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I really thought today’s reflection was supposed to be about not judging others, but God very clearly laid a message of His unconditional love on my heart, and when you think about it, the opposite of judgment is love. I can either judge you for the ways in which you fall short of my mark, the ways in which your actions do not fit my norms and standards, or I can treat you with “unconditional positive regard” by respecting the One who created you and who loves you without reservation.

Don’t think unconditional love is easy. It’s not. It involves a very intentional laying aside if my own preconceived notions, of this idea that I am somehow qualified to judge the actions of others, even though I have not been in their shoes. It involves reminding myself that others are more than the time I have spent with them, that their worth is more than my snap judgement. It is staying mindful of the fact that Christ covers my sins and shortcomings daily with His overwhelming grace, that I mess up a thousand times and He wipes my slate clean by loving me anyway and giving me another chance to get it right.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this reminder to love one another unconditionally and fiercely as You love us. Help us to put aside our judgments and criticisms, no matter how well meaning, and to hold each other in Your “unconditional positive regard.” Help us to uplift and encourage each other and point each other to You. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Death stinks. It is so hard to say goodbye to those we love and care about, and having to say goodbye feels horribly unfair. We are faithful people. We pray diligently for healing. Why doesn’t healing come in the way WE want it? Why do we have to say goodbye? When my precious Savior put Psalm 119:169 in front of me this morning, I knew He felt my pain and grief. I thought perhaps He’d answer this oft asked question, but in His infinite love and mercy, He gave me comfort in His perfect way.

I pray over my children daily that they will understand how much their father and I love them and that they will know that God’s love for them is even greater than we are capable of comprehending. This morning I am reminded of His unfathomable love for all His children. Those who have gone before me? He loves them more than I ever could. He was with them when they took their last breath here. He was with them when they opened their eyes in a world where pain, sorrow, and sickness no longer exist. He is with us as we grieve. He loves us too much to ever leave us to struggle alone.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your fierce love of Your children. Thank You for never leaving us nor forsaking us and for Your patience and understanding through our grief. Thank You for Your comfort and for the reminder that You are with us always and that You are our very great reward. Hold us tightly, LORD, as we stumble through this life. Help us to comfort and encourage each other and to shine Your light. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As I type this reflection, Hurricane Florence is still very slowly making her way across the Carolinas. Many places on the coast have been ravaged, and the western part of the state is bracing for slow and steady rains with great potential for flooding. Uncertainty is high, nerves are on edge, and reactions run the gamut from snarky memes to doomsday predictions. Thankfully, Christ is still our firm foundation.

I had a friend to ask me recently if I thought fear and faith could coexist. My incredibly unscientific and personal answer is yes. Fear, anxiety, worry—that’s my human, earthly side. It is a part of me, yet daily I try to surrender it to my Savior, lay it at His feet, leave it there, often with varying degrees of success. But daily I keep trying to surrender that earthly side to Him. He knows my heart. He sees my effort. The indomitable, hopeful, boundless faith that time and again rises to the surface of my life is my sweet Savior, His Holy Spirit within me. That solid foundation of faith within is what allows me again and again to say, “I do not understand why this is happening. I do not like it. It does not seem right, but I know You are good, loving, and sovereign. I trust You, always, even when I don’t understand.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your firm foundation of faith in my life. Thank You for being bigger than all my doubts and fears. No matter what storms come my way, thank You for helping me stand firm in You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I remember the horror of 9/11, the confusion and fear, the constant loop of destruction on news feeds, the numbness as I wondered about the changed world I now lived in. I remember swaddling my newborn and sobbing at the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and man’s inhumanity to man in its wake. I have come again and again to the foot of the cross, crying out in fear, anger, and frustration, “Why, Lord? Why this? Why now? Why the lack of healing?”

This morning God reminds me once again that I won’t always understand, I won’t always have answers on this side of the veil, but what I do have, what I can cling to always, is His living hope. My hope in Him is not dead, not stagnant. It is vibrant and alive. It is delicate, verdant blooms, springing from charred earth. It is unbidden, profound kindness in the midst of despair and destruction.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the glorious, living hope I have in You. Thank You on this day, this week, with so much sadness at the state of the world, for reminding me that this world is not my home, that this grief is not my eternal fate, that my hope is vibrantly alive because it rests in You. Draw me closer, and help me shine Your light. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I joke that I need flashing neon signs from God as to His will for me. I can be a little slow, a little hesitant, a little, “Is this REALLY His will?” I love the promise and assurance in Isaiah 30:21—regardless of where I look, regardless of my misgivings and hesitations, I will hear His voice and know His direction for my life. Thank You, Jesus.

I wish the paths He sent me down were all broad and smooth, nicely paved, with handrails and guardrails, but that is not the way of life. Sometimes He takes me off-road, down scary, twisting, treacherous feeling paths, but He NEVER sends me alone. He is ALWAYS with me, guiding and guarding my steps. Thank You, Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your presence, protection, and direction in my life. Thank You for never leaving me nor forsaking me. Help me to always remember, especially in those dark times when I FEEL alone, that You are with me, guiding, guarding, and protecting me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

How many times have I been like the Israelites, complaining because the blessings poured out were not to my liking? How many times have I chosen to grumble about what doesn’t measure up to my standards instead of praising my amazing Savior for His providence and provision? Lord Jesus, Help me.

It is easy for me to look at the Israelites’ behavior and be shocked by their lack of gratitude at God’s goodness, but when I’m really being honest, I see that time and time again I have done the same—grumbled and complained in the face of abundant blessings. Lord Jesus, Forgive me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your loving provision. Thank You for calling me outside of my comfort zone and for abundantly providing for me. Help me not to grumble and complain, even when I am afraid or uncomfortable. Help me to clearly see You—Your provision, Your grace, Your love—always. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

On Monday, my sis sent me a cryptic text: “Go by the post office. There is a small package for you. Pick one or two to keep and bless with the rest.” How incredibly cool! I also have a dear friend who sends out a survey at the beginning of the school year to find out our favorites (scripture, soda, snack, etc) so she can bless us with her thoughtfulness at random times through the year. So many blessings.

And yesterday my other sister, who is scrambling with her family and so many others to get crops from the field before the storm hits, spoke of the blessings of generosity she’s seeing with sharing equipment and manpower as everyone in their community tries to gather and harvest. I also saw posts about hurricane sleepovers for college kids and their friends who are in affected areas with nowhere safe to turn. So many blessings.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the abundance of blessings I see around me. Help all of us to realize the blessings in our circumstances. Help us seek to mindfully share our blessings with others. Draw us all closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I sincerely believe that love is stronger than hate, that Jesus came to save every single one of us, that no one is beyond God’s ability to love, that I will never look into the eyes of someone God doesn’t love. I believe that even in great tragedy, if you look for it, you will see people acting in profound goodness and kindness. I believe there is hope for this crazy, mixed-up, fallen world and that that hope lies in each and every one of us.

God is calling us to love each other, to reach out to each other, to be His hands and feet to each other. He is calling us to shine His light in the dark and tragic corners of this world. He is calling us to walk boldly toward each other in love and compassion, arms wide, instead of shrinking from each other in fear and hatred. He is calling us to love one another deeply.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that Your love wins. Always. Thank You for the strength and the ability to love past our doubts and fears. Thank You for the reminder that because of Your loving sacrifice, we are more than conquerors. Help us to love each other with the same fierce, compassionate, all-encompassing, grace-filled, forgiving love with which You love us. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I first stumbled across this verse when my oldest was in wilderness therapy. I clung to it because it gave me hope. I knew God was with him, growing and maturing him, helping him make his way. Now that training hikes are upon us as he and the hubs begin to prepare for their Appalachian Trail adventures, I’m clinging to this verse again, but now I understand that He is also with me as I make my way through the wilderness of my fears.

I am a worrier from way back. Perhaps it is the planner in me, always thinking through scenarios, trying to be sure I am fully prepared. At this moment, knowing that my role is to carry on on the home front, I see my fear very clearly as the wild, untamed, unmanageable wilderness that it is. Lord Jesus, make a way.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this amazing opportunity for my hubs and our oldest. Thank You for the assurance that You will walk with them on every step of this journey—from the preparation and training to the amazing adventure of the trail. Thank You also for the assurance that You are with me and our youngest as we continue to work on laying our fears and anxieties at Your feet and clothing ourselves in Your grace and peace. Help all of us remember that You are with us in every wilderness, that You will never leave us, that You are making a way. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I try to teach my students that words are important, valuable, that what they say matters. I have them write every day and strive to help all of them learn to better articulate their thoughts so they can more effectively communicate with others. I always wonder how successful I am in my goal, whether what I’m having them do makes a difference.

Yesterday I was asked to speak about a student who left this world way too soon. I prayed diligently that I would be able to honor my student and bring healing to his family with my words. And I was able to share journals that my student wrote while in my class—journals about his Savior, about the fragile nature of life, about his love for his family—important words, healing words.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your presence yesterday as I spoke about my student. Thank You for the words he wrote while he was with me and for the beautiful picture they paint of a kind young man. Help us always to be mindful of our words, Lord. Help us to use them to point others to You. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.