In all my life and in all I have learned, all the good, the trials, the storms, the lovely and the hard, I know one thing for certain and above all else…I must cling to Jesus.
I have to cling to Jesus.
To cling is to have a strong emotional attachment or dependence. To remain or linger as if resisting complete dissipation or dispersal.
Depend on Him. Linger in His presence.
If I don’t…If I let go even for an instant, I will dissipate. I’ll become less.
Purposeless, faithless, graceless, loveless, godless.
I have to cling.
Cling until my knuckles are white and my muscles are tense and Jesus becomes a part of my hold, my grasp, my fist.
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Today…I will smile, even if it doesn’t come naturally. I’ll look past the trouble and annoyances and find reason to smile.
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. Proverbs 15:13 MSG
Today…I will pay attention to those around me. Family, friends, someone I happen to see once…I’ll notice and see them. And I’ll share kindness.
Today…I will find the positives in my life…the good in the midst of the trials. And I’ll give thanks.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
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“What Scripture verse are you clinging to?”
Years ago, a friend asked me this. At the time, I was dealing with some issues, and in a rare moment of vulnerability, I shared with her what I was struggling with.
“What verse is getting you through this?” she asked.
Although I’d never thought of it this way before, I knew immediately which verse I’d been clinging to for dear life.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT
In it I’d found the comfort and strength I desperately needed.
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“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me
–John 14:1.
How many times have I read this verse? Quite a few, yet because I am prone to worry, I come back to it again and again.
Isn’t it easy to grab hold of a verse and try to stick it onto our souls like a bandaid? As if one quick fix and the bleeding of our hearts will stop.
No more worries and no more struggles.
Yet bandaids will not cure the troubles of our souls, any more than pulling a single verse out of context will fix our brokenness.
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A new year makes me think of new beginnings. The move to a new calendar feels like a fresh start—a blank page with all sorts of possibilities. It’s easy to think now is when everything can change.
Then as January progresses into February, the newness wears of. The New Year’s resolutions are long forgotten and life feels the same as it was.
Or have we just stopped looking for the newness in our everyday?
New beginnings don’t depend on the change of the calendar year. God gives us a new start every day.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions (mercies) never fail.
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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
I’ve been thinking a lot about being new, about the biblical notion of having a transformed mind. My life is different lately; hectic even, and though our circumstances are changed; I am moreso.
In only 6 short weeks, my career and my professional learning curve went from long-stalled to back in full motion. My new job is a smaller role than I’ve had previously, but coming back from nothing professionally for seven years, I am truly grateful to have been provided the opportunity to work in my field, learn, and contribute again.
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I remember as a child waiting in anticipation for my birthday or for Christmas to arrive. Time moved slowly and the waiting dragged on forever.
As an adult, that time moves much more quickly. It seems like Christmas is around the corner again before last year’s gifts are put away. And birthdays…well, each one is not quite as exciting anymore. The anticipated wait doesn’t drag anymore. Now it flies by.
Waiting for the calendar page to turn—that’s not so hard. Unless time ends, one month will flow into the next, guaranteed.
But waiting on God? It. Is. Hard. Some days waiting on God feels impossible.
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At a time when just being a young black man in America is enough to get you killed—you know what I’m talking about, you’ve read the headlines—I wonder what the other mommies tell their sons. All mommies worry about their sons, don’t they? All mommies tell their sons to be careful, to be respectful, to stand up for themselves, walking in the Truth of God in whose image they are made, right? Are other mommies afraid for their sons?
Here is what I know of fear. I am sufficiently realistic to acknowledge that I will never be free from them. However, I declare that they are not the boss of me, and will never paralyze me to the point of immobility.
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