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Yesterday I included Luke 23:34: Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” The soldiers are casting lots for His clothes WHILE His is praying and AS He is dying as a result of their actions. They are oblivious, but Jesus is not. He knows what they are doing. He knows they are acting in ignorance. He asks His Father to forgive them.

As I was typing Eph 4:32 this morning, it struck me that Jesus has prayed the same prayer for ME for all those times I acted out of ignorance—sometimes not realizing what I had done, sometimes knowing full well I was in the wrong, sometimes believing with all my heart I was acting in the right way. Jesus has said to His Father, my Father, “Father, forgive Beth, for she knows not what she is doing.” And my Father HAS forgiven me—in Christ, through Christ, and because of Christ.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this insight, which feels so revolutionary. Thank You for Jesus and for His intercessions on my behalf. Thank You for forgiving me for all those times I have and will act out of my own ignorance. Now that I understand Eph 4:32 in a way that I never have before, help me to live Eph 4:32 in a way that I’ve never been able to before. Help me to be kind and compassionate to others, praying to my Father on their behalf, letting go of any anger and bitterness  caused by their ignorance, just like Jesus with the soldiers at His death. Help me to love as You love and to forgive as You forgive. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

God’s still got me thinking about bitterness and forgiveness. I keep going back to the fact that Christ forgave His murderers while He was dying. Jesus forgave as they were casting lots for His clothes and while He was dying. They didn’t ask for forgiveness, didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing, and were STILL inflicting injury. And He forgave, or rather, He asked His Father to forgive them because they didn’t understand, couldn’t see, what they were doing, but He could.

So is the lesson, perhaps, that because He could see the transgression, that if He didn’t ask for forgiveness for them, He could be negatively affected by His feelings about their actions? Is that the human takeaway here? That because I feel I have been wronged or treated unfairly, because I perceive the infraction, that I need to ask the Father for forgiveness on their behalf for my own well-being, so that my anger and bitterness at the transgressor doesn’t get in the way of my relationship with my Savior? So that my attitude doesn’t begin to “stink and fester” because of my emotions? I’m going to have to give that idea serious thought

Lord, Thank You for this day and for continuing to work on my heart in the area of love and forgiveness. Thank You for the ideas that You have me pondering today, that perhaps forgiveness is in my best interest because it removes obstacles that keep me from loving and seeking You with my whole heart. Please continue making a way for me out of the wilderness of bitterness and anger. Draw me whole-heartedly closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I’ve mentioned before that understanding is important to me. If you do something in a way I would not have done, I want to know why—not because I think you’re wrong, but because I am genuinely curious to know your thought process. Sometimes I think Jesus replies to me often, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” As much as my inquisitive side wants to know, I have to wait, trust, and have faith In my Savior.

I’m pretty sure that by the time I can understand all the answers to the many, many questions I have about the way life works, they will no longer be important. For now, I fumble through, doing the best I can to trust in my sovereign, loving Savior, even when life makes no sense from this side.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your love and compassion. Thank You that even when I don’t have answers, I have Your grace and mercy. Help me always to step out in faith when You call me beyond my comfort zone. When I can’t see the bigger picture, help me to always trust the One who can. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

For years before I moved to a new classroom, I had affixed to the back of my door Charles Swindoll’s quote that “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” When I moved to my new room, I surrounded myself instead with reminders to “Choose joy!” The messages are slightly different, but their heart is the same—every second of every day we are given the opportunity to choose our attitude. And when I choose to glorify my Savior instead of wallowing in my misery, I have offered to Him a sacrifice of praise, choosing His joy over my circumstances.

How I wish I could say that I always choose joy. Unfortunately, I still struggle daily with making the choice to focus on His abundant blessings instead of my troubles. I think that propensity is a mark of my humanity, my desire for good things in and of this world. I know that the world’s ways are empty and fruitless, and I’m working on weeding out its influence. God knows my heart. In the meantime, I’ll continue to try to choose joy at every opportunity, one moment at a time.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for the gift of Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for knowing my heart, for understanding that even when I struggle to choose joy, I love You more than anything. Help me to root out the earthly part of myself. Help me to see my life through Your blessings. Help me always to offer You a sacrifice of praise. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Growing up isn’t easy. Just yesterday I was talking with my classes about the fact that they are quickly coming to the place where parents won’t be over their shoulders, encouraging, reminding, guiding. They are quickly coming to the place where they have to decide to do or not based on their own sense of right and wrong. I pray they make good choices.

My own children are going through a similar process in middle school. They know our values as a family. They know the morals that we have tried to instill. They have a firm foundation in a loving Savior. They are starting to test their own boundaries—Do I believe as they believe? Do I trust as they trust? Do I want to act in the way I know they would want? As a parent, I’m still here to love and support, but I’m finding that I have to fight myself to get out of their way and let them begin this process.  Jesus, Help me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for these children, who are a loving gift from You. You know the depth of our love for these boys, Lord. And I know that as much as we love them, You love them even more. Be with the hubs and I as our roles as parents begin to change. Be with our boys as they begin the process of stepping out in their own power. Help them to lean on You and the firm foundation of their faith. Help them to root themselves in You. You love them more than we are capable of understanding, Lord. Help us to trust in Your love for them as they step out in faith. Draw us all closer—to You and as a family. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Last night I went to bed clinging to Psalm 23:1. The world was trying to define me and was telling me that I didn’t measure up, that I wasn’t good enough. There have been many times in my life where I have surrendered to the world’s negativity, where I have allowed the world to define me, to devalue my worth, I am so thankful that Jesus laid His sweet truth on my heart—I am enough because I am His. He is all I need. The world cannot define my worth because my Savior already has. In His eyes, I am a treasure without equal, and I don’t need the esteem of this world because I have my loving Creator.

I wish I could say that all of that positive self-talk flowed out and short-circuited the entire situation immediately. I wish I had been able the reject the world’s opinion as a matter of course. Instead, I used Psalm 23:1 as a shield and sword, hiding behind it, reminding myself of my worth in Him, swatting at the world’s lies with my Savior’s truth. But the end result is what really matters, and Jesus wrapped me in His love and truth and allowed me to turn my back on the world’s noise.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your truth and love. Instead of castigating myself for my weakness in wanting the world’s approval, help me to recognize how far I’ve come in being able to turn toward Your truth instead of the world’s lies. Help everyone who struggles, feeling like they don’t measure up, to look to You for their value and worth. Replace the world’s judgment and noise with Your truth. Restore our souls and draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Roots can be tricky things. Because they burrow deep underground, it’s hard to tell how extensive a root system is. If roots are strong enough, they can eventually show themselves above ground, like when a sidewalk is buckled as roots surface. And have you ever tried to cut a sapling off at the dirt, thinking that will take care of the problem? If the roots are left in place, a new sapling will spring up in no time.

How much more tenacious are the roots of bitterness. Because they run underground, we may think we’ve ferreted them out, only to be unpleasantly surprised when the surface of life begins to buckle as bitter roots appear above ground. Or perhaps we think we’ve dealt with the issue, only to be caught off guard at how much stronger the roots have grown since last we examined them.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder of the corrupting power of the poisonous roots of bitterness. Help us to examine carefully and honestly the roots that anchor our lives to You. Help us to deal with any feelings of hurt, anger, bitterness, and resentment before those roots grow out of control, choking out the good, healthy influences in our lives. Help us to face our bitter roots head on and to combat them with Your love, mercy, and grace. Draw us closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I want to be filled with Your joy and peace. Putting my faith in the things of this world is like trying to walk on shifting sands—frustratingly impossible. Some days it feels like the only thing I can count on is the fact that nothing will turn out the way I planned. Thank You that I have more to count on than this world, that this world is not my home. Thank You for Your love and mercy.

Lord, Help me to overflow with Your confident hope. Help me to focus on the beauty that I know is coming, even as I’m slogging through the ashes. Help me not to get tripped up in the trappings of this life. Help me to keep my eyes and my heart focused completely on You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your love, joy, and peace. Thank You that the confusion and disorder of this world are not my fate. Thank You for the clarity and joy that can only be found in You. Help me to always rejoice in You and in the hope that comes from You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As I was proofing yesterday’s reflection, I realized that the trio said that God is ABLE to deliver them from the fire, but that He WILL deliver them from the king’s hand. The implication, it seems to me, is that God might deliver them from the king’s hand THROUGH the fire, but regardless, He would deliver them from the king. And that regardless of HOW He chose to deliver them, they would remain faithful.

This morning I spent some time reading commentaries of Daniel 3:17. One of them mentioned that the trio’s attitude was that “God will deliver us, either from death or in death.” They were not assured that they would live, but they absolutely trusted that God was in control and that He would deliver them from the king’s hand in the way He felt best. They honored Him with their faith in His sovereignty, and they were unafraid.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the example of the unwavering faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daily I am faced with the choice to comply with the ways of the world or stay Your faithful course. Help me, regardless of the magnitude of the obstacles in my path, to choose You. Help me to always have faith that You can and will save me in the way You see fit. Help me to trust Your sovereignty and love and to faithfully praise You. Help me not to be afraid. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Several things strike me about this section of Daniel 3. Both verse 13 and verse 19 describe the king as furious, with 13 articulating that he was furious with rage. I have learned in my own life that when anger, fury, rage enter the equation, I’ve got to take several steps back and breathe. Nothing good happens when I function in anger. The other thing that strikes me here is the utter calm of the trio facing the irate king.

The king has the power of life and death over them, and they know it, but that aren’t afraid because God is their defender. They are confident that He CAN deliver them and He WILL deliver them, but the next verse is what really gets me. “But even if He does not….” They recognize in His sovereignty that He may choose not to deliver them from the fire but that regardless, He will be with them and He WILL deliver them from the king’s hand. Lord, give me that level of strength in my faith.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the mighty example of faith shown in Daniel 3. Help all those who feel like they are walking through the fire to feel Your mighty presence with them. Help them to understand that even if deliverance does not come in the way they hope or expect, that You are still in control, that You are still present, that You WILL deliver them. Help us all to have the level of faith that we see in these verses. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.