We are blessed today to have encourager Carmen Horne share her wisdom. (She wouldn't want me to brag about her, but I'm going to anyway.) I know you will feel the sincerity of her heart when you read her words. Welcome Carmen!

2 Ways to Choose Trust

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.” Isaiah 55:8-9, MSG

Do you bounce back and forth between worry and trust? My word, I do. Recommitting to my decision to trust God in certain situations is not only a yearly thing for me, it’s often daily.

Please tell me you struggle with this too. We are firmly dedicated to letting go of the anxiety that comes with a situation, and before we realize it, our devotion begins to wane.

It’s not like God has abandoned us. It’s not like He has never answered our prayers. We fill journals with thankfulness.

For me, I think part of my distrust rests within my fear of the unknown. I heard one of my favorite Bible teachers say in reference to God answering prayers, “We don’t know if He will, but we always know He can.”

Oh, but we want to know He will. We want that assurance that His answer will always be yes. We know best, right?

How will we ever overcome this tug of war in our souls? Are there ways to make our choice to trust God in the midst of the unknown for real this time?

Here are a couple of things I am trying to remember when I begin to worry and fret. Hopefully you will find them helpful as well.

Remember who God is and what we know about His character -

Scripture is filled with affirmations of God’s love and care for us – Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:27, Proverbs 1:33 are some of my favorites. Not only scripture, but our lives testify to a loving God that is faithful. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I think back on the times God has met my needs, protected my family, and healed my body. I look for truth – not what I am feeling at the moment. Our feelings usually gravitate toward the negative during stressful times.

Understanding that choosing trust is powerful –

There is power in a choice. We decide. It’s an act of our will. Quoting Joyce Meyer, “In Deuteronomy 30:19 (AMP), God says, ‘…I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.’ ‘Every choice is a seed you sow, and those seeds produce fruit in your life – either for life or for death. And if we want to have the life Jesus died to give us – an abundant life full of real peace and joy – we need to make wise choices.”

Choosing trust is good seed sown for our peace.

Often, I choose trust with my knees knocking, my voice trembling, and tears flowing. I don’t think trust has to look pretty, I think it just needs to look sincere.

Living with abandon in Christ’s love and care can happen for us. Let’s choose life.

Wife, mom and Jesus girl best describes Carmen. She has been married to her fella, Lary, for 38 years and has one beautiful daughter.

She walks out her calling to women’s ministry as a writer, speaker and Christian Women’s Hope Coach, lending her ear and heart to those looking to find hope in the craziness of life.

Carmen is convinced her home in heaven will be beach-side with a chocolate filled closet, but until that glorious day, her family makes the Bayou State their home. Connect with Carmen here:

Visit my blog at Carmen Horne, Walking With Women, Embracing God's Truth.

Another day at home with my 4-year-old, and I decided it would be a good idea to clean the carpets. I’d put our overgrown labradoodle puppy in the yard while my toddler played in his room. This wasn’t one of those quick vacuum jobs. Our tan carpet displayed remnants of a variety of spills and stains. You know, the ones that had been scrubbed by hand, but never quite disappeared?

This job called for the heavy machinery, so I broke out the rug steam cleaner.

Two hours of heavy labor passed and my little angel entertained himself the whole time. The tan carpet looked like new. Just as I finished, Garrett ran to the back door to let Teddy the labradoodle back into the house. After it had rained, and he’d been digging in the mud.

I exploded.

This wasn’t just a small explosion either. I screamed at him. I yelled at my preschooler who was only trying to help. Tears come to my eyes now as I recall the memory. Oh how I wish I could have a do-over of that day.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that as a stay-at-home mom, certain things triggered my harsh reactions. It didn’t have anything to do with Garrett’s behavior at all. Sleep deprivation, a messy house, and limited time to recharge often set my nerves on edge.

I struggled as I walked through that time of motherhood. Eventually, through intentional prayer and time spent with other moms I was able to identify potential angry outbursts before they left my mouth. I learned that I wasn’t alone. I also discovered certain habits that helped me along the way and found encouragement from friends and family.

Recently I learned of a new resource for moms of little children, written by two women who understand my story. These ladies want to equip moms to say ‘no’ to anger and replace their reactions with gentle biblical responses.

Triggers: Exchanging Parent’s Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses examines common parenting issues that cause us to explode inappropriately at our children. Moving beyond simple parenting tips on how to change a child’s behavior, Amber Lia and Wendy Speake offer biblical insight and practical tools to equip and encourage moms on the journey.

I just had to share this resource here, because I’ve been there.

Maybe you’ve been there too.

I share this with you today because I believe in the message, and I believe in the hearts of the women who wrote the book. If you know a young mom who could use a little encouragement today, feel free to share this post with her. I want her to know she’s not alone, and there is hope.

Today, the Triggers book is available for purchase. Click the picture below to take you there.