A Work in Progress….

In the past few months, I have become increasingly frustrated with the fact that pictures do not do justice to God’s magnificent handiwork. I’ve taken photos of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, breathtaking vistas with mountain upon mountain rolling in the distance, cerulean skies with billowy clouds, only to look at the pictures later and realize that God’s phenomenal creation is not easily reduced to two dimensions. The pictures, while beautiful, just don’t have the same breath-taking, awe-inspiring quality that accompanies the real experience of standing in God’s majesty.

I think God experiences the authenticity of our worship, praise, and relationship with Him in a similar way. He can tell in an instant if we are being genuine or if we are just going through the motions. We might be able to convince the world with our show, but God knows our hearts. He doesn’t want a flat, two-dimensional relationship. He wants us to be real, true, genuine, authentic—with Him, with ourselves, with each other.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder to bring our whole hearts to You in worship and praise. You don’t just want our sanitized politeness. You want all of us—real, raw, unfiltered, authentic. Help us to be real with You and with ourselves. Help us to move past the “barrier of show” so we can praise You and love others with our whole hearts. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Today is the first optional workday in our district, and by tomorrow, most of our freshmen will be moved to their new college homes. It is a time of new beginnings, which can be difficult for many. But it can also be incredibly exciting. Sometimes, like this morning, when I read this verse, I can hear God’s excitement at what He has in store for us, His perfect plan in His perfect timing.

But new can be hard because it is unfamiliar, so how do we persevere in the new until we get our feet under us? First, don’t forget who you are. You are a deeply, fiercely, unconditionally loved child of God. Second, don’t forget the people who love and support you. In this digital age, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch. So even if you are hours away from home, reach out to those who care. Third, remember you are not the only one facing new. Reach out to others who are in the same boat. They completely understand your struggle because they are living it, too. Encourage and uplift each other.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that You are doing a new thing in our lives. Help us to embrace the sometimes messy chaos of new as You grow us into the people You designed us to be. Help us to reach out to others, to love, support, and encourage them in the new. Help us to remember that because You are in control, we are more than conquerors. Help us to embrace Your plans for us. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As I was trying to fall asleep last night, all the worries and anxieties of the day began swirling in my mind. I shouldn’t be surprised by now that those thoughts are loudest and most chaotic when what I long for most is peace and rest. But last night, I forced myself to slow my breathing and focus my thoughts on God’s light. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. God’s got me. God’s got those I love. He is mighty and sovereign.

Fears and worries aren’t the only darkness that tries to creep into my life. Anger, frustration, bitterness, impatience—all these dark characters and many of their relatives often wait on the fringes of my day, trying to steal my joy, hoping to crowd out God’s light in my life. I need to be more diligent about watching for them, about counteracting them in the same way I did last night—by slowing my breathing, focusing my thoughts on God’s light. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. God’s got me. God’s got those I love. He is mighty and sovereign.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your light, which can never be extinguished by the darkness of this world. Help me to be on my guard against worry, anxiety, fear, anger, bitterness, impatience—all the sources of darkness in this world. Your love, Your truth, Your grace and mercy—these are my light. Help me to cling to them. Help me to reflect Your light through my words and actions. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

We often think of inheritance as things people leave us when they die—money, land, possessions. I’ve never given much thought to faith as an inheritance, a legacy passed down from generation to generation. What a beautiful idea that my relationship with Christ can be a legacy, a gift, to others.

Sadly, it’s not hard to find contention when it comes to inheritance—people squabbling over property division, families torn apart over acreage and buildings. But with a spiritual inheritance, there would be no such arguments. All would see and be strengthened by the gift, the legacy, of faith.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the idea that my faith is a legacy, an inheritance, for others. When they look at what I leave behind, let them see my unshakable trust in You, even when I am confused and unsure. Let them see my obedience to Your will, even when it is not the path I would have chosen for myself. Let them see my love and compassion for  all Your children, even when the world or my biases say they aren’t worth it or don’t deserve it. Help me to live a life pleasing to You, Lord, a life that leaves a beautiful inheritance for all who know me. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Saturday morning I came across a saying which really struck me: “You will never look into the eyes of someone God does not love. Always be kind.” Saturday evening I was able to hear an amazing speaker who has incurable colon cancer. The question was raised during the evening: “What does it mean to live a meaningful life when we all know we are going to die?” I’ve been thinking a lot about that saying and that question.

Then yesterday my pastor’s sermon was about compassion and the fact that as humans, we are wired to show compassion to others. He talked about the fact that as children of God, we are all worthy of compassion, and about how, if we are honest with ourselves, we all have at least one person we feel isn’t worthy of our compassion. God sees them differently. The sermon put me in mind of Saturday’s saying and question.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your fierce love of all Your children. Thank You for the reminder that You put me here to live a meaningful life, a life that glorifies You and points others to You. Thank You for reminding me of my own prejudices and for reminding me of the need to show love and compassion to all—even those whom society deems unworthy, even those whom my prejudices deem unworthy. We are all Your beloved children, Lord. Help us to act like it and to treat each other in a manner befitting Your children. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, You know my propensity for anxiety and worry. You know my skill at armchair quarterbacking and second-guessing myself. Thank You for the blanket of love and support that You so graciously wrap me in daily. Thank You for gently, loving turning my face back to You when my focus shifts. Thank You for tirelessly reminding me that You are here, that You are with me. Help me never to forget that I am not alone.

Lord, It is so easy to feel like an island in this life. Being self-reliant and self-sustaining are highly valued traits. But You made us to crave fellowship with each other as well. Gathering in Your name, encouraging one another, pointing each other to You, these things are tremendously important, too. Help me never forget to reach out to Your beloved children.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for hearing me and answering me when I cry out to You for wisdom, guidance, encouragement, grace. Help me never forget that You are with me. Help me never forget to encourage and uplift Your people. Help us to strengthen each other with Your words, Your grace, and Your love. Draw us closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

This verse takes me back to March of last year. I am sitting in the driver’s seat of my husband’s truck, outside the doctor’s office. The hubs is in the back of the ambulance parked in front of me. The EMT comes to me and says, “Your husband has had a heart attack. We are running him in with lights and sirens. Don’t try to keep up.” Lord Jesus, make a way. Please, God, make a way. Make a way through this wilderness. Make a way. Please, make a way.

Almost a year and a half later, the hubs has no permanent damage and is preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail. I’m so thankful He made a way that allowed the hubs to heal here. But that’s not always the case. I could list many times where His way involved calling loved ones home to Him for healing. Or times when they were allowed to remain but now have to deal with health issues on earth. I don’t understand, quite frankly, but I implicitly trust the One who does.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that You are making a way for us, Your perfect way, through whatever wilderness we face. Thank You for my absolute trust in Your love, Your goodness, and Your sovereignty, even when I don’t understand Your ways.  Continue to make a way through the wilderness of this life, LORD, a way that draws me closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As a child, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea that I was to love God first and my family second. I didn’t really understand how I was supposed to love God, whom I could not see nor rely on in the way I did my parents, more than my parents who were physically with me and loved and cared for me daily.

As an adult who lost both parents unexpectedly and long before I was ready, I get it. God is my anchor. The hope I hold in His fierce love for me, the hope I hold in Heaven, anchors my soul. It allows me to weather heartache, pain, and loss. Don’t mistake this as an easy task. Letting go of loved ones when God calls them home is one of the most painful experiences on this earth. For each loved one I’ve had to say goodbye to, there is a deep ache of longing to see them again. But I WILL see them again one day and in a far better place than this earth.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your fierce love. Thank You for being the hope that anchors my soul, that allows me to weather the trials of life. It isn’t easy, Lord, but my hope is in You, always, and for that gift, the gift of Your love and grace and my hope in You, I am thankful beyond words. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.