Tag Archives: God’s love

31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 24 – I Am Beautiful

31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 24 - I Am Beautiful
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 24 – I Am Beautiful

I Am Beautiful

You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. 
Song of Solomon 4:7

My daughter was standing in front of the mirror one day and I caught her admiring herself. I am ok with her doing this because she wasn’t doing it in a vain way. What made me notice her was how confident she looked in herself. She knows she is beautiful.

My daughter knows she is beautiful because it is something that has been instilled into her ever since she was born. We have told all our children how beautiful they are. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, because what we say matters most of all.

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31 Days Of Bible Affirmations – Day 11 – I Am Heard

31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 11 - I Am Heard
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 11 – I Am Heard

I am Heard

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 18:6

It can be hard to hear when someone you care about has suffered from sexual abuse when they were a child. How you react towards what they say to you can have a big impact on them. Being heard is the most important thing as a survivor of sexual abuse. It provides validation, which is an essential part in the healing process.

On Friday 10th September, I took part in an initiative called The Truth Project. This was set up by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. It is where survivors speak about their experiences of sexual abuse and how it has affected them later on in life.

The project also looks at how organisations deal with survivors on a day-to-day basis. The hope is that through people sharing their experiences it will be used to help promote change within the government, organisations and people’s views. Further information about the project can be read here.

When I spoke to the facilitators who were involved in The Truth Project, I felt heard. But not only did they hear what I spoke about, but they actually listened (this is quite an acquired skill). I spoke for two and a half hours about everything. EVERYTHING! They were compassionate and understanding and yet sensitive towards me in what I shared with them.

For the first time in my life I felt truly validated.

This is probably how David felt when he wrote Psalm 18. David cried out to God for help when he was distressed and God met him in his hour of need. He probably was down on his knees letting everything out that he felt and experienced. He most likely did an ugly cry too! And that’s ok. God takes us however we are, where ever we are and when ever. He has no limits when we need Him to hear us.

God takes us however we are, where ever we are and when ever. He has no limits when we need Him to hear us. Click To Tweet
Something to think about…

Why not have a go at personalising Psalm 18:6 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.

Lynne, I hear your cries of despair to me. I see your suffering and your pain. I am here and I am listening to you. Wherever you want to call on my name I will be here.

Something to listen to…

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.

31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 2 – God’s Strength

31 Days of Bible Affirmations - Day 2 - God’s Strength
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 2 – God’s Strength

God’s Strength

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
Psalm 28:7 (NKJV)

Last night’s sleep was pretty pants! (That means it wasn’t very good, to say the least). Most of my sleeps are not great due to the twins waking up through the night. However, last night was especially hard. I wasn’t feeling too great either, so today I am feeling a little fragile.

With everything I have been through over the last month, nights like last night are especially hard on my mental health. Thoughts of not being good enough plague me throughout the day as I struggle to find the strength to get through it.

With this in mind, and knowing I have committed to writing for the next few weeks about Bible affirmations, it only feels right to start with what I really need. God’s strength. This is not going to be an easy journey, as I need to be intentional in what I am doing. I need to push through the barriers that are in place to stop me from achieving what God wants me to hear. I need His strength in order for me to do this.

When David wrote Psalm 28, he was pleading with God for help to deliver him from the hands of his enemies. He was tired and weary and wanted no more. Yet, in the middle of his distress, his mind shifted. He took hold of his thoughts and remembered who God is. God wants us to take our thoughts captive too.

Something to think about…

Why not have a go at personalising Psalm 28:7 and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you. You could also use my version and change to your own name.

Lynne? Lean on me? I can be the strength you need when you feel you have nothing left.
Lynne? Take hold of me? I can be your shield and protect you from those thoughts you have.
Lynne? Trust me? Give me your heart and I will help you.
You will find that once you take hold of what I have to offer, your heart will be light again. You will once more be able to sing my praises.

Something to listen to…

This is a little cheesy and may make you cringe a little, but by the end I was smiling.

31 Days of Bible Affirmations

31 Days of Bible Affirmations
31 Days of Bible Affirmations

I have been working through a mentoring course this year, which is run by Jo Naughton. It is designed to find out what God’s purposes are for us, to grow in our gifts and to develop a character that would help us to carry out our calling. Each week we focus on a certain aspect to help towards this.

I can honestly say that this has helped me tremendously in being able to move forward in what I feel God is calling me to do. I have noticed a big change as I have been working through some hard topics. As a result, it is a change that has been a massive step forward in my faith and my healing.

Continue reading 31 Days of Bible Affirmations

God Holds Us In The Hard

Having a baby is not easy. There are countless nappies that have to be changed. And then there’s the never ending feeds. The worst part though is the constant disruption to sleep. Being woken up during the night when you are in a deep sleep is not easy to cope with, especially when a crying child needs settling. 

The other night I was woken up abruptly by the sound of one of the twins screaming. No amount of milk or pain relief would soothe her. All I could do was just hold her in my arms tightly close to my chest. I would just keep whispering in her ears, “don’t worry, everything is ok. Mummy has got you.

Whilst I was holding her and soothing her, I came to the realisation that this is how God is with me. Going through the trials I am facing right now provides a whole heap of pain. It doesn’t matter how much pain relief I try, such as scrolling through Instagram, having a glass of wine or binge watching on Netflix, it doesn’t take away the pain. 

What helps to relieve my pain is knowing that God has hold of me during my hard times. He is gently whispering in my ear “don’t worry, everything is ok. Daddy has got you.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.  Isaiah 40:11

Something to think about

I love my sleep, very much! But do you know what? I love my babies more. I know the season I am in is a hard one, but I also know it isn’t going to last forever. What does last forever is God’s love and how much He will hold me.

If you feel you are going through a painful time right now, take heart, dear one. Fall into His arms and let Him hold you tightly. 

Prayer

Lord, when we are surrounded by so much uncertainty, let us be reminded by the truth that you are the One who is certain in our lives. When we are in pain, hold us in your loving arms and instil in us a peace that only you can provide. Thank you, Lord, for being there no matter what. Amen.



This was written for the Five Minute Friday Community, where a number of writers gather for a weekly writing challenge around a single word prompt and write to our hearts content, but only for five minutes (or there abouts).

This weeks word prompt is ‘hold’. Click here if you want to see what other people wrote. You can also have a go yourself. What do you think of when you hear the word ‘hold ’?