My devotion for today is near the end of the day. I often focus on beginning the day, but it is Saturday. And many people begin the day slowly – or at least slower than the rest of the week. But conclusions to the day, they seem to be about the same to me. I have done what I could or at least what I thought needed to be done, I have settled down, and now I rest. With Leo by my side, I consider the ending of another day.
Yet, it isn’t just another day. No day is ‘another day’. We can’t treat any of our days like this. Each day is unique. Each day brings unexpected joys if we are paying attention. There are tragedies and struggles. There are days that are absolutely devastating. There are also days where the sun shines a bit brighter and all seems well and all is well. But no matter how this day goes, God is with us. God’s love overwhelms us. God’s mercy sets us free. We are not alone. We are loved. We are free.
All of this sounds good unless you are experiencing the really bad day and nothing seems well. If we are missing a loved one or struggling with an addiction or finding ourselves in what seems to be impossible circumstances, we don’t always understand how God is with us, how we are loved or how we are free. We feel beat down, defeated and destroyed. But we aren’t. We don’t get to understand it all – and for the most part, I am grateful for this fact. I am thankful I do not have to understand it all because then I would feel the need to fix it all. I am thankful I do not always get why and how things happen. This isn’t my job. It isn’t why I was created. It isn’t part of me. I, instead, have no choice but to rely on my Creator. I have no option but to look to my Redeemer. I cannot do any other than trust my Savior.
As I conclude this day – this exceptional, unique day of gifts – I rest knowing that no matter what, I am loved, I am free and I am not alone. I rest knowing that no matter the number of my days, I have the opportunity to appreciate each and every one. I rest knowing that the world continues with or without me, but that God has a unique and special plan for me until he calls me home. I rest because God has this all taken care of – even when I don’t.
Rest, my friends, for you are loved, you are free, and you are not alone.
Focus Scripture:
2 Corinthians 17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
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 