InstaEncouragements Blog

An Open Letter to Graduates During COVID-19

4/28/2020

The Pressures of a College
Graduate During COVID-19

By Shelby Abbot

You had it all planned out.

You were doing your research and fine-tuning your resumé.

You were preparing for the future: graduation in May, summer internship that would go through August, saying “yes” to the dream job where you knew you could make the most impact, earn some money, get married,buy a dog, raise a family, change the world, die peacefully in your late 90s while holding hands with your great-grandchildren

You know, normal life planning stuff.

But then…

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Eating for Satisfaction and Enjoyment

4/24/2020

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As my husband and I have traveled to several different countries, we have done our best to try the various foods of the world.

In Brazil we ate many kinds of fresh fruits, which were picked right off the trees, and tapioca pancakes (much like crepes) with various fillings and toppings.

Israel introduced us to falafel and hummus with pita bread.

We continue to try to reproduce the satay chicken with peanut sauce we ate in Indonesia.

And Italy, maybe my overall favorite, had an abundance of food on every corner in every city—breads, pastries, pastas, and, of course, gelato.

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When My Child's Heart is Anxious

4/21/2020

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In Mark 12:28–34, when asked "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Most of us would consider these two commandments to be the core of our Christian lifestyle.

I believe, falling closely behind "love your God" and "love your neighbor," could be a third commandment—"don't worry.” We certainly find an emphasis on not worrying in Matthew 6:25 and Luke 12:22, and Philippians 4:6.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25

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Learning to Stand Still in the Midst of Uncertainty

4/17/2020

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This world is a crazy, unpredictable place. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled with the fear of the unknown more than I have in the past few weeks. We are all going through a time when our natural reactions and even our solid spiritual responses to life are being turned around.

In times of crisis, our thoughts naturally turn to our loved ones, but in a pandemic, we cannot visit them.

In times of loneliness and fear, we are guided by the Spirit to turn to the body of believers to bring us comfort and point us to truth, but we can’t even attend church services.

In times of uncertainty, we fall back on our comfortable routines and schedules to keep our minds off of the hard questions, but right now many of us are left with little to occupy our time.

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4 Ways to Build Your Marriage During Social Distancing

4/14/2020

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4 Ways to Build Your Marriage During Social Distancing

This is such a unique time in which we are living. No one could have foreseen this global COVID-19 pandemic, nor the ripple effect on economies and the daily life of people across the globe. The spread of the coronavirus and all of the related shutdowns have brought us to a stark dichotomy. While we are separating from the rest of the world through social distancing, we are spending constant time with our immediate families. In real-time, many are experiencing the opposing truths of two well-known cultural proverbs, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” and “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

But for the Christian marriage, for the marriage that seeks to bring God great honor and reflect Christ’s relationship with the church, we have the opportunity to throw those cultural proverbs into a blender. Christian marriages can create a new proverb: “Familiarity makes the heart grow fonder.”

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4 Things We Can Learn From Our New Normal

4/10/2020

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4 Things We Can Learn From Our New Normal

The word background can be defined as:

“The area of scenery behind the MAIN object of contemplation, especially when perceived as a framework for it.”

“The circumstances or situation prevailing at a particular event.”

Both of these definitions hold relevance to the current path we all find ourselves walking.

Our days continually mirror the day before. What, just days ago, was our “main thing” has been placed in the “behind the scenes” of our lives, and not by our choosing.

Today, let's explore four things we can learn from being forced to bring all we once minimized to the maximum “front seat” position in our new normal routine.

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A Small Book About a Big Problem

4/7/2020

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The Bible says that a short-tempered person is a fool.

"Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

It also says that a wise person restrains their anger.

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense" Proverbs 19:11

Proverbs 16:32 even says that if we are slow to anger we are better than the mighty, and he who takes a city. The book of Proverbs actually has quite a bit to say about anger.

Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that if we are angry, we should get over it quickly!