Blessed and Loved and a Giveaway

I was feeling a little down and a bit overwhelmed when a package arrived at my door. Forgetting that I had been given a great opportunity to review some fabulous DaySpring products for free, I tore into the package as fast as I could. Who sent me a gift?

Oh, my DaySpring products!!!! Inside the package was the beautiful Blessed and Loved Collection.

I was so excited as I looked through each item. Which one should I use first??

The adorable teacup? I imagined sipping a nice hot cup of tea outside on my porch with my blanket and my Bible.

The beautiful journal? Maybe I will use this for making notes as I read my Bible. Oh look, there are inspirational verses on each page.

The perpetual calendar? I can totally use this at work for a great pick me up.

A gift bag? Wait a minute…you know what? I believe I will use this gorgeous gift bag to share a part of these great products with someone special to make them smile as I am smiling.

I chose to share the journal with my sister. That was the right decision. When I handed her the gift bag she smiled and commented on how pretty it was. Her smile got even bigger once she pulled out the journal! “It looks just like the bag. Cute!!”

Since I have received these great products I have been blessed each day as I turn to a new day in my calendar. The inspirational passage greats me and reminds me just how much I am loved.

I am so excited to have been given this chance to review some fabulous products. But want to know what is even better??? They have given me the opportunity to host a giveaway so that you can purchase the Blessed and Loved Collection at a discounted price or to browse their site and choose your own gift.

All you have to do is leave a comment in the section below explaining how utterly excited you are that you could win a $20 coupon to use towards any purchase you choose to make from Dayspring.com

I am so thankful to be a part of the review team with Dayspring and cannot tell you how Blessed and Loved I feel with my collection. (pun is intended)

Does This Good Girl Need Grace?

Only finished Chapter 1 of Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman and already I am nervous regarding what I will discover about myself. I am not perfect, was not perfect nor ever will be perfect. My life is not perfect, was not perfect nor ever will be perfect.

Someone once told me, “Yes, you have accepted Christ but you have not accepted Grace.”

You see, I have a deep desire to be perfect. I even pray that God will help me to become a better wife, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, granddaughter, employee….Christian. I tell myself that it is not perfection I am seeking, only to grow more. To grow more spiritually and as a human being. But is that really what I mean?

Or do I mean, please love me. Please let others like me. Please give me validation. Please show me I am lovely. Please be pleased with me. And I will “work” to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Even if it mean striving for perfection. Please just love me Lord.

Grace…

Rachel W. Clark

But Today....

A Year Ago Today:

I was sobbing uncontrollably.

I experienced one of the worst days of my life.

I surprisingly confided in someone I just met who saw my hurt and reached out to me.

I was filled with pain, anxiety, frustration and fear.

But Today:

I am smiling and peaceful.

I am stronger.

I am thankful for the new friend in my life that turned into a true friend.

I am learning to let those comments people make about me that are untrue roll off my back a little easier.

There were no tears and the sun was shining on me and inside of me.

We all have seasons in our life. They can be seasons of darkness and pain or of light and laughter. I am thankful that God’s promises always remain true no matter what season of our life we are in...

He will never leave nor forsake us…( Hebrews 13:5)

We will be delivered if we lean on Him ..(Psalm 91:14)

Rachel W. Clark

Until Then

It sure has been a while since I have sat down and shared what was on my mind, in my heart and flowing in my soul. Writing for me has always been a huge passion. It has always been the best way I could express myself. If I owed someone an apology, I wrote a letter. If I needed to confront someone, I wrote a letter. If my heart was overflowing with so much love that I had to express it or burst, I wrote a letter.

So why after 20+ years, writing has become a stranger to me? Why is it that something that once flowed so freely from within can't break through this wall that has been built up?

Because I have helped build that wall and only I know how to tear it down.

Sitting here and "talking" to you all on a regular basis and opening up my heart, revealing to strangers my innermost thoughts, suddenly became a "fear" of mine. Being a blessing to someone who may be going through the same thing as me suddenly became scary because I suddenly became accountable for all I said. If I told you to hold on to God even if you did not feel His presence, it meant that I had to. If I told you to pray for others instead of being angry at them, it meant I had to. If I told you to hold your head high when your heart was breaking, it meant I had to.

The pressure was too much for me...And I honestly did not realize that this is why I was holding back until I just NOW grabbed my computer, logged onto blogger and started typing.

God revealed to me that I have not allowed grace to lead me through this process of sharing. Instead, I was letting the fear of failure stop me. And STOP me, it did.

I can't promise that I will be able able to sit here daily, weekly or even monthly and share what I have on my mind and in my heart with you like I used to. But I can promise that from here on out if that is what God WANTS me to do, I will try.

Until then........

Rachel W. Clark

I am not forgotten!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (Psalm 43: 5 KJV)

Today, I have been feeling slightly blah; a little downhearted, a little mope-y. Maybe it is changes in my life, maybe it is that I missed the much needed encouragement of fellowship with my Christian family today, or maybe it is a little bit of both.

Needing encouragement and support that can only come from one place, I diligently and desperately prayed to God tonight for His guidance and direction. I sank into a warm bath with my Bible in hand, closed my eyes and asked God to lead me to the place I needed to be; for Him to answer my hearts cry with wisdom from His word.

I opened to Psalm 43. I read, read and re-read. I felt God answer me- “Hope in - Me…. Praise - Me….Rely on - Me….” God’s timing was perfect and His answer to my prayer for wisdom left me feeling loved and renewed.

Encouragement is what I sought;it is what I prayed for God to give me. After already feeling blessed by His answer to my prayer, I felt a deeper tug from Him to look up the definition of “countenance” (who is the health of my countenance)

What did I see? approval or favor; encouragement; moral support---

He said to me yes, Rachel I approve of you and I favor you. I want to be your encouragement and I will always be your support.

Fill in the blank with your name: Yes ______ I approve of you and I favor you. I want to be your encouragement and I will always be your support.

Love, Rachel

Needing To Get In Touch

It has been so long since I have posted a blog. Mainly, because I have had no words to say. Partly it is my fault because I have neglected that constant and daily one on one time with the Lord. I have only given Him my time when it has been convenient for me.

Yes, life has been busy....but still it is no excuse.

So, I ask that you pray for me during this season in my life as I wait for the Lord to give to me the words He would have me share with you. I will continue to wait...be it 4 days or 4 months. All I can do is remember, writing is a gift He has given me....and if I need to take a break from it to grow deeper in Him...I will!

Because the one thing I have always wanted to stand firm on from the start of this blog...is that I always want my writing to glorify Him and not me!!!!

Rachel W. Clark

not to those we choose

Do you believe God’s word? Do you believe each and every thing He tells you in His gift of the Holy Bible?

Today, I found myself on a crossroads. Would I take a stand and express how I feel about a worldly belief or would I sit back and say nothing out of fear?

Common arguments from many Christians when given the opportunity to witness really only boils down to one main concern:

“I do not want to seem closed minded.”

As Christians, many times we find ourselves not wanting to “push” our beliefs on anyone. We do not want to appear rude, judgmental, or even “uncool.” Taking a stand against what we hold to be the truth versus battling with the fear of being politically incorrect makes many go into a shell. Hearing conversations, seeing sin in action, witnessing worldly opinions reign; cause many to fight back only internally. By this I mean, we give every reason something is wrong, we stand up to every continuous sin that we see, and we witness for Christ in our thoughts instead of verbalizing this truth.

Often times it leads to later guilt for not taking that opportunity.

Was Jesus ashamed, scared, mean, closed minded, politically incorrect? Did Jesus just stand back and let not only His loved ones but also just an average passerby who didn’t ask His opinion leave His presence without them knowing the truth?

At times I think we feel we are imposing or pushing our beliefs on ones who appear happy with their life and do not have a relationship with Christ. However, Jesus saw it as witnessing.

I am not talking about bashing someone’s head against a wall until they get it. I am not speaking of repeating ourselves over and over and over to someone until they croak. I do not mean we should constantly badger someone who does not want to accept our truth. I am talking of lovingly telling someone of Christ's love and saving Grace. Giving someone the chance to know of a gift that offers a peace the world can not afford.

I am saying too that if we are in a situation, involved in a conversation, or amid a crowd of unbelievers that we need to lovingly stand up for Christ. We should be gently speaking of His truth and then letting Him do the rest.

No, we should not judge but we should speak up! We can lovingly speak out without appearing judgmental or argumentative.

^{Matthew 7:1-2} "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (ESV)

Yes, we may lose “friends”, we may even be the topic of discussion once we are away. We may even be considered (gasp) close minded. However, we are required to witness to everyone (Mark 16:15) and we are required to speak out truth against untruth.

Do you find it scary or nerve racking to witness or speak out against untruth? I do! I fear what I wrote on above. I fear people will think me rude, close minded and judgmental. However, what we do for Christ will never return as void and He has promised to always be with us. This is a conviction God has given to me that I wanted to share with you.

Rachel