Letters While Separated- Weekly Compilation
Another week of isolation, but another week of beautiful letters FROM our church family TO our church family. Enjoy the letters from this week.
Finding JOY and PEACE amidst life's challenges is a struggle for even the most pious person. In today's Letters While Separated, Sarah J. shares from her own path to trusting fully in God.
Dear Church Family,
I want to share a verse with you that has been a great blessing in my life for many years and especially lately during this time of separation. It's Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
This verse is why I now end most of my correspondence with the words "Joy & Peace". That hasn't always been so. I have had a deep love for God since I was a very small child, but I have not always trusted God with my life. I remember years ago when I was a young mom with 3 very small children (we had 3 children in less than 3 years.) I couldn't find any peace and joy in life. A friend, knowing my struggles, gave me a book titled something like "Everlasting Joy" based on Philippians chapter 4. I remember starting to read it and in frustration throwing it across the room and not reading any further. Because life is hard and it can be easy to let the circumstances of life steal our joy and peace.
It took years of God working in my heart for me to understand that in my own strength, I could never achieve the desired goal of "rejoicing in the Lord always"and having a "peace that surpasses all understanding" (Philippines 4:4-8). It was while going through some very traumatic times that God was able to get through to me and demonstrate that only when I surrender control of my life to Him and trust Him that that the joy and peace beyond comprehension comes.
I still struggle at times with fully trusting God and letting His Peace and His Joy fill me through the Holy Spirit but oh the wonder at the change within me when I surrender to Him and just trust!
In circumstances like the current COVID-19 pandemic, it's so easy to let the circumstances of life overwhelm us. We can't control all our circumstances but if we take our hands off the steering wheel (kinda like the song, "Jesus Take The Wheel") and trust that God has us He is faithful and will give us Abundant Joy & Peace!
Dear friends in Christ, I encourage you to trust Jesus with all your worry and fear and let His Joy & His Peace fill you. If you're not a follower of Jesus, I pray that you'll come to know Him. I'm willing at any time to share with you the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus and the Hope, Peace, and Joy that only He can give!
Joy & peace,
Sarah Jacobs
Mars Kids Director, Mobile Campus
Hello Church Family!
What a crazy adventure we have all been on! Our family has come to be very thankful for the free time God’s given us, despite the hard reasons why quarantine has gone into effect. We were at a place in our lives where our family had been run into the ground. We had just moved to a new home that was enduring quite the amount of construction and the chaos and exhaustion of this event lead us to a very hard time amongst ourselves.
Since being at home and the free time given that we as Americans will never see again, we have truly embraced rest. We have learned that it’s okay to slow down and rest needs to be taken. We’ve grown deeper as a family and in our family relationship with God our Father.
As a mom and getting the time to watch my babies grow and not having to rush them to the next best thing has been beyond words! Our youngest invited Jesus into her heart during a family bible study, just confirming God’s spirit is so beautifully moving through and in us!
The virus hit hard where my husband works and is a daily ongoing life struggle, but through the thickest of the muck God endures and is working!!! I personally see this time as a wake-up call to grow in our Heavenly Father. To do all the things with our families we never could find the time to do. To see the good amongst the daily battle and to set our hearts more on fire then they’ve ever been! We are thinking and praying for our church family whom we miss and are so thankful for!
Blessings!!
Jamie B.
Each and every one of you is missed right now, and I know all of our hearts yearn to fellowship again soon. We hope you are finding encouragement and comfort in these Letters While Separated.
Also, we would love to hear from YOU. Let us know how you are doing! Submit your letter to tricia@pomh.org.