God Doesn't Mess Up

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    God did not mess up. God did not mess up when He created you. He does not make mistakes.

    The little quirks that are part of you and the features He has given you are not by mistake.
The vision of ourselves becomes skewed early in life. God is often wooing us back to see ourselves as He created us and to value who He created.

    This is not a narcissistic ego boost, but words that are meant to encourage you to see the Creator as perfect, as intentional and as incredibly loving. He created you as He desired and He does not make mistakes.

    When you think about the creativity, intention and love of God as He created you, what happens?
    Do you struggle to believe or find yourself arguing with God? Or rather are you at rest, at rest in the arms of a sovereign and loving God?

    Be at rest today in the truth of who God is and His great creativity of you.

Have more that two minutes?: Read and meditate on Psalm 139 and God’s beautiful creation and pursuit of your heart and life.

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Invitation to Rest

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    God’s invitation to rest is one I frequently decline. My RSVP is, “Thank you, but I cannot make it.” My reason can range from the desire for movement and productivity to bad timing. In our busy, workaholic, constant moving world the invitation to rest is one offered to us over and over again. Again and again we decline until one day …

    He forces us to rest. We become sick and we have no choice but to rest, we lose something we love and we wrestle to get it back. God forces us to rest and we fight it (which is no rest) or we ignore it and cause ourselves further pain and disconnect from God.

    The invitation to rest is a reminder of God’s grace and love for us. (It is also a reminder that we are human, but no one likes to admit that). If accepted, the rest is incredibly sweet, bringing nourishment to your heart, mind, body and soul.

    How has God inviting you to rest?
    What will your RSVP be?

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

Looking for a Deal

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    I love a deal, I love to get the most out of my money and I find that this attitude of a “deal” bleeds into my spiritual life. I want to put in the least and receive the most. Words such as laziness and cheap came to mind and I began to think about how I hate to sacrifice my own comfort and am really looking for the best deal.

    Am I cheap when I offer myself to God? How does He call me to die to self and I really don’t want to? I want to give the least for the maximum benefit yet God is calling us differently. He calls us to invest fully, to dive in.

    Where is God calling you to dive in? Who is He calling you to invest in?

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

Because You Say So

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5 (New International Version)

    Reading through the book of Luke, the story of Jesus and Simon in Luke 5:1-11 has haunted me. In particular, Simon’s statement, “Because you say so” really gets to me.

    Within the passage, Simon and the other fisherman have put all their effort and time into something for which they are experts and nothing is produced. For any of us, when we put time, resources, and strength into an effort we’re supposed to be good at we expect results (and some of us are only satisfied with excellent results). To have no results can be a great source of discouragement and frustration.

    So when Jesus says to Simon and his fellow fisherman to go out to the deep water and put down your nets we don’t know what is going on in Simon’s mind and heart, we just read his response: “Okay master, we’ve put in all our efforts with no results but because you say so, I will.”  For some reason Simon decides that Jesus’ command is worth following. He respects and submits to Jesus’ command. Jesus’ command contradicts Simon’s history, experience and expertise, yet Simon is willing to do what Jesus asks. Because you say so.

    My prayer would be that I would have a heart that would respond with “because you say so.” My prayer is the same for you. As we navigate life, grow in relationship with Jesus, may our trust in Him increase so that we respond more and more with “because you say so.”

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

The Gift of Forgiveness

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Oh to receive the gift of forgiveness! Forgiveness is a choice, yes and sometimes forgiveness is a gift, a beautiful gift! Having struggled with prolonged unforgiveness with someone close to me, I know what it does to a person. Bitterness, anger, and impenetrable thick walls grow in our hearts and there is little hope for anything different.

    This prolonged unforgiveness was met with the gift of forgiveness. It was something I asked for. I did not ask for it nobly or humbly but desperately. My prayer was, “God, I can’t do this, I don’t think I even care if nothing changes. So, if you want something to change, you’ve gotta do it.” God did want something to change and He gave me the gift of forgiveness. Utterly unexplainable other than “God did it.” This is not a formula prayer by any means, just my experience.

    Forgiveness is a choice, definitely. Forgiveness also comes in the form of a gift. Is there prolonged unforgiveness in your life? How have you prayed about it? Do you even care? No matter how you pray, I encourage you to make it an honest prayer, no matter what. You never know when forgiveness may come as a gift.

**Sit in silence again for as long as is available to you.**

A Soft Heart

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    On a walk a few weeks ago with my children I found my prayer moving towards a prayer for my children. My specific prayer was this: “May they always have a soft heart towards you, God.”

    You see I know what it is to have a hard heart. A heart that will not accept love no matter what efforts are made, how hard the person tries. I know what it is to have a heart that rejects love. Being intimately aware of what a hard heart is my overwhelming prayer for my children is that they would have soft hearts, in particular soft hearts towards God. I pray they will always be willing to accept God’s love. I pray they would allow Him to gather them up and would rest in Him.

    What prayer do you have for your children’s hearts? What prayer do you have for your own?

**Sit in silence again for as long as is available to you.**

Forgotten

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Forgotten. Many of us feel forgotten. In the day to day, ups and downs, working, cooking, cleaning, thoughtful acts, continual reaching out and serving. We give, give and give and feel forgotten. We serve and offer our best gifts and no comment, no response, no gratitude.

    Some of us feel forgotten by God. Has He forgotten that I am waiting for an answer to my prayers? Has He forgotten that our money is about to run out? Has He forgotten about how much I have suffered? Has He forgotten about (fill in the blank)?

    God has not forgotten, He does not forget. He sees, He knows and He loves. Our feelings of being forgotten are real – it truly feels that way sometimes. These feelings are not an indication of the truth – that God has not forgotten. He sees, He knows and He loves. He has not abandoned you.

    My prayer for us: During the times that we feel forgotten, we wonder if God remembers us, that He would give us the faith to trust, the faith to hold onto the truth that He has not forgotten us nor abandoned us.

Have more than two minutes?: These thoughts came to mind after reading about Joseph being forgotten by the chief cupbearer in Genesis 40:23. How would you have felt? What would you have been thinking?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Expectations

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Expectations. We all have them. Some realistic and others not very. I find myself taking my expectations into my relationship with God and at times my frustration with Him is based on whether He has met a desire or request in the way I expected Him to. Sometimes I base whether He cares or not on whether He responds like I expect Him to. (Not a good idea, I know.)

    So as I was exploring these things I found myself reminded that God often (maybe always) does not show up how or where I expect him to. And sometimes I am frustrated with him because he has not shown up where I expected. And…he is showing up but I just can’t see him because I am so focused on him showing up a certain way (much like many during Jesus’ time on earth).

    So I found myself asking God to be able to see him wherever and however and not necessarily in the expected pictures I had painted. Very strongly he spoke to my heart saying, “I’m in your kids”. This was followed by a time of rich (and good) weeping. Even now as I write this I find myself tearing up. God is showing up through my children. Not the picture(s) I had but it is his picture and it is rich and beautiful and I am grateful.

    How has God richly surprised you by not meeting an expectation?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Redefining Beauty

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    The theme of beauty has been on my mind and heart the past week. I have been challenged because I often equate beauty with function and usefulness. Something is beautiful because it offers me something. I have such a shallow view of beauty and am often too lazy or busy to look deeper. The disciples even considered Mary’s expensive sacrifice as a waste. Jesus called it beautiful. (Matthew 26:6-13)

    I have also been reminded of the beauty of God, the beauty of resurrection and the beauty of new life.

    God’s eyes that see to the deepest parts of creation and sees something for all the richness, glory and beauty it has been created with. The beauty of God stands in stark contrast to my idea of beauty.

    I need a reformation, a redefinition and new understanding of beauty; beauty that begins and ends in God Himself. I need a beauty that is not calculated by usefulness but understood through the eyes of God - beauty that is true, rich and never-ending.

    How do you see beauty? How might Jesus change the way you define beauty?

Have more than two minutes? Spend some time in the story of Mary of Bethany and Jesus respond to her in Matthew 26:6-13.

**Sit in silence again for as long as is available to you.**

Hindsight - Always 20/20?

**Sit quietly, eyes closed, in silence for one minute before reading.**

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Søren Kierkegaard

    Hindsight is not always 20/20. Things are not necessarily clearer because they have passed. Things cannot necessarily be understood after they have passed.
    Sometimes hindsight complicates things. Sometimes hindsight leads us to beat ourselves up, saying to ourselves, “I should have known” or “I should have seen that”. Hindsight can bring forth the mystery and murkiness of life, recognizing life is not as clean as we would hope. Hindsight often brings forth our imperfection and the fact that we cannot know all.
    Hindsight can lead us to greater dependence on God, a realization of our need for Him. God calls us to trust Him, whether He gives us explanations or not, whether hindsight is 20/20 or 20/80.
    Hindsight leads me to humility, recognizing I am highly dependent on God; God who sees all perfectly and makes all things new.

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

The Most Excellent Way

**Sit quietly, eyes closed, in silence for one minute before reading.**

    As you read the words below, think about them in regards to who God is.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

    A prayer for today: God, thank you for your love, the most excellent way. Thank you that love is forever and that your love fulfills the description above perfectly. May the life of love we lead find its beginnings in the love that you have for us. Amen.

**Sit again in silence for as much time is available to you.**

While You Wait

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14

    These verses in Psalm 27 are some of my favorite in all of Scripture. I love them because they speak of hope, of God’s goodness on earth, of the reality that it is difficult to wait and that we need to choose to take courage and stand strong. They are a summation of life as we wait for redemption, for healing and ultimately for the LORD.
    The reason we do not despair is because we believe and trust in God’s goodness. The challenge to be strong, take courage and wait (mentioned twice!) shows that it is difficult to do just those things. To wait for redemption and healing from God has its ups and downs, its moments of despair and moments of great hope. Mostly it is waiting, waiting and trusting.
    May these verses encourage you today as you wait on the Lord.

**Sit again in quiet for as long as is available to you.**

Be Strong and Courageous

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

“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.” Joshua 1:9

    What fears linger in your mind? How has your heart been discouraged lately?
Much of my fear happens in isolation, particularly in the isolation of my mind, in my thoughts. No one knows I am afraid or discouraged unless I tell them. A close friend or husband might be able to tell through my actions or my tone, but to most people, they cannot see.
    If others cannot see my fear and discouragement that means I cannot see theirs either. I do not know what lingers in their minds and weighs down their heart.
    The command that God gives Joshua is a command for us as well. Be strong, be courageous for God is with you. God is WITH you, next to you, all the time, anytime. You are not alone and He knows your fears and your discouragement.
    May the presence of God empower and embolden you to live courageously, without fear and lifted up out of discouragement.

**Sit in quiet again for as long as is available to you.**

Relentless Pursuit

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    God is on a relentless pursuit of your heart. He does not give up. He does not throw in the towel. God relentlessly pursues our hearts, wherever they may be.
    Whether you feel near or far from Him, He pursues. Whether you are angry or content with Him, He pursues. Whether you have left Him or are coming back to Him, He pursues. Whether you think He is disappointed in you or proud, of you, He pursues.
    He will not stop pursuing us with His love and grace. He will not stop pursuing our transformation into the likeness of Jesus. God is a relentless pursuer.
    How does the image of God as a relentless pursuer encourage you?

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

The Gift of Rest

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    My kids fight to take a nap and I do not get it. Why are they fighting rest? Do they not know how good they have it?? It is exactly what they need yet they do not know it.
    How about you? Do you fight rest? I am not talking sleep. I know that none of us fight sleep. I am talking rest from achieving, rest from performing, rest from productivity? The rest in which we fall back into the arms of a loving God and do nothing.
     We often fight the “nap” that God is offering us, throwing a fit while He KNOWS we need this gift of rest He offers us.
    I believe that God offers us rest. He offers us rest from performance; rest from achievement and from what we believe is productive. God gives us times, seasons and moments of rest and being a confessing over-achiever I fight Him.
    How about you? Do you fight the gift of rest? How is God calling you to rest in Him today?

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

Your Story

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    Your story is not over. The pages and chapters of your life continue to be written. Your story has yet to see redemption of a loss, great pain or sin. Your story has yet to see new joys and dreams reached. Your story has yet to shine God’s love and grace for others to see. Your story still has pages that are unwritten and chapters untold.
    Your story is not over. God knows the story of your life, where you have been, where you are and where you are going. He sees, He is with you and He beautifully writes the pages of your story.
    What will God write today? How will He tell of His great story of love and redemption through your story? What a fun story to live!

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

Strength In Surrender

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

    I am a fighter. I was taught to be a fighter and high value was placed on it. Surrender was never an option unless you were beat. You never gave up a fight. As I live life a little more each day I have realized there is great strength in choosing to surrender rather than being beat into it. There is also less pain in choosing to surrender!
    I am learning to pick my battles (I think). Not every battle is worth fighting, especially when we are going toe to toe with God.
    Surrender requires humility, it requires a reality check and it takes strength. Surrender is often not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. If you are a fighter, you know it takes strength to surrender. It also takes a great swallow of pride.
    Often this strength does not come from me but from God. My nature is to battle, not surrender and so I ask God, “give me wisdom to discern what is worth the battle, give me humility and strength to surrender”. Ultimately I desire to surrender to God’s will – whatever that entails.
    Surrender requires many things and in and of ourselves we are incapable to fully surrender.
    My prayer today is this: “God grant us to see things as they are, the humility to trust You and the strength to surrender to Your call. Amen.”

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

The Wilderness

**Sit quietly, eyes closed in silence for one minute before reading.**

“God is not taking you through the wilderness for you to die.”

    One of my pastors spoke these words to me about a year and a half ago as I was at the very beginnings of a wilderness time. These words came from the story of Scripture, from the book of Exodus and the life of Jesus. These specific words are not in Scripture but are in the stories of Scripture. You will find this truth in the story of the Israelites and the life of Jesus. God does not in fact take us through wilderness for us to die although it FEELS like it.
    Wilderness feels like death. It is full of pain, the unknown, abounding in confusion and sparse in hope. Wilderness causes us to long for past times, to see them greener than they truly were. Wilderness causes us to dream of escape, escape to anything, anywhere but here.
    In the wilderness we long to change our location and God longs to change us. We long to escape and He longs to free us. There is a difference between escaping and being freed. When we are in the places that we most do not want to be God seeks to transform us, shape us and draw us nearer to Himself. He seeks to transform us and as difficult as that is we need to trust Him. Trust that He has not brought us to the wilderness to die but to free us to live.
    Are you in a season of wilderness? What are your struggles?
    Have you had opportunity to speak openly and honestly with God? Please do, He wants to hear your heart. He also wants you to trust Him. In the midst of it all cling onto His goodness – the stories are throughout the Bible, they are throughout your life and the lives of those around you. He is good, He is with you and He has not brought you here to die.
    A special blessing on you as you wander in the wilderness.

**Sit again for as long as is available to you.**

Have more than two minutes? Can you relate to the Israelites in Exodus 17:1-3?

Head and Hands

**Sit quietly in silence, eyes closed for one minute before reading.**

    2012 was brutal. I’ll spare you the details but it was a year of pain, tears, wrestling and sadness. It was a year of many questions, wondering where I belonged and struggling to trust and hope. It was a year in which God was repeating:

“Just because you have it in your head does not mean it happens through your hands.”
“Just because you have it in your head does not mean it happens through your hands.”

    My children were daily reminders that I did not always do with my hands what I said I knew in my head. Years of working in a church and going to seminary filled my head with information yet my daily response to struggles reminded me that there was disconnect between what I knew and what I did. My knowledge and my actions did not match up in so many ways.
    So the path that God has you on may be this path. He may be demanding that your actions match what is in your head. It is not an easy path and one in which you do not walk alone.
    My prayer for us is this: “God, give us patience and grace with ourselves as we seek to travel the path from our head to our hands. Thank you that you are growing us to be whole and not fragmented, assuring that our head, our heart and our hands align. Amen.”

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

Fruitful in Affliction

**Sit quietly, eyes closed, for one minute before reading.**
    Affliction. I don’t know about you, but I tend to want to either run from affliction or get rid of affliction. I do not like it, I do not want it and I do not pray for it. Run from or get rid of. That is what I do.
    Yet, affliction comes. Affliction comes in various forms, at various times and for various lengths of time. Joseph was intimately acquainted with affliction. He names his second-born son “Ephraim” (Genesis 41:52) which means, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction".
    Ephraim's name acknowledges the truth of God’s actions. Joseph lived a life of affliction. Various forms, at various times and for various lengths of time. Yet he got to a point in life when he could say “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”. What a gift to get to that place!!
    So many of us are in the midst of affliction. In the midst of affliction we cannot see fruit. Even if we can see any fruit we still wonder if it is worth it. In the midst of affliction it is sometimes all we can do to simply speak, “God is good, God is sovereign”. We speak it because it is true and because it is our prayer - we struggle to believe.
    My prayer is this, that we would have to joy of being able to say that God has made us fruitful in our lands of affliction. Just to be able to say it. In saying it, praying it and repeating it, may our faith grow stronger to believe that God is good, He is sovereign and He redeems, bringing fruit whether we get to see it or not.
**Sit in silence again for as long as is available to you.**