Sometimes I get behind in the devotional I am reading. Rather than skip to the appropriate day, I like to read the ones I missed and think about how that day went. I think about what might have changed if I had read my devotion that morning and meditated on it instead of just running to start the day. Since I have the book on my phone so I can read during the day anywhere I am so, while  lying in bed the next morning, I went to pull up my devotion and noticed that I was a day behind.

The day I missed was a busy one and I didn’t realize that I had not read my devotion. However, it all worked out because the devotion I missed was the devotion I needed. It reminded me not to be weighed down by the clutter in my life. Chores, errands, and insignificant tasks that only seemed to be important.

While Jesus and his followers were traveling, Jesus went into a town. A woman named Martha let Jesus stay at her house.  Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me.” Luke 10:38-40

The only true task I have is living as close to God as I possibly can. Spending time in His presence and communicating with Him is to be my number one goal and priority. If I let all of those other tasks, chores and errands clutter up the throne room of my heart, I have to “clean out the closet” just so that I can have room to spend time with my Savior.

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

When I seek God first and commit my day and plans to Him, even if the day isn’t smooth, I have peace. Peace is precious. Peace only comes with the Presence of God. So clean out that throne room and spend some time with the Savior. Your day may not be easy but you won’t be bearing your burdens alone.

Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. Matthew 6:33

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

I have been reminded recently that I am still a work in progress. I feel like there should be a caution sign hanging around my neck. Not only to warn others about what they might encounter with me but also as a reminder that I need to use caution when interacting with others. It is so easy to let my emotions take control, especially when I’m tired. Or hungry. Or sick. Or tired. Oh wait, I mentioned that already, right?

How thankful and grateful I am that I AM a work in progress. Jesus doesn’t give up on us when we make mistakes. He uses those opportunities to teach us something. It may be forgiveness, it may be perseverance, it may be humility, or it may be patience.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.They are the people he called, because that was his plan. Romans 8:28

These lessons can be hard to swallow, especially if our sense of fairness is offended. However, God may be trying to get our attention in order to readjust our sense of fairness. Some of the things we are offended over are not really issues that are unfair. We only see them as unfair because we are operating in a selfish manner. (Ouch!!)  

Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. James 3:16

Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you. James 4:1

When you’ve had a challenging day and everything seems to be rubbing you the wrong way or ruffling your feathers, take a step back and reassess the situation from God’s perspective. Do you need to apologize for anything? Do you need to repent for anything? What changes can you make today to make tomorrow smoother? What is God trying to tell you?

The Lord says, “Listen to me, those of you who try to live right and follow the Lord. Isaiah 51:1

He wants a relationship with you. A real, close, relationship. He wants you to tell Him all about your day, how you feel, what your hopes and dreams are, and He wants you to trust Him to provide what’s best for you. Lean into Him. He can support you. Draw closer to Him. I know it can be hard to focus sometimes, especially when you feel overwhelmed, but that is the exact time when you NEED to stop and focus on Him.

Many times in life we hear about the destination. When we get (fill in the blank) then, or if I get (blank), then. Living our lives with an if/then, when/then attitude can steal the joy of living in the gift that God has given us called the present. I didn’t realize that was how I had been living. I was so focused on the goal and the destination that I missed all of the wonderful things that were going on in the present. I had missed little joys with my children and with my husband and with family members no longer alive. I had been so consumed by reaching the destination that I had convinced myself that I couldn’t really be happy until I got there.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Then one day, I “got there”. I finally reached one of the destinations that I had always wanted to get to. Guess what? It wasn’t what I thought it would be. Actually, it was SO bad, it made me want to abandon that journey altogether. To make matters worse, when I thought about all that I had sacrificed to reach that destination, I was sick to my stomach.  Perhaps I had tried to make my will His will?

 “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;” Proverbs 3:13

I am so thankful that God brought to my attention all of the things I was missing out on. I regret that I missed so much, but now that I am aware, I can be proactive in managing my destination mentality. I can begin to find joy in the journey. God would not have given us so much to admire and enjoy if all He wanted was for us to move to the next level (the destination).

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” Job 5:17

Take time to slow down, spend time with God and family and friends. We can make plans, and should, but in the end, God will decide. Follow Him and enjoy each day for the gift it is. Treasure the relationship you have with God and those you love. Experience the journey.

Most days I question God’s will for my life because I want to make sure that I am still where He wants me to be. Some days I question God’s will for my life because I don’t really understand what is going on. When things begin to be chaotic, or seem to unravel, it is easy to question – What’s going on?

When we don’t understand, we have to trust that His will for the moment is exactly when and where he wants us, even if it doesn’t make sense to us at the time.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Following Christ is a constant exercise in trust. Often He will ask us to do things that demonstrate that trust and push us out of our comfort zone. The crazy and amazing thing is, as terrifying as it is sometimes to trust and step out, the joyous feeling we have after causes us to forget how scared we were in the first place! Also, we can stand on His promise that He is always with us and always has our best interests at heart.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Accepting His will for the moment is our choice and an act of obedience. The more we focus on Him, the easier it is to trust and follow. Let those things that overwhelm and distract you fall away as you focus on Him; who He is, what He is, His love for you. Take some time to be alone with Him and renew your relationship. Or, take some time to strengthen it. We can never be too close to the one who died so that we might live.

It has been a month of difficult days. When I started to reflect on how many days had been difficult, I realized it had been an entire month. Too many obligations, not enough time, and sickness has wreaked havoc in my life for a while now. I began to notice that I was feeling overwhelmed, a sure sign that my life was out of balance. I knew exactly what was causing the stress and I knew what it was I needed to do. However, following through with what I needed to do would be the real accomplishment.

Resting

It is time for some rest. Not sleeping, resting. Spending some quality time with God and having a conversation with Him. Trusting Him to lead me where I need to go, to say what needs to be said, and to do what needs to be done. (Not everything – just what is needed) (Luke 10:41) It can be easy to substitute laziness for rest. Don’t fall into that pit of Satan. He will tell you that you need to lay around and “rest” because you are just tired. He tries to convince you that your problem is physical, not spiritual, because he doesn’t want you spending time with the Father. He knows just how energized and rested you can become by spending time with God.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

Renewing

It is time for some renewal. Renewal is the replacing or repair of something that is worn out. Many times my patience, endurance, and sanity needs renewing. When I spend time with the Father, I allow my soul to soak up His presence like a sponge. It is a salve that repairs the cracks in my person. When I participate in the renewing process, I allow God to provide for my needs. I can become flexible instead of brittle. I need this renewing every day in order to be an effective model and witness for Christ.

You wearied yourself by such going about,but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength,and so you did not faint. (Isaiah 57:9-11)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Realizing

It is time for some realizations. I am beginning to understand that when my moods change to those of selfishness it is usually because of an ungrateful attitude. I may have neglected to say thank you too many times or I may have just gone through the motions. Many people who are unappreciated get cranky and negative. I am so glad that God does not share those flaws. He loved us before and continues to love us even when we don’t appreciate Him or say thank you.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)  

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.        (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Receiving

Accepting what happens is not always easy. God loves us enough to allow trials. Do we love Him enough to trust Him to use those trials for our good and His glory? Are we choosing to receive and accept what He has for us at this time and thank Him for it?  Remember, receiving is an action and it does not imply that you are accepting what you are receiving. Accepting what God has for us is believing (trusting) that He has our best interests at heart and agreeing with Him about that.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ever feel like you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again? How many times do we have to make a mistake before we finally learn from it? Is it possible to make it through the day without making one? If you are like me, a little stubborn, it might be more than one time.

I’ve made many, many mistakes. Thankfully, not all of them are repeats. The good thing is we don’t have to repeat the same mistakes if we will choose to learn from them. That is how God can make good out of even bad situations. (Romans 8:28)  If we learn something, then the experience, no matter how bad, can be good for us. When studying the life of David, the Bible calls him a man after God’s own heart; he was a man that would do God’s will. Notice that it didn’t say that David was perfect and never made any mistakes. If you have read about David’s life (1 Samuel 15-1 Kings 2) then you know he was far from perfect and that he made many mistakes. Which brings us to one of the reasons we have the Bible — to learn from the mistakes of others. The Bible tells us in Romans 15:4 :

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Let’s unpack this verse. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us.” Think about your experience in school. We had textbooks to help us learn from, and about, the world. We studied subjects like math, reading, history, and science. Those books were basically a history of what people discovered as they looked for solutions to problems, answers to the mysteries of the universe, cures for sickness, and technologies to make their lives better.

But when we look at the Bible, we see stories that educate us about character, choices, loving and following God, and mistakes.  The Bible chronicles the major and even sometimes minor mistakes made by those who came before us. We have the opportunity to learn from someone else messing up so we don’t have to. We have negative examples of selfishness, lying, adultery, murder, greed, corruption, pride, and many other things too numerous to list. We also have positive examples of trust, faith, truth, love, and perseverance.

“so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” If we commit to reading and following God’s Word, we can be encouraged because of the hope it provides. I can have hope that, even when I make mistakes, I am still loved and pursued by God. I can have hope that even when I mess up, I can ask for forgiveness and receive it. God loves us and wants us to make good choices and have a loving relationship with Him. He has lovingly provided His Word as a guide and communication device that gives us access to Him.

Endurance, encouragement, hope.

I had spent the last few days worrying, on and off, about what was about to happen. I didn’t realize it, but I’d been mentally  counting down the days until the money ran out. No job = No money. No money = SERIOUS budget cuts.

Although we had a little in savings to help, I really just wanted to find a job so we could keep our emergency fund. However, it seemed that there just weren’t any jobs available in my wheelhouse. Plus, the fact that I have a bachelor’s degree was, incredibly, a deterrent instead of an incentive. I was told repeatedly, “You’re way overqualified for this job”.  I was beginning to lose heart. If those jobs wouldn’t hire me because I was overqualified, then did that mean that jobs requiring even less wouldn’t either? I mean, had I disqualified myself from even retail or food service?

I got up on a Friday morning and got the kids off to school. I usually have my devotion time AFTER I get them out because it is too chaotic before. I have been using Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a marvelous devotion if you are looking for one. The devotion for the day was exactly what I needed. In part it reads:

TRUST ME AND REFUSE TO WORRY, for I am your Strength and Song. You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength. However, they are not today’s tasks —- or even tomorrow’s. So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find me waiting for you.

Well, if that did hit the nail on the head, so to speak! But it was at the end of the devotion, where she lists scripture verses that correspond with the message, that I found comfort. Hebrews is a magnificent book in the Bible, so full of truth and encouragement. Hebrews 10:23 says:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL. I looked up the verse in different translations to absorb what the author was trying to convey. I made a flyer with the verse on it so that every time I opened a new Word sheet, it would open. I meditated on it all day.

I’d like to say that started counting my blessings, but that wasn’t really what happened. Every time I felt discouraged, I would look at the page and focus on the words, “He who promised is faithful,” and I would repeat it over and over. I was still having a hard day, but I wasn’t in total despair.

I knew the Lord had been faithful. He had always taken care of me and my family. What I should have done, instead of looking to the future and worrying about what might happen, I should have reflected on the past and what did happen. I should have thought about all the times that God had shown up and shown out.

I carried on with what He was having me do; write. Then the phone rang. It was an unknown number from a city fifty miles away. I don’t usually answer those calls because, usually, it is a telemarketer. But, since I had put my resume out on a couple of job sites, I paused, thinking it could be a potential employer. I answered the phone.

She was calling about a position I had applied for in the city where I live. She asked if I was still interested. (Duh) Of course! She also asked could she do a phone interview.  (Duh) Of course! She was pleased and said that she would forward my application to the employer. I was ecstatic!

Then I got another phone call. Again, an unknown number from a city nearby. Like I said, I don’t normally answer if I don’t know the number, but I answered. The interviewer had called the employer to let them know they were forwarding my resume. The employer was calling. Could I come for an interview? (Duh) Of course!

The rest is history. HIS story! HIS story for my life. Like always, HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL.

Thank you Jesus.