Month: June 2020

The headlines of the day scream for our attention.  They call to us to read, to search, to hear.  The articles want us to think or believe what is being said.  There are often pictures in these articles.  What would we do without visuals?  In those pictures are people.  These are snapshots in time of people or events.  They are brief glimpses into a life that we then use to create a story.  What we often miss is these pictures hold just a moment in the life of a real person.  A real person is captured just for a second.  From that second, we begin to form conclusions.  We imagine their lives.  We create our own narrative of who they are, what they have done, and what they should feel.  We put ourselves in their shoes.  But we are not those people in the pictures.  And what if, through our own conclusions, we miss Jesus.

You may be wondering how in the world we would see Jesus in anything lately.  Everything has been so troubling.  There are fires and violence erupting.  There has been evil captured.  We could be distraught.  Or we can take a moment to see Jesus.  I have seen him.  It hasn’t been easy.  I have been forced to look more intently with my heart than with my eyes.  I have been challenged to look past the narratives that I tell myself.  I have even had to overlook the name calling and hate filled speech that has plagued what we see, read and hear.  Jesus is there.

I see him in those that grieve, providing comfort.  I see him in those that fight the injustice, providing persistence and strength in the midst of turmoil.  I see him in the writings and expressions of my black and brown brothers and sisters, penning words that open our eyes and our minds.  I see him in the slow chipping away at a system that fosters discrimination and fear.  I see him in my fellow white brothers and sisters as we begin to see where we have gone so very wrong, often without knowing it.  I see Jesus and I am grateful.

Where do you see him?  If you haven’t, maybe take another look.  Maybe take a look with your heart rather than your eyes.  Maybe stop the narrative we tell ourselves and search for where Jesus is at work.  I believe he is.  And I can’t wait to see where I notice him next.  Open my eyes, Lord.  Open my eyes.

Focus Scripture:

Philippians 2:12-13

¹² Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

It can happen when we least expect it.  That person…that particular person shows up just when we need them.  It could be the person that helps us when we have a flat tire on the side of the road.  Maybe it is the lady at the register that provides encouraging words.  The man that we pass on the street offers us help when our arms are full.  These people come at just the right time – as if God knew exactly what we needed at that moment.

This happens in friendships as well.  We may be struggling with a decision.  We might find ourselves worrying about the next day’s tasks.  And that friend, you know the one, shows up.  It is the friend that calls or checks on us at just the right time.  The text arrives or the messenger dings with the words we are starving to hear.  These are gifts.  These are people that we value in our lives.

I believe that as God hears our cries, our grief, our calls out to him, he answers us with those in our path.  He understands our pain.  He grieves with us.  And he provides the love we need through others.  He answers us through the gifts of others.  He answers us through his own beloved.

These people are willing to walk in this way because they have been loved by God.  They have felt and been overwhelmed by his amazing grace and all powerful love.  When we are overflowing with love, it shows.  We are able to be a light for others we might meet.  We are able to be an answered prayer because we are listening for God’s direction.  We are seeking ways to love because we can’t do anything else.  We are loved and we love.

Whether you give or receive today, I pray that God’s love would wash over you like a mighty waterfall.  I pray that God provides you love and that you share that love with others.  May we become a gift of God today.

Focus Scripture:

John 8:12

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

Distraught, grief, pain, turmoil, unrest, fear – these can lead us to a place where we do not know what to do.  We do not know where to turn.  We do not know what is next or who to call.  We do not always understand.  When our lives are turned upside down, we may feel abandoned and lost.  When we feel betrayed, we don’t know who to trust.  When we lose a loved one, we feel a void that is forever implanted.  When test results are pending and we await surgeries, we can find anxiety creeping over us.

The answer that we may hear or may even think to ourselves is that we should pray.  We should take the time to pray about it.  We hear that if it is worthy worrying about, it is worth praying about.  But what if we have no prayers?  What if the words are not there?  What if we do not know what to ask for and we do not understand our situation?  What if it is so all-consuming that we are speechless?  What if we are struggling with who God is and where he is?  What if we are struggling with our faith?  What if God seems so very distant in our time of greatest need?  What do we do then?  We may know in our heart to pray, but that may not translate to words. It may seem empty.

What if God hears us in our tears and our exasperations?  What if God walks with us in our silence?  Could it be that God understands that we are struggling with our faith and is simply with us?  God does not need our words, he hears our heart.  He doesn’t need us to have the correct things to say or the right ways to say them.  He doesn’t require us to pray a certain way.  Resting in him may be the only prayer we need.  He may just provide shelter from the storm, no words needed.  He feels our pain.  He has watched us struggle.  He knows we don’t get it.  And in those times, I find that there are no prayers needed.  Just to find refuge in him is enough.

Today, no matter what you may experience, may God remind you he hears your cries and he provides a refuge.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 61:1-4

¹ Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
² From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
³ for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

⁴ Let me abide in your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

Our souls, our minds, our bodies can become so tired.  We can become weary and overloaded.  Life can feel as though it will swallow us whole if we just stand still long enough.  Getting up in the morning can be difficult and functioning through the day can require all our effort.  When we are constantly faced with grief, loss, injustice, and unrest, we feel the magnitude of it all.  It envelopes us to the point that we simply want it to all stop.  But often, it doesn’t.  Sometimes it doesn’t need to stop.  It could be a point of cleansing, a time of reframing, an opportunity to be molded.  And sometimes it is a time to simply be, knowing we are not alone.

Success is measured in many different ways.  If we find ourselves tired and weary, success may look like one more step, facing one more day.  If we are overwhelmed with grief, success may be one more tear and one more memory.  If injustice is haunting us, it could be more time standing up for what is right and becoming a voice for those suffering injustice.  If we are beat down with depression and anxiety, success may be getting up, getting dressed, and taking care of at least one thing on our list for the day.

We keep on keeping on.  We strive for a new day.  We work to see the promise of another sunrise.  We look forward to days when things will be different.  We press on to the calling that we have been given.  We seek some reprieve.  We look for those that are walking with us.  We feel the presence of the Lord who promised he would never leave us.  We simply keeping breathing…one breath at a time.  We press on.

May God give you strength for your success today.  May you press on toward your calling.  May you know that you are not alone.  May you feel loved.

Focus Scripture:

Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal;^[a]but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Beloved,^[b] I do not consider that I have made it my own;^[c] but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly^[d] call of God in Christ Jesus.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery