As a kindergarten teacher, I would repeat the same concepts in my lessons over and over again to my students. My delivery and setting were varied so that the principles could be applied in multiple circumstances. As I’ve been reading God’s personal words to me from 2005, I can’t help but notice He keeps repeating Himself. He evidently felt it was necessary to emphasize some key precepts over and over again. And of course, as always, He’s right. He is the best teacher/shepherd ever and He knows His sheep. 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).

 Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him (Matt 6:8b).

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:2-3 ).

This entry centered on relationships, with love, trust, and hope as its key principles.  

From the journal . . . . July 2005

Mark said tonight that he hasn’t felt anything from You in a couple of months.  Oh Lord, how can I help?

This was quite an admission for my husband to make. He had been rather cranky and I could tell he was frustrated about something. I was thankful when he told me how he was feeling.

And the Lord said to me:

Keep up the love and hope for him.  Admit, confess, and forgive hurts.  Trust Me in you.  There are areas that he needs comfort and conviction, but he needs that from Me.  You don’t have to walk on eggshells and you can respectfully let him know when he hurts your feelings.  Don’t give up and do encourage him to hope in Me.

From the beginning of my walk with the Lord, He began teaching me to love and trust Him. It was easy to love Him, but the trust part is taking years.  He has added many other concepts along the way and by 2005 Admit Confess and Forgive were pretty major themes. And somewhere along the line He had added Comfort and Conviction, especially when praying for myself and others. He also made it clear to me that I don’t know the balance, but He does, so they have been a safe thing to pray for those I love.