SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

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  • Daily Joy – Devotion 85

    Weekends fly by…vacations are here and over before we can even blink…holidays come and go so rapidly it is difficult to keep up…graduations are the culmination of work for years and yet seem to be here all of a sudden.  We can get caught up in living for a moment in time.  We long for Friday to get here only for Monday to pop off the calendar so rapidly we wonder where Saturday went.  We can’t wait for the vacation to get here. We have planned and organized and prepared.  It is finally here and before we can even settle down, it is time to wrap it up and head home – only to work to get there next year.  We get excited about our days off but realize we have so much to do while we are off we forget it wasn’t a work day.  We live for moments to come that can be a bit…disappointing.

    Maybe we are missing the point of it all.  Maybe it isn’t the destination but the journey.  Maybe it is the small, everyday joys that should excite us.  It could be a homemade meal that we prepare fresh from the garden (or fresh from someone’s garden).  It could be the time spent around the table catching up with friends or family about what has been going on.  The times spent simply breathing, slowing down and taking it all in are invaluable.  But we can miss those because we are working for the ‘big’ moments.  In reality, the small joys are what bring life.  These are the everyday surprises that can bring celebration to our hearts.

    Instead of looking for Friday afternoon to come, find out what joys are held in Tuesday.  They are there.  They may be hidden.  They may not initially appear to be much of anything.  But if we look closely, Tuesday has something special for us too.  I’m looking forward to the ‘Tuesday Special’.  How about you?

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 118:23-24

    23 This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
    24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

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

     

  • Comfort – Devotion 84

    This morning as I am eating my breakfast and writing, I am distracted.  That is a bit of an understatement.  My buddy, my sidekick, my dog Leo has heard a noise that bothered him.  Since the July 4th fireworks, it doesn’t take much to startle him.  Today’s noise wasn’t really even a big deal to me.  But here he is, climbing up in my lap so I can hold him.  He’s not a little dog either.  Leo is over 50 lbs and when he sits in my lap, I can’t see around him.  He’s a big boy.  But this big boy does not care about his size today.  Today there is a noise that bothers him and he wants to sit with me.  It doesn’t matter if I want to eat or write or anything else.  My job for this moment is to hold him and make him feel better.

    Since I can’t spend the day doing this (I do need to get ready for work and go to the office), I decide my time is best spent with him for now.  So I move to the couch where he can sit as close as absolutely possible while I write and eat.  That is where we are this morning.  That is where we will be until it is time for me to get showered and dressed.  He is my buddy and he depends on me to take care of him.  And, if I’m honest, I’m okay with it.

    Today may be your day of challenges too.  It may be that you are apprehensive about what is to come.  Maybe you are facing medical questions.  It could be you do not know how you will pay the bills.  Perhaps you find yourself worried and anxious for no reason except it is another day.  Where do you go for comfort?  Like Leo, you search where you feel like you will be cared for.  You search for the place where you can climb up and know that if just for a moment, you are okay.  Personally I find that in meditation outside.  I find my peace when I see God’s work.  I find comfort knowing that he loves his creation so much and loves me too.  I am, after all, his creation.  I find strength in the trees that he has fed and nurtured for more years than I have been alive.  I find beauty in the birds that he cares for on a daily basis.  I find peace in the flowers that he provides today’s rain so they grow and flourish, if just for a season.  I find God speaking to me comfort and love when I am simply held in the arms of his bountiful unfolding.

    I pray you feel God’s comfort and peace today as you approach whatever may come your way.  May God remind you that he is with you and will not leave you.  May you crawl up in his lap knowing that he has everything under control.  You are his child and he loves you.

    Focus Scripture:

    Isaiah 41:13

    13 For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
    it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
    I will help you.”

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

     

  • Peace Be Still

    There are moments when calm seems to appear out of nowhere.  It can happen at the least expected times in our lives.  When all seems to be in an uproar, a small yet defining moment of peace appears and overwhelms our situation.  It doesn’t always stay.  It isn’t always noticeable to anyone else.  It is just for a moment.  In our greatest times of need, it is as if peace is being spoken.  And it is a welcome message for us all.

    Being experienced on the water was their trade – it was in their blood – it was their lifeline.  It is almost as if these guys were born on the water.  They lived it, they breathed it, it was always a part of them.  They had encountered abundance as they threw out nets and brought in a catch that would not only feed their family but others as well.  They had felt the agony of returning home with nothing and wondering what went wrong.  The exhaustion of trying all night long weighed heavy like a big wet blanket over them.  The excitement of THE catch overjoyed them for days.  It was a life of highs and lows, like most any.  No one knew the waters better than them.  No one understood the tides and could predict the weather like they could.  They were the ‘go to’ for most anyone.  They were the fisherman of the town.  It was generational.  But more than that, it was a part of who they were.  They had been through more storms than they could even count at this point.  They had wondered if they would come out alive – and kissed the ground when they finally arrived.  To say that the water was their home would have been more than accurate.  They were fisherman after all.

    So to know that those who spent their life on the water were scared speaks more volumes than words can ever express.  Language cannot hold the amount of fear felt by these guys.  Imagine a storm that frightens experienced, lifelong fisherman.  They just knew this storm could be their last.  It may be the last time they ventured out onto the water.  It may be the last time they saw their families.  This was THAT storm.  And they were caught.  The wind was so fierce, there was no steering the boat.  The waves were crashing so hard, they wondered if the boat would become swallowed up.   They did all they knew and it still wasn’t enough.  Nothing would ever be enough with this one.  The sea was angry and they were enveloped in the brunt of its anger. Fear is a mild word for what they felt.  They worked and held on, they did all they knew just not to capsize.  Just hold on until it passes…if it ever does.

    One person in the boat was calm, not anxious at all about what was going on.  The waves did not shake him.  The water didn’t awake him.  He was not fearful.  And he was not even a fisherman.  Not being a fisherman could account for his ignorance of the magnitude of the storm.  Maybe he didn’t understand that they could easily die from this.  Maybe he was oblivious to the severity.  So they would explain it to him.  This was their home and they knew the danger they were facing.  Get up and pay attention…it may be the last you ever see!

    And yet, it was not the end.  He was not anxious because he knew what was needed.  He was not overwhelmed because this was actually his creation, not theirs.  And so he gets up and speaks…and when he does, things change in the blink of an eye.

    Mark 4:35-41

    35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

    Three simple words spoken from him changed everything.  Three words breathed a renewed life into an otherwise disastrous situation.  Three simple words became the catalyst that brought a calm that was unexplainable.  Peace be still.  Breathe that in for a moment…peace be still.

    For my anxious mind, that speaks life.  For my overwhelmed heart, that covers me in calm.  For my fearful body, that slows the shaking.  Peace be still.  It isn’t the words, of course.  Anyone can say the words and they can mean nothing.  It is the words spoken by the One who brings peace that changes everything.  It is the words spoken by the Creator of it all – the ONE with power which really echoes into the very recesses of our fear.  Peace be still is more than a declaration from an encouraging speaker.  It is a command of the world around to simply stop – for the Creator has spoken.

    I don’t know about you, but I allow the anxieties of this world to become a part of me.  I allow the fears that are in my mind to capture my being.  I allow the chaos of the day to rule my spirit.  It isn’t as if I seek it out.  I do not get in a boat hoping for a storm.  I am simply trying to live my life day to day.  I am just doing what I always do – working, trying to provide for my family, seeking to do my best.  I didn’t cause the storm.  I didn’t seek out to get caught up in it.  I would have avoided it if I had known.  But when I do get caught – my world becomes a whirlwind.  It is in times like these that the words of Jesus speak more to me than anything else…peace be still.

    To hear the words takes some humility, I think.  It takes an acknowledgement that this is all out of my control.  I can’t do anything about this storm.  The waves are crashing and the boat is being thrown from one side to another.  All I can do is hold on and pray…and maybe scream a little.  But ultimately it is all out of my control.  This isn’t something I can fix.  I can’t row hard enough or long enough.  All I can do is hold on.  It is these times peace can happen.  It is when we let go, we can hear the words of our Savior speak peace.

    I need to hear words of peace over anxiety…peace over my fears…peace over my worries and concerns…peace over my life and peace over my days.  Peace be still.  When our faith is in God, peace is the way.  When we trust in the Creator of it all, peace becomes possible.  When we realize that we are exhausted and give up rowing, peace takes over.  Peace be still.

    They didn’t realize the one in the boat had such power.  They had failed to pick up on the cues who this really was.  This man was more than the average teacher.  This wasn’t your everyday guy.  This is the one who had power.  This is the one who could speak and the whole earth would listen.  This is Jesus.  Before we criticize them for their ignorance, we have to take a self-check.  Do we realize who is with us every single day?  Do we really know who it is we are following?  Do we understand who calls us his beloved?  How often do we forget the One who created us is still creating…and creating peace in us?  We can’t be critical of the fisherman, we find ourselves in the same place – even when we know Jesus is Savior and Redeemer.  Who are you trusting to speak peace in your life?

    My prayer is that peace takes over you today.  The peace of God that goes beyond all of our understanding…may it wash over you.  The peace that allows us to breathe, may it calm you.  May Jesus speak peace to your chaos…and may you know the Savior is with you.  Peace Be Still.

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  • Quiet – Devotion 83

    Turn off the TV, put down the phone, leave the radio off, shut the computer and just listen.  The quiet is really there.  It may be just for a moment or an extended period of time.  But the quiet is there waiting.  For some, it seems crazy to sit in our home in silence.  To ride in our car in the quiet may seem even more bizarre.  But in the quiet, we hear.  We hear truths.  We hear guidance.  We hear a message.

    We often avoid the quiet because there are things we do not want to hear.  There are messages we know but would rather not address.  There are truths that scare us.  If we simply keep moving…if we can just keep the noise going…if we can avoid thinking about it…surely we won’t have to deal with it.

    What we need to hear is always bubbling just underneath the surface.  We cannot drown it out forever.  We cannot hold it back for a lifetime.  There will be a time when it will affect our health – mental, physical, and spiritual.  The quiet eventually envelopes us.  And it is good.  It is healing.  It is peaceful.  Even in the fear, there is blessing.

    Today, try spending some time in the quiet.  It may be just for a few moments.  It is okay to start slow.  Today may be short, tomorrow may hold more moments.  If we continue to listen, the quiet will become our friend and begin to provide a path forward.  Welcome the quiet and may your life begin to heal.

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 62:1-2

    1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
    2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

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

     

  • Favorites – Devotion 82

    My favorite food is…french fries.  That’s right, surprisingly enough, it is not chocolate.  That’s a close second with coffee not far behind.  The margins are so minor you may not even notice.  But french fries sure do make me happy.  They are a salty, delicious treat that I could eat any time.  I have been known, in the past, to go through a drive through and only order the largest size of fries that are offered.  I like them fried, oven baked, air fried – any way they come.  They are just a fantastic bit of goodness.

    The problem is that french fries are not always my friend.  They are not really good for my body and my cholesterol always takes a hit when I eat them.  I inherited cholesterol problems so I have to be cautious.  Eating my weight in french fries does not qualify as cautious, unfortunately.  I am required to make better choices – with a few fries sprinkled here and there.  I have to be careful with how often I sprinkle them in as well.

    I mention this because there are many things in our lives that bring us delight.  But some of those things are not good for us.  They can be toxic when they consume our lives.  They can mess with the goodness that God has created in us.  They can harm us.  We have to take care of ourselves and monitor what is around us.  We need to make sure that we are doing the right things for ourselves so that we can help others.  We need to ensure we are filled with the best things so that we can bring glory to our Creator.  Sometimes that means not allowing things that cause extra anxiety, additional fear, or added stress.  Sometimes that means stepping away from situations which are harmful.  And sometimes that means just taking in our favorites in moderation.  Whatever that looks like for you, take measures to care for yourself so that you can be your best to love and care for others.  Today, take care of you.

    Focus Scripture:

    Matthew 22:37-39 (note the as yourself part)

    37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

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

  • New Life – Devotion 81

    For me, renovation shows are the best.  I love to watch how people can turn seemingly disastrous projects into something absolutely beautiful.  My favorite is when a treasured home gets new life breathed into it.  To watch the joy on people’s faces as they see their special memory made new is priceless.  I am amazed when a home that seems to have no future gets fresh paint, remade floors, and a little love.  It is as if the home gets a fresh start.

    What is even more special is to watch God renovating us.  When I see how God is taking our disasters, our pasts, our mistakes and beginning to renew and revive us.  He is cleaning the slate and helping us to find our way into something so much better.  He knows our gifts, our strengths and our weaknesses.  He sees just what we need to get on the right path.  He knows how we have struggled and he lifts us up.  He knows how we have beat ourselves up and bandages our wounds.  He gives us more than a facelift.  He gives us new life.  He breathes love into our broken hearts.

    Often the most difficult part of the renovation is realizing that we are worth it.  We are loved that much and so much more.  God sees value in us and wants us to live a new life.  He sees our worthiness because he created us as his beloved.  He knows the undesirable parts of us and wants to help us clean up.  He is not shaming us, he is remaking us.  We have such beauty to the One who created us.  And he wants us to see what he sees.

    Maybe God is working on renovating you.  Maybe he has plans that take you to places of peace, love and joy.  Maybe he is creating in you a clean heart.  He sees you are worthy – do you?

    Focus Scripture:

    2 Corinthians 5:17

    17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

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

  • Teach Me – Devotion 80

    We are not always teachable.  We may think we are.  It may even be our intention to be teachable.  But to actually live there may be something completely different.  To be teachable means I do not always have the answers.  To be teachable means I am willing to listen to the voices that are different than mine to hear what I might learn.  To be teachable means I am open to other ideas that I have not considered before.  That’s not nearly as easy as it sounds.  So many of us are so ingrained in what we know that we become extremely defensive over anything which sounds different.  We hinge our lives on what we think we know so are unwilling to actually consider there are ideas different than our own that may hold value.  It is difficult to open ourselves enough to hear someone else.

    This seems to be where the religious people in the Bible found themselves.  They were confident they knew everything there was to know about God.  Any push against that was unwelcome.  They were willing to do whatever it took to institute their own beliefs and silence any dissenting views.  Ultimately this also meant they silenced Jesus – or at least attempted.  He was a dissenting voice.  He lived a contrary life.  His views pushed many beyond where they were willing to go.  They were willing to kill him just to silence him.  Their opinions of God meant more than listening to God.

    I fear we could easily find ourselves in that same place.  We are so determined that we are right that we might miss what God is trying to tell us.  I am not asking anyone to change their reading of the Bible.  I am not asking for anyone to change anything about their beliefs.  I simply invite listening, with the acknowledgement that we may not know everything.  We may find we are actually hearing the voice of God if we will simply listen.  May God teach us his ways rather than our own.

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 86:11-12

    11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
    12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.

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

  • Just Checking – Devotion 79

    One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is to check the weather.  What does the day hold?  What is the percentage of rain?  What will the highs become and how humid is it?  How should I prepare for the day?

    I am not really sure why I do this.  It is summertime in Eastern North Carolina.  It will be hot, really hot and it will be humid.  There will inevitably be some chance of rain.  And did I say it would be hot?  That generally doesn’t change throughout most of the summer.  Sure, there could be a storm rolling in that produces a higher chance of rain.  But unless it is a massive storm, it could turn at any point and produce no rain.  It really is the same thing most every single day.  Yet, I check it – I guess expecting the app to tell me something different.  It is almost silly how I depend on this app to tell me something I could have easily guessed on my own.  And if I am honest, my guesses are about as accurate as my app.  Hot and humid with a chance of showers – and boom, I have the forecast.

    I find it interesting that we depend on an app but can struggle to trust the Creator of it all.  We will look at an app to tell us how to dress but we don’t listen to God to tell us how to act.  We will put some credence into a guessing system before we will have faith that God is with us through the storms.  It isn’t that we trust in fact based, always correct information.  We rely on estimates.  Yet God has been creating and recreating since before our minds can even comprehend.  And he hasn’t stop creating and recreating.  He is doing that in you and me right now.  Why do we struggle to receive his love?  Why do we have trouble understanding that we are God’s beloved child?  Why do we trust in things that don’t matter but struggle with the One that does?  That’s something I will consider as I check my app for the weather today.

    Focus Scripture:

    Proverbs 3:5-6

    5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight.
    6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

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

  • Off the Path – Devotion 78

    The most astonishing finds are awaiting off the beaten path.  Some things cannot be found where everyone else travels.  They aren’t noticed in the transport of the everyday life.  They are passed by, hidden, and seemingly unimportant.  But when we get off the regular path and seek to discover what all is out there, we find unexpected joy.  We find messages from God in his handiwork.  We find reminders that God is with us and working all around us.  When we are willing to step off the path we have always known, we are surprised to find God is leading us through a life of discovery.

    As someone that finds himself off the path regularly, it can be scary.  I mostly lose my way because I am directionally challenged.  But sometimes, it is in a way of seeing what else is out there.  When I pay attention to the beauty and the rare gems of God’s love, I end up in unexpected places.  And I find myself in good company.  It isn’t as scary as I thought it might be when I stop and take in the beauty.  When I am willing to give up my agenda, God leads me to people that I would have never met.  I encounter God’s grace in ways I would have never experienced.

    I am reminded that Jesus walked off the beaten path nearly every single time.  He didn’t do any of the things everyone told him he should do.  He simply listened to God.  And he was found at tables with sinners.  He was found in villages of outcasts.  He was discovered at wells with women of the “other” kind.  He talked to the questionable.  He didn’t care for the path everyone else was on because it wasn’t the path of love or grace.  It was the path of rules.

    There is something to be said for getting off the beaten path to simply discover where God is.  It is an adventure that brings unexpected rewards.  You can get lost in his love.  You can swim in his joy.  You can climb in his fortress.  And you might find you aren’t lost at all – you are exactly where he intended all along.

    Focus Scripture:

    Matthew 7:7-8

    7 “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

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  • Not Out for the Count

    I don’t know about you – but during times like these, I feel a little beat up.  The continual talk of sickness…the constant fighting and bickering…the judging and pointing fingers…arguing about who is right and who is wrong…it all just becomes overwhelming.  It is a bit depressing and it is hard to escape.  It seems that during these times our faith gets a bit beat up too.  We are not in worship as a community of believers together currently.  We are not serving together.  We are not working through scriptures in person.  Even when it is in person, it is distanced and masked.  It is so different.  And we may wonder how long we can take this.  We feel a little knocked down.  The good news is that we are not out for the count.  We may get beat up a little but we can come out stronger from all of this.  We can survive.  We are built for the struggle.  You are made to be a survivor.  You have been given what you need to hold on and to grow stronger, even in the middle of the challenges.  This is not the end.

    Ephesians 2:1-10

    You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

    You have been created for this.  You have been redeemed for this.  You have been set free for times like this.  You are not alone in the battle.  This is not the end.  Your faith may be beat up but it will not fail you.  And all of this is true because we have a Creator that loves us.  The letter to the Ephesians tells us that there has been a time when we were defeated.  There have been times when we were out for the count and out of the battle.  There have been times when it was all over.  But not any longer.  That is not our current situation.  That is not where we are today.  If you are a follower of Christ, you are not there any longer.  There is so much more.

    When we were redeemed and set free, God did so out of his great love.  Think about that…God’s great love for you is given freely.  It is not because of who you are – but because of who he is.  God has so much love to offer his creation – yep, that’s you – that he offers a new life and we are not held back any longer.  What once would have held us down now will lift us up.  What once would have been our defeat now is our victory.  It is through love that this is even offered – now that is powerful love that changes things.

    Because of this love, we are offered grace.  This is the unearned gift of God.  We do not receive grace because we did enough good things.  We receive because we are loved that much.  Since we cannot earn it, we cannot brag about all the things we have done.  God did it.  God is still doing it.  God is the creator and author of it all.  It also means that you didn’t do too many bad things to be loved.  You are not beyond help.  You are not a person that is too far gone.  You are loved.

    What the news does not tell you…what the virus cannot relay to you…what we often fail to understand is that God is bigger than all of this.  When our faith is being beat up on every side, God has not left us to fight alone. When all is out of sorts and there seems to be no end, God is still working.  Thankfully things are not dependent on me…thankfully grace is free and is not a result of me…thankfully God’s love is so powerful it is can conquer even my fears and doubts.

    The key in all of this is God.  God’s great love for you and his grace offered to you is the focus here.  Some of you feel so beat up that you don’t know if you have a place.  Some of you are so defeated that you wonder how God could ever love you.  Some of you feel so overwhelmed that you haven’t heard from God and  you don’t know that you ever will.  I get it.  You know God is love but you don’t feel his love.  You know God is strong but you feel so weak.  You know God is conqueror but all you see is destruction.  I get it.  You don’t feel worthy.  I hear you.

    God is not done with you.  God…is…not…done…with…you.  He hears your cries.  He sees your distress.  He understands your pain.  He knows the struggles.  He feels your fears.  He knows what it takes to face each new day.  And his grace is not measured by your faith.  It is measured by his love.  Grace is freely given.

    Today, your greatest accomplishment may be to simply rest in him.  Rest in God’s promises that you are not alone.  Rest in his love understanding that because you didn’t earn it, you don’t have to work for it.  Rest in the joys of knowing that God is not asleep.  Rest in the peace that when the world is in an uproar, God is not.  There will be days for moving forward…maybe today is your day to rest.

    I am grateful that God created me to follow him.  I am grateful he has called me his own.  I am grateful that his grace is not based on my faith.  I am grateful to be his beloved.  The good news…you are his beloved too.  You have been created to be his.  You have been created to be loved with this powerful love.  You have been created for good.  You have been set free to be redeemed.  It is not because of what you have or have not done…this is a gift of God.

    Know what your role in all of this is?  Your role is to follow.  God calls, you answer, you follow.  He takes care of all the rest.  Simply follow the One that has a path for you more beautiful than you could ever dream.  Follow the One who created an incredible life and loves you because you are his own.  Follow the One who knows your heart, feels your struggles, and offers rest.  Follow the One who has good things prepared, just for you.  You are loved that much – and so much more than you could ever imagine.  Follow.

    It really is that simple and yet that powerful.  Today, you may feel beat up, but today does not define the fight.  Today is simply one day.  The fight is not over.  Grace wins.  Love conquers.  Hope appears.  And we are given new life when we follow…Follow God into a beautifully challenging tomorrow.

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