Category: Devotion

We remember well picking up Leo.  We knew Emma was getting older and we thought a new addition may perk her up.  When we were looking for energy, we got that and then some.  As cute and adorable as Leo was, he was a handful.  Emma was so easy to train.  She really gave us very little problems.  She was overall a whole tall lanky body of fun.  She was opinionated and we had gotten accustomed to her moods.  But then there was Leo.  I cannot tell you how many times I said…what were we thinking?!  He was a challenge from day 1.  We all wondered what we had gotten ourselves into?

Leo wasn’t easy to love in the beginning.  He just wasn’t.  His cute face was just not quite enough.  He worked my nerves daily.  Some days, he still does.  But wow have things changed.  He has made his way as a central member of the family.  He is fun and energetic.  He is sweet and loving.  He has his own cool ways of communicating.  When Emma died, we wondered how he would adjust to being alone.  He took it in stride – and by that I mean he has become the apple of everyone’s eye.  He knows how to trick us all into giving him treats and doing pretty much anything he wants.  I can’t imagine life without him now.  But he hasn’t always been easy to love.

Let’s be honest – we aren’t always that easy to love either.  We can be whiny and picky.  We can be demanding and snappy.  We often want things our way.  And we want it when we want it in the time frame we want it.  What really blows my mind is that even when I am not easy to love, God loves me.  Even when I am grumpy or having a bad day or just not feeling well, God doesn’t stop loving me.  He doesn’t stop loving me when I am difficult or a challenge to live with.  His love is not conditional on how I look or act or feel.  His love is unconditional.  He loves me because that is just who he is.  And I am so grateful.  And he loves you that much too!

May you feel loved today.  May you become wrapped in his unconditional love that carries us throughout our lives.  May you know God is with you.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 136:1-3

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
² O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

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

I looked down at my meal recently and found myself laughing.  It wasn’t a full on laugh – Wendy made the meal and I didn’t want her to think I was laughing at her food she had prepared.  That would have been difficult to explain.  And she is a wonderful cook – seriously.  But internally I was really laughing.  I looked down at the dish in disbelief.  To understand, you had to know me as a kid.

Growing up, I had 4 main foods to sustain me:  Mac and cheese (always a winner no matter what), egg sandwich (a staple no matter the meal), orange juice (I know it sounds weird, it just was), and chocolate (well, duh).  I could and practically did live off of these – much to my mother’s dismay.  She couldn’t even get the doctor to tell me different, and she tried.  Most meats were out (shoe leather pork chops were a winner) and most vegetables were avoided (can’t remember any I really particularly liked).  Now again, you have to know my mother tried.  She did what every good mother does.  She made me try things I did not want to eat.  I tried them more than I wanted to – I just wanted the mac and cheese please.  And, since I am writing this, I survived.  I know it is shocking.

As I stared down at the plate, this is what was before me – a dish of rice topped with baked carrots and peas with a vegan sauce on top.  There is no way I would have touched this as a kid.  And here I was, enjoying it.  It was good.  It was healthy.  These days, I am a vegan – so vegetables and fruits are a part of every meal.  I haven’t eaten meat in more than 10 years.  So much has changed.  I giggled because I was eating a healthy meal, I had run that morning, and was actually feeling good.  What a concept.

We never know what the future holds for us.  We never know what is ahead.  Sometimes we can sit back and just laugh at how things have worked out.  We can smile at the changes.  That isn’t always the case – I understand.  Just a challenge to find a little joy in how things have changed for the better for you.  Or maybe you see a future that looks much healthier and better.  Smile a little smile and keep moving.  Change is coming.  Change is here.

Focus Scripture:

Genesis 1:29-30

²⁹ God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

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

I mess up quite a bit.  There is nothing perfect about me.  I am okay with that.  I have no ideas that I will be perfect at any point.  It doesn’t mean I don’t stop trying to improve and grow.  I am always looking for ways to become better, kinder, and show more love.  I am always striving to find out what God means when he asks us to love him and love our neighbor.  This can be challenging even in the easiest of times.  So I am reminded that as I struggle, his grace is even more important.  His grace reminds me that I am not on a merit system and I do not have to earn his love.  That is freeing and refreshing.  I don’t have to do enough good things to make God love me.

God loves me and God loves you because he made us. He created us and gave us life and breath.  We are given so many opportunities to show love to others that can only come from being loved so very much.  Grace is one of those things that is not always easy to hear or to take in.  We don’t always feel worthy (or maybe we never do).  We always want to dredge up the past or wear it like a backpack everywhere we go.  We want to point out the million things we have done wrong.  Isn’t it amazing that we can remember all those things that we did so wrong but struggle to remember all the good we have done?  But God has taken care of all of it.  He doesn’t worry about our past, he looks forward to our future.  He has given us a hope for so much more.  And it all begins with grace.

Today, I pray that you embrace the grace that you have been given.  You are given God’s grace because he loves you so very much.  You are given his grace, not because you earned it or deserve it – you are worthy simply because you are his.  May God’s grace wrap you tight and lead you into the future that has so much to look forward to.  May God remind you that you are loved more than you could ever imagine.  God’s grace really is amazing.

Focus Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8-9

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.

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

Too often it seems that I am in a rush to get somewhere.  Usually it is because I have booked too much too close together trying to fit it all in.  It is also a reason why I am almost never early and feel good when I am right on time.  Some people rush wherever they go.  It is a non-stop race so everything is full force.  They drive like it too.

As a runner, I get to experience people’s morning commute from a completely different perspective.  There are those who are in such a rush that they are checking their phones and driving as if it is the last mission.  For those, I get off the road completely – they are crazy (you know who you are).  Then there are those who seem as though they haven’t yet ingested their morning coffee.  They are not quite awake and from our encounter, are not as friendly yet either.  They aren’t going to slow down or move over.  It is full on.  I also get off the road for them (they aren’t happy at all).  There are those who are in a rush but have had their coffee and seem a bit more pleasant.  These are the people who will move over and give me plenty of room, but are running full speed.  The breeze is nice but makes me a bit nervous (still, thank you for the room to run).  And then there are those who take their time.  I’m not saying they aren’t in just as much of a rush.  I’m not saying they don’t have as much going on.  But these people decided to take a few extra moments for my safety.  I experienced a few of those on my run yesterday morning.  Two, in particular, slowed way down and waited for oncoming traffic to pass.  They were thoughtful and courteous.  And they made my day.  They took the time to make sure I was safe.  They made an extra effort to spend a moment to wait for me.  They made time.

How often do we feel like we don’t have a few extra moments to be kind because we are in a rush?  How many times are we so busy that we don’t even see the small ways we can make someone else’s day?  What might it take to simply put down the phone, pay attention to all that is around, and just take our time?  We might find there are good things going on around us.  We might see that the couple of extra moments didn’t make us any more late and we were able to change a situation.  It might be that we are able to help someone we would have missed in the hustle of the day.  Maybe today, we just take our time.  God may be working in that space and we don’t want to miss him.

Focus Scripture:

Philippians 2:13

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

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

My handwriting can be challenging to read – at least that is what I am told.  Most everyone who has to read what I write has something to say.  When I was working on my undergraduate degree (many years ago), I had a professor that wanted everything handwritten.  So I wrote a paper as she asked.  I worked hard to make sure it was neat.  She had a meeting with me.  According to her, my handwriting was neat but it looked as if it was in a different language.  To figure out what it said was too much.  She would be making an exception for me – I was to type everything.  That may have been a sign.

Over the years, I have typed most everything.  I can type way faster than I can write by hand.  When I write a note to someone, either my co-workers or Wendy will ask me if it was legible (as if I wasn’t trying to make it legible).  The interesting thing to me is that, for the most part, my handwriting is completely fine.  As long as I am not in a rush, it looks clean and neat in my eyes.  I don’t see a problem with it.  And I have a hard time understanding why others think it is so bad.  But it is, after all, my own handwriting.  I only question myself when I can’t even read it.

What does this have to do with anything?  I see God’s creation as his own personal handwriting.  He signed his name to the goodness of this earth with majesty.  He continues to write new stories and produce new works that are beyond our imagination.  We don’t always understand because it isn’t our handwriting.  It can be difficult to translate because it may be unfamiliar to us.  I like to think of creation as a love letter from God that we don’t always understand because we don’t understand the writing.  We see familiar while the story is really extraordinary.  We see a jumbled mess when God sees a beautifully constructed poem.  We just don’t know how to read the story.

Maybe we take a step back today and listen to the story that God is telling with his creation.  What is he helping us to understand?  What is he reminding us of today?  How is he filling our lives with a love story that we might be missing?  Maybe it is time to start reading his handwriting.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
⁴ yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

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

Do you remember having the radio that you had to turn the dial to tune into a station?  Some of you may still have it in your car or as a part of your alarm clock.  There isn’t anything digital about it.  It is all about skill and where you happen to be.  You can flip the dial quickly to get close to the frequency.  But if you really want to hear the station clearly, you had to slow down and very careful move the dial.  It was about getting it just right – too much to the left or right would result in annoying static.  But once you found the station – it was like a celebration and no one dare move it.  You were tuned in.

I think that we don’t realize the majesty and glory of God around us because we are stuck in the static of life. We miss all that is around us because we see what we want to see.  We experience what we think is there.  We view the world from our perception.  So we are tuned into us rather than the Creator.  I wonder how much we really do miss because we are living in the static of our lives?

Maybe it is time to slow down enough to fine tune the station.  What do you hear?  What do you smell and taste?  What do you experience in God’s beautiful and majestic creation that you pass by?  What is it that God is speaking to you or showing you?  When you tune in, you may find that this ‘station’ has the most peaceful feeling and is full of lovingkindness and mercy.  You might find God there – are you listening?  Try slowing down and turning the dial just a bit.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 26:2-3

² Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
³ For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.

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

Leo has a way of capturing our attention.  He loves to whine, which really is annoying.  But for him, it works.  If he whines enough, we will do whatever he is asking.  Most of the time, he just wants us to acknowledge he is there.  He doesn’t really want anything at all.  He has been trained to let us know when he needs to go out by ringing a bell.  That is great until he randomly rings the bell just to see if we will get up and come to the door.  He doesn’t want to go outside.  He just wants to see what we will do.  So you can imagine how much fun it is when he rings the bell and whines at the same time.  It can be a bit much.

The thing about Leo is that he is so cute.  So you want to be mad for going to the door for the fifth time in a row – and all he wants is your attention.  He then goes and sits down on his end of the couch on his favorite blanket and just looks at you.  Any frustration you have seems to just melt away.

You can see Leo has us wrapped.  He keeps everyone in check in the house to make sure he is the center of attention.  He gets special treatment because you cannot resist his love.  Leo doesn’t do anything but love us.  He doesn’t buy us presents.  He doesn’t bring any income into the household.  He simply just takes.  But the love he gives is priceless.

Leo teaches me that love really does change things.  It doesn’t take money or gifts to show someone love.  Sometimes it is simply being present.  Sometimes simply knowing that my attention is valued is enough.  Knowing that when I have had a bad day, Leo is waiting with his tail wagging and his eyes of excitement can change everything.  What might this world look like if we simply loved, no strings attached?  Maybe that’s something to try today.

Focus Scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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

There is something unique and unusual about the morning after a storm.  During the night, in the cover of the darkness, the winds roar and the winds pour.  There is nothing to do but rest and wait – and pray.  What will remain the next morning is yet to be seen.  As my side of the earth begins to slowly light up, there are the first few moments of investigation.  What happened?  What were the noises I heard when I could not see what was going on?  Did the tree snap?

As there is illumination, there is also an eerie quiet.  Sure, creation still has its song.  The wind that remains is still swaying the trees.  But there is no storm raging.  There is a quiet that cannot quite be defined.  The anger of the earth has calmed, if just for a moment.  The most difficult has passed.  The clouds continue at speeds unknown – but all is moving on.  For now, there is peace.

We encounter so many of our personal storms.  We seem to fight what we cannot see and struggle with things we cannot quite define.  It is as if we are struggling in the dark – just waiting for the morning to come.  When it does, things are not as they were.  Yet, there is an unusual peace.  It is a reminder that although there is unrest, God can and will bring a moment to breathe, a moment to simply rest in his peace.  Life will proceed.  Many things change, but we continue to move forward.  We are changed by the storm, if even in a small way.  We are shaped by knowing that God has brought us through yet another.  We are taught to hold on, the morning holds peace.  We begin to trust that the storm will not last forever.

Whatever storm you may be facing in your life, I pray you can see the peace in the light of morning.  I pray you get a moment to breathe and be renewed.  May you see that God has not left you in the darkest hours but is preparing the light of day for you.  May you find hope in the rise of a new day.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 97:11-12

¹¹ Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

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

Little surprises can bring the biggest smiles.  To know you are thought of and cared about means more than words can express.  It isn’t the big things that often make the most impact.  It is the small gestures in a day.

For my daughter, Kelli, sunflowers can light up a room.  So anytime we see sunflowers, we make sure to point them out.  A friend sent her an arrangement with sunflowers in it.  They just seem to lift the mood of the whole house.  Yesterday, I went to pick up a bundle of sunflowers.  I thought it would perk up our dining room and also bring joy to Kelli.  While I was there, I picked up a second bundle.  I decided if it could help my house, it could help my office as well.  Why not?  Little surprises can bring big smiles.

I am always amazed at the things that really make me the most excited.  I love it when someone has thought of me in simple ways.  A couple of days ago, I opened the fridge to a surprise (a good one).  Not only did I have fresh greens and lots of broccoli, but there was a container that had the word “VEGAN” on it.  Kelli had made fresh ranch dip and when she did, she made a special batch just for me.  She marked it so I would know which belonged to me.  It wasn’t something I asked for or expected.  It was just a little surprise that brought a big smile.

It really comes down to spreading a little kindness in our day.  It is about finding small but meaningful ways to be kind to someone else.  It doesn’t take a lot of thought or effort.  It simply takes a few moments to think of others.  Kindness goes a long way – and it brings big smiles.  Maybe we try a little extra kindness today.

Focus Scripture:

Proverbs 21:21

²¹ Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life and honor.

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

There is something about an orchestra – the blending of music into a melody that is remarkable.  Different instruments producing notes which come together in a chorus of majesty at the hands of those that are skilled and gifted to play.  If you enjoy the music, you can be transported to a different time and place.  To simply close your eyes and hear the proclamations is relaxing, motivating, and memorable.

We don’t always get the opportunity to sit and hear the orchestra, though.  We may really enjoy sitting in the hall and taking it all in.  When it isn’t realistic to hear, I invite you to step outside early in the morning after a rain.  You will be surprised.  It is subtle at first.  You may not even recognize what you are walking into.  You may miss that you have walked into the ultimate concert hall.  There is music unlike any other being played.  It isn’t contained on a musical sheet.  It can’t be repeated by instruments or people.  It would be a feeble attempt if we even tried.

This morning I sit and listen.  It is as if the birds, crickets, and other creatures have gathered together in my back yard to simply sing.  They sing with or without me.  They do not need an audience.  They play for an audience of one – God is the only one they need to play.  I am just a welcome guest that gets to hear by being in the right place at the right time.  There are calls and answers…there are echoes of the same song…there are highs and lows and everything in between.  It may be the most beautiful symphony I have ever heard.  But it takes full focus to hear it all.  Each musician plays her song with such gusto.  Each one has his instrument heard.  Yet, the combination of it all is majestic.  God’s symphony really is the best.

Today, I invite you to hear.  Hear the chorus of God’s good creation.  Hear all he offers when you simply stop and truly listen.  May you be transported, if just for a moment, into the love of God through his creation.

Focus Scripture:

Genesis 8:17

¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

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