Choosing the Perfect Nickname

Choosing the Perfect Nickname to Increase Love and Connection. 💞

Love is a beautiful feeling that creates a powerful connection. Love is feeling that can’t be manufactured and sold on a shelf. It is a feeling that is rare and precious. A feeling that scientists and researchers cannot even explain to its fullest extent. A feeling people search for thier whole lives. And a feeling worth fighting for once you have found it.

The experience of falling in love is paramount in every great fairytale, and the primary reason for our very existence on this earth.

God, the Father and King of Light, designed us for love. He designed us to receive love and give love in a secret exchange that represents the most intimate connection between two beings.

Living in a fairytale means waking up every single morning with a smile, a giggle, and a heart bursting with the magical feeling of knowing we are loved, cherished, and adored.

Nicknames, or petnames are just one special part of a loving relationship that helps with the expression of deeper feelings of love and the excitement that it creates.

Finding a special name for someone you care about can strengthen the bond of love. It adds to the adventure of love and can be a fun way to connect just like a smile, an inside joke, or a secret.

You’re Extremely Hot

Names of endearment can be affectionate, creative, or playful. They can describe a character trait, an inside joke, or a special memory.

Some nicknames that are common in romantic relationships are names like:

1. Cutiepie
2. Babe
3. Prince Charming
4. My Heart
5. Honey
6. Sweetie
7. Pooh Bear
8. Doll Face
9. Darling
10. Bright Eyes

Maybe you currently have a nickname for your best friend, or your boyfriend? Maybe your parents or siblings have a playful name for you as a symbol of endearment? If you don’t have a special code name, that is about to change.

Our Father, the King has many names of endearment for his children. If Princess isn’t enough, He also refers to His children as… 

The apple of his eye. (Psalm 17:8)

Beloved (Romans 1:7)

His Chosen (Psalm 105:43)

And My Personal Favorite…

Beautiful One (Song of Solomon 2:10)

Just to name A Few!

There are also many special names that describe God’s character and who He is to us in our relationship with Him.

I’ve created a list of more personal names for God which help to strengthen the bond of love. Names of endearment will take you even deeper into your relationship so that you can experience more of His love, and affection; you can feel cherished and adored as the beautiful Princess He created you to be.

Names for God, our Father:

1. My Shield (Psalm 144:2)
2. Provider (Genesis 22:14)
3. Resting Place (Jeremiah 50:6)
4. My Strength (Psalm 43:2)
5. Deliverer (Psalm 70:5)
6. Comforter (Roman’s 15:5)
7. King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15)
8. My Rock (Psalm 28:1)

Who is God to you today? Tell Him with a descriptive name.

Drawing Closer To God in 2020

Spiritual Truth For Living:
Come close to God, and God will come close to you…
~James 4:8

We are one week in to a brand new year and everyone has new resolutions. Maybe you want to start a new business, loose weight, take a dream vacation, or run a marathon? Typically, our goals and resolutions are a reflection of what is most important to us.

What is Your Most Important Resolution in 2020?

Achieving our goals can bring a great sense of accomplishment and motivate us to create new goals, and reach even higher heights.

But at the end of the day, we will never find true contentment in our achievements if we are living apart from God. We we never be satisfied with our lives if we are not in a close relationship with our Creator.

And that is why there is, Nothing More Important
in this life, than drawing close to God the Father. God promises in James 4:8 that He will draw close to us, when we take the first step and choose to draw close to Him.

But how do we draw close to our heavenly Father when we can’t see Him, or touch Him? Is He even real?

The first step in forming a close relationship with the LORD, is to talk to Him. In the same way you might talk to your earthly father.

If you have a good relationship with your earthly father, it might be easy to approach God in much the same way. You can come into His presence with confidence that He will receive you with open arms! He will make time to listen to your hopes and dreams, and offer a dose of fatherly wisdom, affection, and encouragement.

However, if your relationship with your father was strained, it may be difficult to understand the type of love our heavenly Father has to offer.

What Is Your View Of God?

Maybe you see God as cold, distant, harsh, and dismissive. You have learned how to take care of yourself without a father who is present and engaged, willing to listen, and offer support and therefore, can not understand how to even relate to a God who promises to draw close to us.

What does that even mean? GOD WILL DRAW CLOSE TO ME???

When I wanted to get close to my heavenly Father, and I wanted to learn more about His character, when I wanted to know if I could trust Him, I went to the Psalms for guidance.

Psalm 103:3-5 says:
    •He forgives your sins—every one.
    •He heals your diseases—every one.
    •He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
    •He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
    •He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
    •He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

Can you identify a time in your life when God’s presence was overwhelming? Everytime I am in nature, I can’t escape God’s beauty. A walk on the beach is an experience of His presence challenging me to come closer.

If that isn’t enough to give you confidence to be vulnerable with God, keep reading…

Psalm 103:6-18 goes into even more depth about God’s character towards his children!

“God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.

  •God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.

  •He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.

  •He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.

Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here.

God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.”

The Bible gives us a crystal clear picture and description of our heavenly Father. He is a Father we can trust with our hopes and dreams. We can be vulnerable in His presence and tell Him our concerns.

Talk to God. Be completely open and honest with Him. It is the first step in relationship. The first step in making your relationship with God your most important goal of 2020.

Having A Heart For God

Spiritual Truth for Living:
…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. ~Psalm 101:2

It’s New Years Eve and I’m ready for a coffee break and some year end reflection in Psalms 101.

This Psalm is only eight verses long, but packed with incredible truth and wisdom for living in a way that is pleasing to God. The psalm is a promise of complete allegiance and faithfulness to the LORD.

Psalm 101:1 says, “I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.” As you look back at the past 12 months in preparation for a New Year to begin, are you singing praise to God for the wonderful things He has done in your life this past year?

I know I have many things to be thankful for and I want to give God all the praise for the great things He has done. When I give God praise, I am showing my allegiance and perfecting my heart towards Him. He showed up for me over and over during the last year, covered me with His love, and kept my feet on the path He laid out for me.

Psalm 101:2 goes on to say, “I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” One of my primary goals in 2020 is to focus on being the heartbeat of my home. I want to create a home environment that is welcoming, peaceful, nurturing, and restful.

I love going to coffee shops, not just for the coffee, but for the atmosphere and environment as well. There are simple things in the design, and decor, the smells and sounds that create a homely feeling that puts me at ease.

As a mother, I know God has given me the incredible opportunity to mold two young hearts and minds. What better way to start then to make sure my home is a place of rest, and nurturing. In order to set that tone, my goal is to enter my home with a perfect heart each day.

Psalm 101:3-4 says, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.”

What do you set your sights on each day? Inside your home, or outside on the street, we have to choose each day if we will look upon wickedness or set our sights on things which are pleasing to God. When I turn on the radio, or the tv, when I reach for a book, or look at a sign, do I gravitate towards righteous things? Is my home a safe haven of righteousness or do I allow evil to creep in?

Learning to walk in righteousness, and turning away from evil is another way we show our faithfulness and allegiance to God and His laws.  

As 2019 comes to a close, my prayer is that God will search my heart and teach me how to place Him as my top priority. Having a “perfect” heart does not mean my performance must be perfect. No human could ever accomplish true perfection. God only wants to know that I have a heart that is perfect towards Him. Meaning He is #1 in my life.

If God isn’t holding the #1 spot in your heart today, and you want to walk within your home with a perfect heart towards Him, you can pray with me today.

Praying the Word:
Dear LORD God, please help me to set my life in perfect order. I want to make you #1 in my life so that my heart will be perfect towards You. Teach me how to give you all of my heart, mind, and soul. Teach me to turn my eyes from wicked things and set my sights on things above. In Jesus name I pray.

Waiting Produces Patience

Waiting On God…

Spiritual Truth for Living:
Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. ~Psalm 27:14

It’s the day after Christmas which means… the looonnng wait for the big day is finally over! Of course as a child the wait seems endless, as an adult there is almost never enough time to prepare. But after Christmas, we all wait for the New Year!

After New Years, there may be something else to wait for. Maybe you are already waiting for Spring. You might want to grab a good book, your favorite Uggs, a warm hat, and some hot coco then be prepared to wait…

Ugg Boots ✔

Warm Hat ✔

Hot Coco ✔

And wait, and wait…

There are many events in life that can place us in a time of waiting. How many times can you think of, in just this past year did you find yourself waiting? Waiting for something to change, for the right doors to open, for dreams to come true, for a better relationship, or maybe the right person to show up, for more money, a new home, or different career, for somebody to notice you.

We are not a Society that likes waiting. That is why we have fast food, speed dating, high speed internet, and overnight delivery services. When we want something, we want to be granted access as soon as possible in order to avoid the discomfort of waiting for the thing we have been dreaming of.

God’s Word tells us that waiting can actually be a good thing. Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

When we wait, we produce patience as we learn how to persevere through difficult situations. God tells us in His Word that patience is an important attribute that makes us more like Him. When we wait patiently even in the midst of pain, we become more like Christ our Savior.

When we are tested by times of waiting, walking in what feels like an endless winter, fully surrendered to God, we learn patience. And God promises to give us His strength to endure.

Today, if you are in a season of waiting, I would encourage you to take hold of God’s promise from Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.”

Praying the Word:

Lord God, I’m waiting for You today, putting all of my hope and trust in Your promises. I ask you would fill me with Your strength and take away any doubts or fears I may have. Teach me how to be patient so I can be more like You. In Your name I pray.

Amen

Learning to Let God Lead

Spiritual Truth for Living:

Oh LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. ~Jeremiah 10:23

Learning To Walk

Each day we take steps. From the second we get out of bed we start walking. We take steps to the kitchen, to make breakfast, more steps to the bathroom, to brush our teeth, steps to the office, steps to the gym. On special days, steps to get ice cream.

The steps we take today, will determine the outcome of our tomorrow. As we are learning to walk with God, He wants us to look to Him to direct our steps. He wants us to take his hand and let Him lead.

Have you ever been to an event that was so crowded you made sure to hold onto the hands of those you were with so you would not get separated or lost? That is how God wants us to hold on to Him. And He doesn’t ever want us to let go.

It is easy to hold on tightly to God when things are not going well, but once the storm is over, the clouds clear, and we are on solid ground again, we let go.

It is God’s desire for us to learn to be more and more dependent on Him. He wants to direct all of our steps and lead us through the rain and in the sunshine. That’s because He wants to take us to new places we have never been and can’t even imagine! He has plans that outshine even our best ice cream sundae days!

No matter where you are right now, you can ask God to direct your steps. If you were heading down the wrong path, God can turn you around. If your life feels like it is at a complete standstill, God can move you forward into something new.

If you reach up and take hold of God’s hand, and ask Him to lead you, to direct your steps, He will take you on the wildest adventure you have ever been on.

Praying the Word:

Lord God,

I come before you today and ask that you would lead me down the path You have prepared for me. From this day on, I want to take Your hand and walk with You. Align my heart and mind with Yours, and give me an understanding that You have a plan for my life, and You will get me where I need to go. In Jesus’ name. Amen