A Clear View
It was hard to see out the window of my husband’s car this morning.
Something I would remedy once we returned home with some Windex.
Even the sun looked a little distorted through the window.
I love when God speaks in the most unexpected ways.
Sometimes the way I see God is not clear because I see Him through human eyes.
Even the way I look at the Son can seem distorted when seeing Him from a clouded world view.
It is hard to fathom the great love our Father has for us when we consider the limits placed on us as humans.
But His love for us is limitless.
God wants us to look through the eyes of our hearts.
He wants His children to know the inheritance that is theirs and the power that they hold within them.
His immeasurable love for us and the sacrifice that came through the cross seems impossible to imagine.
But for those who believe, for those who see through the eyes of their hearts, we trust that all things are possible through Him.
There is nothing that is over our heads that is not under His feet.
Not our mistakes or failures.
Not the challenges our loved ones face.
Not our finances or health.
He is over it all.
My prayer today is that the eyes of your heart are opened and that you can see clearly the hope that yours through Him.
And that you know without a doubt that you are loved beyond measure.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”
Ephesians 1:18-23 NIV
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In Need of Water
As I turned toward the window, a glimpse of brown leaves caught my eye.
I had forgotten to water the plants this week, along with about a dozen other things that didn’t get done.
If I am being honest, I was feeling a bit like those plants this morning .
In need of water.
The Living Water.
How easy it is to get caught up in the busyness of what the world throws at us that forget we need to go to the well.
To nourish our souls.
To be still.
To give us life.
After giving the plants a much needed drink, I sat down to give pause and thank to the One who gives daily reminders that we need Him.
Though His Word.
And even through a dying plant.
May you pause and nourish your soul today.
Blessings in heaps!
“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14 ESV
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The Same in Every Season
Summer is coming to an end.
Classes are starting and children are returning to school.
Vacations are winding down.
Even the temperature in the air feels like it’s getting cooler.
Before you know it Fall will be here, my favorite season.
I love the rich colors and the crisp air.
But I do not love every season of life.
Some seasons in our lives bring unexpected and unwanted changes.
A sudden illness.
The death of a relationship.
Plans not turning out the way we hoped for or wanted.
Sometimes the news we get knocks us off our balance, and leaves us desperate to gain some sense of normalcy or control.
We search for something or someone to grasp onto.
That’s when I hold onto Him.
The One who never changes.
Not with the seasons.
Not with our circumstances.
Not ever.
Some changes are good, some are hard.
But whatever kind of season you find yourself in, trust that He is with you through it all.
And I am so grateful for that.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
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Like a Child
It doesn’t matter how old I get.
The sight of a merry go round instantly brings me back to my childhood.
From choosing my horse to listening to the organ music,
I am magically turned back into a little girl.Even though there was no real destination on the carousel, the journey on that ride felt like you were in another world.
Maybe it was the childlike wonder of it all.
There is a destination that requires that same childlike thinking.
Heaven.
God tells us in His word that whoever humbles himself to become like a child will enter His gates.
That doesn’t mean we have to become children again, but become like a child.
Teachable.
Humble.
Full of awe and wonder.
As adults, it’s easy to believe we know what’s best.
That we know better than God.
As we grow into adults, we change our way of thinking.
It’s easy to drift from that childlike faith.
But no matter how old we get, our Heavenly Father reminds us we are all children.
His children.
My prayer for you today is that you see Him with the awe and wonder of a child.
“Jesus called a little one to his side and said to them, “Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable like a little child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this little child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.”
Matthew 18:2-4 TPT
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The Beauty Ahead
Right lane closed ahead.
I was too far now to turn around and find another route.
Going through the construction zone was the only option.
What was being built would eventually make getting to my final destination easier.
But for now, it looked like everything had been torn apart.
And then there was the wait.
Before my thoughts could allow me to become upset with the extra time tacked onto my schedule, out of the corner of my eye I saw a butterfly.
A beautiful sight among all the concrete and machinery.
An incredible reminder that we can find beauty even when the path is not easy.
Maybe we are being rerouted or rebuilt.
The time might be longer than expected.
But regardless of the path, we can always find beauty as God leads us along the way.
Going through the construction zones in our lives won’t last forever.
But the beauty ahead that we can’t see now will.
Until then, I am grateful for the reminders that He provides that there is beauty right where we are.
We just need to look for it.
“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:16, 18 MSG
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Endless Love
This is our last family trip of the summer.
Going to a wedding out of state translated into a 7 hour drive.
Whether you have young children or adult children, moments like this feel like your whole heart is contained inside the car.
And my heart is full whether my guys are engaged in conversations or on their phones.
Because we are all together.
Looking out the window last night as my husband drove, I took in this gorgeous sky.
And my thought was this: God’s love is endless.
It is not contained by human limits.
It is not contingent on whether we are engaged with Him or distracted by the world.
His love is unfailing.
He simply desires His children to be with Him.
And under the evening sky, for more reasons than I can count, my heart was grateful.
Friends, my prayer today is that you know His love for you has no end.
Just like the evening sky.
Blessings in heaps.
“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
Psalms 36:5-7 NIV
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His Promises
I did not need to look out the window to know it was raining.
The sound of the water furiously hitting the ground made it abundantly clear.
The thought of going outside was less than appealing.
Almost as if the rain had rinsed away my motivation.
But life keeps moving forward, storms or not.
Similar to when the storms of life hit, I would much rather curl up inside and put the world on hold.
Sometimes it’s easy to believe when the storms come, that God has forgotten us.
But He sends us reminders that He has not forgotten us or His promise to His people.
As I emerged outside when the rain had finally stopped, there was a full and vibrant rainbow greeting me.
A sign of His promises and His presence.
Friends, I don’t know what storm you are facing today.
You might think that God has forgotten you and that the storm will never end.
But take heart.
He is with you always, rain or shine.
You are never alone.
“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:12-13 NIV
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No Words Necessary
There are times that words fail us.
Like staring at a blank page and not knowing where to start.
Maybe it’s a personal prayer or a pleading for someone you love.
Maybe saying the words out loud feels too painful.
And yet God knows our thoughts without us ever speaking a single word.
The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, a companion walking with us in our time of need.
An interpreter of our hearts, making sense of our wordless groans.
What a comfort it is to be heard even without speaking.
How great His love is for us.
“And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.”
Romans 8:26 TPT
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Sufficient
Frazzled.
Overwhelmed.
Sad.
These were the words my friend shared about their current situation.
My heart hurt for theirs.
Knowing the pain that is so real that it brings you to your knees and almost knocks the wind out of you.
Wondering how you will get through this or if you have the strength.
When we feel at our lowest point, that’s when God’s grace and strength shine!
God tells us in His word that His grace is sufficient.
Sufficient means having or providing as much is as needed.
Enough.
And when we are feeling like we don’t have what it takes, we can trust that He is more than enough!
He will provide whatever we need.
We just need to turn it over to Him and let Him take over.
We may have limitations, but we serve a limitless God!
“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. “
2 Corinthians 12:7, 10 MSG
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Gifts and Wonders
What if we woke up and approached the day with a sense of wonder instead of worry?
If we picked up our heads to look at the gifts around us instead of looking down at our phones?
What if we paused to be fully present with others right where God has placed us?
Watch for His works today.
Don’t miss His gifts and wonders.
Give Him thanks for all He has done.
“Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to Him by name! Tell everyone you meet what He has done! Sing Him songs, belt out hymns, translate His wonders into music! Honor His holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for His works; be alert for signs of His presence. Remember the world of wonders He has made, His miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered— O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen.”
Psalms 105:1 -6 (MSG)
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