A Work in Progress….

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.

I am seeing God’s grace with new eyes thanks to an illuminating conversation with a friend. 2 Peter 1:2 shows that grace is dynamic, not static. We are not given a set portion of grace that must last us through eternity. As we grow in our knowledge of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in One, we are given more grace and more peace. Perhaps that is because as our knowledge and understanding of our Creator and Savior grows, we are able to be more like Him as we deal with the situations of life? I don’t know, but I’m thankful that learning more about Him allows me to tap into more of His grace and peace.

I love the idea that I can grow in grace. I was never very graceful as a child, nor as an adult. The worldly trait of gracefulness is not within my reach, and while the concept of God’s grace is wholly different than the world’s gracefulness, I’m eternally thankful that not only does He cover me with His grace, giving me more and more as I grow in my knowledge and understanding of Him, but also that I can grow in His grace. On those days when my weakness tries to overtake me, when what He is asking me to do or endure seems too far beyond my reach, I can rest in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient, that it covers me in my weakness, that if I allow, He can help me grow in His grace. Thank You, Jesus!

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your amazing, unending, expanding, strengthening grace. Thank You for conversations that compel me to explore Your concepts further. Thank You that Your grace is beautifully multifaceted and freely given. Help me to grow in Your grace, peace, and love as I seek to know You more. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

A friend and I have been talking recently about grace—what it is, what it means, what it encompasses. I’ll admit I probably haven’t given the matter as much thought as I should in the past, and I’m thankful for our conversations. God’s grace is, in part, His unearned favor, freely and lavishly given to me even though I don’t deserve it. It is a multifaceted gift.

1 Peter 4:10 stopped me in my tracks this morning. Not only is His grace a gift, freely and unreservedly given, but He also makes me a steward of His grace through the gifts, talents, and abilities He has bestowed upon me. I am a caretaker of God’s grace. The gifts that He has given me are part of His grace, which I am them responsible for sharing with others as freely and lavishly as He shared with me. Jesus, help me to be Your faithful steward.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the gift of Your saving grace. Thank You for the gifts, talents, and abilities You have given me so that I could share them with others. Help me never to forget that I am a caretaker of Your grace. Help me to give the job of faithful steward of Your grace the attention and care it deserves. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I am a rule follower from way back. If you give me the rules, clearly lay them out for me, I can play by them and enforce them, no problem. And there is much to be said about being able to follow and enforce the rules. It can be a very good trait to possess.

But the Pharisees and Sadducees show another side of rule following. When you get so caught up in following the rules to the letter, when the goal becomes mindless adherence to the rules with no heart for what or why, it is definitely problematic.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that while rules and laws are important and necessary, it is crucial that my heart is always involved when I seek You, strive to do Your will, and observe Your statutes. I am really good at following the rules, Lord. Don’t let me ever forget that first and foremost, I am following You with all my heart and soul. Help me to earnestly seek You daily, Lord. Draw me closer with every breath. Amen.

Have a blessed day.