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Big days often are the culmination of many little steps.  A multitude of seemingly tiny moments compound to reach this milestone of achievement.  It seems to be the journey of a million miles that came together in the blink of an eye.  When you turn around, it’s here.  The long awaited is actually here.  It doesn’t come without the effort.  How exciting it is when the effort becomes reality!

Today is my youngest daughter’s high school graduation.  I admit it has been a long year already and this is a day I wasn’t sure would even happen due to the virus, at least not physically.  But as I think back, this all began with her first small steps in Kindergarten.  There have been ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and disappointments.  So much has filled the past 13 years.  We have awaited this day but I am overwhelmed it is actually here.  She’ll now start the next chapter and work towards a college graduation.  There will be another journey of a thousand small steps.

Life gives us so many celebrations.  We celebrate graduations and weddings.  We celebrate anniversaries and birthdays.  There is Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  We celebrate.  And most often, if we take just a moment to consider it, we are blown away by the many steps it took to get to this celebration.  We didn’t get to this point without effort.  There is much joy because of all it took to reach the milestone.

Today, you may find yourself just beginning the next journey and the steps look overwhelming.  You may be wondering how you will ever reach your next destination.  It can seem so very far off.  Or you may be in the middle of the journey wondering if you can do it.  It can feel overwhelming and your body can feel so heavy as you travel.  Just remember every step counts.  Every single step teaches us lessons.  Each step is an accomplishment, helping us to reach the ultimate goal.  This step is important, so keep moving.

Celebrate the journey.  Celebrate the milestones.  Enjoy the steps, they all count.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 37:23-24

²³ Our steps are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our way;
²⁴ though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us by the hand.

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

Is the door open to just anything?  Do we allow just a free flow?  Is it okay to have doors wide open?  In some cases, this is a yes.  But when we are talking about our minds and bodies, the answer changes.

We know that what we eat has an effect on our entire bodies.  The food we take in can help us or hurt us.  When we fill our bodies with unhealthy, heavy foods, we feel it.  It takes its toll on us.  When we fuel our bodies with good, clean foods, that makes a difference as well.  What we put in really does matter.  It is amazing how our bodies respond to the foods we take in.

Our minds work the same way.  What we allow into our minds changes how we feel.  If I spend all day watching the news, I will feel more tense and angry.  If I focus on social media for several hours, I feel beat and upset.  If I allow negative thoughts about myself to creep in, I begin to believe them.  I am harming myself, one thought at a time.  I begin to hear that things will never get better.  I begin to ingest that I am a failure and I should just quit.  I hear voices of judgment and anger fill my being.  I allow destructive thoughts to take over my day.  And before I know it, I am defeated…one thought at a time.

What we allow in really makes all the difference.  What if we filter what we allow through the lens of our Creator?  How might things change if we see who God says we are?  How might God’s love change how we view the world and ourselves?  What if I eat so that I fuel my body with the things of this earth that God has given to heal me?  If I hear who God says I am, might that slow some of the harmful words spoken?  Maybe I spend more time reading God’s truth than the hype of the day.  Or maybe I spend some time in God’s good creation being reminded that this is not the end, it is just the beginning.

Today is the day to begin to filter what we allow into our minds and bodies.  God created us for so much more.  Let’s live the abundant life.

Focus Scripture:

Matthew 6:22-23

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; ²³ but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

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

Lost in the madness is the voice.  I get off track and just need to hear.  I lose my place and forget the comfort.  I go forward into the unknown and wish it was bouncing off of the trees.  I crave to hear it.  I pause to take it in.  Surely it is there and I am just focused on something else.  I hear it ever so faintly when my heart is broken and my spirit feels so weak.  I know I am not alone, but I just want to hear, to hear the voice.

We grow up recognizing voices.  Babies distinguish the voice of their caretakers.  Children can detect a voice of a family member from across a store.  A voice can bring comfort when we are scared or lost.  A voice can be reassuring when we don’t know what to do next.  When we lose loved ones, we have a deep desire to hear their voices one more time.  There is just something about hearing them speak.  We can hear kindness and love in others.  We can feel compassion in words spoken.  Words of redirection and discipline are easily detected in voices.  Even disappointment can be identified when others speak.  It is amazing the emotions that are evoked at the sound of a voice.

There is one voice that speaks peace and love.  There is a voice that is a guide and reprieve.  There is a voice that helps us to understand that no matter where we may be, we are never alone.  This is the voice of God.  Unlike the voices of our loved ones, this voice is most inaudible by our ears.  This voice is heard through our heart.  This voice lights up our entire selves and resounds in the walls of our lives.  Because it is not audible like others, it is easy to miss.  It takes effort to really hear.  But if we are honest, it takes effort to really listen to any voice.  If we will listen, though, we will be changed.

Do you hear it?  Do you hear him speaking to you?  Do you feel his presence in the middle of your grief?  Do you know the warm comfort of his words?  Are you wrapped in the voice of love?  If not, I invite you to hear.  He is speaking to us.  And it is good.

Focus Scripture:

John 10:1-5

 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

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

It all falls apart.  It seems to be the end.  We didn’t want it to be like this.  This isn’t what we prayed for nor what we wanted it to look like.  We wanted a different conclusion to the story.  We wanted, we longed for, we prayed for something else.  And it didn’t happen.  It just didn’t happen.  We grieve.  We grieve what we have lost.  We grieve the life that will never be.  We grieve the experiences we didn’t create.  We grieve what could have been but didn’t.  It just seems to be the end.

What if it is a new beginning rather than the end?  I’m not suggesting we forget what we lost.  I’m not, for a moment, recommending we put the past aside.  That is important.  Those are lessons and relationships and treasures.  It may not be the ending we would have chosen.  But we move into the new beginning with the memories.  We move into the new beginning with the lessons.  We take the treasures with us as we move forward.  What if our world is not ending but simply a new beginning.

I often hear people say they would go back in time if they could go back with the knowledge they have now. What if we are given a chance to move forward into a new beginning with the knowledge we have now.  What if we are actually given new beginnings that help us to create new memories and have new experiences, with our past as guides.  Maybe this is the opportunity we have been waiting for, to start again, to go forward with the experiences we have been given.  This may be a whole new beginning.

What will you do with the knowledge you have gained?  How do you move forward with the experiences that have helped shape you?  What could you do differently as you seek all this new beginning offers?  It is incredible to think of all this life still has to offer when we simply want to give up.  There are so many new adventures yet to be explored.  There are new lessons to learn.  There are new friendships and experiences we cannot even begin to imagine.  And we get the opportunity to take those, with the wealth of knowledge we have gained through the years.  This may not be the end at all…it may just be the beginning we have always dreamed.  How will you move forward into the future, beginning today?  I can’t wait to see what is ahead!

Focus Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:17

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

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

Today, the birds seem to sing at the top of their tiny voices.  There is harmony in the multitude of different songs, as if creating a symphony.  They could be singing for their mate.  Or they could simply sing because that is what they do.  It is a partially cloudy day with just enough breeze to keep the gnats from swarming.  It is so quiet yet the birds sing.  They each have such a unique offering.  One alone would be interesting but together, they have a magnificent proclamation.  I am reminded of the song, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”  The chorus exclaims there is singing because of happiness, there is singing because of freedom.  That song takes on even a deeper meaning as I am a welcome audience in the joyful freedom hymn.

I understand they do not sing for me.  I realize that they would sing even if I was not sitting outside.  They sing because that is what they do.  They do not need me.  They just sing.  And it is freeing to me.  I am thankful to be in the audience of the concert.

I find we can get easily get caught up with who is listening.  We don’t sing because it isn’t perfect.  We don’t write because someone might be offended.  We don’t draw because we aren’t the best artist in the world.  We are more worried about our audience than about the gift.  Life could be so freeing if we stopped worrying about the audience and simply created.  Whether it is a song or a drawing or dancing, we might find joy in the moment.  We may find we sing because we are happy and we do not care what it sounds like.  We may draw because we are free.  When we stop worrying about being perfect, the song becomes more about the One that gave us the song than the audience.  Today, may a symphony of voices lift to the heavens.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 84:2-4

² My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

³ Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
⁴ Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise. Selah

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

Encouragement can come in many different forms.  It is something we can offer to others with a simple smile or word.  It doesn’t have to be planned and thought through.  It can naturally come from us when we see an opportunity.  If we pay close attention, the opportunities to encourage are abundant.  We do not have to look hard.  Encouragement can be in the form of a note dropped in the mail.  It can be a quick phone call or text.  It can even be done right in the moment.  Just a simple few words to build someone else up could make all the difference.

With this being so easy, I wonder why so many of us find it challenging.  Here are a few ideas we may want to consider as to why we may be struggling with encouragement:

-It is easier to criticize than encourage.  We may find that pointing out where someone else is wrong or how we think they should do something different is helpful.  We are giving “advice” to help them out.  We see the opportunity, we take it. But we can end up focusing only on what needs to be changed to make someone else better.  All the while, a little more encouragement and a little less advice would go a long way.  Maybe we consider our words and find ways to lift up rather than correct.  Correction is rarely as helpful as we think it will be.

-We don’t seek opportunities to encourage.  Maybe we don’t want to seem awkward.  Maybe we feel that the other person already knows how proud we are of them.  Maybe that person is doing so well, encouragement doesn’t seem to be needed.  But none of these are really valid reasons for not lifting someone up.

-We feel in competition.  Most of us wouldn’t actually own up to this one.  Surely we don’t feel any competition towards others.  But if we see someone else doing well, envy can sneak up.  We don’t expect it and we don’t look for it.  Envy just finds a way of slithering into our minds.  So instead of encouraging someone else, we seek to beat them at their game.  Or we are so jealous of what they have done, we don’t want to offer encouragement.  It becomes about us and our desires rather than lifting someone else up.  When envy and jealousy find a place in our lives, they can wreak havoc on our relationships.

Today, let’s seek to encourage.  Find someone to lift up.  It doesn’t take a full-on search.  It only takes open eyes and a willing heart.  Encourage someone else, no agenda.  A simple offering will do.  It just might change a life. It just might change us.

Focus Scriptures:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Ephesians 4:29

²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

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

The good is there.  It may be hiding.  It may have snuck around the corner, undetected.  It may seem as though it has taken a long hiatus.  But it is there.  The good has not left.  We may wonder how there can be any good when life seems to bring so many difficulties.  We may have given up that there is good when we see suffering or experience absolute hate.  Social media can easily trap us into the posts of the angry.  The news can draw us into the fighting and disputes across the world.  Our own lives can give us a vision of anguish.  But there is still good.  It just may not be as readily apparent as everything else.

Are we looking for it?  Are we looking to see where goodness is appearing?  Are we seeking out the good?  Do we purposely spend time identifying what is good in each day?  I admit, it can seem a bit unrealistic.  But I also admit that it is often unrealistic because I haven’t actually sought it out.  So what if I choose to surround myself with a little bit of goodness each day?  What if I make a point to find any little goodness in a day?

One of the ways that I have found to do this is through flowers.  On my back patio where I spend my mornings enjoying breakfast and watching Leo play, I have a multitude of flowers in planters.  Each day, it seems there is a new joy waiting.  There is a new bloom or a new sprout I hadn’t noticed the day before.  I am amazed at the beauty that a few simple flowers can bring.  And for a moment, I am reminded that there is good.

I do still have to look for it, though.  If I sit out on the patio and spend the entire time on my phone, I miss it.  If I am consumed with the worries of the day, I won’t see the blooms.  If I am there with an agenda, it could pass me by.  Just because I am surrounded by goodness doesn’t mean I see it.

What goodness surrounds you today?  What is right before you that you are missing?  Maybe it is time to pick a few simple things that remind you of the good.  Bring it to light.  Purposely seek it out and let it bring a smile to your day.  In the middle of so much trouble, there is still good.  Seek it.

Focus Scripture:

Philippians 4:8

⁸ Finally, beloved,  whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

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

I just can’t.  I’ve tried.  I’ve given it my best.  I don’t understand and I just can’t.  You may find yourself hearing these sentences pour into you today.  It may be that you are so missing a loved one that you do not know where to turn or what to do.  There are no answers and there are no fixes.  You have given it your all.  It could be that you are hearing these words after another diagnosis or one more surgery.  Some of us feel this way after struggling through difficult choices where nothing seems to go right.  Some are feeling the defeat of a relationship that did not work out.  And some may just feel that way because the news has been on for too many days.  I just can’t.

There are many wonderful practices and ideas out there when you feel this way.  I appreciate many of them.  For instance, a gratitude practice is a wonderful way of helping us to shift our focus to what we have been given.  It helps us to gain a new perspective of the joys in our lives.  These seem to help me most at the end of the day.  I don’t find them especially helpful in the moment.  When I feel like I just can’t, gratitude doesn’t feel right to me.

How about we not do one more thing?  How about we simply allow God to fill our lungs with air and breathe.  Breathe in his goodness, even when we are in despair.  Breathe in his love, even when we are starving for the love of the one we lost.  Breathe in his peace when the world seems in chaos.  Breathe in his presence to still our wearied souls.  No answers needed.  No practices to remember.  No planning what is next.  Just breathe. Feel God wash over you in a moment when you can’t take another step.

Psalm 3 is one of my personal favorites.  When I just can’t, this Psalm reminds me: He is my shield.  He lifts my head.  He sustains.  When I can’t, he can.  When each moment is a challenge, he reminds me he has this moment and I can rest in him.  There will be better days.  But for today, maybe the answer is to simply breathe and let God take care of the rest.  I am changed from I just can’t to…I just breathe.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 3

¹ O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
² many are saying to me,
“There is no help for you in God.” Selah

³ But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
⁴ I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷ Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people! Selah

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

They come in abundance.  They are overflowing and readily available whenever I need them.  I don’t even have to work hard to make them appear.  It doesn’t take effort and they flow as constant as the Niagara Falls.  We all have them.  We all use them.  You may have already used multiples before the sun even rose this morning.  They are excuses.

Excuses can get us out of situations we do not want to be a part.  They can help us maneuver around the uncomfortable.  But, in general, they are used as a prop.  Excuses become our go-to whenever we just don’t feel like it.  And that can be damaging.

This morning, I had plenty of excuses.  I was tired (okay, that’s always the case when I first wake up).  I had a headache (with allergies, this is a constant during this season).  I had other things I could do (like sleep).  I didn’t want to get up and run.  But then, there was Leo.  He doesn’t buy my excuses.  He doesn’t really care how I feel about wanting to sleep more.  He just wants to go for a run.  He loves the adventure.  He is thrilled with the opportunity to hang his head out the window and let his ears fly.  The thought of going for a run, even if I am slow, is joyful.  His tail wags seemingly one hundred miles an hour.  He goes to his leash and puts his nose on it, over and over.  He even talks to me if I seem to hesitate.  He has a way of breaking through my multitude of excuses.  He cuts right to the heart of things and just wants me to move.  And I am grateful.

Because Leo got me up this morning, I had a wonderful time to catch my breath and enjoy the sun peak through the clouds.  I was able to get in my morning exercise which will hopefully help me to remain as calm as possible in the middle of the crazy.  I feel better about myself.  And the best part – Leo’s joyful expression when I put the leash around him.  There is nothing quite like it.  It makes it all worthwhile.

What are you missing today because of the excuses you have built up as a guard?  What small change might you make to cut through at least one excuse?  What joys might you find if you simply made a different decision, no excuses?  May we find joy in the journey today.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 16:11

¹¹ You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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