HOUSE OF ROBERTS BLOG

1. Peace was the GIFT Jesus left us. My Pastor preached on Peace two weeks ago, and it has stuck in my head and heart. I can’t shake how sweet it is that Jesus could have left us with anything on his departure, but he left us with Peace. In John 14:27 NIV, it says, “Peace I leave you with; MY peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid!” and notice it’s not just any kind of peace. He says MY PEACE I give you! His peace is all-sustaining and all-encompassing no matter what’s happening in life. Peace is a KNOWING of WHO is with you. When you know God is WITH you, you can have peace in all circumstances. My Pastor shared an acronym that was so good in how to handle moments of anxiety and stress.

• E- Embrace Hope: Embrace the promise God has given you (Rom 8:31)
• R- Release Worries: Cast your cares to the one who cares for you (Philip 4:6-7)
• A- Ask for Grace: Find Grace in Christ to hold on in the hard moment (Heb 4:17)
• S- Seek Direction: Acknowledge God and ask him for wisdom (Prov 4:15-16)
• E- Enjoy God: Rejoice and Praise your way through the hard! (Philip 4:4)

What a great step-by-step strategy to use when facing a moment of anxiety! I am so grateful for the GIFT of PEACE Christ left us so that the world wouldn’t overcome us, but we would overcome it!

2. Ok, my less spiritual thought - don’t get weary in looking good! Ha! Ok, this is a quick reminder to get ready in your days! Take a shower, do your hair, put on some makeup, and a cute outfit! This self-care routine is SO POWERFUL. It can propel your day forward personally, and for those of us with husbands, it can remind them WE ARE HERE and STILL GOT IT! I think sometimes wives like to make this a point of irritation that their husbands are always asking them to try a little bit more with their appearance, and truly, if this is said in a harsh, demeaning way, then yeah, that’s a sign that some counseling is needed, BUT to our husband's defense it is ok that they would want to see us continue to put effort into our physical appearance. First and foremost, always do it for yourself, but it’s also important that we continually please our husband's visuals of us. I promise it's POWERFUL for the productivity of your days! When I get ready and put myself together, it inspires me to do something with my day, not just lay around or hide out! Culture has told us, “you do you” and while I agree with aspects of this, I don’t agree that it gives us a license to not care or put effort into how we present ourselves daily to our husband, family, workplace, etc.. So, just a little friendly reminder to ALL of us to get up, get ready, feel good, and do good in our days!

I am praying for our weeks! That God’s peace would invade our life in a rich way! That we could cast off concerns to the one who cares for us! That we would take hold of the gift Jesus gave us in peace and not let one thing in this world bring fear or timidity. That God would invigorate us with a new drive and desire to show up in our days physically! That we would feel good and be prosperous and productive because of it! God with us! Believe nothing else!!