My Jesus
Maybe you have heard of Anne Wilson or even heard her beautiful song “My Jesus.” Or maybe this is the first time you are hearing of her. Whatever the case, Anne is a Jesus-loving lady that is on fire for Him.
Anne and her brother, Jacob, and sister, Elizabeth, grew up with beautiful, loving parents in Kentucky, bluegrass country! Her world of great love and security was shattered when Jacob was tragically taken from them in a car accident while he was attending college. Anne’s overwhelming ability to help her family through this most difficult time was only through the power of Jesus Christ. As she was thrust into such heartbreaking pain, she trusted in and leaned on God to see her and her family through this.
My Jesus is the story behind the song. I encourage you to pre-order your copy of her book here.
You will feel her pain through the words she has written, and you will learn of how God truly was close to her and her entire family as they tried to go on in life, truly broken-hearted and crushed in spirit, after the loss of Jacob.
This book was hard for me to read as my family has faced great tragedy in our own lives when we lost my sister, Pamela, in 2001. I know without a doubt that MY Jesus was there wiping every single one of my tears away, lifting me up when I just wanted to fall into a heap in the middle of the floor sobbing and wishing this was all just a bad nightmare.
In situations like this, with my own family and Anne’s as well, people will either draw closer to the Lord, or they will turn from Him in their anger and grief. The thing is, Jesus can take it. ALL of it. No matter what you are feeling, no matter how many times you clinch your fist, shake them in the air and yell so loud you’re sure your screams are going straight to Heaven, God can take it! And … God can absolutely turn ashes into something beautiful. It’s hard to believe how that is even possible and what good could possibly come from a situation like this. Yet, my God invites each and every one of us to grow closer to Him, allowing Him to comfort us and hold us as only HE can!
No matter what you’re facing in your life – loss, disappointment, etc. – God can and will come alongside you showing you still have a purpose, offering hope although your heart is shattered, and letting you know that you are never, ever alone.
God is with you.
God is for you.
He has never EVER left your side, and He won’t!
HE loves YOU!
Disclosure:
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Books for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.
#MyJesusBook #MyJesusMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork
Kindness
Kindness doesn’t cost a single thing, and yet it is worth more than its weight in gold to the receiver!
If you’re having a bad day, it always helps when someone extends kindness and grace. Sometimes you will be so overwhelmed and touched by the person’s actions so much so that you are moved to tears.
I would like to share the below kindness assessment and challenge you to join in. Whether it’s friends, family, coworkers, or the cashier at the store, one act of kindness can change their entire day!
Take Kindness Quotient Assessment (jointhekindnesschallenge.com)
Grief
The latter part of Psalm 30:5 reads: “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
I’m sure you can recall a time in your life when you endured intense grief, when the tears fell like rain and you didn’t think you would ever feel whole again. We love so deeply, and when we face a devastating loss, it feels like it will cripple us completely. For a time, it does. Then we decide we cannot live in that depressed state, and we try to force ourselves to get out of bed. At times this is easier said than done. When a person hurts to the very core of their being, they have no idea how they will take their next breath or how to put one foot in front of the other. All they know is that they hurt tremendously.
What can you do for others during a period in which you know they are hurting deeply? When you really want to take their hurt and pain away, but feel so helpless because you can’t, all you can do, it seems, is pray. Prayer is a wonderful thing that connects you directly to God above. He is the only one that can help mend your broken heart.
Why does it hurt so much? Because we love so deeply with our whole hearts. Because the thing or person we wanted most is taken from us suddenly and tragically. Our hopes, dreams, and futures are bound so tightly to the one thing we wanted most that was stripped away.
When it is so easy to lose hope … cling to the promises of His word.
Rejoicing comes in the morning …
We struggle to see what good could possibly come from … THIS! We have a million questions but no answers. Anger wells up inside of us, and we just want to scream!
Just recently I felt like this, and my well-meaning coworker and friend asked me to listen to a praise and worship song when that was the very last thing I wanted to do! Yet, I know this person cares for me and only wanted to help. So, I gave in, pulled it up on the computer, and sat there listening to the words as the video played.
Praise?
and
Worship?
At a time like this?
I just did not have it in me at that moment in time. So, I sat there quietly listening to the words I didn’t want to hear. As the song finished, he slowly walked back into his office. I remained staring at my screen trying to feel because at that point, I was just numb.
Music usually helps me. We connect with the lyrics and the music as it flows. This time I sat still, then I managed to pull myself forward in my seat to select songs by Casting Crowns. I have always loved their music, and I wanted to turn up the volume and get lost in their songs. One of the very first songs to play was, “Scars In Heaven.” I have never heard that song before, and as I paste the words below, I’m sure you will understand the tears that streamed down my face, and I rested the back of my head on my chair, almost lifeless at this point. The one I wanted to scream at and demand answers to my question of WHY … was the very One I needed comfort from.
Would be the last time
I would have put off all the things I had to do
I would have stayed a little longer
Held on a little tighter
Now what I’d give for one more day with you
Where something’s missing
And they tell me that it’s gonna heal with time
But I know you’re in a place
Where all your wounds have been erased
And knowing yours are healed is healing mine
They won’t belong to me and you
There’ll be no such thing as broken
And all the old will be made new
And the thought that makes me smile now
Even as the tears fall down
Is that the only scars in Heaven
Are on the hands that hold you now
You picked up your share of scars along the way
Oh, but now you’re standing in the sun
You’ve fought your fight and your race is run
The pain is all a million miles away
They won’t belong to me and you
There’ll be no such thing as broken
And all the old will be made new
And the thought that makes me smile now
Even as the tears fall down
Is that the only scars in Heaven, yeah
Are on the hands that hold you now
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
For the hands that hold you now
You live on in all the better parts of me
Until I’m standing with you in the sun
I’ll fight this fight and this race I’ll run
Until I finally see what you can see, oh, oh
They won’t belong to me and you
There’ll be no such thing as broken
And all the old will be made new
And the thought that makes me smile now
Even as the tears fall down
Is that the only scars in Heaven
Are on the hands that hold you now
Songwriters: Matthew West, Mark Hall. For non-commercial use only.
