Category Archives: patience

LIFT YOUR LAMPSTAND

WHEN THE BUSHEL FEELS SAFER…

“Some of us don’t love the spotlight. And we’ve all been through seasons we don’t want displayed before the world.
 
Seasons that send you reeling as the hits just keep coming. Seasons that make you look “less than” in the eyes of the world. Seasons that raise more questions than answers.

These are the seasons when the glare of light can sting our eyes and leave us ducking for cover. These are the seasons when we want to run from the lampstand straight into the nearest bushel we can find.
 
But that is exactly what the enemy wants us to do…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/10/08/lift-your-lampstand

REST. REENGAGE. REPEAT.

WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF STEAM…

“To more than a few of us, the Labor Day holiday can’t come soon enough.  
 
More than a few of us are all too familiar with the feeling that—instead of running our own lives—our lives are running us. A never-ending cycle of demands we can never quite stay on top of, leaving us out of breath and out of solutions. 

But whether life’s pressures keep us on the front lines, or relegate us to the sidelines, it is important to understand where our true source of direction, guidance, and ultimate victory will come from…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/09/01/rest-reengage-repeat

WISDOM’S CHILDREN

WHEN THE QUESTIONS ARE HARD…

“As July wanes into August, thoughts of education are waxing into focus for many families. The anticipation of preschool, primary, secondary, and college classes for the cherished future we seek to bestow upon our children.

But in this season of sending children off in search of knowledge, perhaps the more valuable question is should we also send them—and ourselves—in search of wisdom?”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/07/25/wisdoms-children

BORN FREE

WHEN YOU’RE FEELING CONFINED…

“Freedom is a condition we were all born for… a gift our Creator always intended to bestow upon us…

The freedom to choose our own path, forge our own futures. Even when it means making mistakes–even when it means that we are going to hurt others and disappoint him…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/06/30/born-free

LET THE CHILDREN COME

AND DO NOT HINDER THEM…

“This Memorial Day has been preceded by a grim hour for our nation’s children.
 
Even among secular belief systems, children are the most precious members of humankind. A treasure to be protected and the emblem of a brighter future.
 
But the Bible is even clearer about the value of children to God….”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/05/30/let-the-children-come

VICTORY IN JESUS

3 LESSONS OF EASTER…

“Tomorrow is Easter. Resurrection Day. A day of triumph and redemption. Of joy and feasting.
 
The morning of deliverance that follows the darkness of sin and death.
 
This week, I have attempted a fairly extensive study of Jesus’s activities each day of Holy Week, and here are 3 messages of hope I have taken away from God’s Word about this time….”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/05/03/victory-in-jesus

BETTER THAN LUCK

THE POWER OF *YET* AND *ALREADY*…

“Everyone feels unlucky sometimes. And for the past two years, the entire world has felt the sting of less than favorable winds.

We might want to chime in with Job when he said, “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?”
 
The answer to that question, friends, lies in the power of two words: “yet” and “already…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/03/21/better-than-luck

TRUSTING GOD

WHEN HE’S HARD TO FIND…

“Sometimes trusting God is easy.

In so many infinite and indescribable ways, he can show up when we least expect it and utterly transform our lives…

But there are other times when it’s much harder to trust him, or even find him.

Times when the trials and threats of the world sideline not only our circumstances but our sense of inner security and peace.

Times when we wonder what we are going to do, how much we will stand to lose, and why God seems so far away throughout it all…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/03/05/trusting-god

INTO 2022

WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE THE SAME WILDERNESS…

“We’ve all seen the memes by now: 2020 was a trilogy.

And after a difficult duo, it’s hard to have much hope for another pandemic year.

At this stage, the only truly positive outcome would involve a magical way out. But, rapture beliefs aside, magic is one of the last things anyone is counting on this year.

Yet those in the family of Christ believe in a power much stronger than magic, and that is where our true hope for 2022 lies…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/01/21/into-2022

THE GIFT OF YOU

WHEN THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH…

“It’s the Christmas season again. Time for tinsel and tales of Tiny Tim. Family and festivities. Giving.
 
But as much as we’d like to be as generous as we’re expected, sometimes it can all feel overwhelming, excessive, and a bit frustrating.
 
So how can we remember the true reason for this season when the world pulls our focus onto everything else?
 
Things that too often sap our spirits and shrink our hearts a few sizes too small.
 
But the reason that the world is so good at draining us, the reason it is never enough, is what Christmas is all about…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2021/12/08/the-gift-of-you