Category: Devotion

We have a small farm that we really enjoy.  The animals on our little farm are like our children.  We have mini goats, furry pigs and the most beautiful chickens.  For our chickens, we have two coops.  One is for the larger flock.  The second is the holding coop until the chickens get old enough and strong enough to be in the larger flock.  It turns out that all of them were able to integrate except one.  She was the smallest and of course, the lowest in the pecking order.  So we kept her in the smaller coop for a little while longer.  It seems, though, that the smaller coop was not as stable thanks to the deconstructive efforts of the goats and pigs (they just wanted to climb on it and to eat her feed).  Not too long ago, they managed to turn the entire coop on its side (I can’t even make this stuff up).  The little chicken was left to fend for her life.  She hid, was terrorized a bit, but survived.  Kelli brought her inside and we made a bed for her.  We put her in a dark, warm place for her to recuperate.  Her only movement was to breathe.  We knew she was in shock, but wasn’t sure if she was injured.  So we let her recover.  In a couple of days, she was talking to us and moving around.  She warmed up to us being around her, telling us all about her day (in chicken talk, of course).  A couple of days ago, I checked on her and noticed something different in her box.  She had laid an egg!  Now, that doesn’t sound like such a big feat for a chicken.  But you have to understand we have 11 chickens, all close to the same age.  Not one of them has yet to lay an egg – not one.  They are still young and it isn’t quite time for full production.  But the one who we thought might not make it is the one who was the first to ever provide an egg on our farm.  Unexpected gifts really do come from unexpected places.

This has taught me not to count anyone out and to love without excuse.  We don’t know the fight others are enduring.  We don’t have any idea the struggles many go through on a daily basis.  What we can do is love and care for others.  We can be kind.  We can be a safe place for people.  We can nurture and love when all else seems chaotic.  We can allow them to simply rest and breathe.  When we do, we never know how God might work in their lives and ours to provide just what is needed.  Surprises abound when we care for God’s creation.  

Ephesians 1

¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[e] toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Changes seem to come faster than we can comprehend.  When we feel like we are getting into a rhythm, something can easily knock us off and we are left trying to figure out what’s next and how to recover.  So many things can come our way in a single day, it can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and generally looking to hide.  For many of us, change is one of the most difficult things we face.  We don’t want to change.  And even if we do want to change, if we are honest, we don’t want to put in the work to change.  Change is hard.  And we may find we are comfortable where we are.  Even if we are not comfortable, we know what to expect where we are.  So we do anything we can to avoid it.  We kick and scream and fight just to keep things the same.  We likely find we will never win the fight.  Things change, people change, and sometimes we need to change as well.  Change can be good, very good.  But when we are scared, we miss the good in it all.  How do we move forward when we simply want everything to stay the same?  How do we learn to warm up to change so it does not wreck us?  

When change is wreaking havoc, we look to the constant.  What (who) doesn’t change?  How can we find the stability, the base where we can run?  Where can we go when we need that rock and support?  It isn’t in our family or friends – they are dealing with change too.  It isn’t in food or addictions – that numbs the fact things change but we still must face it.  The one place we can find stability in it all is with God.  He doesn’t change.  He is the same loving, caring, peace-giving God he was before the creation of the world.  He is the same God who calmed the fears of so many of his children in the Bible and can calm our fears as well.  He has watched change frighten us and welcomes us to the stability and comfort of his never-changing embrace.  He doesn’t change because he doesn’t need to change.  He is our all-in-all.  He is Creator.  He knows just what we need when we don’t even understand our own needs.  Our rock and our foundation should be found in him – the One who never changes.  He is with us.  He is our stability.  He will calm us and provide for us – even when all else is out of control.  

May we find peace in the chaos of change.  May we be reminded God is never changing.  May we feel his almighty love wash over us no matter what we may face.  May we see God today.

Hebrews 13

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Joshua 1

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

There are so many things in life out of our control.  Let’s face it – life can feel as if everything is spiraling out of control, one piece at a time.  We think we have it together and something else happens.  It can become a game of chasing the latest mess and trying to clean it up.  Why even try, we may find ourselves wondering.  We can feel this sense of hopelessness that creeps in without even noticing until it consumes our mindset.  And yet, this is simply our perspective, not the complete picture of our reality.  We may miss the truth.

If we believe we are God’s beloved and if we just begin to scratch the surface of how much we are loved by God, then how can we continue to allow ourselves to be beat down by the events that happen in our lives?  It is true we face overwhelming circumstances.  There are things which completely knock us off of our feet.  But the majority of the time, it is the small continual things that happen which really consume us.  We allow what we see to become all we know and forget there is so much more. 

So hear this (you may miss it otherwise) – you ARE loved by God.  You were created by HIM to live an abundant life (hear an abundant LIFE not an abundance of stuff).  You were shaped and formed by the Creator God who knows you even better than you know yourself.  And this same God who loves and adores you also is with you every single moment of each day (yep, even when we act a fool – that can be embarrassing and comforting at the same time).  To know you are loved and adored and created for good is a reminder that you are not a mistake.  We make mistakes but we are not mistakes.  Our failures are lessons.  We grow and become the person we were created.  

No matter what you may face today, no matter how many things are out of control and tug at you to fix, there is one thing which does not change – You are loved.  Your perspective may be caught up in the events around you.  You may only see the difficulties which are covering your vision.  You may feel as though you were not meant to live in hope.  But the truth, beloved, is God has created you for good and there is good.  He is good.  And good things await.  An abundant life awaits.  An overwhelming love awaits.  Maybe it is time for a vision change.  Maybe we begin to see the truth rather than our limited view of our messes.  Maybe we see God.  And then, maybe we can embrace a love coming from our Creator.  YOU are loved.  Yes, YOU.  May you see today.

Psalm 139:14

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.

We all have rough days – days when we would prefer to just give in, go home, and pull the covers over our heads.  These come, they just do.  Many times, those circumstances are out of our control.  They happened to us.  I can easily find myself getting angry and start ruminating on those bad aspects.  I think of them over and over again.  They fill my day and they flood my mind.  It consumes my thoughts and takes over my entire attitude.  That bad day can carry not just through that day, but spill over into many days.  Even when I feel like I am over it, when I think of it, the anger comes right back.  And I may be justifiably upset.  But does it help to continue to let this fill my heart and my mind?  Does it contribute to my overall wellbeing to allow this to become a part of me?  Am I really doing anything advantageous by allowing this to consume me?  I have a bad day, you have a bad day…now what?

Because we all have these rough days, how do we move forward?  Instead of allowing this to overtake our heart, mind and spirit, maybe we consider our alternatives.  What we are angry about – is it fixable?  If it is, spring into action (not revenge but in productive action to better the situation without harm).  If it is not, what have we learned that can help us to become better?  If there is nothing to learn, what is it doing to us if we hold onto this?  What are we accomplishing by allowing this to overtake us?  What is good about carrying this bad day forward?  The answer is likely…nothing.  We probably instead find we are just being torn down by our thoughts and emotions.  We are hurting ourselves.  There has to be another way.

My best lesson for this comes from the Psalmists.  I love the Psalms because they are raw, real, and shockingly honest.  They write (or sing) about how they are angry and scared and overcome.  They write about how they want to destroy and how they feel abandoned (by God and others).  And yet…And yet…they find their way back to center.  Where is their center?  Read the Psalms.  The center comes back to words like this:  Deliverance belongs to the Lord, I will sleep in peace because the Lord brings peace, the Lord has heard my prayer, I will give thanks to the Lord for he is due, how majestic is Your name.  These all come from just the first few Psalms.  They go on to remind us of his mercy, his grace, and his everlasting love.  They have the bad day, week, month, etc and yet…they find their way back to the center – the center of God, our Creator, the One who loves us more than we can imagine.  That’s what matters.  How can you come back to your center today?

May your day be filled with good things, May you find peace, May you be comforted and loved.  And if you are having a rough day, May you find your center in God.  

Psalm 13
¹ How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I bear pain in my soul,
    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵ But I trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

One of the greatest challenges for people who are servants, givers, and followers of Christ is to take care of themselves.  When we constantly give, we forget we must have something from which to give.  When we are not taking care of ourselves, we run down, get exhausted, and may even find ourselves becoming angry or resentful.  We don’t mean to be this way.  It isn’t that we want to feel these things.  It simply happens because we have taken all of our energy and given it away.  And the one person we forget in it all is ourselves.  We forget to take care of us.  Why do we do this?

When you are naturally a giver, it can feel selfish to take care of yourself.  It can be hard to justify taking some time to do the right things for you.  It can feel as if we are wasting time.  But that is actually the opposite of the truth.  We are not God (that seems obvious).  And because we are not God, we are not made to be everything for everybody.  We are not Creator.  We are not the ultimate fixer.  We are God’s children and we are the created.  And we need to take care of what God has given us.  We must take care of us.  What does that look like?

For so many, that is a foreign concept.  When we go, go, go, we can put our needs on the back burner.  But the flames will catch us.  They will burn us out.  We will eventually crash and become good to no one, not even ourselves.  We must catch it before it gets to that point (or start from scratch if you are already there).  This isn’t a “one and done” type of solution.  You don’t take one day to take care of yourself and expect that to take care of everything for the next month or year.  This should be part of our regular practice every single day – in some way, shape or form.  Here are some thoughts:

-How are you taking care of your body?  What are you eating?  Are you exercising and taking care of this beautiful creation God has made?  Are you being a good steward of the gift of your body?  Are you considering what you are putting into you daily?

-How are you taking care of your mind?  Are you taking a few minutes to simply breathe?  What or who are you listening?  Are you listening to the truths of God or the opinions of others?  Are you putting good things in (through your eyes and ears)?  Consider what you are watching.

-How are you taking care of your spirit?  Are you taking the time to read and meditate on God’s Word?  Are you listening to what God is trying to tell you?  He isn’t expecting you to be God.  He is expecting you to be the best YOU.  You won’t know who you are in God if you aren’t reading what he has for you.  A little each day can feed the soul.  

What are you doing for you today?  How can you take better care of you THIS day so you can love God and love others with your everything?  This is the day the Lord has made, may we rejoice and be glad in it!

Matthew 22:37-39 (NOTE the yourself in this)

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.’

There are so many things in life we just do not understand.  They leave us baffled as if we have missed an entire movie and just joined in for the most difficult parts.  We don’t understand why sweet people can have such a difficult journey or why those we love die way too early.  We don’t understand how we can plan and work and strive and yet, things can fall apart right before our eyes – despite our best efforts.  We don’t always understand why difficult things can pile up so high, leaving our vision of the beautiful skewed and out of focus. We just don’t get it.  And if we leave it there, it can make us anxious, overwhelmed, distressed and with a loss of hope.  So we can’t leave it there.  We can’t leave it there because this isn’t all there is.  This isn’t the conclusion.  The movie doesn’t just end in tragedy after tragedy.  The journey has more – there is more – there has to be more.  

I find ‘the more’ in love.  God has loved us enough to create us and make us beautiful (yep, he made us ALL beautiful – that means YOU).  We are loved beyond our comprehension – we cannot understand it even if we tried.  We are loved even in the middle of our mess.  And because we are loved, we are also not alone in it.  God is with us – it is his name, after all – Immanuel (God with us).  So while so many difficult things happen – so many tragedies and heartaches – God does not leave us in them.  He sits with us in our grief.  He holds us in our loneliness.  He calms our anxious minds.  He offers us peace.  He does this because he loves us.  ‘The more’ is this incredible love of God.  I don’t get it – all I can do is be grateful and welcome it.  

No matter what you are going through today, you are not alone.  God is with you.  And most importantly, he loves YOU – especially YOU.  May you feel his loving presence wrap you tight today.  And may you live in ‘the more’.  

Psalm 36:7, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

Photography by David Cain – The Cain Gallery

As a kid, to be put in time out was punishment.  It meant you needed time to consider what you had said or done.  It was a space to get yourself together and think about the reason you were there in the first place.  It could be torture for some.  For a parent or caregiver, it was a moment to separate the chaos to try and get some sort of handle on things.  It could be challenging.  But ultimately it was designed to help regroup and get things back on track.  

As adults, we really need to take a childhood punishment and turn it into a mandatory treatment for ourselves.  What might it mean if we actually put ourselves in time out occasionally?  Could it help to have a few moments to regroup?  Could we find benefit from sitting alone to gather our thoughts?  Might we make better decisions and react differently if we simply had a little time to breathe?

Jesus seemed to take time outs.  It wasn’t a punishment, but rather a reward.  It was a gift to allow him time to pray and prepare for what was ahead.  He received direction and insight when he took time alone.  It could do the same for us.  

Today, put yourself in time out.  You may remember, it isn’t designed to last all day.  It is a few moments to regain composure, reassess the situation, and move forward with a clearer direction.  Enjoy a time out today.

Matthew 14:13

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

It is often difficult for me to comprehend why God would choose to work in me.  It seems like there are so many other vessels, so many more capable and talented.  And yet – God is working in them too.  He is actually working in and through us all.  And when we listen, he guides us to a new way, a different way.  He works in us to bring about peace (we are to be the peacemakers, after all).  He works in us to bring about justice (God’s teachings are packed with commands to work for justice for those being treated unjustly).  He works in us to spread his love (love God, love others is most important, according to Jesus).  So when these things are not happening, I wonder if it is because we are not being willing vessels.  I wonder if it is because we have decided to go our own way and do our own thing, ignoring the God at work in us.  Could it be that things are not being done on earth as it is in heaven because we have chosen to ignore the One who created us and loves us beyond measure.  Sure, we call on him when we are in need.  Yes, we scream for help when there is urgency.  We can find ourselves angry when things don’t go as we would want.  But could it be that we miss how much God is at work in us if we simply follow the lead?  What if we recognized God is at work in us – to bring about good?  We may, indeed, see his love, peace, and justice begin to show up – through us.  

May God be at work in us today.

Philippians 2

¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

It can be challenging to live in a state of gratefulness.  There are many things which compete for our attention.  There are angry folks.  Life seems to show us its ugly side.  We become hyper focused on the things which are causing us anxiety and dread.  This often happens on Monday mornings.  When there is work to be done and things which await you that you would rather avoid, it can make getting started extra challenging.  It can make being grateful even more challenging.  When we think about things we are grateful for, it is probably easier to think of the things which we wish we didn’t have to deal with or face.  We’d just rather not – not face this, not start a new week, just not.  Our views become very narrow on our problems.

What if we widened the scope?  What if we took the lens out?  What if we slowed enough to take our focus off of our problems and lift up our heads?  Might we see the sun rising?  Maybe we notice the smile on the person in front of us.  Maybe begin to change our view.  Maybe our gratefulness grows exponentially and our problems somehow don’t have the same power they once did.  

Friends can help us do this.  They bring new perspectives.  They help us to see the good.  They help us to realize this is not the end.  They show us all that really is around, even when our vision is so cloudy.  Paul was known for writing of his thankfulness for others.  We don’t always do that as well.  Today, expand the view.  Give thanks for those who help us see the good.  Live grateful – there is still much to be grateful for.

Philippians 1:3

³ I thank my God every time I remember you

For many of us, Fridays are automatically a day of praise (TGIF).  The week is coming to an end and a different rhythm welcomes us.  Some find days of rest to come.  Others may find it is a day to visit or go on trips.  For me, it has become days to complete all the things left undone by the hurry of the rest of the week.  Regardless, there is something special about the shift to the weekend.  Now, I do understand if you work in retail, this isn’t such a big deal – I’ve been there.  I also understand there are necessary positions that must be filled over the weekend – been there too.  So it may be that your ‘Friday’ takes place some other time of the week.  Whenever your ‘weekend’ falls, it seems to be a time of praise, naturally.  We are grateful the week is wrapping up.  We are grateful we made it one more week.  We are grateful for something new or different.  It welcomes us.  It calls us.  It invites us.  

As I read today’s Psalm, I get the sense we miss the praising that takes place all week long.  We don’t notice how the sun and the moon are praising God.  We may miss how the stars and the heavens are proclaiming shouts of praise.  We probably didn’t notice how the mountains and hills were exclaiming praise.  Aren’t they just mountains and hills, the sun and the moon?  Yet, simply by rising up as God has created, they are exclaiming praise.  As the birds sing, they praise.  As the trees sway, they praise.  As the animals live out their purpose, they exclaim.  And here we are – made in the image of God – and forget to praise him.  We aren’t often mindful of all that praises God around us.  And we certainly aren’t always joining in on the chorus – except maybe on Fridays.  

Maybe it is time to pipe up in praise – and Friday seems to be a good day to start.  Maybe we find our voice as we exclaim God’s goodness.  Maybe we join in the mighty chorus around us – praising the Creator of it all.  Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
² Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his host!

³ Praise him, sun and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens,
    and you waters above the heavens!

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for he commanded and they were created.
⁶ He established them forever and ever;
    he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.^[a]

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you sea monsters and all deeps,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and frost,
    stormy wind fulfilling his command!

⁹ Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
¹⁰ Wild animals and all cattle,
    creeping things and flying birds!

¹¹ Kings of the earth and all peoples,
    princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹² Young men and women alike,
    old and young together!

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his faithful,
    for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!