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Resting in Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 62:5 (NLT) Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

I have mentioned the Jesus Calling devotional before. This morning I was met with these two lines: “Rest in Me, My child. Give your mind a break from planning and trying to anticipate what will happen.” These lines resonate deeply today. As a scholar, teacher, wife, mother, planning plays an integral part. It can be exhausting. Resting in Jesus sounds delightful. I don’t do it enough.

Psalm 62:5 (NIV) Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

And the reminder couldn’t have come on a better day. We celebrate our graduate today, now that he has diploma in hand, rough outline for his future. I need to remind him, in my words and in my actions, that resting in Jesus is a crucial part of a successful life, that planning is important, but resting in Jesus is more so.

Psalm 62:5 (BSB) Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.

Lord, My mornings with you, waiting quietly before You, listening to You whisper to my heart, these quiet morning moments are essential for my peace of mind. Help me to take that peace with me throughout each  day. Help me to teach my children to wait quietly before You each day. Before You is the only place hope can be found. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 62:5 (CEV) Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.

Have a blessed day.

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Graduation Day…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

My oldest graduates from high school today. I am so incredibly proud of that kid because of the growth and maturity that I see in him. When I look at where he was in 6th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, I can see how far he’s come. He has a good, compassionate heart, a sound brain in his head. He loves God. He loves people.

Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

I know that I have done what I could to give him a firm foundation, but I understand in a new light the protective mama instinct. I also understand in a new light the fact that my children are God’s, not ours. The hubs and I, our village, can’t truly protect them from life. All we can do is love them, root them in God, pray for them (A LOT), trust God with them.

Philippians 1:10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

Lord, It has been an honor and a privilege to raise the young man who will walk across the stage this evening. Help him to know that You are with him, that we love and support him, that it’s ok to fail as long as you get up and try again, that You can use all things for his good and Your glory. Thank You for the village that continues to help us love, support, and nurture him. Thank You for the plans You have for him. Help him to know You are with him every step of the way. Amen.

Philippians 1:11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Have a blessed day.

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The illusion of control…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 

Like many, I struggle with scarcity mentality, with the fear of lack, of running out. I joke that I could survive for a very long time if I were cut off from all means of obtaining necessities because of the things I’ve squirreled away. This tendency doesn’t fill me with joy, however.

Exodus 16:18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

This tendency feels like a necessity, but what it really is is a crutch to give me the illusion of control, and God has been whispering to my heart for a while to surrender this tendency to Him, to fully trust Him, to rely on Him instead of clinging to the illusion that I am in control.

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

Lord, Trying to maintain the illusion of control is exhausting. Trying to squirrel things away so that I feel safe is exhausting. I hear You calling me to surrender this illusion of control, to trust that You will provide for me daily–manna from Heaven. I want to listen. I want to heed Your voice, but I’ve been trying to do it on my own for so long that I don’t know where to start. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 16:20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Have a blessed day.

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Manna to remind them…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:6-7 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

Change stresses me out. I don’t handle it well. I don’t like the unknown. And I’ve got a whole lot of change coming. I am cranky. I grumble A LOT. I don’t like it. I don’t like me when I’m like this. The emotions don’t feel good within my body. And my cranky grumbling spills out into every area of my life. Jesus, Help me.

Exodus 16:8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

My behavior feels very much like the Israelites in this passage of Exodus. They grumble, whine, complain because they are scared. And Moses and Aaron point out, repeatedly, that it is God whom they are grumbling against, not man. God hears them. And instead of smiting them to shut them up, God gives them manna to remind them that He loves them and will provide.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”

Lord, I do not want to grumble. I don’t want to be afraid. Thank You for this reminder that Your default is compassion, not rage. Thank You for the reminder that You understand the human tendency to doubt, fear, and grumble. I know that You send manna daily, provision and blessings for me. I know it, even in my fear. Help me to be grateful instead of grumbly. Grant me Your peace. Amen.

Exodus 16:11-12 The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

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The effects of this constant gathering….(devo reflection)

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

I am the queen of squirreling things away in case I need them for later. I do it with food (a random bag of chips, a “sweet treat” that I don’t want now but might at some point, a bottle of water that I know I’ll drink…eventually). I do it with things–things that I don’t need, don’t want, but I might….someday.

Exodus 16:20a However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning…

I don’t know how much I’ve ever paid attention to the effects of this constant gathering, this constant fear of being without, this constant, self-reliant squirreling away. But it feels terrible, the emotional equivalent of manna being full of maggots and stinking.

Exodus 16:20b …but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Lord, You are my Shepherd. I lack nothing. I know this is true, and yet, I fear, I scrounge, I squirrel away manna that was never meant to be kept. Forgive me. Lead me beside quiet waters. Refresh my soul. Help me to fear no evil, Lord, because You are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4). I don’t want to be a grumbling Israelite, hoarding manna that You freely provide because You love me. I want to be Your faithful, trusting servant. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Exodus 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 

Have a blessed day.

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The beautiful breadcrumb trail of God’s love…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

The scripture for my church’s daily devotionals this week comes from Exodus and the grumbling Israelites. (See yesterday’s reflection.) And as I proofed tomorrow’s devo this morning, it struck to me what a gift it is that God didn’t just smite the Israelites in their grumbling. He could have. And yet, He responded with compassion.

Matthew 6:26a Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them….

God feeds the birds of the air. He fed the grumbling Israelites. What is up with me that I still struggle to trust when I am afraid, when I don’t understand? Thankfully, God responds to me with compassion as well. He will still guide me, guard me, even if I grumble, even if I fear. But if I can trust, He will not only guide and guard me, He will also grant me His peace.

Matthew 6:26b …Are you not much more valuable than they?

Lord, I long for Your peace. Forgive my misguided fear and grumbling. Thank you for the beautiful breadcrumb trail of Your love that You provide daily if I will but pay attention. I do trust You, Lord, but I am also afraid. Help me to lay my fear at Your feet so that I can be wrapped in Your peace. Amen.

Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Have a blessed day.

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Help me to trust…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 

I can so empathize with the Israelites in this passage. How many times have I taken this attitude in my own life? “Lord, Things are fine! Why do they have to change? I don’t want them to change. I don’t like change. I understand where I am right now. I know what to expect. I don’t want to have to figure out the unknown.”

Exodus 16:3a The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!…

As I am typing this reflection, God has brought to mind the end of my first year of teaching. I was miserable, but I would have stayed because it had become familiar. But God said to trust, and I did, albeit kicking and screaming. And 14 interviews later, I ended up here, where I met my husband, started a family, have taught so many wonderful young people, have made so many dear friends.

Exodus 16:3b …There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted…

Lord, You have shown me again and again that I can trust You, that You will provide, that You will make a way for me. Forgive me that trust is still so hard. Help me, when I am afraid, to remember all the times that You have provided for me daily, even when my path was uncertain. If I cannot fully conquer my fears, then help me to trust You in spite of them. Amen.

Exodus 16:3c …but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Have a blessed day.

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The soft underbelly of my struggles…. (devo reflection)

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

A sweet friend recently gave me a devotional entitled Jesus Calling: Enjoy Peace in His Presence. The reflections are short, yet poignant and are written as though Jesus were speaking. Today’s entry, especially, spoke to my heart: “When your focus is firmly on Me, My Peace displaces fears and worries.”

2 Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

I show the “soft underbelly” of my struggles, anxieties, failings, weaknesses so often in my reflections because I know how isolating it is to feel like I am the only one who deeply loves Jesus but who also struggles with fear and worry. I truly believe that God can use my struggles and also my enduring love of Him to encourage others so they don’t feel quite so alone, quite so broken.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Lord, Thank You for reminding me once again to focus on You so that Your peace can displace my worries. Thank You for the courage to show my own failings and weaknesses again and again so that others know that they are not alone, that they can be good, God-loving people and still struggle. Thank You for holding us all securely in the palm of Your hand. Thank You for using our struggles for our good and Your glory. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Have a blessed day.

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Cease striving and know…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NIV)

When life gets overwhelming, I often take the advice of Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God. Usually that involves sitting in my recliner, maybe listening to ocean waves or rain shower nature sounds. I breathe deeply, usually in to one part of the verse, out to the next, breathing and being until Christ’s peace begins to penetrate the shell of worry and stress.

Psalm 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NASB 1995)

But the words “Cease striving” hit differently for me. Cease striving is less about getting still and breathing and more about stop trying to do everything just to fill the void in life. There’s only one way to fill that God-shaped hole. Cease striving and know….

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder to be still, to cease striving, to see You, recognize You, know You. Help me to breathe in Your peace, mercy, and grace. Help me to immerse myself in Your love, Your presence, until there is no room for worry and stress. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

Have a blessed day.

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How God shows up…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 94:18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

I am truly awed at how God shows up in my life when I am paying attention. (He’s always there, reminding me of His presence, His love. I just don’t always notice.) This spring, as my heart cries louder and louder in worry, fear, and anxiety, God continues to show up in so many ways, reminding me that I am His, that He sees me, knows me, loves me so very much. He does the same for you, too.

Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

So I want to encourage you to pay attention to the little ways that God shows up today. This text you are reading from a hot mess on the struggle bus trying to shine His light? That’s God. The sunshine? The cool breeze? The kind word? God. And YOU can help Him shine today by passing along a kind word, a smile, an encouragement, by lifting someone up in the smallest of ways.

Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You are with us and in us, that we can shine Your light just by being kind to others. Thank You that when I am paying attention, I can see You, Your love, Your goodness, everywhere. Thank You that I can help lift others up in Your name. Help me to see Your love today. Help me to be Your love today. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Have a blessed day.