Inspirational Writings from Gwen Shamblin Lara
A New Perspective on Difficult Situations…
A caterpillar essentially “dies” in its cocoon so that a butterfly can emerge. Consider the spring that follows a harsh, deadly winter. Every year we watch trees lose their leaves, appearing to die; yet they come back to life bigger and stronger than the year before. Another symbol of life from death around us is the daily example of the long, cold night and the warmth of the morning sun rising again. We have to believe that the sun will rise again. Jesus drew a great word picture for us..
August 18, 2026
Perseverance means sticking with it even though it might be hard. The path gets narrow as those who are struggling give up. Do not give up, because it is hard to get started again. Just keep swimming...
August 17, 2026
When you let go and let God… you will find acceptance by the best looking, most talented, richest, most powerful Being in the Universe, the Great I Am. Now that is how you build solid self-esteem...
August 16, 2026
Let’s walk through a typical daily battle. More than likely, you are being tempted with food when you come home from work or are home alone. There you are in your house, and there is no one around... so the battle begins. The lies come in…
August 15, 2026
Once you choose a master as we discussed yesterday, you must then walk away from the old master, let it go, repent.
Peter said to the crowd, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
To serve the new Master, you have to leave the other one..
August 14, 2026
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." -Matthew 6:24. Nothing narrows the road more than this one choice.
August 13, 2026
It is a narrow focus, a narrow road, but Jesus walked this road and he is now sitting at the right hand of God. We have been told to walk in his steps, and this cannot be said enough, for it is essential that we think like he thinks, love like he loves…
August 12, 2026
Put on the new life, be born again, and be a new creation by putting the Thin Eater behaviors and mindset into practice. Live like Jesus Christ in all humility and willingness to suffer to complete the will of the Father. Christ did not complain, he simply lived to please the Father, whatever it took...
August 11, 2026
In the end, introspection is the key that unlocks the first door on this journey. James, the brother of Jesus, said it this way: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like..."
August 10, 2026
I have not set an alarm clock in many years. God wakes me up every day just at the right time. With gentle creativity, He chooses a variety of waking methods, so my first thought is God and thanking Him for waking me—and the earlier the better for me. I love getting up in the night and working for Him or having Him teach me something new...