let’s count it all joy

welcome!

Welcome to September!

We get to study TRUST this month.

I chose the theme “trust” for this month’s mailer because it is something that I struggle with on every level. Independence and self-reliance are high on the list of things I value - which can be great in some parts of life and (really) not great in other parts.

Studying, writing this page, and designing this collection have been so good for me and I hope that your time with this month’s mailer will bless you in the same way.

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One of the first steps I take in building a monthly mailer is finding and reading verses and quotes on the theme. I wasn’t long into reading when I started questioning how TRUST differed from FAITH or if they were the same thing.

I found a few different answers that make sense to me.

From Guidepost:

It boils down to this: faith is a belief system; trust is action. Faith is believing that God is who God says He is and that what God can do, only God can do. But trust takes things a step further. It is making the willful choice to trust that God will do what He promises. The head versus heart.

From Research Gate:

Faith is a belief that is not based on proof, a belief with no supportive evidence. Trust is something that is based on past experience.

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These explanations resonate with me.

The first definition leads me to prayer and action. How can I trust God? By praying often and about all things - by giving my concerns, my hopes, my people to Him through regular time in prayer. I trust that He cares about the things I bring to Him and attends to those prayers. And then to step forward in faith and turn my trust in Him into action.

The second explanation leads me to building altars to remember God’s faithfulness. This looks like keeping a list of answered prayers and finding other ways to remind myself that God has been faithful in the past. When I am reminded of all the ways He’s cared for me, it is so much easier for me to let go of the idea that I have (or even want) control, and to let God work.

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Your mailer includes ten little bits of goodness that I hope will bring your faith and your joy in Jesus to mind whenever you see or use them. More than anything, I would love for you to USE the goods from this mailer - to weave them into your projects and your personal devotions, to add color to your spaces, or to gift them to others and in so doing pass on Jesus’ love.

on this special “subscribers only” page, you will find:

• A video showing the ways I’ve used the products in this month’s mailer.

• Some additional quotes on trusting God.

• A verse and scripture-section list.

• Images showcasing the ways I used the products.

• Journaling prompts.

• A prayer.

• Links to all supporting supplies that I used (sketchbooks, frames, art supplies, etc.). Please note that many, but not all of the supply links are affiliate links. And if I missed anything you are curious about, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.

VERSEs

Joshua 1;9

Psalm 9:10

Psalm 37:4-6

Psalm 40:4

Psalm 56:3-4

Psalm 143:8

Isaiah 26:3-4

Isaiah 30:15

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Matthew 6:25-34

Romans 8:28

Romans 15:13

Hebrews 2:13

quotes on trust

“God has proven himself a faithful father. Now it falls to us to be trusting children.” -Max Lucaso

“We trust not because “a God” exists, but because this God exists.” -C.S. Lewis

“The God who has been sufficient until now should be trusted to the end.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

“We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trust doesn’t come naturally. It’s a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.” – Charles R. Swindoll

“Trusting God enough to guide us down the best pathway of our life requires us to first surrender our life to Him.” –Heather Bixler

“Trust is another thread that David used to compel us to lean on and place our confidence in his God – our God!” –Lydia Chorpening

“Millions of people in the world claim to believe in Jesus—yet they go about day to day still trying to pay for their own sin and refusing to simply admit their desperate state and trust His full payment on the cross.” –Cary Schmidt

“Sometimes worship looks like singing with hands in the air, but sometimes the greatest, most precious form of worship is a soul who has been crushed that chooses to cancel how they feel and continue to follow the Lord anyway.” -Marcus Stanley

“Trust is accepting what God sends into your life whether you understand it or not.” -Timothy Keller

Six reasons to trust God: He knows you better than anyone. He cares about your future. He watches over you constantly. He corrects you when you stray. He never leaves your side. He loves you more than you understand.”

journaling prompts

I process my thoughts (and pray!) through writing. Perhaps you do too. If this is something you haven’t tried before, I would encourage you to give it a go. Sometimes, a little prompt is all it takes to get started.

1. I struggle to trust God with…

2. What does it look like to truly trust God?

3. What hopes do I have for my future that I can entrust to God?

4. A verse I want to dwell on today is…

5. What challenges can I trust God to work for my good?

6. God, I’m trusting you with…

7. Copy your favorite “trust” quote from above and write a related prayer.

8. If you are struggling to trust God in a specific area of your life, write a prayer to Him. Ask him to help you trust.

9. Write about a time when you trusted God and it all worked out even better than expected.

10. How can I submit my plans to God today?

SUPPLIES I USED alongside THIS MONTH’S MAILER CONTENTS

Journals:

EMSHOI dotted journal (my commonplace book journal)

Art Journaling Supplies:

Here is a list of my favorite and most-often used art journaling supplies.

If there’s something I missed, don’t hesitate to ask!