“I didn’t like it today when Ella liked Tommy more than me.” My six year old had a rough time on a play date when his ‘favorite girl’ had her cousin visiting and they all had trouble making the 3-way playgroup work.
Just a few short weeks ago though, he was the one in the middle as we visited far-away friends. His closest chum from infancy hung back a bit while his sister enthusiastically did whatever Bug initiated. By the end of our visit it was clear that his buddy was feeling left out too. At the time, it was hard to get Bug to see why he needed to make more of an effort to reach out to his pal when it was easier just to play with Sis.
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Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Psalm 119:35 NIV
“Come on, sweet girl. Turn your head this way,” I coaxed my newborn baby. As I tried to gently turn her soft head to the left, she tensed up and held her head in the opposite direction. I sighed, envisioning her head forming in the lumpy shape it currently held.
The doctor told me to encourage her to look left as much as possible. She favored lying with her head to the right. “Lay her in the bed so when she turns right, she faces the wall,” she told me.
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I have felt very distracted lately. Worries about money, sick children, church situations have left me feeling a little disoriented. I’ve been praying that God would help me to regain my focus. And then these familiar verses turned up in my devotional reading:
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed.
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On the heels of Halloween and as we head into the holiday season, I found verses that made me think more about the word fear. I used to loathe the idea of fearing God. I know the Bible mentions doing that, but the mere thought made me think that I had a God that could not be trusted, that he’d whip out his rod iron ready to whip me into spiritual shape at any given moment. This has been far from true of the God I know. I’ve grown to understand the word fear to mean respect/stand in awe of God, as opposed to be afraid of/frightened by God.
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Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Give thanks in all circumstances! Have you ever struggled with that passage? Here we are in the month of November. Two weeks from today is Thanksgiving. We’ve started preparing for our celebrations by planning menus, sending invitations, designing tablescapes, making shopping lists….
It’s easier to think about being thankful at this time of the year. It’s expected! It’s what we do! Or maybe not, maybe your income has been cut or lost in the past year, maybe you or someone you love is fighting a serious illness, maybe depression is a constant companion, maybe you will be alone for the first time this year, or maybe you are grieving the loss of a loved one.
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Isaiah 55:11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
This year, in our Wednesday night program at church, we have the privilege of having some children from a local children’s home to be with us. This home is for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect in emergency situations.
The children in our program memorize verses each week and have team leaders sign off on the verses they have recited.
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I received a call from a close friend today that changed the entire direction of my day. Her words were the rudder in my schedule, veering me full throttle into a new and exciting project. She felt an irresistible urge to reach out to the homeless as the weather dives down, degree by degree into frigid temperatures at night. As she sprung the idea on me, I surged into brainstorming mode. My background in marketing reared its head and seeped into my every suggestion. I had it in mind to reach the most amounts of people possible, so we could have a huge impact on the lives of the homeless.
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And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:19-20
“Follow me!” Those words were spoken to our grandson by his other grandma last week, and that’s exactly what he did! He has been walking for several months while holding on for balance; on that day, she placed him on his feet and he followed her down the hall all by himself. We have shouted, “Glory Hallelujah!!” that our little 1 lb. 9oz. preemie has accomplished yet another milestone by God’s grace.
I love the above verse, especially the word “immediately.”
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