Have A Little Faith in We

One of my favorite things about being a blog follower is how the experience goes from just following along to eventually feeling like you are taking advice from a friend. As a result of my love for blogs, I have purchased clothes, tried hair styles, decorated mantles, read books, organized my office, discovered health tricks, and become inspired in countless ways! Reading about a solution that an everyday person, just like me, finds enriching to their lives has been really helpful – so here on HALF I thought I would get in on the info sharing action and include a weekly favorites post!  Each week I will share one of my favorites things! The topic areas will range from favorite clothes to organizing solutions to health tricks. Really anything that I feel we just can’t live without – or would really not want to – at the Bessette home and maybe you can find something you love here too!

Since today was also spent focusing on Lent, my favorite item is something that has made a big difference in my prayer life, “Jesus Calling”. This book is a collection of short daily readings that are from the authors’ messages received from Jesus. Along with each message there are also some corresponding scripture passages, if you want to find the origin of this message, concept or lesson in the Bible.

This book has been a part of my prayer life for several years now and I do my best to read it each and everyday during my prayer time. The short summaries and comforting words always bring my heart peace and my thoughts a little clarity. It is really hard to explain unless you start using it yourself, but it is incredible how the short messages always seem to speak exactly to the thing that is weighing on your heart or occupying your mind. My family members who also use it always have the same reaction “how did God know this is exactly what I needed to hear right now?” This little book has brought me so much joy and gratitude for having faith as my greatest tool for navigating this crazy life.

This book was introduced to me by my mom and sister. They both had the same experience of this simple tool that gave them so much comfort, just by reading a few lines a day. Since the book was given to me, I have passed its power on by gifting it to many others. And it is rare they don’t find the same experience to be true – through these words, Jesus calls you to his life and brings you into his world of peace and hope. Something that I am pretty sure is a perfect gift for anyone on this planet.

Throughout different seasons of my life I have had a variety of different daily prayer practices. As a kid I read the bible and did the rosary. As high schooler and young adult I had a regiment of regular prayers that I would do daily. But as an adult my prayer life has lost a lot of structure. In some ways this is a negative – how can there be 24 hours in a day and I can’t even give one to my Lord? However a part of reason that I am not sitting down and prayiny as much is because I find myself praying ALL THE TIME. Adulthood is hard and I have come to the harsh reality that doing it on my own is just not an option. So most days I start with a prayer before I am even out of bed. No matter how much I am praying throughout the day though nothing compares to sitting down and quietly being with my Lord. It is a sort of reset that just can’t happen as you conduct life.

That is when my Jesus Calling has come in so handy! It can be a quick read that I do anywhere, anytime – or it can be something I read , reflect on, and journal about at night. Either way, it always brings me back to a place of peace and strength that I can keep going, reminding me that I have the Lord with me.

Earlier this year one of my favorite bloggers also talked about how she uses her Jesus Calling. Each day as she prays, she notes what is going on in her world. The next year as she revists the page, she will find struggles that have been overcome, prayers that have been answered, and periods of life where she chose to walk with the Lord  and found her path forward. This is something I am trying to adopt this year and it does in fact seem to even increase the feeling of peace…. I am letting my intentions melt away from my head, separate from my heart and be laid at the feet of my Lord – the only One who has all the answers.

So if you are looking for a daily devotional, or maybe you have a couple of worries or intentions that you need to unburden your heart, I would check out Jesus Calling.