Welcome Friends
I hope you had a great 4th of July.
As we step into this new week, I want you to know
I’m praying for you — especially those silently battling anxiety, depression, or heavy heart.
May you find peace today that your heart has been longing for-a peace that truly heals
The Pursuit of Happiness
The Declaration of Independence tells us:
All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights… among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
But it never says how to pursue happiness.
What does happiness even mean? Where do we find it?
That part is up to each of us
So, for nearly 250 years, America has been chasing happiness.
Some might say it’s felt like a wild goose chase… with no goose.
The World Health Organization reports that anxiety and depression disorders are now the most common mental health conditions worldwide.
Are we happy?
Are we at peace?
I think we can all agree on this:
We face challenges on a global scale, a national scale, and a personal scale.
but if you’re waiting for your life to be “okay” or for the country to figure things out,
you might be waiting forever
As a follower of Christ
Peace isn’t found out there in the world
Peace comes from above,
Real peace starts when we fix our eyes on Jesus- a peace that roots itself in the heart
You can’t count much on anyone or anything but the one thing you can count on is
The access to Gods presence.
He is the one and only heathy relationship in the life of a Christian
🕊️ My grandson Shawn — rest in peace. 🤍
He was autistic and lived with other medical and mental challenges.
He may not have understood who God was, but he knew where to find peace
He found it in solitude
On his swing outside, in his own little world
Upstairs alone, rocking away in his rocking chair
The quiet special room at school
Sitting in the grass, creating a invisible circle around him that no one could enter
His peace didn’t come from other people
His peace came from stillness and the quiet places
Quieting and surrendering everything that was in his mind
This was his happy place- where he found his peace
As someone walking with Christ,
I’ve learned that peace often slips away because we’re still holding on to something
Sometimes, the only thing standing between us and peace… is surrender.
We all have something we need to surrender.
Is there something stirring in your heart today?
Maybe it’s a hidden sin you have justified for years
A longing that aches you
A fear you’ve buried deeply
An approval you’ve been chasing
A dream that you have clung onto more tightly than God Himself
What’s the noise in your life that’s drowning out His voice?
What are you still holding on to? What does He want you to release?
Is there anything blocking the flow of God’s peace to you and the fullness
of God’s peace in you
God won’t wrestle it from your hands —
He waits patiently… for you to let go
When we finally say,
“God, this is Your life, not mine. Your future, Your plans,
Your desires for me — I place it all in Your hands…”
— that’s when peace comes.
For 39 years, the Lord only had a piece of my heart.
I believed in Him. I loved Him.
But I still held on to certain area that I would not let go of
I held tightly onto control, my own plans and my own way
True peace doesn’t come from having control.
It wasn’t until I laid my whole life before Him…..finally giving up
surrendering my whole heart
I found a peace this world could never give
The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to pursue happiness,
So many of us are searching for peace-
in people, in success, in control
in all the temporary places the world says will satisfy.
but happiness isn’t the same as peace.
One can fade quickly while the other is lasting — rooted in something eternal
Jesus says-
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23
This is one of Jesus’ final encouragements to His disciples before His crucifixion
A powerful reminder that while hardship is guaranteed,
He’s inviting us into something much deeper -He’s calling us to live surrendered lives
laying down your own agenda, desires, pride, and control every single day.
“Not my will, but Yours be done.”
Every morning, I wake up and say, “Jesus, I choose You again today. I lay my life down. Lead me.”
It’s not always easy — surrender is a daily process.
He isn’t asking for a part of you
He’s asking for all of you
And when I finally gave Him all of me, I found a peace this world could never give
Friends
Let me ask you-where are you finding your peace?
This week, I invite you to take some time each day
No phone, no distractions- just stillness-like my grandson
and ask the Lord
“What am I holding on to that You want me to release?”
Sit with Him and let Him speak to you
Jesus is near —
And peace is not far off.
I invite you to walk this journey with me
True change starts from within
Let’s open our hearts and allow God to shape us
so we can better impact the world around us
https://echosofmyfootsteps.com
