100 Days of Bible Journaling Days 29-35

Day 29: New Mercies Every Morning

Every day is a fresh start. Whew! That's a great message to hear isn't it? I don't know about you, but for me it seems like more often than not, I fall short as to where I want to be. As a mom, as a wife, as a woman and yes, even as a Christian. In our human minds, it could be easy to just give up--- why try? But God's mercy starts fresh every day. We can continue to try and do better each day. That's something worth celebrating, isn't it?

For this page, I knew that this little lemon graphic from Jen Hadfield's My Bright Life collection was absolutely perfect! I picked a green background to play off the colors already present on the graphic, but also to really give that fresh look--- just as the message states.

Day 30: God's Bigger Purpose

This devotion talked about serving God, and more importantly, serving Him our absolute everything wholeheartedly. It gave the example of the way bees and butterflies work together. I loved that imagery, because it really was quite fitting--- not to mention perfect for the spring season.

For this page I really wanted to play on that idea a little bit. Another great die cut from Jen Hadfield, this one from her Patio Party collection seemed like a great addition with the little bee buzzing about. I used a stencil to create the honeycomb background to further focus on that bee theme, and finished it off with a simple message using alpha stickers.

Day 31: He Is Jealous For You

When we think of jealousy, it tends to bring up a negative quality, doesn't it? Perhaps that's why when I first read this title it struck me as odd. If being jealous is bad, how can God be jealous? How does that make sense? And yet the Bible describes him as just that multiple times. Exodus 34:14 says, "You are never to bow down to another god because Yahweh, being jealous by nature, is a jealous God." You see, God isn't jealous like a jealous ex... or as someone lusting after something they cannot have...the type of jealousy that we so often think of. No, he wants US to come to Him. He wants us to believe in Him and follow Him. That is a beautiful thing.

Reading the word 'jealous', I of course immediately saw green. We've all heard the expression, right? Green with envy. Instead of an elaborate design, I decided to go with a simple message and a rather chromatic look to really drive that idea in.

Day 32: Love Notes

Have you ever thought of your praises as love notes to God? I'm not sure if I'd ever really thought of it quite like that, but it made sense when I did. What IS a love note? It's a message of adoration. A message to express how you feel. A message to state simply, 'I love you'. Isn't that likewise what we are doing when we praise God?

Initially I'd thought I might focus on that 'love note' idea with a typewriter theme or something similar... but when I turned to find the page that my journaling would have been on, I discovered I'd already done that page earlier in the 100 days. Not a huge deal, as often will happen I decided to just journal the opposite page. The colors on the existing page though just called to be matched on this one and so I completely changed my plans to create a page that perfectly complimented the existing- in color and theme. I used some die cuts to create a cute little 'Dance Party with God' theme that truly sums up just how praising God should be!

Day 33: The Wonder of Stars

Do you ever take the time to step outside and just admire the night sky. Now, if you live in the city, you might not be able to enjoy the full scope of the beauty seen in the stars, but we can get the idea, can't we? Last summer we had the chance to watch a meteor shower from our backyard... oh, what a magnificent sight! It truly is a great reminder of just what a wonderful creator He is... and a humbling thought to think about how many throughout history have stopped to look at those same creations.

For this page, I really wanted to focus on that idea of God as the creator. I created what I hoped would resemble a starry night sky with a black background and some splattering of yellow paint. I'm not sure if it created quite the effect I was going for, but the addition of that message, 'Beautiful Creator' and the paint brush gave me a mental image of God- the artist, the creator doing just that very thing.



Day 34: Get a Good Grip

A good grip. Have you ever tried to complete any project without having a good grip on the tool you most needed? Let's just say it doesn't end so well, does it? Faith is the same. To truly get the full effect of it's powers we have to hold onto it tightly. To stand firm and hold strong.

For this page, I wanted a strong image though admittedly I wasn't quite certain what that image would be. Then I came across this cute little Illustrated Faith die cut and knew it was perfect--- not only did it perfectly embrace that message of standing firm that I wanted to get across, but it also just so happened to perfectly match the letter stickers I'd already hoped to use! A perfect fit!

Day 35: Reach for God

I love when my reach for me. Whether they are little babies looking to be picked up, or if they've fallen and just need some extra mother's love to ease the pain... it's a beautiful feeling to be wanted and needed. It makes sense that God also feels that same joy when we do the same to Him, doesn't it? He is our Father, and like a child we need to reach for Him always.

Setting out to do this page, I'd had the idea of doing a few simple florals. As I looked for those however I came across this balloon image and thought back to something that had happened just earlier that day. We had to make a trip to our local Dollar Tree and while there as she always does, my daughter just found herself drawn to the helium balloons. She wasn't the only one. It seemed that every child who made their way through the checkout found themselves reaching up for those balloons... there was such a pleasure, such an innocence about it that when I saw this image, I knew it was meant to be. We should all strive to reach for God with that same joy and childlike enthusiasm as I witnessed those children reaching for those balloons.