We all feel it, we all experience it, we all find a way to deal with it. Some seem to glide through while others seem to get stuck in quicksand. But no one gets to avoid it. Grief is something we all encounter at some point in our lives. Someone we love passes away and we are left with a void which cannot be filled. If that is not enough, we can find our grief compounding. Little things which would not have otherwise hurt us much now make a huge impact. Small changes have a much larger meaning. Changing our home or getting new neighbors can throw off the whole dynamic. Larger changes have a much larger impact. Divorces, health problems, children or grandchildren going off to college, or job changes can all pose a greater challenge. They can evoke emotions we are not expecting. To top it all off, dealing with the pandemic layers on our grief in an often unbearable thickness. When we are forced to change our regular habits that order our day, it can feel devastating.
If you are feeling this way, know that you are not alone. There is nothing wrong with you. What you are experiencing is normal and expected in times like these. You have lost someone you love. You are trying to figure out what it means to move forward without this person in your life. It can feel like venturing through a strange and unfamiliar land with no map and no clear direction. Anything that you approach can feel even more difficult. It is okay. You are not alone in your journey. This is not unusual. These times may be difficult and unusual, but you do not face this alone.
As you travel this journey of grief, be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to grieve. Know that it is okay to be angry about your current situation. It is okay to be mad that things are not normal and that your normal has been balled up and thrown in the trash can. It is okay to feel lost and not know where the next step will take you. Don’t try to move too fast through the journey – it isn’t helpful. Don’t worry about other people’s timeline. It doesn’t matter what a family member did when she lost her spouse. It doesn’t have any impact how quickly he was getting out and doing things after losing his loved one. You are not them. They are not you. You are traveling this journey in your time and in your way. Other people’s journey and timeline does not impact you. You are okay. Go at your pace. Find your rhythm.
On this grief journey, it is helpful to stay tuned to the goodness that is around. There are small yet powerful ways that God speaks to us in our grief. It may be the song of a bird that reminds us of our loved one. It may be a sunrise or a gentle breeze. It may be the sound of rain on our roof or the majestic thunder that awakens us to life. There are so many subtle but powerful ways that God is reminding us that we are not forgotten. We are not alone. We do not travel this journey without God by our side.
For me, most importantly, know that God is with you through it all. He does not adhere to social distancing. He speaks to us when we cannot hear any other. He has ways of reaching out to us when we don’t know where else to turn. I pray you feel his presence today. I pray he fills you with his love and reminds you of just how precious you are. And I pray he brings you peace on your journey – if just for a moment.
My bushes were completely out of control on the front of my home. They looked diseased. They were overgrown. And then an aggravating vine began to wrap up everything, putting its sticky tentacles on the entire landscape. Enough was enough. I finally chose to have them all dug up, the whole thing. Whatever was there had to go. I needed a fresh start. I needed a clean slate. I wanted to be able to rethink how to make it beautiful again.
We do that with our closets, with our garages, with our cars, and our out-buildings. We clean out. When we have had enough of looking at it all, we finally begin to get rid of the unnecessary. We eliminate the things which carry a heavy weight. Sometimes it takes an event or a friend to encourage us to get rid of the excess. Sometimes it is because we are just so tired of looking at it.
We do this with so many things, why not with our lives? Why don’t we look at the things which are holding us back and begin to clean up? Why not look at the things we are reading or hearing or taking in and begin to evaluate the usefulness of it all? What about looking at the mistakes from our past that continue to haunt us or the things we wish we had done and start to clean out our hearts? Maybe it begins with forgiving ourselves. Maybe it begins with forgiving someone else. Maybe it is a matter of making better choices. It could be picking something valuable to read or hear. It might be allowing God to clean us up so that we can live free, really free.
I don’t know what your situation is, but you do. You know what needs to go. You know what is damaging your heart, suffocating your spirit, and keeping you from loving God and loving others. You know what needs to be cleaned out. Today, I pray that God shows you how to begin…one step at a time. Let’s clean up, clean out, and live free.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and rightspirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willingspirit.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I wonder how often we doubt we are capable of accomplishing something because we see our own shortcomings. We know our down falls. We have clear knowledge of the times we have failed. Anything that challenges what we know scares us – I know it does me. We think we have a clear grasp on our skill set. We feel good about our training. We may have taken the quizzes to know what gifts we have and we are good sticking to that. What happens when all we think we understand is challenged? What happens when what we think we know about ourselves is pushed to the limit?
There have been many times in my life where I thought I just couldn’t do it. I have wanted to back out of the situation because it was pushing me where I wasn’t sure I could go. I felt this pressure that frightened me – what if I fail? What if I disappoint? What if I have misunderstood? I wondered how in the world I got here and how was I going to get out of it. I wanted to run but my feet felt so grounded in my current place that I couldn’t move.
Today’s scripture is about Moses, not about me or you. I am not saying we are Moses or that our situation in any way reflects Moses’ life. I am not comparing our calling with his. But I think it is helpful to see his vulnerability. It is worth looking at his reaction and his humanity – because that is something we can relate. We can feel his struggle and we can hear his fear. We don’t see the mighty leader, we hear the man that has run for his life and God has found him. We hear the one that God saw where he was and still found he had what he needed to do the work that was left undone. We begin to understand that Moses was not so much different than you and me. That should give us hope as we seek to follow God.
Exodus 3:1-15 3:1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 3:2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3:3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 3:5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 3:6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 3:7 Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 3:8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3:9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 3:10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 3:12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” 3:13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.
Moses what doing what Moses did every day. He was minding his business being about his father in law’s business. It was there, in the middle of the normalness, that he is called to what sems like the insanity. There are bushes on fire, there are voices, there is a removal of shoes, there is a calling, and there is God – right there. God has experienced the suffering of his people and he will be doing something about it. In a moment, Moses’ life is forever changed. He had fought and killed and done many things wrong. He had run and hid and found some sense of normalcy in his life. And here was God, calling him, to do what seemed to be the impossible. He had an amazing encounter with God but that did not calm his fears. He had a clear directive yet that did not make him want to jump at the chance. He had been given a new start, but he seemed to favor the old one. His response of “Here I am” was not the same response as Isaiah’s. Isaiah was willing to be sent – here I am, send me. Moses was much more hesitant, definitely more reluctant. He was honest with God about his insecurities. He wasn’t ready to sign on the dotted line. I hear…maybe next time God, but thanks for the offer. But that isn’t what happened. That isn’t the end of the story. That isn’t how it went. It was difficult. Moses was pushed way outside of his comfort. I am sure he wanted to go back more times than the book can contain. But that wasn’t all the happened.
He did go. He did follow God. His insecurities did hurt him. His fears did get the best of him sometimes. But you know what else happened? He had some experiences with God that forever changed him. He glowed from the beauty of God’s presence. He was given the opportunity to see God feed his people right in front of him. He watched water flow from rocks and sticks turn into snakes and turn right back in his very hands. He observed a mighty water part as he lifted that same stick. He saw God love with an unbelievably amazing love and he felt his anger from the disobedience. And it all started with God seeing potential that Moses felt sure was not there. Moses experienced God but not without significant challenges and setbacks. Nothing about the journey was easy – but God called him anyway.
Where do you find yourself today? What is your story? I do know it isn’t finished yet. There is more to be written. There are chapters to be put together. Is God calling you? Are you running, still? Have you answered and feel in the middle of a big mess and wonder how in the world you got here? You are not alone. God used Moses in a mighty way. God can use you to love others. He can show you what it means to find the joy of following God. It begins with a simple call to follow. Where he leads, we do not know…it does not matter. What we do is follow. We are just called to follow. Still not ready to sign on the dotted line? That’s okay. God has more unbelievable experiences than you could ever imagine. You just follow.
May God show you beautiful and amazing things as you seek him. And may you be reassured of his presence – even when you don’t know what to do or how you will make it. May you be strengthened in the journey of love. And may you see his fire like never before. May you be changed.
It is easy to get caught up in the “I can’t” loop. We begin to dwell on the things we cannot do. This seems to be especially true as we get older. We reflect on things we could do before but no longer are capable. Or we think about things we never could do and still cannot. We can become captured in all the things we cannot do and lose perspective. Instead of thinking of all the things you cannot do, maybe consider what can be done.
No matter who you are or where you may find yourself, there are things you can do to make a big difference. Sure, in your eyes they may seem like small things. They may seem minor or of little consequence. But there are incredible things that can still happen as a result of your efforts. God has given you life and breath and this moment to live abundantly. One thing that comes to mind that we can all do (everybody truly can do this) is to be kind. You can share kindness with a friend, a relative, or a stranger. It doesn’t take money or a lot of time. But it is one of the most valuable gifts we can give right now. Kindness is underrated. We think of it as simple and useless. But it is such a powerful, encouragement that it could change someone else’s day.
We can all be encouragers. Some of us are better at this than others. Regardless, there are people in our lives that we can encourage in their journey. We can write notes, send texts, support financially, and pray for them. We can encourage someone in their struggles or in their every day lives. It doesn’t take much to encourage someone else, yet it seems to be a lost art.
We can love our neighbors. God calls us to love him and love others. This is a calling for us all. This can look different depending on where you are and what you do. But loving God and loving others is possible no matter where you may find yourself. God fills us with love like he fills us with life. He gives us all we need to love others.
If you are stuck in the camp of “I can’t”, I encourage you to leave it. You can do many good things. There are many possibilities waiting for you just outside of the negative. There is kindness to be shared, encouragement to be given, and love to be spread. These are things we all CAN do. So let’s do go.
Focus Scripture:
Romans 12:9-13
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
On my trek this morning, I passed a small garden flag that caught my attention. I have to admit that this doesn’t happen often. There are so many signs and flags, I simply block them out. But this one spoke to me for some reason. It read “Why does happy only have an hour?” I couldn’t help but think how we do limit happy to certain times, don’t we? We limit happy to certain days. We will be happy when 5:00 gets here. Happy will be when we have a day off. Happy will be when the weekend comes. I’ll be happy when I retire…or my children are grown…or I get into shape…or any other condition we put on happy. Our world even has an hour for happy.
What if happy could happen at work? What if happy could be a part of our daily lives? Why can’t happy be a part of every hour – even if it is just a glimpse. Happiness doesn’t have to be based on things or events or times. It can be a state of mind. I think happiness is based on gratefulness. When we are grateful for what we have, we are happy with what we have. When we stop trying to obtain happiness in things and realize just how privileged we really are, we may find happiness. We might find happiness in simple activities if we change our mindset. We may find that happiness is within us all along.
What condition are you putting on happiness? What are you waiting to happen so that you can be happy? What if we were happy with the things we have been given, right now? Might that change our world? Happiness is here. Happiness is now. Happiness is being loved by an amazing God. We have every reason to be happy, right here, right now. O Happy Day!
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 34:8-9
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. 9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
What defines a good day? What does a good day look like? Is it a day filled with joy and laughter? Is it a day simply without tears? Could we have a good day even when we are working? Are good days only on vacation? Is it possible that good days happen even when nothing seems to be going right? This really has me considering what I would call a good day. The reason this is important to me is that if I see the good in a day, might I have more good days?
Can another person or act make a day good or bad? Does one rude customer or cashier or driver make our day bad? Does one event change the entire day? Do we allow others to determine how our day will go? What if we started each day as a good day? What if we purposely looked for the good? What might change if it became a goal to have some good in every day?
There is a lot of good to be experienced today. God has given us this beautiful day to see him. He has given us our senses so that we can embrace his presence. He has given us love so that we can experience this world in a whole new way, with goodness all around us. It doesn’t mean there isn’t some difficult in the day. It doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be challenges. There will be things or people which push our buttons. But God is there. And he is good. And if God is there and he is good, there is good to be found.
Today IS a good day. Blessings to you as you experience all the good this day holds.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 145
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I had forgotten they even existed. It has been so long since they have appeared. But immediately I knew they were back. I couldn’t believe it. It was just what I needed on this challenging run. My pockets of goodness returned.
Running early in the morning, it is often really humid – as if the earth has held all the moisture at my height. It can be thick enough to cut it with a knife, or so it seems. These make for challenging mornings. But as fall begins to appear, even if just a glimpse, there are these little air pockets that also appear. It is as if I am slogging along on my run and all of a sudden, I run through a small area that has a noticeable temperature difference – as if someone turned the air conditioner on in just this little area. It is surprisingly refreshing. I call these little events “pockets of goodness”. I feel them at just the right time and it energizes me to keep going.
Now, before you think I have lost my mind (I probably have), this happens early in the run too. So it isn’t as if I have gone delusional from the miles. These puffs of cooler air truly are pockets of goodness on an otherwise challenging day.
These are not the only pockets of goodness, though. I appreciate these because I can feel their instant relief. But I wonder how many are right around us and we haven’t paid attention. I wonder if there are pockets of goodness in an otherwise difficult day that keep us going. Could it be the phone call or the smile or the card? Could it be the text or the good meal or just the kindness of a stranger? When times are especially difficult, we should be looking out for these pockets of goodness. They are there, we just need to look out for them. And here’s a thought…if we don’t feel a pocket of goodness, maybe we should be one.
May goodness and mercy surround you today.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 23:6
6 Surelygoodness and mercyshall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
What do you consider important today? I don’t know about you, but when I get up, I think through my day. What do I need to get done, what is a requirement, and what things can wait? Lists are often helpful to me because I can see all the different items that are vying for my time. Since time is limited and there is usually more to do than I can accomplish, it is easier if I can prioritize. Ideally, to get the list done would be fantastic. But since that rarely happens, it is better just to see what is most important.
How do you pick what should go to the top of your list? I usually go by deadlines. If something is due today, that goes to the top of the list. When someone asks me to help with something, I always remind them they need to give me a deadline or it will stay on my list indefinitely. Deadlines keep me focused and help to get that work done. And there is some satisfaction to marking things complete. There is a sense of relief to see the list filled with accomplishments rather than demands.
It seems the problem is that we don’t often plan what should be most important on our list. If my system just requires me to take care of things that are most demanding, when do I spend time for those things which are really important but not as demanding? When do I take time for my family or for rest? When do I spend time exercising and working on my fitness? We often push those things aside. When do I spend time looking for opportunities to serve and to reach out to others? When do I find time to pray and study and focus on being the disciple God has called me to be? Since those things are not always the most demanding, they can get pushed to the bottom of the list. Yet these things are what makes real life. These things are often the most important for us mentally, physically, and spiritually. We neglect the most important for the most demanding. Today, maybe take a look at your list and figure out what is most important rather than what is most demanding. What is God calling you to do today? Today’s focus scripture reminds me that loving others is most important. So I’m going to work on that.
Focus Scripture:
Galatians 5:14
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
We offer, we receive, we hear, we give, and it can become part of us. Thanks. It is amazing how gratefulness changes our outlook on an otherwise difficult situation. When it is sincere, when it comes from our heart, when it is offered in love, thank you carries much further than the words. The simple words uttered from our mouths – thank you – can be powerful.
What if today we focused on giving thanks? I don’t simply mean thinking of things we are grateful to have – although that’s always a good idea. Instead, how about looking for things actively? What might it look like if we sought out opportunities to give thanks? How might our perspective change on an otherwise regular day?
In a time when we do not get out as much, we may work at home, and we may not see many people, this can seem challenging. But it really is not. We still have phones and can still send cards and messages. We can send a handwritten note of thanks to someone just to let that person know we are grateful. We can call and just express thanks. We can text or message someone. We are not without ways to communicate. And we really don’t have to think very hard about those we are grateful.
Not a lot has to be said. A simple ‘thank you’ will do. It just might change a day – and the change might be yours.
So, thank YOU for reading, for sharing and for your support. I am truly grateful for YOU.
Focus Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:4-5
4 I give thanks to myGod always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
I love music. I have my favorite genres, but I appreciate most all music. There is just something about the movement that invokes emotion like nothing else. It can be a song of our heart or just a melody that gets us moving. I love to sing and just enjoy. It doesn’t mean I can sing well, it just means I love to sing. Every once in a while, songs get stuck in my head and they play on a loop. I hear them over and over and over. I catch myself humming the tune even when I am doing something else. It is enough to drive me crazy. It isn’t that I dislike the song – it is actually catchy. It is the song on repeat that is the problem. I end up trying to listen to another tune to offset the one in my head. Sometimes it works and sometimes not so much.
I recently found a song that is my current “get my up and going” song. If I want a little motivation, I just play the song. I can’t sit still when I play it. It’s enjoyable to me. You may see me riding down the road looking like I have an affliction – just know it’s my business and I will be alright. I’m sure we all have those songs that move us and help to motivate us.
That’s great when we have the motivation for us to move – but what about the times when songs of hurt or pain or struggle play in our minds? What about the times when we are captured in the loop of depression, anxiety, grief, or sadness? Those songs not only suck the life out of us, but don’t allow us to even hear there is something more. There is a time and place for all music, but not to play on loop so much that they begin to eat away at our core. We can feel trapped by our current situation and not see a different way. We can become so overwhelmed that the songs in our head all remind us of failure rather than possibility. And it isn’t as easy as changing the station.
Today’s Psalm speaks life to me in these situations. The Psalmist is in a rough place (we all get there sometimes). We all find ourselves trapped in the pit like the Psalmist at some point. But what does God do? He hears, he protects, he secures…and then he does something that is often missed. He gives the Psalmist a new song. This is a song of trust and strength and renewal. It is a song that others notice has changed the Psalmist. God takes the old song off the loop and gives a new song.
I don’t know what you are going through today, but if you find yourself in a loop of anxiety, depression, grief, sadness or just general overwhelming feelings – I pray God gives you a new song. I pray he gives you something to sing about that is joyful and hopeful and full of his amazing love. I pray he changes the station and fills you will life. Sing a new song, God…sing a new song over us.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,[a] out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 
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