Heb 10:23 Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful.
Lord, Thank You for a good week, especially after the incredible anxiety and grumpiness leading up to it. Thank You for Your presence and for unfounded fears. Thank You for this new group of students, Lord. I know that You put this combination together for a purpose and that we have much to learn and much to teach each other.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Lord, Thank You for this current mental space, a beautiful place of gratitude and thanksgiving. Thank You for the growth and maturity that has and is taking place, even under my own roof, for the new ways of being and relating. Thank You for deep roots that sink down into You, for the growth below the surface, unbeknownst to us, for the roots that nourish our souls.
2 Chron 15:2 …The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this life. Thank You for walking with me down every road, through every trial. Thank You that all of it draws me closer to You. And thank You that as great as this world can be, that it is not my home, that You have something even better planned and prepared. Draw me closer always. Amen.
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful….
Have a blessed day.
Willingly and intentionally choosing…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 65:2 All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people, who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations….
As a parent and a teacher, it is incredibly frustrating to see a child headed down the wrong path. It is especially frustrating when you know those wrong choices can easily lead them to be hurt—physically or emotionally. To try to lead and guide them, to end up being rebuffed for my efforts, to have to help them deal with the fallout of their choices—these are very difficult things.
Jer 7:24 Yet they did not listen or pay attention, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
God is the Creator of the universe. He could have preprogrammed us to obedience, but He doesn’t want automatons. He wants people who willingly and intentionally choose Him, which means He allows us our stubborn disobedience, even if it hurts us, even if it hurts Him.
Deut 32:15 But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people… abandoned the God who made them and they rejected the Rock their Savior.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for loving us enough to let us choose You, even if it takes a while. Thank You for Your goodness and mercy, for Your grace which surpasses all understanding, for Your fierce love. Help me to lay aside my stubbornness and choose You. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 106:25 They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
Have a blessed day.
A beautiful world…. (devo reflection)
1 Peter 3:8a Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic….
I used to have a poster by my door which said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” While the poster has been swapped out for another, the sentiment is one I still fully believe in. What if we were all like-minded in our desire to lift people up and encourage them? What if we went through every day trying to outdo each other in honor (Romans 12:10)? What a beautiful world it could be.
1 Peter 3:8b …love one another, be compassionate and humble.
Another sign, which has had a place of honor in my room for years, reads, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Such wise words, that are sometimes incredibly hard to follow, especially if you are the one in mid-battle. Someone said to me the other day, “Hurt people hurt people,” and I find that so very true, but what if our mission in life was to try to bring comfort and kindness, to show God’s love to a weary world? What a beautiful world it could be.
1 Peter 3:9a Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for these things that I ponder in my heart. Thank You that lifting up and encouraging others lifts me up as well. Thank You that we have a choice to reach outside our circumstances, our frustrations and pains, in order to shine Your light. Help me, always, to choose joy, kindness, compassion. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Peter 3:9b …On the contrary, repay evil with blessings, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Have a blessed day.
This beautiful place…. (devo reflection)
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Lord, Thank You for the twists and turns that have brought me to this point in my life. Thank You for every broken heart and broken dream that led me to this beautiful place. Thank You for giving me a life so much richer and more nuanced than I could have ever dreamed for myself. I am so grateful.
Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
Lord, Thank You for allowing me to hear and respond to the call of Your heart, for sitting with me each morning, for calling me to task on these things within me that cause barriers to You. Thank You that, with every loss and disappointment, I know I’m safe and protected in Your arms. Help me grow closer to You with each passing day.
Isaiah 43:19a See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your love, grace, and mercy. There are so many things in this life I don’t understand. Thank You that this life and its confusion are not my home, that my ashes will be turned to beauty and my mourning into dancing. Thank You for the family and friends You have blessed me with, so many wonderful people for whom I am so thankful. Help me, daily, to live with an attitude of joy and gratitude, giving You glory. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 43:19b …I am making a way in the wilderness….
Have a blessed day.
Not through my own efforts…. (devo reflection)
Rev 3:10 “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently….”
I try diligently not to pull out partial scripture when I write my reflections, but as I was reading this morning, thinking about my anxiety and grumpiness in the last week, thinking about yesterday, which really was a good day, I was struck by this passage in Revelation. If I had to give myself a grade for patient endurance to God’s call for me this past week, I would definitely have failed. Thankfully, my precious Savior applies much more grace and mercy to my shortcomings than I show myself. Thank You, Jesus.
1 Cor 1:21 For God in His wisdom made it impossible for people to know Him by means of their own wisdom….
My Savior knows He created me to try to understand—why something happened, what something means, why I keep making mistakes and missteps when I want so much to please my Savior and bring Him glory. 1 Cor 1:21 helps me see the value in the seeking. I will never fully know my Creator through my own efforts, but every day, with every quest for understanding, I feel I get to know Him just a little bit better. Thank You, Jesus.
1 Cor 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for my inquisitive nature, for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for allowing me to seek You daily, understanding pieces of You and of myself just a smidge better with every attempt. Thank You that You cannot be fully known, fully understood, through my own efforts. Thank You that one glorious day, when we stand face to face, that I will see everything clearly. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Have a blessed day.
Complete faith…. (devo reflection)
James 2:17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a teacher who changed my life. She believed in me before I could believe in myself, and I knew from the age of 15 that I was created to be a teacher. I wanted to do for others what she did for me. And I love my job, but the re-entry from summer to a new school year keeps getting more difficult. This year I feel oppressed by a cloud of grumpiness I just can’t shake. James 2:17 really hit me this morning because, while I have complete faith God has me just where He needs me, I don’t feel that with this “cloud of grumpy,” that I am doing my part in the way that He has called me to do. Jesus, Help me!
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Lord, I don’t know why I’m struggling so at the beginning of this school year, but I am certain that 1. where You have me is exactly where You need me and 2. my attitude MUST change. Help me to set aside my grumpiness so that I can give these young people my best. Help me to encourage, support, and love them as they get their feet under them and move forward toward their dreams. Help me to push them outside of their comfort zones while helping them to see how much strength they have within them. Grant me Your strength and Your peace as I do Your work.
Heb 3:15 As has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that You are not happy with my current attitude and neither am I. Thank You that we can change our attitudes and our perspectives, even if we can’t change our circumstances. Thank You for a job I enjoy, one that makes a difference. Thank You for Your love and support as I carry out Your will. Draw me closer. Help me shake my attitude so that I can live Your joy. Amen.
John 1:15 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Have a blessed day.
The hope and promise of new beginnings…. (devo reflection)
Matt 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life….”
Lord, Thank You for understanding where I am, how nerve-wracking “new” can be, how much I want to get everything “just right.” Thank You for calling me to this work, for calling me to love, support, and encourage young people. Thank You for the many, many amazing young people I have had the opportunity to work with over the years and the newest group that starts tomorrow.
Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put out His hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Now I have put My words in your mouth.”
Lord, Thank You for this particular mix of students. I know with certainty that You’ve placed this particular group in my care for a purpose, that I have wisdom to share with them and they have wisdom to share with me. Help us to be open to listening to and learning from each other. Help me never to forget that You walk with me, even when the going gets tough.
Matt 28:20 “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the hope and promise of new beginnings. Thank You for Your loving reassurance, for Your wisdom, and for Your direction. Help me to be the teacher that You designed me to be. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow….”
Have a blessed day.
Break these chains…. (devo reflection)
Jer 1:16 “I will pronounce my judgment on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking Me…in worshiping what their hands have made.”
I woke up around 3:30 last night and could not go back to sleep. Despite my intentions of giving gratitude (something I try to do when I’m awake in the middle of the night to keep from getting grumpy about my inability to sleep), my mind kept hopscotching from one thing to another—what still needs to be done to prepare my classroom, what still needs to be done to prepare my lessons—absolutely irrelevant things at 3:30 in the morning, and things that I know will fall into place, even though I always fret about them. When I read Jer 1:16, it felt very much like my worrying and lack of gratitude were both ways of forsaking my Creator in favor of fretting over what my hands have made. Jesus, Help me.
Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?
Ironically, I read Psalm 121 first this morning and immediately recognized the realignment needed. I was trying to look to the heavens in gratitude but was allowing myself to remain earthbound and waylaid by my mess—the things occupying my mind. Jesus, Help me.
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that I MUST keep my eyes on You, always, instead of allowing myself to get sidetracked by the concerns of this world. Help me to praise You, to lift my eyes to You, to give You glory always. Break these chains that keep dragging me down with worrying and fear. Help me lay my burdens at Your feet, leave them there, and wrap myself in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber….
Have a blessed day.
Rest for my soul…. (devo reflection)
Jer 18:15 Yet My people have forgotten Me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which make them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths….
When I read this scripture this morning, Heb 4:12 immediately came to mind: “For the word of God is alive and active.” While today’s generation was not the original intended audience, this verse still very much applies today. While the ancient audience set up physical idols, there are so many things, physical and otherwise, today that take our attention from our LORD, that cause us to stumble in our ways. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 28:12 God has told His people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.
As easy as it is to sadly shake my head and mutter, “Those fools,” I know that I, too, am guilty of refusing God’s rest. How many times have I lamented my exhaustion? How many times have I confessed my propensity to worry and fret? How long before I truly listen to my precious Savior so He can restore my soul in His place of quiet rest? Jesus, Help me.
Jer 6:16 …But you said, ‘No, that’s not what we want!’
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for loving me through my stubbornness and refusal to listen. Thank You for Your Son, who restored my right relationship with You. Thank You for not giving up on me, even when I am dripping with exhaustion and stress and STILL steadfastly refusing to do things Your way. Help me to listen and obey. Grant me to Your rest for my soul. Amen.
Jer 6:17 …But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’
Have a blessed day.
A purpose for me here…. (devo reflection)
Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Lord, I know that You have called me to this space, this place, that You have a purpose for me here. Help me, every moment of every day to seek Your will and Your purpose for my life. Help me to ask what You would have me to do, to seek Your presence, Your grace, Your heart, and to knock on Your door, inviting You into every moment of my life so that I can draw closer to You.
Matt 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Lord, You want us to have deep, rich, fulfilling relationships with You. You want us to seek to know You better, to spend time in Your presence and in Your word. You want us to be Your hands and feet in this life. Help me, daily, to seek to draw closer and to know You more—at home, at work, in the car, at the store. Everywhere.
Matt 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the invitation to know You better and to walk with You more closely. Thank You for the care You used to create my being, for the plan You have for my life, for walking this road right beside me. Draw me closer to You. Always. Amen.
Phil 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.