Finding Hope: Psalm 62:5

Hope is everything in a world full of chaos. And I trust in God that his love will flow through the world. I hope that people will feel the love and receive it, sharing kindness and blessings. I hope that it will heal all wounds, and bring fresh waves of kindness and mercy towards our fellow humans. I have hope that things will get better, even if only in my own small corner of the world, and if I can make a difference here, maybe that kindness will spread, that hope will spread, and people will be more joyful, friendly, and forgiving of one another.

Growing Up Without Religion

Growing up as a kid in a household that didn’t go to church, the only training I received about Christianity were the Davey and Goliath Easter specials or when Linus would read the passage from Luke in the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Religion wasn’t a focus for us.

In Grade 3 we were given a copy of the Gideon’s New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I remember the little red book; it was like a rite of passage, because I got one like my sister did when she was in that grade. I’m pretty sure they stopped doing that not long afterwards, probably around the same time they also stopped saying the Lord’s Prayer in school.

So really, when I was growing up, the only comparison to God we had was Santa Claus. Don’t take that sacrilegiously or anything, we were kids, and that’s the closest we could think of. Here was someone who could see what you did all year, knew whether you were being good or bad even though you couldn’t see them, and if you were good rewarded you with something you wanted. I suppose that is a pretty simple comparison, easy enough for a child to understand. There would be talk on the playground of those who did and didn’t believe in Santa, and often those who did believe had to keep it quiet.

devotional, faith, encouragement, hopeJackie ScottMarch 24, 2025faith, Christmas Faith, faith journey, God's Love

The Woman at the Well

If it wasn’t for this testimony in John 4 about the Woman at the Well, I likely wouldn’t be writing this devotional. I likely wouldn’t consider myself saved at all.

How could someone like me, who fell for every lie that was told to her, who denied her true self to believe the lies of others, be worthy of saving? Not that I thought I needed anyone to save me — I could save myself! What did I need anyone else for?

That is what I thought until I read this story, where Jesus sat in in the heat of the noon day sun beside a well in Samaria. He was there alone while the disciples went to go find some food. He sat and waited for someone he knew would be there.

The Woman at the Well.

Embarrassed to Admit: I Still Hesitate to Ask Questions

Everyone has questions. Sometimes we don’t know which questions to ask, because we don’t know what we don’t know yet. Or how to phrase the question to get the answer we’re actually looking for. Have you experienced that, too? We just don’t know what to ask because we’re so new, we’re drinking in all the instructions and trying to see how everything fits together. Learning is an amazing thing, but it can be difficult and frustrating.

creativity, encouragement, Fear, hope, Resources, tipsJackie ScottFebruary 17, 2025hesitate to ask questions, feeling embarrassed, don't be afraid, ask questionsComment

How Do We Know If We're Creative?

If you’re someone who doesn’t think you’re creative and have believed that all your life, how do you know once you’ve “become” creative? Is there some sort of graduation ceremony, where someone bestows a gap and gown on you saying “Now you have earned the title of Creative.”

Nope.

No bells, whistles, gaps, gowns, or flowers.

Being creative is not a distinction that is granted upon you from other people, such as someone who you consider creative saying “yes, now you are creative.”

Being creative is a decision.

It is a mindset.

It is owning the creativity you were born with.

creativity, encouragement, hopeJackie ScottJanuary 6, 2025creativity, hope, encouragement, I Am Creative, positive mindsetComment

Things I've Learned from Christmas and Holiday Movies

This time of year can be difficult for many people. There are struggles of loneliness, depression, feelings of not having enough or not being enough to others. The advertising around the holidays often show “perfect” families with “perfect” dinners in “perfect” settings, and that is not the reality for most of the world.

encouragement, devotional, faith, hopeJackie ScottDecember 25, 2024Christmas, Christmas Faith, Hope in Christ, Hope, Faith, Worthy, Loved, God's Love

Reaping the Joys (and Tears) of Quilting

This verse is a reference to sowing seeds for farming; the hardship of whether the seeds will sprout, what the weather will do, whether insects or disease will blight the crop. There is much to stress and worry about and only so much you can do, so you need to have a lot of faith. But come harvest time, there is joy. Few of us farm these days so we may have lost touch with this Psalm, but it still has relevance.

Like I mentioned above, you could apply the same to quilting or other types of creative activity. When you’re quilting there’s all kinds of areas that things can go wrong:

creativity, Quilting, tips, hope, devotionalJackie ScottDecember 23, 2024encouragement, quilting, overcoming mistakes, progress not perfectionComment

God is Running After Us

We spend so much of our time running from God, running away from the blessings he’s given us, running away from the guidance he’s provided us, because we’ve done such a good job at twisting his message. People take his love, his grace, his mercy, his goodness, and twist it into something they use to take power, privilege, money, and fame.

Not all people have done that, but too many have, and too many have shattered the lives of innocent people, making them fearful and angry at anything that has God’s message attached to it.

God’s running after us, because as humans, we keep messing up.

7 Benefits of a Creative Practice

Think of the joy we have, whether in making something new and sharing it with other people, or sharing how to make something with friends. Wouldn’t you like to learn a skill that you can share with the next generation in your family? Or the next generation growing up in the world? All this while reaping the benefits of better communication, and hand-eye coordination.

Rest

Who loves naps? Do you have a favourite place to curl up for a quick cat nap, like our cat Harry? The piano bench is one of his many napping spots.

Do you feel that too often we neglect our rest? Cats may have the right idea.

encouragement, time management, hope, NapsJackie ScottOctober 7, 2024Rest, spiritual encouragement, encouragementComment