Royal Reads: Safe All Along by Katie Davis Majors

Do you have authors that you just love? When they write a book, you immediately grab it--even if your nightstand is full of others and if the topic doesn't seem like it fits in your current life situation?  Authors who you just KNOW will have written something you will appreciate?

That's how I felt when I saw that Katie Davis Majors had a new book.  This is her 3rd--you may have hear of her from her first book "Kisses from Katie."  It tells the story of her trip to Uganda that ended up with her adopting 13 daughters and starting an amazing ministry that created schooling opportunities for Ugandan children who didn't have any before she arrived on the scene.  

Her second book "Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and Beautiful" came out at a time when I needed to hear the words she wrote--my dad was dying of cancer and life seemed extra hard.  She talked about writing things that bring her joy on a sticky note and putting them where she could see them every day.  It started me on a quest to write down things in a journal that brought me joy that day.  And while bacon made the list several times, I also pictured so many people I loved when I wrote their names in that journal.  

I ordered "Safe All Along: Trading our Fears and Anxieties for God's Unshakeable Peace" as soon as I saw it was coming out.  It's taken me several months to finish it--even though it's an easy read.  It's one of those books that has nuggets of truth all throughout.  I don't feel like this has been a season where I've been extra anxious or even fearful, but I am an Enneagram 6...(if you know, you KNOW).

I read a chapter or half a chapter a few mornings a week and finally finished it today.  I'm a little sad that it's over, so I thought I'd go back through and note the things that stood out to me.  Hope you enjoy them, too!

"None of us will ever be outside the reach of God, who sees the whole plan from above, who knows exactly what He is doing and where we are going."

"I want to live in a peace that is dependent not on my circumstances but on the unchanging character of God."

"We can walk in the confidence we might have if we could see the ending, even though we can't.  We can learn to live in the steady assurance that in Christ, we are safe all along."

"...we can be tired and we can be stuck even when we have been faithful."

"We can trust our lives and our futures to a good God who cares for His people and draws near to them in their times of need.  A God who comes to us, a God who speaks to us, a God who joins us in our trials and promises to give us His perfect peace.  A God who has sought us and loved us from the moment of the world's creation."

"When I look at the life of Christ, I see how often He was inconvenienced, interrupted and right in the middle of aloud and chaotic atmosphere. Yet, He Himself is the Prince of Peace and He promises to leave this peace with us."

"Real peace comes from knowing, believing, trusting that God is good and kind and absolutely in control, worthy of our worship and our utmost trust."

"God wants to be known by us."

"We are conditioned from the time we are little to pick just one emotion that we are feeling at a time.  We believe we can hold either grief OR hope, sadness OR joy.  One or the other.  But Jesus the error in that perspective."

"It's okay to be sad, it's okay to lament, but it's not okay to stay there forever.  Lament.  Grieve. Cry out.  And then turn your heart back to praise."

"Our grief ca be holy when we bring it honestly to Jesus, but when it turns to complaining and self-pity, it becomes a dangerous weapon of the enemy."

"As we surrender our anxieties and our worries, our fear and our burdens, to Jesus, as we cry out in our suffering and hurt, He alone can change our mourning into dancing."

"I want to choose joy not as a feeling but as a lifestyle.  I don't want to be someone who rejoices and worships only when life is good, but someone who rejoices in God ad worships Him for His goodness o matter what is going on.  I don't want to just be thankful for the gifts, I want to rejoice in the giver."

"Practicing peace is a lifelong process of coming back to the present moment over and over again."

"Sometimes we have to say no to something that is good to say Yes to what is better."

"Rest is just another way we trust Him, another way we surrender."

"Our God ALWAYS comes for us, always after us, always calling us home."

"In a day and age when we think our image, our reputation, and our social media following are our mot powerful tools of influence, Jesus is beckoning us to a towel and a basin of water.  Jesus is beckoning us to the freedom and peace of service."

"When we are serving because we are so full of the love of Jesus that we can't imagine not letting that flow out of us, when we are truly putting the needs of others before our own out of genuine love and care, we can serve from a place of rest."

"Faithful obedience doesn't have to mean moving somewhere or doing some 'big' or 'important' ministry.  Our small yes to God matters."

"In Jesus, there is always possibility.  We can wait in anticipation for good things up ahead, even when we do not know what is in store."