A Work in Progress….

My scripture reading this morning took me to Psalm 132, and I was captivated by verse 5 about not resting “until I find a place for the LORD.” That sentiment aligns so completely with what I try to do each day with my reading and devotional reflection, and I feel fairly adept at rooting myself in His love, mercy, and grace each morning.

But my sweet Savior knows I still have work to do as I try to align myself to Him completely throughout my day. While He and I share a close, intimate connection for the first hour of my day, once alarm clocks start barking at 6am, the world constantly tries to pull me from Him with the noise and haste of life. Jesus, help me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and the connection that we share each morning. Thank You for the awareness that I still have work to do when it comes to aligning myself to You so securely that the world and its insistent chaos cannot intervene. Help me to always find a place for You at the core of my being. Draw me always closer, Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

For a long time, I did not understand how people could be sad around the holidays. Yes, it could be a stressful time with all that family in a confined space, but with food, gifts, and loved ones, I just didn’t get what wasn’t to love. Now I do. Loved ones gone way too soon, loved ones who have chosen to be absent from our lives, loved ones who show up, wrapped in a protective layer of anger and resentment, attitudes of elitism and entitlement. Now, I absolutely I get it.

For a long time, I have been enamored of the expression “Choose Joy.” Sometimes choosing joy is effortless, but sometimes it has to be an intentional, deliberate, and willful act. It doesn’t mean putting on a smile and pretending to be happy when you aren’t. It is, for me, about being honest with where I am, yet choosing to praise Him for His abundant blessings anyway.

Lord, I am broken and hurting. I miss those who have gone on to be with You, I am sad about relationships that have been damaged or have fallen into disrepair, but I am thankful for so many things, Lord, including the fact that You understand my brokenness and love me, fiercely, anyway. Help me to willfully choose Your joy today. Help me to see and acknowledge Your blessings in my life, which are abundant and ever present. Thank You for Your Son, for my life, for the ability to touch the lives of others, for so many loving and supportive people. Thank You for the ability to be real and honest and broken. Thank You for the understanding that it is only through Your love that I can be made whole. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

My devo reading this morning took me to Psalm 13, which resonated deeply with me. Many times in my life I have cried out to God—Why this? Why now? Why isn’t it getting any better? Why can’t I feel Your presence? Where are You? Sometimes, instead of answers, there’s only silence.

Thankfully, I am (mostly) at a place where, even when it seems like God is nowhere to be found, I can cling to the fact that He loves me unconditionally, that He promises never to leave me. Even when I have worn my knees out, pleading with Him to show up, act, move, yet it seems nothing is changing, I KNOW He is there, working, even when I don’t feel it. I know because He promised He would never leave me, never forsake me, and He always keeps His promises.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your presence, Your salvation, and Your promises. Thank You that even when my heart aches over loss, grief, injustice, I know that You are with me, drawing me closer, making a way I can’t yet perceive. Help me, no matter the trials or heartaches, to cling to You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I want to know You better and more each and every day. That is one of the chief reasons I sit at Your feet and read Your word each morning. I want to understand Your heart. I want to see others through Your eyes. The pull of this world is powerful and seductive. I want to steep myself in You so that I can resist the world’s siren song.

Lord, When I am in my recliner with my bible and my coffee, it is so very easy to immerse myself in You. But when I go about my daily routine, life always intrudes, pushing You aside, clambering for my time and attention. Give me the strength and peace to recognize and reject the world’s intrusion, Lord. Help me to draw so close to You that I cannot be separated by anything.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this thirst to know You more. Draw me closer every day. Help me to love like You love. Help me to use my deep desire to know You and to follow You and my imperfect knowledge of Your word and this world to shine Your light always. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I know that every good and perfect gift comes from You. Teach me to value what is valuable to You and not the things of this world. Help me to focus on Your eternal purpose for my life. Help me never to forget that all the good in my life begins and ends with Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love.

Lord, It is so easy to get distracted by the things of this world. Make known to me the path of life and help me to walk it well. Help me always to be mindful of Your presence with me, and help me to intentionally and willfully choose Your joy, even when the world tries to separate me from it.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for these verses. Thank You for my strong faith, which allows me to cling to You, to trust You, even when life makes no sense. Thank You for the knowledge that this world is not my home and that nothing here will bring me eternal peace and joy. Draw me closer, Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

My readings this morning were diverse, but the way that both Hannah and Joseph handled accusation and mistreatment  really struck me. Had I been accused of being drunk when I was earnestly pouring out my heart to my Savior over a subject that brought me much pain, I’m not sure I would have reacted as Hannah. Of course, time, place, and cultural shifts were in effect, but many folks, I think, would have reacted defensively instead of seeking to be understood. Jesus, Help me!

And how many of us understand injustices, real or perceived slights and grievances, within families? Joseph’s injustices were quite real, yet he saw a greater purpose and a higher power orchestrating events, and he forgave his brothers and urged them to forgive themselves.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for continuing to work on my heart in the area of bitterness and forgiveness. Help me to forgive others as you forgive me and to let go of any bitterness. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I come before You this morning, asking for Your strength, love, and peace to cover Your people. You know what battles we face, Lord. Strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner being. Help us to face this day with the confidence that You are with us, in us, and for us, that in You we find refuge, no matter the storm.

Lord, Help us to be mindful of the fact that we are rooted and grounded in love—Your love, Christ’s love, the love of the Holy Spirit who dwells in is. Overwhelm us with Your love and peace today. Wrap it around us, help it flow through our veins with every beat of our hearts.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder of Your love, which provides us roots and Your Spirit, which suffuses us with strength. Walk with us through this day and grant us Your peace. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

We are a society driven by wants and desires. Even a 30 minute tv show, especially at this time of year, will include countless commercials for products you can’t live without, products that will provide just the thing you’ve been missing in your life. Internet pop-up ads are full of these miracle products, too. Snake-oil salesmen are everywhere and satisfaction is guaranteed.

My theory is that the part of ourselves that buys into that hype—the hype that this toy, this product, this contraption will fill the hole in my life—that’s the part of us that desperately needs to be filled by our Savior. That’s the part of ourselves that recognizes that this world is not our home and can never fully satisfy.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for loving us completely and fiercely, even as we struggle to fully love and accept ourselves and each other. Thank You for abundantly blessing us, daily, with so many good things. Help us to understand that every good and perfect gift comes from You, that You are all we need. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As I typed this verse yesterday, it resonated with both the teacher and the student in me. As a teacher, I construct assignments to scaffold previous knowledge and new learning for my students. I try to craft assignments that will reinforce both the objectives of my curriculum and the real world skills that they need.

As a student, I enjoy being academic, studying, learning. I find satisfaction in completing the work assigned to me to the best of my ability. I had never really thought of my service to my Savior in those terms before, but I see much merit in it, especially when viewing myself as His student. He has work He’s assigned me to do. He has objectives He needs me to learn, and His tasks also have me practicing real world skills that are needed for His service. And while the task doesn’t always seem as well defined to me as “Read these pages and write an essay,” I know I need to keep checking with my Teacher to fully understand what I am to do.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture and its message. Thank You for the analogy of Teacher and student, one I understand so well. You have work assigned for me, Lord. Help me to keep looking to You as I try to understand and walk Your path. Help me to stay strong and focused as I tell others Your Good News. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

In any given venture, we usually know what success looks like in human terms. It seems much more difficult, looking through this glass darkly (1 Cor 13:12), to posit what God would consider a success in a given situation. One thing I feel very confident in saying is that His definition of success has nothing to do with the things of this world and everything to do with eternity.

Lord, It is so easy to be swayed by this world, to define myself as a success or failure based on trappings of this world, but I am not of this world. I am Your deeply loved child. You have called me to a purpose higher than this world can conceive. Help me to always remember that You have a plan for me, that You can use all things for my good and Your glory. When I am tempted to brand myself a failure, help me to define myself only through You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that as I walk through this life, I have a divine purpose, sharing the Good News of Your amazing grace. When the world tries to define me, remind me of Your power and Your purpose in my life. Use all that I am, all that I have, and all that I do to point others to You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.