Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Archives for March 2014

Kindness Matters

As we left the doctors office, I slipped my hand inside my husbands.  He is such an incredible man, my rock.  No matter what news we’re given, he always resounds with a hand squeeze and “it will all be okay babe”.  This visit was no different…chronic pain, nodules, testing, pain clinics…he still found the right words to comfort me.  It had been a rough day, no doubt.  But with him by my side, laughter in the air and a 4 hour drive ahead of us it was deemed a date day!  And we all know a date day isn’t complete without going out to dinner.

He pulled into one of my favorite restaurants.  As we started walking towards the door, I again slipped my hand inside his.  Time with him can turn any day around.  We were seated in a semi-private area.  Nearby I noticed a meeting going on with the restaurant managers.  One voice consistently stood out above the rest of them.  I tried to tune it out but the repeated sass and demeaning tone was rather obnoxious.  We did our best to ignore it and just enjoy our time together.

When we stood to leave, Joe dropped a pen on the floor.  He’s been having back/hip issues so I hurried to pick it up for him.  When I bent over, the obnoxious voice behind me erupted with the most ridiculous laughter.  When I turned to look, she covered her face and laughed so hard and loud, completely embarrassing everyone at the table.  Her point of laughter?  Me.

Why?  Why did she laugh?  Why? Why did she feel that was appropriate?  Why didn’t the others stop her?  Why was she so blatant?  Why didn’t she care?  If she had known the day I just had, would she still have laughed?  Question after question replayed in my mind.

Oh kindness, so powerful yet so underused. In today’s society, it’s so easy to come in contact with someone who is unkind. The person at the mall you hold the door open for, who walks right past you without saying thank you. The person you accidentally pulled out in front of who gives you an unkind gesture. Or the manager of a restaurant that blatantly and openly makes fun of you.


Kindness is honestly one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. As Christians, kindness is something He expects from us. It allows Christ’s love to shine through us. He doesn’t want us to be unkind, we are to be different.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32

We need to learn to be tenderhearted. When we start being tenderhearted, it’s easy to be kind. Having a heart that is easily touched and sensitive doesn’t mean you’re weak. Although that’s what the world would say. If we are sensitive to those around us, we start seeing their needs instead of our own. Have a loving, tenderhearted, compassionate attitude and let it shine for everyone to see. 

Do to others as you would have them do to you 

Luke 6:31 



Acts of kindness don’t have to be huge, expensive, flashy ordeals. Smile at someone, hold the door for them, give them the 30 cents they are searching for their McDonald’s order, help them carry their bags to the car, hug them when you can see they need one, take time to talk to them and pray with them and for them.

You can change lives with your actions.  You can change a day with your smile.  You can change lives with your kindness. You can change lives by allowing Christ’s love to shine through you. You might be the one voice in their life at the moment that they need to hear. Your encouragement might be the one thing that keeps them going. Maybe you are the one who is to help them see Jesus.

Your actions, words, prayers and love matter. Your kindness matters. It matters to those who receive it and it matters to Him. You might not be able to help everyone, but you can help someone.

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The Storm Inside {Book Review}

The Storm Inside
by Sheila Walsh
About the book:

No matter the storm, God knows, God cares, and He is always there. 

The chaos of life can be overwhelming, and women get a heavier dose than most. Each day comes with its own pressures, heartaches, and disappointments that slowly erode the joy, peace, and closeness to God every woman needs. Chaos always feels like the enemy as it rages around us and inside us. But there is hope! 

In The Storm Inside, best-selling author and Women of Faith speaker Sheila Walsh invites you into ten life-changing, hope-filled transformations where hurt and heartache are divinely redeemed into joy and faith. With insightful biblical teaching, intimate stories of her own storms and the chaos other women have faced and overcome, Walsh shows how:

  • Heartbreak can become strength
  • Shame can lead to love
  • Unforgiveness can find freedom
  • Restoration can undo rage
  • Courage overcomes insignificance
  • And so much more 

In The Storm Inside, you will find strength in the most profound truths—that you are always a child of God no matter how you feel. In these pages, you will learn to see yourself as God sees you, not as someone forever tossed by the waves but as a woman fully known, fully loved, and growing ever deeper in faith, hope, and love. 

It is time as daughters of God to take the chaos of how we feel, lay it at the feet of God, and stand strong in who we are in Him. This simple teaching will be the difference between a life of joy and one of despair. Sheila powerfully reminds us that God offers no guarantee of a life without storms, but He does provide the strength and grace to make it through them.

Throughout the last few years of my life, chaos has seemed to become a new member of this family. There were days where sun up to sun down felt drenched with chaos. And these last few months, ack, we won’t even go there. To say I’m an emotional person is an understatement. So a book that would help me deal with chaos and the emotions that go along with them? Yes, please!

I thought this book was a great read! There were times I laughed with her and a few times some tears were shed. It’s easy to get drawn into the conversation from the author. Each chapter addresses the storm topic and ends with a section on how to “stand through your storm” which included a few tips and a prayer. This is in no way a one-and-done book nor is our struggle. This is a book to read over and over, learning something new each time. This would be a great gift to someone you know is struggling.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Pray More, Worry Less

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Since December, God has been speaking to my heart about prayer. He made is clear that my word for this year should be prayer. And that my verse of the year should be 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I will admit, I was kinda sad that I didn’t get a “cool kid” word at first, but quickly realized that was just my spoiled brat nature coming out in me.

Over the past few months, I’ve spent lots of time in prayer.  I’ve kept a prayer journal (which I LOVE) and I’ve been studying prayer.  If it’s going to be my word for the year then I should know as much as I can about it.
And with that, our next Bible study here at Forever Beloved was born…simply titled Pray More, Worry Less.  And I am SUPER excited!!!!  
Let me share a little with y’all…
This girl right here is a worrier by nature.  Ugh, any of y’all with me on that one? It’s not one of my better qualities. I worry about paying the bills, about Joey driving, about my dog having arthritis, about Joe’s work, my family’s health, about my housework, about my business, blah blah blah on and on. My to-do lists keep me awake at night. Because clearly laying awake at night worrying will get my chores done, right? Questions like what if and should I have swirl around my mind, holding me hostage and keeping me chained to my worries and fears.

The trouble with worry is that it doesn’t seem all that harmful. It has taken on the form of a acceptable sin. We all do it…so, why even call it a sin? Come on, it’s just a little thought in our mind that no one else can see or hear. Let’s just gloss over it, sweep it under the rug and call it a day. Or better yet, let’s rename it. That way we can not feel guilty about it. Let’s call it stress, anxiety or just concern. Yes, glad we solved that one!
But wait, renaming it stress and pretending it’s not a sin doesn’t make me feel any better.  I still feel yucky and I still lay awake at night thinking about scrubbing my carpets.

Join us here each Friday as we discuss getting rid of that never-ending feeling of doom by handing all our worries (and dirty carpets) over to God.  Our study will wrap up on Good Friday.  We can either keep getting upset and feeling hopeless or face our problems in a more positive and faith-filled manner by continually seeking and trust in the Lord by giving Him our burdens continually.

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