since the beginning of time, and not even at the end of time. Only God.

Only God!

Isn’t that reassuring? If things are not going well, we can remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and that we can’t see the battle in the spiritual realm, but we know that God - eternal, immortal, invisible - is fighting for us! When the enemy is attacking, the best way to ward him off is with praise, and a great way to do that is to focus on these aspects of Who God is!

And when things are going well, are we remembering to thank God for all He does for us? In our own power, we’re unable to accomplish many of the things we do in life. Often, it’s only because of God’s help that we’re able to accomplish what we do. Are we remembering to acknowledge Him and thank Him for that? All honor and glory are His!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts this week. Honestly, it’s stretched me a little to write every day, but I’ve enjoyed focusing specifically on Scripture this week! If you need to catch up on the older posts, you can find them here:
A: Ask, Seek, Knock
U: Unless the Lord Builds the House
T: This is the confidence
U: Until I Come, Devote Yourself
M: My Flesh and My Heart May Fail
N: Now to the King Eternal

If you’re looking for other autumn-focused posts, you can find them here - Autumn Inspiration Week - or by clicking the image below.

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Filed Under: daily blessings, finding the answer, having faith in God Tagged With: autumn inspiration week

Ask, Seek, Knock

September 15, 2024 By Rebekah 2

This week, I’m joining other bloggers for Autumn Inspiration Week. Yesterday, I shared a verse that I’m reminded of at this time of year. Coming up this week, I’m going to be sharing a short devotional each day, with a verse starting with each letter of the word autumn. For today, we’re looking at the verse for the first letter.

A: Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
-Matthew 7:7

That verse is full of such promise - not a promise of prosperity or riches, but a promise that God will meet us where we are, and provide for our needs.

He doesn’t just promise one time, though, He promises 3 times, just in that one verse! If someone, anyone, is promising 3 times in a row, I’d say they’re pretty serious about what they intend to do.

But when that promise comes from God? Three times in one verse? I think it’s safe to say that He plans to fulfill that promise!

But…

God doesn’t just say He’s going to make sure we wake up each day to have our needs met. Granted, a lot of days that does happen - and praise God for that!

God gives us some work to do in receiving what we need from Him. What is our work? We have to ask, seek, and knock.

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been through stages with your children where you know what they need - no doubt about it. But you watch to see if they can work it out on their own, or if they ask for your help. You patiently wait to supply them with exactly what they need, but you watch to see what work they are capable of doing on their own.

It’s the same with God - He is waiting to pour out His blessings to meet our needs, but He wants us to ask, to seek, and to knock.

How do we do that?

Maybe you’re struggling in your parenting. You would certainly ask God to help you, to give you insight into your child’s heart, and you would probably ask for heaps of patience. And those are all good things. But I think sometimes God wants us to explore other avenues as well.

You might check if your church, or a local church, is hosting a parenting seminar. You have asked, and now you’re actively seeking help or additional resources. Maybe you ask a friend for help, or just to listen while you vent. You could search out some families (knock) who are seeming to make it all work right now, and learn from them.

God wants to hear from us - the most important thing we can ever ask for is salvation. Have you done that?

We can confess our sins, ask for God to forgive us and to be in our hearts and lives. And His promise, when we ask for salvation, is that we will be in heaven with Him, for eternity, after we die. Won’t that be wonderful?

Have you asked for salvation? It’s easy, and God will help you to change your life, to grow to be more like Him! If you have never done that, start there today - there’s nothing special about this prayer, and different people use different words. But you just need to say a simple prayer, like this:

Dear Lord,
I know that I have done wrong in my life, and you call that sin.
I ask you to forgive me of sins, and to be in my life.
I ask you to make me more like you.
Thank you for what you will do in my life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, please tell someone so that they can work with you to help you grow in your new life in Christ! Feel free to send me a message (see the Contact section at the top of the page) and let me know of your decision for Christ - I would love that!

As we begin this week focusing on devotions for autumn, let’s make sure we’ve taken care of the most important thing - our relationship with Jesus. He’s waiting to bless us, but we need to do our part in asking, seeking, and knocking.

Be sure to check out others who are joining in Autumn Inspiration Week.

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Filed Under: finding the answer, having faith in God, parenting Tagged With: autumn inspiration week

God Sightings

May 3, 2024 By Rebekah 2

“God sightings” is how my children refer to them – those times when you have loved or served or given, as God might. Those times when you know that a thing was possible only because of God. Because God showed up - He intervened - and took what we had to offer and used it for what HE had to give.

I have been a Christian as long as I can remember. God has been in my life always, to the point where I have a hard time understanding how other people feel when they have been without God for many years and then come to know Him as an adult. I know many people choose salvation at a young age, during their childhood or teen years, but not everyone.

Last night, at a regular, routine, completely ordinary small group meeting, God showed up - in a great big way. I had the privilege of praying with a lady who made the decision, as an adult, to accept God’s gift of salvation.

I’m fascinated by a God who offers saving grace and eternal life until that final moment when we breathe our last. Despite all that we can do to mess up life, He is still willing to forgive, to forget, to free us from all that has entangled us. God is all about mercy, grace, forgiveness, restoration and hope. The world is all about blaming, finger-pointing, greed, destruction. And God’s blanket of love covers that. God Himself covers over all of that in our lives with His amazing grace.

As an adult, what must it be like to turn from
suffering to salvation, darkness to light,
pain to healing, death to life ?

But as an adult there is often more. There is baggage. There is hurt and confusion and a lifetime of uncertainty and searching. There are questions. There are years of wonderings and wanderings. Choices have been made, life has been lived.

And the answer is as monumental as it is simple:

God is love.

Whether you are 2 or 102 when you first understand that, that is all there is to understand. It’s as simple as it needs to be for those who need a short, solid answer. And it’s as complex as it needs to be for those who need a strong, foundational explanation. You can add words to it to help explain life to a seeker, or you can simplify it and switch the words around to teach a toddler that, “Jesus loves me.”

I will never know what it’s like to live life and then to meet Jesus later in life. But that’s not the story that God is writing for me. My story is different than that. My story is the God-story for this heart and life. Your story is the God-story for your heart and life.

And whether you have always known Jesus, or if you meet Him near the end, or somewhere along the journey, the simple truth remains, and it is all we really need to know. All of the rest of what we learn is based on this truth, which grabs our hearts, lifts our heads, lights the way. It is as strong in its all-encompassing wisdom, as it is gentle in its child-like simplicity. It is all we need to know, and the grand sum of all of life.

God is love.

Sharing this post at -
Fellowship Friday
TGIF Blog Hop
Womanhood With Purpose

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Filed Under: daily blessings, finding the answer, having faith in God, prayer

5 Things to Know about the Mother of a Child with Autism, part 4

April 22, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Today is part 4 in the series of understanding the mother of a child with autism. I am really enjoying this series by Amy Fenton Lee, and I’m grateful that she’s letting me borrow excerpts to share with you! You can find Amy‘s full blog here.

Being the mother of a child with autism myself, I have so appreciated the time and energy that Amy put into this series!

“#4 She needs your respect, not your opinion or advice.

When I interviewed mothers of children with special needs, I asked them the following question:

“Did you ever receive unwelcome advice from family or friends?”

The interviewed mothers conveyed that they appreciated the interest of caring friends and family. But oftentimes those friends were unaware of all the details and nuances related to their child’s diagnosis. All of the parents I interviewed were well-informed themselves and pursuing treatment for their child through multiple medical and education professionals.

Invite a mother to share what she is learning on the autism journey.

Do not share the child’s diagnosis with others unless expressly given permission.

Research the diagnosis in order to better understand the parents’ concerns, not so that you can “advise” the family.

Be sensitive and not dismissive to any expressed parent concerns for issues that may seem insignificant or unlikely.”

There is some really wonderful advice in this section of the blog! I’ve encountered many families with special needs over the course of my work and teaching. Some have had special needs that I know nothing about. Others have had special needs with which I’m very familiar. All the families had something in common, though: they were all very knowledgeable about the need with which they were dealing. They were all doing research, reading up on the latest news about the issues affecting their family, and had a very good handle on how their lives were being impacted.

This is true for us as well. As we move forward with Picasso, we are becoming more knowledgeable on all of the issues affecting him. We find that we at least peruse new books on the subject - whether they are biographies or more information-based. We spend time reading articles online. There is a lot to know and a lot to learn.

Moms of special needs children need a break, just like anyone does. Sometimes it helps her to process all that she is learning if she can talk about it. Other times, she’d just like to get out of her environment for a bit and go for coffee, or meet up with friends. If you know a mom of a special needs child, invite her to spend time with you - and if she needs to talk about what she’s reading and learning about her child, please let her. If she seems more ready to just be out with friends and enjoy the company, let her do that, too.

Often, families will share the fact that their child has special needs with just a few who need to know, and a few trusted friends. The best thing that we can do in this situation is to let the families share about their child when they are ready, or when they feel someone needs to know. There is often the fear of exclusion - the fear that their child will be viewed differently if the special need is made fully known.

Best advice? Be sensitive. Ask how you can help. Be available when your friend is ready to talk or spend time. Our society has gotten away from hand-written letters and cards, but I can assure you that sometimes nothing is better than the small gesture of sending a card or note - knowing that someone is thinking of you! A little gesture goes a long way to being a blessing for the person who needs to know you care!

Other posts in this series:
Part 1 - She may feel relief at a diagnosis
Part 2 - Grief vs. Hope
Part 3 - She fears exclusion

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, finding the answer, special needs family

Not "Why", but "Who"

July 20, 2024 By Rebekah 4

This is a post I’ve been “supposed to write” for some time now. You know how things get a hold of you and you just can’t shake them? That’s how this is. I’ve put it off for a while, because of time or because I wasn’t really sure it needed to be written. But as it’s come back to mind again and again, it’s time to write it.

In light of the recent happenings in the Colorado theater, many people are wondering, “How could something like this happen? It’s so senseless.” I agree – and it’s painful to think about how scary the scene must have been, how physically painful for those injured and those who died, the emotional turmoil that families will now deal with, and even whether or not it’s safe to take our kids to see a movie anymore. It’s terrible that these things happen, and I don’t have answers as to the “why” in these situations.

I don’t know why, but I do know Who. I know the One who can bring peace that passes understanding, in the midst of turbulent storms in life. I have never hidden the fact that I am a Christian, but I’ve never invited you to have this same relationship with Him that I do. The murders in Colorado have many realizing that we don’t know the moment that our life will be over – whether we will pass peacefully or whether our life will be taken from us.

With more and more stories of lives being cut short, I want you to know – you can have the assurance of an eternal life with God. He’s not some far-off ruler or One who creates the world and leaves it alone. He wants to be a part of our daily lives. He wants to guide us on the path that He has created for us. He wants to protect us, to bless us beyond measure, and most of all, He wants us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9 – If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:38,39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those few verses lay out the need for salvation through Jesus, the way to be saved, and the assurance we can have in being saved. We can live without fear of what will happen when our life ends – we will be in Heaven with Jesus. Will our life end peacefully, without pain? Only God knows that. But the promise is that we will be with Him.

Often there is a prayer that goes along with the decision to choose God in our lives. There’s no “specific prayer,” any words will do. If you are making the decision to open your heart to Jesus and to invite Him to be the Lord of your life, this simple prayer (or any like it) will help you acknowledge your need for Him, and serve as an invitation into your life.

Dear God, I acknowledge that I need you. I have made mistakes, I have done things that are wrong. I ask that you forgive me, and make me whole. Come into my life and be my Lord – guide my life, show me the path that you have designed for me. Help me as I grow in my relationship with you. Thank you for loving me and for coming into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have prayed that prayer, I would love to know. If you need help finding a good church or if you need a Bible, I would be happy to help you with that as well.

If you have questions or concerns, there is an email address in the “Contact” section of this blog. Feel free to email me and I will be happy to reply and answer questions.

I don’t know why these things happen, but I know that Jesus loves us and has a plan for each of our lives. He sent His own son to die in our place. You can know this same peace that only comes from knowing God. I pray you’ll make that choice!

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Filed Under: finding the answer, real life

Engraved in the Palm of My Hand

July 13, 2024 By Rebekah 5

Did you ever have something in life that you’d love to do, if the circumstances were just right? For example - maybe you’d go back to school once all your kids get a little older. I have some things like that in my life, too. The one I’m going to tell you about here is one that I spent time thinking about, only in an attempt to come up with “the right circumstances”. I know - doesn’t make much sense.

Let’s jump in.

Tattoos. Some are fascinating, some are repulsive, some are very thoughtful. I’ve never seriously considered getting a tattoo. What I *have* considered, though, is this: If I were to get a tattoo, I’d want it to be well-planned and with great meaning to me. So, what would it be?

I’ve thought about this question on and off, for years. Years. I didn’t obsess over it, I’d just think about it as the thought crossed my mind. After years of thinking, I was pretty sure that I’d never come up with something, and that was actually okay with me because I wasn’t actually planning to get a tattoo. I just wanted to know if I’d ever think of anything meaningful enough.

And then I found this:

Source

So I now know what tattoo I’d get - if ever I got a tattoo. It would be a tattoo on the inside of my left hand, with my children’s names. Oldest to youngest, top to bottom, with the reference of Isaiah 49:16 underneath. I think it would look pretty neat! But, I have no desire to “spend time” with a needle! I’m just glad to finally have a plan if ever I was to get a tattoo.

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Filed Under: family focused, finding the answer