Category: Uncategorized

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Today’s scripture has me thinking about the word covetousness, wanting something that is not yours. Google AI says that the opposite of covetousness is contentment. This idea leads me to the quote, often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” an idea that I wholeheartedly believe in.

Exodus 20:13-14 “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery.

This idea brings me to social media, which is sometimes used in positive ways, but can often be the cause of comparison. And it has often been said that comparing your life to the life of someone on social media is like comparing your blooper reel to someone else’s highlight reel–unrealistic and absolutely guaranteed to make you discontent with your life.

Exodus 20:15-16 “You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that You call us to focus on and love what’s right in front of us instead of seeing what others have and being discontent. Unfortunately, this world thrives on discontent, on the idea that new and better is out there and we need it to be happy. Help us to see the blessings all around us. And thank You for those many blessings. Amen.

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 41:1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 

Today’s verses have me thinking about the passage of time. It’s been two years since Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream. Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days. Seventeen thousand five hundred and two hours. I could go on, but you get the idea. That can feel like an eternity.

Genesis 41:2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 

But 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us that “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” And while I don’t know exactly what that means, I do know that it means that time doesn’t work the same with God as it does here. I’m honestly not 100% sure what to make of that, but I think it could be a very good thing.

Genesis 41:3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 

Precious Savior, when I am anticipating or dreading something, time can seem to take forever. When I am enjoying something or feeling the preciousness of time, it seems to slip away so quickly. Thank You for the reminder that time with You works differently. Help me not to stress or fret about time but to use it to draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

Genesis 41:4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Emily Dickinson writes about hope as a thing with feathers, easily startled. Caitlin Seida says hope is not a bird but a sewer rat, tenacious. Regardless of which philosophy you subscribe to–and I’ll be honest, there are parts of both that I find fitting–hope is a vital part of humanity. Without hope, it’s hard to move forward.

Genesis 30:2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

I am writing this reflection on Holy Saturday. Christ has been crucified. Darkness has descended. Hope feels scarce. Darkness feels abundant, alive, smothering all that is good. But Sunday is coming. Resurrection is coming. Hope is coming–no matter what you are struggling with at present.

Genesis 30:3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the hope of Your Son, of His resurrection. Thank You that no matter what we struggle with on this earth, we have an eternal hope to light our paths. Be with us, no matter what trials we face. Help us to hold onto Your hope. Always. Amen.

Genesis 30:4-5 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 10:30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

Yesterday’s comment about “Our Town,” which talks about how we are at once both incredibly important (in our own minds/our own universe) and utterly insignificant (in the grand scheme of things), and this week’s scripture put me in mind of hiking at a local park. There is a granite rock face that you can hike up. It’s pretty strenuous, but the views are amazing.

Genesis 10:31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The thing I love about that hike, that this scripture and “Our Town” put me in mind of, is the perspective I gain as I hike it. At the beginning of the trail, you are walking in tall trees. That’s all you can see–those trees. But as you hike, you climb out of the trees. Stop and look at various points along the way (which you have to do just to catch your breath) and you see those trees getting smaller and smaller and the expansive view opening up more and more.

Genesis 10:32a These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the perspective of Your word, of texts like “Our Town,” of hikes like Rocky Face. Thank You for reminding us that life is more than what’s right in front of us, that things that loom so large now are so very small from Your perspective. Help us to keep this life in proper perspective. Help us give You praise, always. Amen.

Genesis 10:32b From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  

I want my life to be a testament to God’s goodness. I want my giving to reflect the generosity of my Savior. I want my generosity to “result in thanksgiving to God” (v11b). This desire is one of the many reasons I need to get over myself when it comes to living generously.

2 Corinthians 9:11a You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,

God loves a cheerful giver. He also supplies all my needs. So my tight hold on things I am being called to let go of is akin to my fear and worry over things. It feels like a way to keep myself safe, but it is really one more way that I try to maintain control over my life–a life that is and always will be in God’s control, not mine.

2 Corinthians 9:11b …and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Precious Savior, I see my hesitation in giving for what it is–me trying to exert control over my life. But having You as my center means that *I* do not need that control. You’ve got me. You’ve got my life. You CAN be trusted. Help me to live a generous life for You. Help me to trust even when I am afraid. Help me not to be afraid because I know YOU are in control. I trust You. Help me live that trust. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:3a For you have been my refuge,

Google defines refuge as a noun, meaning “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” If God is my refuge, that means that He is my safe place, my shelter, where I can go to not be pursued by danger or trouble. Even just reading that definition, I feel my soul take a breath of relief.

Psalm 61:3b …a strong tower against the foe.

If He is with me always, and I truly believe that He is, then that shelter, that refuge is always available to me. Always. So on those days where I feel beleaguered or overwhelmed or pursued by danger or trouble, that means I am not utilizing the most amazing resource I have in my daily defense arsonal–the refuge of my Savior.

Psalm 61:4a I long to dwell in your tent forever…

Precious Savior, Thank You for being with me always, for providing me with refuge always. Thank You that I can count on You, that I can trust You, no matter what I encounter in each day. Help me not to forget that You ARE my refuge. Help me to seek refuge in You when life overwhelms. Amen.

Psalm 61:4b …and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

Lord, Thank You that You hear my cries of distress, that You listen to my prayers when I call. Thank You for knowing me by name, for knowing every hair on my head, every breath in my body. Thank You for loving me fiercely and completely.

Psalm 61:2a From the ends of the earth I call to you,

Father, Thank You that I can call to You any time, any where, in any situation. Thank You for prioritizing me, Your deeply loved child, no matter where my distress falls in the continuum of life’s hardships. Thank You for caring, for responding, for loving me always.

Psalm 61:2b …I call as my heart grows faint; 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are the Rock that is higher, stronger, more solid than I. Thank You that I don’t have to do this life alone. Thank You that when I call on You, You hear, You respond, You comfort me. Always. No matter what. Thank You. Amen.

Psalm 61:2c …lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Have a blessed day.