Gwendolyn Harmon's Blog: Learning Ladyhood, page 21

Satisfied

When was the last time you felt truly satisfied, joyfully at rest in the knowledge that God is with you? Psalm 4 gives us a picture of the joy, peace, and hope we can have in the face of life’s difficulties.

We know that David, who penned this psalm, was facing difficulties, because he begins the psalm with a cry for help:

 

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.” (v.1)

 

Notice his focus on God as His so...

Doing What We Can: Mary of Bethany’s Example to Christian Women

I am a woman. I know from the creation account in Genesis that my femininity is a gift from God, and all gifts He gives are to be used for His glory. But what does it really mean to serve God as a woman?

That is far too broad a broad topic to address in one blog post, but this week I have been challenged by four specific aspects of serving God as a woman.

But first, I feel it necessary to state what the Bible teaches about gender: that it is both given and defined by God, and that it has real be...

Heavy Laden

Does life ever seem to weigh you down? Sometimes our burdens can feel so heavy they seem impossible to bear. But we don’t have to let the heaviness of life’s burdens press us into the dust. In the midst of the weariness of our burden-worn lives, Jesus calls to us:

 

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28)

Heavy laden as we are, Jesus offers us rest. How exactly does this work? Look at the next verse:

 

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me...

My Refuge

Who do you go to when a problem arises or when you are upset or afraid? I am blessed to have one or two people in my life who feel like a refuge. I know that whatever I am facing, they will be there to help me through. The past few weeks, however, God has been challenging me run first to Him, to make Him my place of refuge. Psalm 46:1 says,

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”

 

That word refuge here means a shelter, or a place of hope. So often, when I encounter diffi...

Why Study the Bible?

This time of year, it seems natural to discuss goals and plans for reading and studying the Bible. In fact, you may have heard the subject touched on in a sermon or Sunday school lesson already in this new year. It may be that you are excited about your reading goals, or it may just be that you’ve grown more than a little weary of being told you should read your Bible.

Whichever is true of you, I would encourage you to consider with me today why we are to study the Bible. I could give a whole li...

Bereft, yet Blessed: Lessons from the Life of Anna

This Christmas season, it seemed like my attention was constantly being called to Anna’s part of the Christmas story. The Bible only tells us a little about her, but what it does say gives us an interesting peek into her character and how God orchestrated events in her life to call her to a place of service.

Anna’s part in the Christmas account comes as Mary and Joseph are in the temple, performing the normal ceremonies attending the birth of a firstborn son. Simeon, led by God, comes in and rec...

The Beauty of the Manger

Christmas Eve is when the reality of Christ’s birth hits me. I picture the scene, the dimness of a lamp in the darkness of the animal’s shelter. I picture the exhaustion in Mary’s face, and perhaps a bit of relief in Joseph’s as the tiny swaddled bundle lies peacefully sleeping in a feeding trough full of hay.

Though we like to romanticize the scene, there was not much of beauty in it for the casual observer. A wrinkled infant wrapped in rough cloths born in a dirty stable wouldn’t have struck t...

Great Joy

It was late. A fire cast its flickering light into the night, as if feebly swatting at the thick darkness which engulfed the field. There was a faint whiffling sound of sleeping sheep, occasionally punctuated by the louder snores of their keepers.

One man stood watch, listening intently for any sound of approaching danger. He looked up at the massive field of stars above, each twinkling in its place, far too many to even think of counting. The shepherd looked back down at the fire, crackling out...

Preparing My Heart

This is a busy season. Everywhere I go, it seems like people are bustling around in a rush to buy presents, put up decorations, and generally prepare for their Christmas celebrations.

The bustle and rush can be overwhelming, but it can serve as an important reminder to those who slow down long enough to take notice.

You see, Christmas is the celebration of the first coming of Christ, but in the heart of the Christian, tucked away amidst the wondering awe of the manger scene is a reminder that th...

Living in Anticipation

December has arrived, and with it the countdown to Christmas has begun. Every year, I write the number of days until Christmas on the whiteboard in my classroom, and over the years, my students’ favorite part of the day has been when I erase the number at the end of the day and they get to tell me how many days will be left when they arrive at school the next morning.

Did you know that the anticipation of Christmas isn’t just for first-graders? If we take a step back and look at the story of the...