peace — Daily Devotion — Kristen Alexis Cave

The three months after my wedding were some of the most stressful I’ve ever experienced. I got married. I moved in with my husband’s apartment, but only for a couple of months before we moved to a different state. My husband sprained his ACL and LCL playing basketball. Our dog had three different health emergencies. We had one of our cars in the shop so we were down to one car for two people. And we were trying to buy a house. Needless to say, a lot of different things were occupying my mind.

Kristen CaveMay 22, 2024stress, anxiousness, anxiety, overwhelm, peace, comfort, scripture, meditateComment

Praying Instead Of Worrying

I was reading a devotion by Lysa Terkeurst recently, and in it, she wrote a line that hit me like a ton of bricks. Or as I like to say, the Holy Spirit knocked me upside the head with a heavenly two-by-four. The line went something like this: You will make so much more progress in your life as a result of praying than you will from worrying.

Kristen CaveApril 8, 2024worry, stress, prayer, trust, trusting God, relief, peaceComment

10 Verses For When You're Afraid

Did you know that the Bible says, “fear not” 365 times? I’m not one to believe in coincidences when it comes to God. I think it was very purposeful that the same number of times we’re told not to be afraid is the same number of days there are in a year.

Kristen CaveJanuary 17, 2024fear, afraid, anxiousness, anxiety, worry, peace, comfort, trustComment

10 Verses When You're Dealing With Conflict

I absolutely hate conflict and confrontation. I used to run from it at all costs growing up. Anytime an argument would start or a heated conversation would emerge, I would do everything in my power to retreat or remove myself from the situation. I just wanted peace. I wanted everyone to be happy - with me, with each other, with the current circumstances - and I didn’t handle it well when people seemed less than happy and at peace.

Kristen CaveJanuary 16, 2024conflict, confrontation, peace, resolution, conversation, relationships, scriptureComment

Beauty In The Valley

Gratitude is all about perspective. Are we willing to widen our gaze to see what unexpected blessings came along this year? Or are we going to remain focused on the disappointment and unmet expectations? Are we willing to dig a little deeper to identify all that we can to thank the Lord for? Or are we going to hold onto our surface perspective, zoning in on what we wish didn’t happen this year?

Kristen CaveNovember 22, 2023valley, struggle, disappointment, discouragement, pain, hardship, 2020, joy, peace, thankfulness, gratitude, thanksgiving, thankfulComment

Letting Go Of What's Weighing You Down

Trying to act a certain way, look a certain way, speak a certain way, or change a certain aspect of your personality is exhausting, especially if you’re trying to change those things to please or appease someone else. And the longer and harder you try, the heavier the burden becomes.

Kristen CaveNovember 16, 2023burden, weight, body image, standards, fitting in, pressure, surrender, let go, peace, rest, appearanceComment

10 Verses For When You're Looking For Peace

Peace is something we all crave, but a lot of times I don’t think we realize it’s peace that we’re looking for. We feel uneasy. We feel tired. We worry. We wonder. We wrestle with unrest. We are juggling all the things that are the opposite of peace.

Kristen CaveOctober 11, 2023peace, Scripture, memorizing scripture, meditate, worry, hopeless, broken heart, unrestComment

A Quick Fix For A Bad Day

In the midst of my bad day, my best friend Melanie texted me to see how I was doing. And instead of giving her the normal answer of “Oh I’m doing pretty good!” I unloaded on her. I told her everything. And as I talked about all the stuff on my mind, I also explained that I was blasting worship music and trying to remember every Bible verse about trusting God and finding peace in Him and praying when my heart is heavy. In other words, I was doing whatever I knew to do to try to make things better as quickly as possible. But in true Melanie fashion, she responded with a mix of empathy and truth. And her reminder is one that I won’t soon forget. She said, " I know it’s so hard, but it’s okay that it’s not just a quick fix of remember what’s true and then voila it’s all good again!”

Kristen CaveAugust 29, 2023faith, prayer, waiting, hard day, bad day, hard times, peaceComment

What To Do When You’re Feeling Drained

Over the past two years of serving in youth ministry with my husband, I’ve had some very random tasks and responsibilities to handle. I’ve walked all through Walmart looking for specific colored pool noodles. I’ve blown up inflatable astronauts and aliens. I’ve walked out of Kroger with 32 cans of whipped cream. And I’ve filled squirt bottles with powdered paint. It’s the furthest thing from boring to be married to a youth pastor.

Kristen CaveAugust 22, 2023fulfillment, draining, satisfaction, wisdom, peaceComment

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