Author: Christine Maynor

Fresh Starts

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Backstory:

I saw a post on Facebook that I really liked. It said, “Our hope is not in the New Year, but in the One who makes all things new.” That quote and our outlook on the New Year should shift our focus from time to the Savior. 

Fresh Starts

A new year often represents fresh starts, resolutions and optimism for the future,

But if we changed our perspective about time, that would be super.

Because time has no power to change hearts, heal wounds or save souls,

So as we turn our calendars, we should turn our souls to Jesus in His various roles.

If our hope lies only in a date

Then it can quickly fade when we can’t keep our priorities straight.

Jesus is where true hope lies for each one of us on this earth,

For He can help us feel our Divine Worth.

Jesus doesn’t just improve things in our life,

He can transform our problems so we won’t feel so much strife.

Because of His Atonement, He can soften our hardened heart,

So that we can have a fresh new start.

Because of Jesus, we always a new beginning every day,

And our sins and weaknesses can be washed away.

Jesus doesn’t erase our trials, but He will walk with us through them,

And will give us power and strength to endure whatever is put before us then.

If we put our trust in the One who makes all things new,

Then our outlook on our lives every day will be renewed.

When we feel alone and weary,

Jesus will come into our story and make our darkest days seem less dreary.

The Takeaway: We tend to look forward to a new year because we don’t know what trials we will face and we like to dream of what could happen in the coming year. If we change our focus to our Savior, He will make all things in our lives feel renewed. He will give us hope for every day and every trial we face. Because of Him, there is always hope.

Deep Roots of Faith

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Backstory:

I was on a walk at the park with Mike and Coco and I noticed that there were a few trees that had roots that you could see above the surface of the soil. I mentioned this to Mike and he commented that a strong wind would knock those ones over easily. Later, I was pondering this experience and it made me wonder to myself, “how strong are the roots of my faith? Are they above the ground or under the surface? Could a strong wind of life uproot the roots of my faith? And what can I do to strengthen those roots?”

Deep Roots of Faith

Trees with visible, shallow roots may look established and strong,

But when strong winds come, they are vulnerable when something goes wrong.

If our faith roots are above the ground,

Then we are mostly built on outward things that can be found.


And when the strong winds of life come,

We won’t be able to tell where our faith comes from.

But if our faith has deep roots beneath the surface,

Then our lives will have more of a purpose.

Our trials in this life symbolize the strong winds that blow,

If our faith is rooted in our Savior, then we can go with the flow.

To deepen the roots of our faith

We need to make sure that we keep our thoughts straight.

Roots that grow deep take time,

And to grow faith that is strong requires a steep climb.

But with time and patience we can develop deep roots 

That will eventually yield to us delicious fruits.

To strengthen the roots of our faith tree,

We need to focus our minds and hearts on the One who calms the winds of the sea.

When Christ is our foundation, our roots may bend,

But we will know that on Jesus we can always depend.

The Takeaway: Just as a tree needs strong roots beneath the surface to withstand the strong winds that occasionally blow, our faith needs deep roots to withstand the trials that we face in this life. To be sufficiently strong, our faith needs to be anchored in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then with Him by our side, we can withstand anything life throws at us. 

Redeemed Over and Over Again

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment 

Backstory:
I watched a couple episodes of the Chosen recently that were powerful to me. I love the story of Mary Magdalene. In one episode she says something like that Jesus knows we can’t be holy without Him. In another episode, Mary went back into a couple of her old ways. 2 of Jesus’ disciples came and took her back to the camp where Jesus was. She was very emotional and ashamed about sinning again after being redeemed earlier by Jesus. She went to talk to Jesus after she came back. Jesus said to her, “Did you really think you would never sin again?” Jesus didn’t condemn her and His compassion for her in that moment is incredible. He has that kind of compassion and love for all of us as well.

Redeemed Over and Over Again

We are all human and we make mistakes over and over again,

Our Father in Heaven knew we would need a Savior then.

He sent His Beloved Son to redeem all mankind,

So that we could make it back to Him and our redemption find.


Jesus loves us so much

And any time of the day we can feel His Loving Touch.

He doesn’t shame us when we fail to measure up,

We just need to trust in Him to fill our faith cup.


Sometimes we may feel discouraged because we are so flawed,

But if we could see Jesus’ compassion and love for us, we would be awed.

Even though we make mistakes and mess up every day,

Jesus will never leave us and with us He will stay.


If you ask yourself the question, “If I mess up again, will God still want me?”,

The resounding answer will always be, “Yes!” and this should fill your heart with glee.

The grace of Jesus meets us where we are

And we should know that with Him by our side, we can go far.


Jesus whispers to us that we are loved no matter what we do,

And we can feel that incredible love especially when we are feeling blue.

That love never runs out,

And of that knowledge we should not doubt.


The Takeaway: We are all human and we constantly make mistakes every day. We might feel overwhelmed at times by our many weaknesses and shortcomings. We may even feel like giving up when we try to change. But we are never alone in this quest. Our Savior will always be there to redeem us when we fail and carry us on our hardest days.