The benefits of a gratitude practice…

Gratitude is so good for the energy of the soul, and has the power to uplift the weary spirit.

It is free and one of the most effective tools I know of that restores and maintains your health.

A dedicated daily practice of gratitude powerfully supports all aspects of your health.

When we feel better, we do better. We choose life! And, we choose more often to live in faith rather than fear when we are in a place of gratitude, no matter the circumstances.

“When we feel better, we do better.
We choose life!”

I’m curious….
do you have a gratitude practice?

If so, I’d love to hear about it!

If not, World Mental Health Day is a great day to start!

For me, I write in my journal a short list of the things I am grateful for at the end of the day.

I’m not perfect. Some days I get busy and I forget, but continuing to come back to this practice of daily gratitude as I review my day creates peace in my life.

I hope you have a blessed day, and invite you to choose gratitude, not for all things, but IN all things.

With gratitude,
Ruth Renee

Psalm 100:4-5

My Testimony of God’s Unconditional Love…

I recently read this about God’s love, that it is not “as long as,” but “IN SPITE OF.” And I 100% agree!!

W H I L E I N M O R M O N I S M:
I believed God’s love was conditional. I believed I was worthy of God’s love and saving grace through the temple covenants only….
AS LONG AS I paid my tithing perfectly
AS LONG AS I kept the word of wisdom perfectly
AS LONG AS I kept the law of chastity perfectly
AS LONG AS I was honest in all my dealings
AS LONG AS I had a perfect faith and perfect testimony without any room for doubt
AS LONG AS I did everything asked of me by my Mormon leaders and prophets, perfectly.

I was filled with shame, anxiety, and depression because I felt unable to live up to the requirement of this God’s salvation. I felt unworthy because I was not perfect.

BUT, thank goodness for the God of grace that I know today.

A F T E R I LE F T M O R M O N I S M: the God of grace showed me that divine love is unconditional IN SPITE OF my unworthiness, imperfection, and sin.

God loves me, and saves me, just as I am…
IN SPITE OF my dishonesty
IN SPITE OF my immorality
IN SPITE OF my anger
IN SPITE OF my jealousy and pride
IN SPITE OF my doubt
IN SPITE OF all my faults
IN SPITE OF my unworthiness and imperfection

I will never be worthy or perfect of God’s salvation despite all my best efforts. None of us will.

BUT IN SPITE OF my unworthiness, I am fully loved and saved by God just as I am!

No longer am I filled with shame. Rather these days, I am filled with God’s s righteousness, grace, hope, peace, and even JOY!!

I have never been more convicted of any truth than I am of this – JESUS ALONE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH! I am so grateful I realized that I do not need Mormon temple covenants to be saved and changed by grace. I am so thankful that I have direct access to the Father through the propitiation of Jesus. I’m so grateful that I realized I do not need a middle man to reveal God’s heart for me.

If you are struggling to feel worthy of God’s love, I invite you to consider where you can give yourself permission to let go. Where can you let go of the “as long as” conditional love you have been believing, and step into the “in spite of” love that sets us free?

If you are open to receiving prayer, this is my prayer for you…May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. May Jesus alone be the anchor of your soul and your Great High priest. May you accept Jesus into your heart by grace alone, knowing that we are saved by this sacrifice alone. Our bodies are now the temples in which God dwells.

Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not easily angered, and love keeps no record of wrongs.
If I have not love, I am nothing.

With much love!!
Ruth Renee

Romans 15:13
1 Corinthians 13
Ephesians 2:8-9
Hebrews 6:19
Acts 17:24
Hebrews 4:12-16
Hosea 2:14-23, 3:1-5

A challenge to MAGNIFY the GOOD…

my challenge to you today:
Seek to M A G N I F Y the G O O D you see in yourself and others!

Magnify the good!

Today, I hope you C H O O S E to L O V E others more fully in the way that God first loved you.

Love. Be love. Hope. Be Hope.
Show K I N D N E S S wherever you can and minister to the needs of others.

A C C E P T and let go of that which you cannot control.

B R E A T H E in the beauty and goodness around you.

Fill your heart with loving kindness and forgiveness. Be the C H A N G E you seek.

The way of T R A N S F O R M A T I O N is not to battle the world, but to calm the battles of one’s own heart.

It takes C O U R A G E to look within and discover what life is truly about…

Empathy. Awareness. Perspective. Courage.

May you live today from a place of A B U N D A N C E. Let love flow in you and through you. There is more than enough. You are worth it!!

“We love because God first loved us.” -1 John 4:19

Resilience, not perfection…

In our society, I often hear the saying “progress, not perfection.” But these words do not resonate for me.

Being a recovering perfectionist, I often see progress as needing to be only forward moving.

To me, “progress” says mistakes are okay as along as they don’t set me back, as long as I remain in forward motion.

However, when I hear the word “resilience,” I think of being brave and getting back up every time I fall.

I think of how it’s okay to take 1 step forward and 3 steps back.

To me, resilience says it doesn’t matter how far or fast I go. The only thing that matters is that I never give up.

“Resilience, not perfection.”

—-

Growth is messy. Action over perfection is messy. Resilience not perfection is messy and imperfect, and that’s okay. It’s actually quite a beautiful thing.

To my reader, where has focusing on perfect progress held you back? Where can you give yourself permission to be imperfect and resilient?

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
– Charles Darwin

The Benefit of Movement in Nature…

I’m curious…what does your self-care look like for the coming week?

May I suggest gentle walking at a nearby lake or nature preserve?

White Rock Lake ~ Foggy Afternoon

Walking is not only good for your muscles, heart, and lungs;

but it is also very good for the soul…

especially if you walk somewhere you experience wonder and beauty!

I’m also curious…do you notice a difference in your energy levels when you walk or jog in nature vs. exercise at the gym?

What differences do you notice physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually?

Much love,
Ruth Renee 💛

#ShareLight #BeGentle #BeKind

What I would tell my younger self…

Looking back at my 6th grade self receiving an achievement award, I wish I could have understood my lovability was not based on what I achieved or didn’t achieve.

I am telling my younger self now, I am lovable because I am a creation of God.

I was and am just as He created me to be. Wherever I am, He meets me there. All God wants is my heart.

There is nothing I can do or not do to change this divine truth. It’s taken me a long time to see truth.

Only by allowing God’s love, mercy, and grace into my heart, could the deep pains I’ve carried since childhood begin to heal.

Only then could the lies be removed, and replaced with truth that I am love. Nothing can ever change this truth.

I praise God that He got through to me, that I remembered He is trustworthy, long enough to let down my guard, to let Him in to my heart to heal me.

God is the Master Healer and only true source of life and love. Any healing, growth, success, and light you see in me, I give all the credit to Him! He saved me. He healed me.

With hope and much love,

Ruth Renee

How I Surrender to Grief…

Be Still and Know

Grief sometimes hits unexpectedly like a tsunami wave.

In this hard moment, when I can’t breathe, when the tears won’t stop, when I want to call my dad and can’t, I hold on to the words and love of my Father God.

He is with me, and I am loved by Him. So I have to keep fighting the good fight.

God is faithful. Everything in my life feels like more than I can handle, but God’s got me. God will make everything right, and bring me through another hard time in my life.

I surrender my pain and my heartbreak. I know Jesus weeps with me, that I can lean on Him, and all will be well in His time. It will be better than I ever could imagine.

He can fix my shattered hopes and dreams. He can guide me to a new path and purpose. He will help me figure out how to support myself. He will never leave me. He will carry me in this moment, and walk with me every step of the way in my pain, and letting go of the past.

I want to move forward, keeping my eyes on Jesus, while he helps me follow my dreams to write and take pictures, to use my pain to help others heal, to share my hope in Him with the world to glorify God.

God is working a miracle in me, and in the end, my tears will be transformed into shouts of joy!

My life surrendered to Him, will be better than I ever imagined impossible!

With hope in Jesus,

Ruth Renee

Psalm 46:10-11 NIV

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations

I will be exalted in the earth.”

The LORD almighty is with us;

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

Just Breathe…

Let go of anger.
Let go of resentment.
Let go of negativity.
Let go of fear.

Let obsession and worry go.

They lock you into suffering and pain.

Breathe in gratitude.
Breathe out hope.
Breathe in faith.
Breathe out love.

Hold space until you can feel God within.

I promise freedom and grace.

The peace that surpasses all understanding will come.

Your breath is powerful.
God will meet you where you are.
Your breath is a great place to start!

🙏