Life out of Death

i recently saw this book on my friend Bethany's fb wall and was immediately attracted to its title & cover illustration. with all the pregnancy, breastfeeding, and mothering/parenting books my prego brain has been devouring these past nine months, i've since taken a rather lovely hiatus from them to just get more into the Word, to catch up on a few 'spiritual books' including one posted about HERE, and lastly to put some fun mystery novels (yay for Agatha Christie!!) "under my ever-expanding belt" :) Very excited to dig into this new book and also to participate in giving something up for Lent*.

but here's the cool thing...when i received the book in the mail today (found it HERE for $1.89 - check it out!), I found an old newspaper clipping on the inside cover that i'm going to assume the previous owner had lovingly kept there for the next reader. it spoke to my heart and i pray it does yours today, as well:

In the midst of a hectic life with deadlines and meetings and sickness and stress, life can start to pile up on us. If we are not careful, some of the problems we face can seem to become insurmountable. If we were really honest, we would admit that it seems some of the challenges we are facing are even too hard for God. Not so. Remember, if Jesus can overcome death, there is nothing He can't overcome. Nothing you are facing is bigger than God.

Jesus was dead for two days, then on the third day, He rose from the grave. It is just like God to take something that is dead and bring it back to life. Is there something in your life that was once alive but has since died? Maybe you have lost your ambition, or a friendship went sour, or a marriage that was once thriving is dying. God is still in the business of taking things that have no life and breathing new life into them. Don't give up! Take it to Jesus and lay it at His feet. Tell Him, 'I don't know how to fix this. I need your help. I need your resurrection power in my life and in this situation." Give Him a chance to show His power.

*i've never participated in giving something up for Lent before due to not wanting to be legalistic and simply trying to see if i can do something in my own strength. but that's just it - i can't do anything apart from Him in my own strength and thanks be to God for freedom and GRACE! :) too often this whole Lent thing (or really anything 'righteous' we try attempt in our own strength) can easily be something done out of a legalistic/works based mindset - that's why i haven't participated in the past. but just like fasting from food, i guess that's how I felt like the Lord spoke to me personally about it - i can choose to 'fast' in a sense from something that brings me comfort and instead cry out to Him during those moments to look unto Him and be freshly reminded of what He's done for me, especially during this holy season of reflecting upon the days leading up to his trials, torments, and ultimate death on the Cross in my place. i will fail, i will not walk it out perfectly, and i might even give myself one night a week to enjoy something sweet (cuz otherwise I might go crazy and just give up altogether! lol!). but the MAIN THING is, it has to be something the Lord speaks to each person about personally and specifically. to do something out of compulsion in vain effort to try to please God or out of peer pressure is not the right motive - i think it all boils down to personal conviction.