Nehemiah 8:10 "Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'"

Psalm 4:7 "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine."

Psalm 16:11 "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Psalm 47:1 "...Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy."

Isaiah 55:12 "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Luke 15:7 "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

John 16:22 "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy."

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Philemon 1:7 "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people."

Hebrews 12:2 "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne."

1 Peter 1:6 "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a while."

1 Peter 1:8 "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."

For words A-I of my alphabet word study, click here.

Leviticus 11:45 "...Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy."

Isaiah 43:11-12 "'I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'that I am God.'"

Matthew 11:29-30 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 28:20 "...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

John 11:25 "Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.'"

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

John 18:6 "When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground."

Revelation 1:17 "When I saw him, I fell at this feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.'"

Revelation 1:8 "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'"

For other alphabet word studies, click here.

Deuteronomy 6:24 "And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day."

1 Samuel 12:24 "But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you."

Job 28:28 "And this is what he says to all humanity: The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding."

Psalm 31:19 "How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you."

Psalm 33:18 "But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love."

Psalm 34:7 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them."

Proverbs 22:4 "Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life."

Isaiah 33:6 "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."

Malachi 4:2 "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture."

Luke 1:50 "His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation."

For other alphabet word studies, click here.

Isaiah 43:6-7 "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

John 1:12 "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become daughters of God."

Romans 8:14-16 "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the daughters of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to daughter-ship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's daughters."

Romans 8:17 "Now if we are daughters, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

Romans 8:19 "For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his daughters really are."

2 Corinthians 6:18 "And, 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."

Galatians 3:26 "For you are all daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 4:7 "So you are no longer a slave, but God's daughter; and since you are his daughter, God has made you his heir."

Philippians 2:14-15 "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'daughters of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."

1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called daughters of God! And that is what we are."

(Some verses have been adjusted - child/ren has been changed to daughter.)

For other alphabet word studies, click here.

Titus 2:7 "And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good words of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching."

Dearest Dad,

I am so blessed to be able to call you "Dad."

1 Samuel 16:7 "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Job 40:10 "Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty."

Psalm 45:11 "Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord."

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the the Lord is to be praised."

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Song of Solomon 2:10 "My beloved spoke and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.'"

Song of Solomon 4:7 "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."

Ezekiel 16:14 "And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord."

Romans 10:15 "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.'"

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the waring of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

For other alphabet word studies, click here.

As I'm entering deeper into The Light that Carries Me, I decided to join in on Jenna Kutcher's Instagram Lab workshop. Today's challenge was to share a bit about myself on Instagram (which you can find here), but I decided that I also wanted to share on my blog, as this is my main form of communication.

My name is Ainsley and I'm a Christian blogger seeking to not only connect others to God, but to grow in my own relationship with Him. This blog started as a way to share my story about dealing with chronic illnesses and how it influenced my walk with God, but turned into a place for me to grow deeper in my current walk. I am constantly learning, challenging myself, and finding new ways to explore God's beauty.

I have two chronic illnesses that I've been battling for the past eleven years. I became sick when I was 13 and was officially diagnosed with a rare thyroid condition when I was 16. Due to the volatility of my thyroid, they decided to remove it when I was 17. Despite it being removed, I still have substantial problems with my hormone levels, causing me to be nauseous 24/7, experience weight fluctuations, and so many other symptoms. When I was 19, I became sick again, but with different symptoms (I felt like I had the stomach flu for months), and at 20, was diagnosed with gastroparesis, or paralysis of the stomach. I can no longer contract my food on my own without the help of a pill. Thankfully, I've learned how to properly deal with both illnesses and am constantly surprising myself with what I can accomplish. These illnesses rock my world daily, but they've also transformed me into a strong, persistent, woman of God.

In October, I made the move from Northern California to Central Illinois and I am loving it! I settled in with a church family that has been the greatest blessing I could have asked for. Living with my younger sister has been a huge plus, too! She's my best friend and moving in with her was the best decision I could have made.

Most days you can find me watching way too much TV (can I hear it for Criminal Minds fans!?), laughing with my sister, eating at Einstein Bagels far too often, and drinking copious amounts of tea and coffee. I love to travel and explore new parts of the world. Seeing new cultures and places is the perfect way to expand my horizons, while simultaneously seeing God’s creation up close and personal.

My passion lies in planning and organizing. I will forever be known by my friends as the planner of the group, and I love that! I also love to surprise people with little gifts to let them know I’m thinking of them. And really, who doesn’t love little gifts?

I cannot wait to show you more of God's goodness and grace as this blog continues! I'm so glad you stopped by!

Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."

This summer, I'm giving myself a challenge: do a word study for each letter of the alphabet. Being in the Word is a huge part of learning about God and his characteristics, so what better way to dive in than to look up 26 words throughout the summer?

How will my word study work? For me, I'm not going to do the typical word study. I'm not going to look into the original Hebrew of the word and learn its meaning that way. Rather, I'm going to see how God uses certain words throughout his Story. This will allow me to create a database of verses that I can look back on when I'm in need of some heavenly comfort.

Each word that I look into has a special meaning for me. As I share the verses with you, I'll also share stories about my faith and what it looks like to know God's Word as a form of comfort, healing, and love.

Each time I share, I will add that letter to this post. This way, you can have a central spot to access your Alphabet Database.

I can't wait to begin my journey into reconnecting with God's Word - I hope you'll join me!

Alphabet Word Study List:
Afraid
Beauty
Covenant
Daughter
Endure
Fearing God
Godliness
Heart
I Am
Joy
Kingdom
Light
Morning
New
Overcome
Peace
Quiet
Rock

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